What recourse does an executor have if a bank unreasonably delays releasing funds despite a valid certificate?

An executor facing unreasonable delay from a bank, despite holding a valid certificate, isn't without options — the first step is usually escalating within the bank itself, moving past the regular branch to the bank's dedicated estate or executor services unit, and putting the request and the certificate details in writing so there's a clear record of what's been provided and when.

If escalation within the bank doesn't move things along, most banks have a formal internal complaints process, and pursuing that in writing often gets more attention than repeated phone calls. Persistent, unreasonable delay after a valid certificate has been provided and all reasonable documentation supplied is not something an executor has to simply accept indefinitely, though the practical remedies tend to focus on pushing the bank's own process rather than going straight to court, which is usually a disproportionate response to a documentation delay.

Keeping a clear timeline — when the certificate was provided, what was asked for, what was supplied, and when — makes any escalation, formal complaint, or, in a genuinely serious and prolonged case, legal involvement far more effective than a vague complaint about slow service.