2023 Oklahoma Statutes › Title 6. Banks and Trust Companies › §6-901. Deposits in name of two or more persons – "Payable on Death" deposit accounts - Forms of deposit accounts included.

A. When a deposit has been made or shall hereafter be made in any bank in the names of two or more persons, payable to any of them or payable to any of them or the survivor, such deposit, or any part thereof, or any interest thereon, may be paid to either of the persons, whether one of such persons shall be a minor or not, and whether the other be living or not; and the receipt or acquittance of the person so paid shall be valid and sufficient release and discharge to the bank for any payment so made.
B. 1. When a deposit has been made or shall hereafter be made in any bank using the terms "Payable on Death" or "P.O.D.", such deposits shall be payable on the death of the account owner to one or more designated P.O.D. beneficiaries, or to an individual or individuals named beneficiary if living, and if not living, to the named estate of the beneficiary, notwithstanding any provision to the contrary contained in Sections 41 through 57 of Title 84 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Each designated P.O.D. beneficiary shall be a trust, an individual, or a nonprofit organization exempt from taxation pursuant to the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C., Section 501(c)(3).
2. A deposit account with a P.O.D. designation shall constitute a contract between the account owner, (or owners, if more than one) and the bank that upon the death of the last surviving owner of the account, and after payment of account proceeds to any secured party with a valid security interest in the account, the bank will hold the funds for or pay them to the named primary beneficiary or beneficiaries if living. If a primary beneficiary predeceases the account owner, the share of that primary beneficiary shall be distributed pursuant to either paragraph 4 or 5 of this subsection, whichever is applicable.
3. Each P.O.D. beneficiary designated on a deposit account shall be a primary beneficiary unless specifically designated as a contingent beneficiary.
4. If there is only one primary P.O.D. beneficiary on a deposit account and that beneficiary is an individual, the account owner may designate one or more contingent beneficiaries for whom the funds shall be held or to whom the funds shall be paid if the primary beneficiary is not living when the last surviving owner of the account dies. If there is more than one primary P.O.D. beneficiary on a deposit account, contingent beneficiaries shall not be allowed on that account.
5. If the sole primary P.O.D. beneficiary is not living and one or more contingent beneficiaries have been designated as allowed by paragraph 4 of this subsection, the funds shall be held for or paid to the contingent beneficiaries who are alive at the time of the account owner's death in equal shares, and shall not belong to the estate of the deceased primary beneficiary. If neither the primary beneficiary nor any contingent beneficiary is living at the time of the account owner's death, the funds shall be paid to the account owner's estate .
6. In order to designate multiple primary P.O.D. beneficiaries for a deposit account, the account should be styled as follows:
"(Name of Account Owner), payable on death (or P.O.D.) to (Name of Beneficiary), (Name of Beneficiary), and (Name of Beneficiary, in equal shares.)"
7. If only one primary P.O.D. beneficiary has been designated on a deposit account, the account owner may add the following, or words of similar meaning, in the style of the account or in the account agreement:
"If the designated P.O.D. beneficiary is deceased, then payable on the death of the account owner to (Name of Beneficiary), (Name of Beneficiary), and (Name of Beneficiary), as contingent beneficiaries, in equal share."
8. Adjustments may be made in the styling, depending upon the number of owners of the account, to allow for survivorship rights, and the number of beneficiaries. It is to be understood that each beneficiary is entitled to a proportionate share of the account proceeds only after the death of the last surviving account owner, and after payment of account proceeds to any secured party with a valid security interest in the account. All designated primary P.O.D. beneficiaries shall have equal shares. All designated contingent P.O.D. beneficiaries shall have equal shares as if the sole primary beneficiary is deceased. In the event of the death of a beneficiary prior to the death of the account owner, the share of that beneficiary shall be divided among any surviving beneficiaries or distributed to contingent beneficiaries pursuant to paragraphs 4 and 5 of this subsection, if applicable. If no beneficiaries are alive at the time of the account owner's death, the funds should be held for, or paid to, the estate of the deceased account owner.
9. A bank may require the owner of an account to provide an address for any primary or contingent P.O.D. beneficiary. If the P.O.D. account is an interest-bearing account and the funds are not claimed by the P.O.D. beneficiary or beneficiaries within sixty (60) days after the death of the last surviving account holder, or after the bank has notice of the death of the last surviving account holder, whichever is later, the bank has the right to convert the account to a non-interest-bearing account.
10. No change in the designation of a named beneficiary shall be valid unless executed by the owner of the fund and in the form and manner prescribed by the bank; however, this section shall be subject to the provisions of Section 178 of Title 15 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
11. The receipt or acquittance of the named beneficiary so paid, or of the legal representative of the account owner's estate, in the event the beneficiary predeceased the account owner, shall be valid and sufficient release and discharge to the bank for any payment so made, unless, prior to such payment, the bank receives notice in the form and manner required in Section 905 of this title.
12. Subsequent to the effective date of this act, a bank shall provide a customer creating a P.O.D. account with a written notice that the distribution of the proceeds in the P.O.D. account shall be consistent with the provisions of this section.
C. The provisions of this section shall apply to all forms of deposit accounts, including, but not limited to, transaction accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposits, negotiable order of withdrawal (N.O.W.) accounts, and M.M.D.A. accounts.
Added by Laws 1965, c. 161, § 901. Amended by Laws 1979, c. 173, § 6; Laws 1980, c. 360, § 7, emerg. eff. June 27, 1980; Laws 1991, c. 128, § 7, emerg. eff. April 29, 1991; Laws 1994, c. 313, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1994; Laws 1997, c. 111, § 76, eff. July 1, 1997; Laws 2001, c. 55, § 5, eff. Nov. 1, 2001; Laws 2006, c. 151, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2006; Laws 2021, c. 316, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2021.