A. Except as otherwise provided by this section, a bank or credit union lawfully doing business in this state may enter into a deposit account with a minor as the sole and absolute owner of the account and may pay checks and withdrawals and otherwise act with respect to the account on the order of the minor. A payment or delivery of rights to a minor who holds a deposit account evidenced by a receipt or other acquittance signed by the minor discharges the bank or credit union to the extent of the payment made or rights delivered.

B. If the minor is the sole and absolute owner of the deposit account, the disabilities of minority are removed for the limited purposes of enabling:

1. The minor to enter into a depository contract with a bank or credit union; and

2. The bank or credit union to enforce the contract against the minor, including collection of overdrafts and account fees and submission of account history to account reporting agencies and credit reporting bureaus.

C. A parent or legal guardian of a minor may deny the minor's authority to control, transfer, draft on, or make withdrawals from the minor's deposit account by notifying the bank or credit union in writing. On receipt of the notice by the bank or credit union, the minor may not control, transfer, draft on, or make withdrawals from the account during minority except with the joinder of a parent or legal guardian of the minor.

D. If a minor with a deposit account dies, the receipt or other acquittance of the minor's parent or legal guardian discharges the liability of the bank or credit union to the extent of the receipt or other acquittance, except that the aggregate discharges under this subsection may not exceed Three Thousand Dollars ($3,000.00).

E. Subsection A of this section does not authorize a loan to the minor by the bank or credit union, whether on pledge of the minor's savings account or otherwise, or bind the minor to repay a loan made except as provided by subsection B of this section or other law or unless the depository institution has obtained the express consent and joinder of a parent or legal guardian of the minor. This subsection does not apply to an inadvertent extension of credit because of an overdraft from insufficient funds, returned checks or deposits, or other shortages in a depository account resulting from normal banking or credit union operations.

Added by Laws 1997, c. 111, § 78, eff. July 1, 1997. Amended by Laws 2000, c. 77, § 1, emerg. eff. April 14, 2000.