Our bank received a request from an individual who says his father passed away and did not leave a will nor any papers regarding the whereabouts of any personal accounts he may have. He has requested any information we may have regarding any accounts we may have had with his father. Are we even allowed to let the son know if his father had an account with us?

The first thing that comes to mind here is to be very careful--especially with how privacy is these days. The second thing is how did the son know to contact your bank for information if he has no idea where his father had accounts? Is he then sending letters to every financial institution in the area in hopes of hitting the right one?

I think, aside from verifying the father is actually deceased (if you don't already know), you may want to make sure the son is who he says. Past that, legal council may have to get involved.

I am certainly no expert here , but that's my instinctive reaction.

It looks like the son is sending this letter to every financial institution in the area. We don't have any accounts with the deceased father, but because of privacy concerns we want to make sure that we can tell the son that we don't have any accounts with the father.

States have their own laws when dealing with the assets of deceased individuals. I would suggest that you consult your attorney.

From time to time we get these confirmation letters, usually from attorneys, that appear to be addressed to all local area banks requesting this type of information. If our review turns up negative we do not respond and file the request.

Get documentation from the son from the local probate court indicating that he has been appointed his father's personal representative, executor, or estate adminstrator. Then you can respond without worrying about privacy concerns.