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[quote=Anonymous]It sounds like you’ve already done the hard part — proving you’re the rightful heir — and now the only remaining issue is that the check is made out to the estate, which technically no longer exists because it was closed years ago. This is really common with old unclaimed property.
A few things to know:
Banks generally won’t let you deposit a check made out to an estate unless the estate is open.  
They aren’t being difficult — they legally need an active estate account or current Letters Testamentary to accept it.
You usually don’t need to fully reopen the estate for something this small.  
Most states have a “small estate” or “collection of personal property” procedure that lets you claim assets under a certain dollar amount without a full probate reopening.
Look up your state’s version of a small estate affidavit.
The unclaimed property office can’t reissue the check in your name because they’re required to pay the legal owner — the estate — not the heir. So the bank is the bottleneck, not the state.
Your options usually look like this:
Use your state’s small estate affidavit to show the bank you’re entitled to the funds
OR reopen the estate briefly, get updated Letters Testamentary, open an estate account, deposit the check, and close it again
OR ask the bank if they will accept the affidavit + the old Letters Testamentary (some will)
You do not need a trust account.  
That sounds like a banker trying to improvise. This isn’t a trust situation — it’s simply an estate check.
Given the amount (~$2,000), the small‑estate route is usually the easiest and cheapest. It’s exactly the kind of situation those laws were designed for.[/quote]

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