53-159.1. Power of fiduciary or custodian to deposit securities in a clearing corporation.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any fiduciary holding securities in its fiduciary capacity, any trust institution holding securities in a fiduciary capacity or as a custodian or agent is authorized to deposit or arrange for the deposit of such securities with a securities intermediary as defined in G.S. 25-8-102. When such securities are so deposited, certificates representing securities of the same class of the same issuer may be merged and held in bulk in the name of the nominee of such securities intermediary with any other such securities deposited in such securities intermediary by any person regardless of the ownership of such securities, and certificates of small denomination may be merged into one or more certificates of larger denomination. The records of such fiduciary and the records of such trust institution acting as a fiduciary or as a custodian or managing agent shall at all times show the name of the party for whose account the securities are so deposited. Title to such securities may be transferred by bookkeeping entry on the books of such securities intermediary without physical delivery of certificates representing such securities. A trust institution so depositing securities pursuant to this section shall be subject to such rules as, in the case of State-chartered institutions, the State Banking Commission and, in the case of other institutions, their regulators may from time to time issue. A trust institution acting as custodian or agent for a fiduciary shall, on demand by the fiduciary, certify in writing to the fiduciary the securities so deposited by such trust institution in such securities intermediary for the account of such fiduciary. A fiduciary shall, on demand by any party to a judicial proceeding for the settlement of such fiduciary's account or on demand by the attorney for such party, certify in writing to such party the securities deposited by such fiduciary in such securities intermediary for its account as such fiduciary. This section shall apply to any fiduciary holding securities in its fiduciary capacity, and to any trust institution holding securities as a fiduciary or as a custodian or managing agent acting on May 15, 1973, or who thereafter may act regardless of the date of the agreement, instrument or court order by which it is appointed and regardless of whether or not such fiduciary, custodian or agent owns capital stock of such securities intermediary. The fiduciary shall personally be liable for any loss to the trust resulting from an act of such nominee in connection with such securities so deposited.