Death of Depositor

We had a gentleman that recently passed away that had a joint MM with his wife. His wife came in with a death certificate and closed the account. The gentleman also had a personal account in just his name. She wanted to close that account as well. I said that we would need a short certificate naming her as executor. Is that correct?

That is correct. She should have some direction from the court (appointment as personal representative or named as executor in will) that would allow her such access.

You might want to check your state statutes for intestacy payouts. That is an option in AL if the individual has no will, the amount is under $5,000, and you follow other specified guidelines.