895.42 Deposit of undistributed money and property by personal representatives and others.

(1)

(a) In this subsection, “trust company" means any trust company or any state or national bank in this state that is authorized to exercise trust powers.

(b) If in any proceeding in any court of record it is determined that moneys or other personal property in the custody of or under the control of any personal representative, trustee, receiver, or other officer of the court, belongs to a natural person if the person is alive, or to an artificial person if it is in existence and entitled to receive, and otherwise to some other person, and the court finds any of the following, the court may direct the officer having custody or control of the money or property to deposit the money or property with any trust company:

1. That there is not sufficient evidence showing that the natural person first entitled to take is alive, or that the artificial person is in existence and entitled to receive.

2. That the money or other personal property, including any legacy or share of intestate property, cannot be delivered to the person entitled to the money or property because the person is a member of the military or naval forces of the United States or any of its allies or is engaged in any of the armed forces abroad or with the American Red Cross society or other body or similar business.

(c) Any officer depositing money or property with a trust company under par. (b), shall take the trust company's receipt for the deposit. The receipt shall, to the extent of the deposit, constitute a complete discharge of the officer in any accounting made by the officer in the proceeding.

(2) In case such deposit is directed to be made, the court shall require the trust company or bank in which said deposit is ordered to be made, as a condition of the receipt thereof, to accept and handle, manage and invest the same as trust funds to the same extent as if it had received the same as a testamentary trust, unless the court shall expressly otherwise direct, except that the reports shall be made to the court of its appointment.

(3) No distribution of the moneys or personal property so deposited shall be made by the depository as such trustee or otherwise without an order of the court on notice as prescribed by s. 879.03, and the jurisdiction of the court in the proceeding will be continued to determine, at any time at the instance of any party interested, the ownership of said funds, and to order their distribution.

History: 1973 c. 90; 1993 a. 486; 2001 a. 102; 2005 a. 149.