In wa state can a co signor on a safe deposit box access and take contents after other person dies
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In wa state can a co signor on a safe deposit box access and take contents after other person dies
Mom and daughter share a box can daughter access and take contents after moms
death without death certificate or notifying bank os death
Asked on July 12, 2018 under Estate Planning, Washington
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 5 years ago | Contributor
Can she access the contents? Yes--if she is on the safe deposit box, she has the right to access it. But access does not confer ownership: the contents will go to whomever the mother willed her assets to (if she had a will), or if she had no will, the contents will pass by the rules for "intestate succession" (who gets what when there is no will)--which may well be this daughter, if there is no surviving spouse or other surviving children of the mother. But while there is a good chance the daughter will inherit the contents, it is important to recognize that simply because she can access the box as co-signor for it does not automatically make the contents hers, any more than if your neighbor gives you a key to his house in case of emergencies, that having the key would entitle you to take the contents of his home.
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