Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Pennsylvania

I don't know what you are trying to do and cannot really answer the question. Any time a person has died, an estate needs probated for that person. That means that a personal representative will need appointed to administer the dead person's estate - basically pay their just debts and make sure that the property is transferred to the heirs as per the will or via state intestacy laws.

In most cases, if the person who died and someone else who is living had a joint bank account, then the money in the account remaining at death belong to the remaining living person. No short certificate should be required. The bank will want proof that the other person has died though. I am not sure why this would even be needed since the funds in the account can be accessed by the remaining person on the account.

To the extent that the estate of the person can reclaim any funds in the joint account, the bank may want a short certificate. This is given to the personal representative of the dead person's estate in order for the bank to turn over any property to the personal representative.