eLaws | eCases | Oklahoma Administrative Code | Oklahoma Courts | Counties & Cities of Oklahoma | United States Code |
 Oklahoma Statutes (Last Updated: September 18, 2014)
 Title 6. BANKS AND TRUST COMPANIES

  § 6-902. Trustee deposit accounts.  

Latest version.

  • A.  Whenever any deposit shall be made in a bank by any person which is in form in trust for another, and no other or further notice of the existence and terms of a legal and valid trust shall have been given in writing to the bank, in the event of the death of the trustee, the same, or any part thereof, together with the interest thereon, may be paid to the person or persons for whom the deposit was made.  A deposit held in this form shall be deemed to constitute a Totten Trust.  A revocation of such trust may only be made in writing to the bank and the bank shall not suffer any liability for payment of funds pursuant to the trust unless and until it receives written notice of revocation.

    B.  1.  If a deposit account is opened with a bank by one or more persons expressly as a trustee for one or more other named persons and further notice of the existence and terms of a legal and valid trust is not given in writing to the bank, the bank may accept and administer the account as set forth in subsection A of this section.

    2.  If a deposit account is opened with a bank by one or more persons expressly as a trustee for one or more other named persons pursuant to or purporting to be pursuant to a written trust agreement, the trustee may provide the bank with a certificate of trust to evidence the trust relationship.  The certificate shall be an affidavit of the trustee and must include the effective date of the trust, the name of the trustee, the name or method for choosing successor trustees, the name and address of each beneficiary, the authority granted to the trustee, the disposition of the account on the death of the trustee or the survivor of two or more trustees, other information required by the bank, and an indemnification of the bank.  The bank may accept and administer the account, subject to the provisions of Title 58 of the Oklahoma Statutes, in accordance with the certificate of trust without requiring a copy of the trust agreement.  The bank is not liable for administering the account as provided by the certificate of trust, even if the certificate of trust is contrary to the terms of the trust agreement, unless the bank has actual knowledge of the terms of the trust agreement.

    3.  On the death of the trustee or the survivor of two or more trustees, the bank may pay all or part of the withdrawal value of the account with interest as provided by the certificate of trust.  If the trustee did not deliver a certificate of trust, the bank's right to treat the account as owned by a trustee ceases on the death of the trustee.  On the death of the trustee or the survivor of two or more trustees, the bank shall, unless the certificate of trust provides otherwise, pay the withdrawal value of the account, with interest, in equal shares to the persons who survived the trustee, are named as beneficiaries in the certificate of trust, and can be located by the bank from its own records.  If there is not a certificate of trust, payment of the withdrawal value and interest shall be made as provided by Title 58 of the Oklahoma Statutes.  Any payment made under this section for all or part of the withdrawal value and interest discharges any liability of the bank to the extent of the payment.  The bank may pay all or part of the withdrawal value and interest in the manner provided by this section, regardless of whether it has knowledge of a competing claim, unless the bank receives actual knowledge that payment has been restrained by order of a court of competent jurisdiction.

    4.  This section does not obligate a bank to accept a deposit account from a trustee who does not furnish a copy of the trust agreementor to search beyond its own records for the location of a named beneficiary.

    5.  This section does not affect a contractual provision to the contrary that otherwise complies with the laws of this state.

Added by Laws 1965, c. 161, § 902.  Amended by Laws 1991, c. 128, § 8, emerg. eff. April 29, 1991; Laws 1993, c. 183, § 13, eff. July 1, 1993; Laws 1997, c. 111, § 77, eff. July 1, 1997.