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Can a bank be my executor?

Yes. Trust companies act as corporate executors, charging fees but providing continuity and professional administration.

This is legal information only. For advice on your own circumstances, speak to a lawyer.

Yes. Trust companies act as corporate executors, charging fees but providing continuity and professional administration.

The Canadian position

Useful where no family member is suitable or where appointing one relative over another would cause conflict.

Fees are typically a percentage of the estate.

The Islamic position

Where the estate involves religious obligations, a corporate trustee needs explicit written instructions.

Consider a co-executor who understands those obligations.

Researched — the schools differ

All four schools want the same qualities in a wasi — adulthood and legal capacity, Islam, integrity and the ability to do the job. They differ on what failing one of them does. Three schools treat them as conditions of validity, so an appointment that fails one is void. The Hanafi school treats the appointment as valid and puts the remedy in the judge’s hands.

All four Sunni schools researched and sourced. Reviewed 2026-08-19. Full positions, evidence and sources — Who may be appointed wasi (executor and guardian).

Note

This is legal information only. For advice on your own circumstances, speak to a lawyer.

Citations & sources

Every factual claim on this page traces to a source below. Details change — check the original source before relying on any figure, fee or legal position. Anything under “further reading” is related material, not a source for what is stated here.

Canadian legislation & government
  1. Administering estates — Government of Ontario
  2. Canadian Legal Information Institute — CanLII
Further reading — Treadstone Law
  1. Corporate trustee vs family member ontario — Treadstone Law
  2. Executors year ontario estate administration — Treadstone Law
  3. Trustee fees family trust ontario — Treadstone Law
  4. Naming trust company professional executor ontario — Treadstone Law
  5. Wills & estates practice — Treadstone Law