Oklahoma 2024 2024 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB1534 Introduced / Bill

Filed 01/02/2024

                     
 
 
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STATE OF OKLAHOMA 
 
2nd Session of the 59th Legislature (2024) 
 
SENATE BILL 1534 	By: Weaver 
 
 
 
 
 
AS INTRODUCED 
 
An Act relating to the Uniform Unclaimed Prop erty 
Act; amending 60 O.S. 2021, Sections 661, 662, and 
674.2, which relate to reports of a bandoned property, 
notice and publication, and property delive red to 
State Treasurer; authorizing electronic communication 
under certain circumstances; increasing value for 
property for which the State Treasurer is not 
required to publish notice; increasin g value of 
property for which claimant is required to provide 
certain documentation; updating statutory language; 
and providing an effective date . 
 
 
 
 
 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: 
SECTION 1.     AMENDATORY     60 O.S. 2021, Section 661, is 
amended to read as follows: 
Section 661. A.  A person holding property, tangible or 
intangible, presumed abandoned and subject to custody as unclaimed 
property under the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act shall report to 
the State Treasurer concerning the property as provided in this 
section. 
B.  The report must shall be verified and must shall include:   
 
 
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1.  The name, if known, and last -known address, if any, of each 
person appearing from the records of the holder to be the o wner of 
property of the value of Fifty Dollars ($ 50.00) or more presumed 
abandoned under the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act and items of 
value under Fifty Dollars ($50.00), reported in the aggregate, 
except property which is one of a recurring number of co ntinuous 
payments, including, but not limited to, royalties, annuities, 
dividends, distributions and other sums presumed abandoned pursuant 
to subsection D of Section 655 of this title, which shall be 
reported in the same manner as property with a value of Fifty 
Dollars ($50.00) or more; 
2.  In the case of unclaimed funds of Fifty Dollars ($50.00) or 
more held or owing under any life or endowment insurance policy or 
annuity contract, the full name and last -known address of the 
insured or annuitant and of th e beneficiary according to the records 
of the insurance company holding or owing the funds; 
3.  In the case of the contents of a safe deposit box or other 
safekeeping repository or of other tangible personal property, a 
description of the property and the place where it is held, which 
may be inspected by the State Treasurer, and any amounts, including 
offsets for drilling costs and rent, owing to the holder; 
4.  The description of the property, including typ e and 
identifying number if any, and the amount ap pearing from the records 
to be due;   
 
 
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5.  The date when the property beca me payable, demandable or 
returnable, and the date of the last transaction with the owner with 
respect to the property; 
6.  In the case of a cashier ’s check, if known, the names and 
last-known addresses of the payee(s) all payees, the payor(s) all 
payors and the purchaser(s) all purchasers; and 
7.  Any other information reasonably required by the Treasurer. 
C.  If the person holding prope rty presumed abandoned and 
subject to custody as u nclaimed property is a successor to other 
persons who previously held the prope rty for the apparent owner or 
if the name of the holder has changed while holding the property, 
the holder shall file with the report all kno wn names and addresses 
of each previous holder of the property. 
D.  The report must shall be filed before November 1 of each 
year for property reportable as of the preceding July 1, but the 
report of any life insurance company must shall be filed before May 
1 of each year for property report able as of the preceding March 1.  
The State Treasurer may postpone the reporti ng date upon written 
request by any person required to file a report. 
E.  Not more than one hundred twenty (120) days before filing 
the report required by this section, the hold er in possession of 
property presumed abandoned and subject to custody as unclaimed 
property under the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act shall send written 
notice to the apparent owner at the owner ’s last-known address   
 
 
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informing the owner that the holder is i n possession of property 
subject to the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act if: 
1.  The holder has in the records of the holder an address for 
the apparent owner which the holder ’s records do not disclose to be 
inaccurate; 
2.  The claim of the apparent owner is not barred by the statute 
of limitations; and 
3.  The property has a value of Fifty Dollars ($50. 00) or more, 
or the property has a value of less than Fifty Dollars ($50.00) and 
is one of a recurring n umber of continuous payments , including, but 
not limited to, royalties, annuities, dividends, distributions and 
other recurring sums presumed abandoned pursuant to subsection D of 
Section 655 of this title.  The holder is not re quired to send 
written notice to the owner if the holder has previously attempted 
to communicate with the owner, or otherwise exercised due diligence 
to ascertain the whereabouts o f the owner. Communication shall 
include written notice and, if initiated by the apparent owner, 
electronic mail and other forms of electronic correspondence . The 
mailing of notice by first -class mail to the last -known address of 
the owner by the holder shall constitute compliance with this 
subsection and, if done, no further ac t on the part of the holder 
shall be necessary.   
 
