54B-129. Joint accounts.

(a) Any two or more persons may open or hold a withdrawable account or accounts. The withdrawable account and any balance thereof shall be held by them as joint tenants, with or without right of survivorship, as the contract shall provide; the account may also be held pursuant to G.S. 41-2.1 and have incidents set forth in that section, provided, however, if the account is held pursuant to G.S. 41-2.1 the contract shall set forth that fact as well. Unless the persons establishing the account have agreed with the association that withdrawals require more than one signature, payment by the association to, or on the order of, any persons holding an account authorized by this section shall be a total discharge of the association's obligation as to the amount so paid. Funds in a joint account established with right of survivorship shall belong to the surviving joint tenant or tenants upon the death of a joint tenant, and the funds shall be subject only to the personal representative's right of collection as set forth in G.S. 28A-15-10(a)(3), or as provided in G.S. 41-2.1 if the account is established pursuant to the provisions of that section. Payment by the association of funds in the joint account to a surviving joint tenant or tenants shall terminate the personal representative's authority under G.S. 28A-15-10(a)(3) to collect against the association for the funds so paid, but the personal representative's authority to collect such funds from the surviving joint tenant or tenants is not terminated. A pledge of a joint account by any one or more of the joint tenants, unless otherwise specifically agreed between the association and all joint tenants in writing, shall be a valid pledge and transfer of the account or of the amount so pledged, shall be binding upon all joint tenants, shall not operate to sever or terminate the joint ownership of all or any part of the account, and shall survive the death of any joint tenant.

Persons establishing an account under this section shall sign a statement showing their election of the right of survivorship in the account, and containing language set forth in a conspicuous manner and substantially similar to the following:

We understand that by establishing a joint account under the provisions of North Carolina General Statute 54B-129 that:

We DO elect to create the right of survivorship in this account.

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(a1) This section shall not be deemed exclusive. Deposit accounts not conforming to this section shall be governed by other applicable provisions of the General Statutes or the common law as appropriate.

(b) This section does not repeal or modify any provisions of law relating to estate taxes. This section regulates and protects the association in its relationships with joint owners of deposit accounts.

(c) No addition to such account, nor any withdrawal or payment shall affect the nature of the account as a joint account, or affect the right of any tenant to terminate the account.