Our bank requires customers to produce a death certificate and a short certificate when a customer passes.

For example John Doe who is the only person named on his mother's short certificate comes in to close her account. He wants a check payable to The Estate of Joan Doe. We still require both a death and short certificate. Does this seem like overkill?

A Short Certificate is a legal document that shows the decedent’s name and date of death. It will also show the name of the Executor/Executrix who has been named to handle the affairs of the estate. A Short Certificate can be obtained at the “Register of Wills” office in the county court house.

Why would you also need a copy of the death certificate?

PA does not require a short cert. of small estates. When this occurs we will accept a death cert. in place of the short cert. and issue the funds to the appropriate family member according to PA recommendations, other than those cases, we will accept the Short Certificate as proof and issue the funds to the estate.

Does anyone know if the $3500 amount has changed to $10,000 in Sept 3, 2013 that we can release to the executor etc of an account that only has the decedent's name it. I am referencing 20.PaC.S.A sec 3101.

Yes it has increased,

Act 35 2013 enacted July 2, 2013 made changes to Pennsylvania’s probate statute (Title 20 Pa. C.S.A.) affecting payments which may be made directly from decedents’ deposit accounts and certificates and the settlement of small estates. The following changes affect the estates of decedents dying on or after September 3, 2013.
1) Direct payment from deposit accounts
Amendments to §3101 (b) increase to $10,000 from the current $3,500 the total amount of a deposit account or certificate from which a financial institution shall (currently “may”) make payment directly to specified family members (the order of preference of which is spouse, any child, the father or mother or any sister or brother) who present a receipted funeral bill or a funeral director’s affidavit that funeral arrangements have been made for the deceased depositor or certificate holder.

This thread also discusses estate issues in PA

PA estates