(a)

(1) A bank or trust company holding any asset as a fiduciary, cofiduciary, agent for a fiduciary or custodian shall segregate the assets from any other assets of the bank except as may be expressly provided otherwise by law or by the instrument creating the fiduciary relationship and the asset may be kept by the bank or trust company.

(2) Stocks, bonds, and other securities may be held by the bank or trust company in a manner such that all certificates representing the securities from time to time constituting the assets of a particular estate, trust or other fiduciary account are held separate from those of all other estates, trusts, or fiduciary accounts; or, in a manner such that certificates representing securities of the same class of the same issues from time to time constituting assets of particular estates, trusts, or other fiduciary accounts are held in bulk, without certification as to ownership attached; provided, that a bank or trust company when operating under the aforementioned method of safekeeping securities shall be subject to the rules and regulations now in effect or hereinafter promulgated by the state banking board with regard to state-chartered institutions and the comptroller of the currency in the case of national banking institutions.

(3) A bank or trust company holding the securities in bulk may also merge certificates of small denominations into one (1) or more certificates of large denominations and all banks or trust companies acting as a fiduciary with regard to the securities shall on demand certify in writing the securities held by it for any estate, trust or fiduciary account.

(b)

(1) Any bank, when acting as a fiduciary or a cofiduciary with others, or as an agent for other fiduciaries, may, with the consent of its cofiduciary or cofiduciaries, if any, who are hereby authorized to give consent, or the fiduciaries for whom it is acting, cause any investment held in such a capacity to be registered and held in its own name, or the name of a nominee, or nominees, of the bank.

(2) The bank shall be liable for the acts of the nominee with respect to any investment so registered.

(3) The records of the bank shall at all times show the fiduciary relationship under which the investment is held, and the securities, or a proper receipt therefor, shall be in the possession and control of the bank.

(4) The securities shall be kept separate and apart from the assets of the bank.

(c) Any bank may deposit funds of a fiduciary account awaiting investment or distribution in its commercial banking department or in the commercial banking department of any affiliate bank in the same bank holding company as defined in § 45-2-1402 where the funds may be used in the conduct of its business to the extent that the deposits do not exceed the aggregate of:

(1) The insurance on the deposits provided by the federal deposit insurance corporation;

(2) Cash on hand;

(3) The value of obligations of the United States or any state or any subdivision or instrumentality thereof owned by the bank; and

(4) Other property approved for this purpose for national banks or for member banks of the federal reserve system.