Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Pennsylvania

Re: The estate of a deceased relative

My condolences on your recent loss.

You and your brother should formally administer your mother's estate. If there was a will, it should be filed with the Register of Wills for the county where she resided. If there is no will, you may apply to the same Register of Wills for Letters of Administration. Those will enable you to act on behalf of the estate. At that point, you will be able to transfer bank and investment accounts to a new "estate" account, from which you may pay debts and eventually distribute whatever remains to heirs/beneficiaries.

You will have to give notice to heirs, you will have to file an Inventory, PA Inheritance Tax return, last income tax return for your mother, and administer the estate. This involves finding out all of the debts, assembling all of the assets, paying obligations of your mother and the estate, before distributing anything as provided in the will, if there was one, or under PA law. You will also have to file a report, when you have completed the administration, with the Register of Wills. If you distribute without taking care of obligations first, you may be personally liable and have to pay out of your own assets.

You should probably consult with a probate (estate administration) attorney and an accountant to assist you.