I’m in Pennsylvania (Bucks County) trying to become Administrator for my mother’s estate after she passed away without a will.
The estate mainly involves frozen bank accounts and possibly a piece of land in Virginia that may or may not even pass through probate depending on how the deed is titled.
One sibling signed a renunciation, another has not, so the Register of Wills required a probate bond. I applied for the bond and the surety company denied it, stating it was due to the applicant’s personal credit.
I currently have a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, so I’m assuming that’s the reason for the denial.
I already:
obtained the EIN, filed probate paperwork, notified/froze the bank accounts, have death certificates
My questions:
Is Chapter 13 commonly enough to get denied for a probate bond?
Can the court still appoint me if I can’t obtain a bond?
Has anyone had success using another surety company after a denial?
If the Virginia property passes outside probate, could that help reduce the bond requirement?
Would getting the remaining sibling to sign a renunciation potentially remove the bond requirement entirely?
Just trying to understand what realistic next steps usually look like in this situation.