The Case of the $99 Billion Account Hold and Other Stories

The last thing you need to deal with after a loved one passes away is a mystery, but that’s the unfortunate reality some family members face. Have you heard the one about the widow whose late husband’s bank account had a $99 BILLION hold?

Lori Judd was in the process of closing her husband’s accounts after he died when she discovered that his Chase bank account looked like it had been overdrawn by $99 billion. She tried calling and emailing the bank but got no response. When the local news got involved, Chase informed them it was a hold that was “standard practice.”

After my husband passed away, the funeral home informed me that they would receive the death certificate within 4-6 weeks. At the end of six weeks, I called to follow up and discovered that there was an error on the certificate, and it would need to be sent back. Does that go to the county vital records office? The state? After calling around, following up and explaining the situation over and over again, I finally received my late husband’s death certificate—five months after he passed away.

Author Rachel Held Evans’ husband, Daniel Jonce Evans, writes about the medical bills he had to follow up on while parenting two small children. His article in TIME is aptly headlined, “After My Wife Died I Was Consumed by Both Grief and Paperwork.”

These are the worst kinds of mysteries. Even in the best of times, tasks like calling banks, hospitals, and government agencies often fall to the end of our to-do lists. But when you’re in the depths of grief, paperwork shouldn’t be hanging over your head and causing more stress.

I started Compass Coordinators to help take care of that to-do list and allow family members the space they need to grieve. Learn more about my story and the services I provide.