 
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F.  Reports filed by a holder shal l remain confidential except 
for that information required to be subject to public inspection 
pursuant to the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act. 
G.  The Treasurer may require a holder reporting fifteen or more 
items of property pursuant to this sec tion to file the report 
online.  The Treasurer shall promulgate rules necessary to carry o ut 
provisions for online filing. 
SECTION 2.     AMENDATORY     60 O.S. 2021, Section 662, is 
amended to read as follows: 
Section 662. A.  The State Treasurer shall cause at least two 
notices to be published during the year following the report 
required by Section 661 of this title in a legal newspaper of 
general circulation in the county in this state in which i s located 
the last-known address of any person to be named in the notice.  
Different legal newspapers of general circulation may be used for 
each notice.  If no address is listed or if the address is outside 
this state, the notice must shall be published in the county within 
this state which is the princi pal place of business of the holder of 
the abandoned property, or in an Oklahoma a newspaper in this state 
which the State Treasurer believes most likely to be seen by the 
owner of the property or by heirs of the owner. 
B.  The published notice must shall be entitled “Notice of Names 
of Persons Appearing to be Owners of Abandoned Pro perty”, and 
contain:   
 
 
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1.  The names in alphabetical order and last -known address, if 
any, of persons listed in the r eport and entitled to notice within 
the county as specified in subsection A of this section; 
2.  A statement that information concerning the property and the 
name and last-known address of the holder may be obtained by any 
person possessing an interest in the property by addressing an 
inquiry to the State Treasurer; and 
3.  A statement that the property is in the custody of the State 
Treasurer and all claims must be directed to the State Treasurer. 
C.  The State Treasurer is not required to publish in the n otice 
any items of less than Fifty Dollars ($50.00) Five Hundred Dollars 
($500.00) unless the State Treasurer considers their publication to 
be in the public interest. 
D.  The State Treasurer shall provide electronic access to the 
new names and last-known addresses of all persons reported to the 
State Treasurer as ow ners of unclaimed property on an Internet web 
site.  The State Treasurer shall take reasonable steps to publicize 
the existence of this web site and shall publish an advertisement no 
less than once each calendar quarter in a legal newspaper of general 
circulation in each count y of this state. 
SECTION 3.     AMENDATORY     60 O.S. 2021, Section 674.2, is 
amended to read as follows: 
Section 674.2. If any person claims an interest in any prop erty 
delivered to the State Treasurer in which the owner of the property   
 
 
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is determined to be deceased, the State Treasurer shall not pay over 
or deliver to the claimant property as provided in Section 651 et 
seq. of this title, unless the claimant provides the following 
items: 
1.  A certified copy of lett ers of administration or letters 
testamentary from the probate of the estate of the decedent naming 
the claimant as the personal representative of the estate of the 
decedent; 
2.  A certified copy of the dec ree of distribution from the 
probate of the estate of the decedent determining the claimant to be 
entitled to receive such proper ty through the estate of the 
decedent; 
3.  If the owner of the property executed an inter vivos trust 
which provided for the disposition of the prope rty of the owner, a 
properly verified copy of the trust instrument which shows the 
claimant is the trustee or beneficiary of the trust or otherwise 
entitled to the property reported; 
4.  If the property is derived from real property l ocated in 
Oklahoma this state, a certified copy of a final decree quieting 
title of the decedent ’s real property, determining the claimant to 
be the successor in interest of decedent ’s ownership interest; 
5.  If the value of the property is Five Thousand Dollars 
($5,000.00) Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.0 0) or more, a certified 
copy of the death certificate of the owner of the property;   
 
 
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6.  If the value of the property at the time the claim is paid 
is Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.0 0) Twenty-five Thousand Dollars 
($25,000.00) or less, a signed affidavit ex ecuted by the claimant 
stating that the claimant is entitled to receive such pr operty, the 
reason the claimant is entitled to receive such property, that there 
has been no probate of the estate of the deceased owner, that no 
probate is contemplated and tha t claimant will indemnify the state 
for any loss, including attorney fees, should a nother claimant 
assert a prior right to the property. 
The State Treasurer may require other reasonable documentation, 
in addition to the abo ve items, to determine the validi ty of the 
claim. 
SECTION 4.  This act shall become effective No vember 1, 2024. 
 
59-2-2663 TEK 1/2/2024 3:54:31 PM