§ 6-1010. Common trust funds.

A.  Any bank or trust company qualified to act as a fiduciary in this state may:

1.  Establish one or more common trust funds for the exclusive purpose of furnishing investments to itself as fiduciary, to itself and others as cofiduciaries, or to another bank or trust company which is a subsidiary of the same bank holding company as fiduciary or cofiduciary for estates, guardianships, and all other fiduciary relationships now in existence or hereafter created which require or authorize investment of trust funds; and

2.  Invest funds which it lawfully holds for investment in interests in such common trust funds, unless:

a.the investment is prohibited by the instrument, judgment, decree, or order creating the fiduciary relationship,

b.in the case of cofiduciaries, the bank or trust company fails to procure the consent of its cofiduciary or cofiduciaries to such investment,

c.the bank or trust company is not at all times in full charge of the full management of the fund, or

d.a cofiduciary or co-trustee has the right to interfere in the management of the common trust funds.

B.  1.  The bank or trust company shall not mingle its own funds with common trust funds.  Each trust, estate or account owning an interest in such common trust fund shall be deemed to own a proportionate share of each asset of the fund.  In determining whether the investment by the trust, estate, or account in such common trust fund is a proper investment for assets held in a fiduciary account, the bank or trust company may consider the common trust fund as a whole and shall not, for example, be prohibited from making the investment if any one or more of the assets of the common trust fund is nonincome producing or might not otherwise be considered a proper investment for a fiduciary account.

2.  When making investment decisions pursuant to this subsection, the bank or trust company shall be bound by the provisions of the Oklahoma Trust Act and the Oklahoma Uniform Prudent Investor Act, unless otherwise provided by law.

3.  Nothing in this subsection shall in any fashion diminish the responsibility of the bank or trust company to carry out its responsibilities and duties pursuant to the standard of care of a fiduciary in handling trust funds.

C.  A bank or trust company administering a common trust fund shall keep proper records, which in addition to all other necessary and proper matters shall show at all times the proportionate interest of each trust in the common trust fund, and, at least once during each period of twelve (12) months, cause an audit to be made of the common trust fund by auditors responsible only to the board of directors of the bank or trust company.  The report of such audit shall include a list of the investments comprising the common trust fund at the time of the audit, which shall show the valuation placed on each item on such list by the bank or trust company as of the date of the audit, a statement of purchases, sales and any other investment changes, and of income and disbursements since the last audit, and appropriate comments as to any investment in default as to payment of principal or interest.  The reasonable expenses of any such audit made by independent public accountants may be charged to the common trust fund.  The bank or trust company administering a common trust fund may charge a reasonable fee for the management of the common trust fund provided that:

1.  The fee is disclosed in the report of the audit of the common trust fund; and

2.  The amount of the fee does not exceed an amount commensurate with the value of legitimate services of tangible benefit to the participating fiduciary accounts that would not have been provided to the accounts were they not invested in the fund.

The bank or trust company shall absorb the costs of establishing or reorganizing a common trust fund.  The bank or trust company shall send a copy of the latest report of such audit annually to each person to whom a regular periodic accounting of the trusts participating in the common trust fund ordinarily would be rendered, or shall send advice to each such person annually that the report is available and that a copy will be furnished without charge upon request.

D.  Unless ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction, the bank or trust company operating such common trust funds is not required to render a court accounting with regard to such funds; but it may, by application to the district court, secure approval of such an accounting after such notice, and on such conditions as the court may establish.

Added by Laws 1965, c. 161, § 1010.  Amended by Laws 1988, c. 166, § 9, emerg. eff. May 24, 1988; Laws 1995, c. 351, § 16, eff. Nov. 1, 1995; Laws 1999, c. 27, § 8, eff. July 1, 1999.