Okla. Stat. tit. 18, § 18-381.39a
This is the official text of Okla. Stat. tit. 18, § 18-381.39a, part of Oklahoma’s Stat. tit. 18, — part of the compiled statutory law of Oklahoma, published by the state as "Stat. tit. 18,." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Joint accounts – P.O.D. accounts – Designation of
Official statutory text
beneficiaries - Payment.
A. When a deposit has been made or shall hereafter be made in
any association in the names of two or more persons, payable to any
of them or payable to any of them or their survivor, such deposit,
or any part thereof, or any interest thereon, may be paid to either
of the persons, whether one of such persons shall be a minor or not,
and whether the other be living or not. The receipt or acquittance
of the person so paid shall be valid and sufficient release and
discharge to the association for any payment so made.
B. 1. When a deposit has been made or shall hereafter be made
in any association using the terms "Payable on Death" or "P.O.D.",
such deposits shall be payable on the designated person's death to a
trust designated in the deposit account agreement as the P.O.D.
beneficiary, or to an individual or individuals named beneficiary,
if living, and if not, to the named beneficiary's estate,
notwithstanding any provision to the contrary contained in Sections
41 through 57 of Title 84 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Such deposit
shall constitute a contract between the depositor and the
association that upon the death of the named owner of the account
Oklahoma Statutes - Title 18. Corporations Page 45
the association will hold the funds for or pay them to the named
beneficiary or the estate of the named beneficiary.
2. In order to designate multiple payable-on-death
beneficiaries for a deposit account, the account should be styled as
follows: "(Name of Account Owner), payable on death (or P.O.D.) to
(Name of Beneficiary), (Name of Beneficiary), and (Name of
Beneficiary), in equal shares".
3. Adjustments may be made in the styling, depending upon the
number of beneficiaries. It is to be understood that each
beneficiary is entitled to a proportionate share of the account
proceeds upon the owner's death. In the event of the death of a
beneficiary prior to the death of the owner, the beneficiary's share
shall go to the beneficiary's estate. It is not permissible for an
account to designate unequal shares for different payable-on-death
beneficiaries.
4. An association may require the owner of an account to
provide an address for any payable-on-death beneficiary. If the
P.O.D. account is an interest-bearing account and the funds are not
claimed by the payable-on-death beneficiary or beneficiaries within
sixty (60) days after the death of the account holder, or after the
association has notice of the account holder's death, whichever is
later, the association has the right to convert the account to a
noninterest-bearing account.
5. No change in the designation of a named beneficiary shall be
valid unless executed by the owner of the fund and in the form and
manner prescribed by the association; however, this section shall be
subject to the provisions of Section 178 of Title 15 of the Oklahoma
Statutes.
6. The receipt or acquittance of the named beneficiary so paid
or the legal representative of such named beneficiary's estate, if
deceased, shall be valid and sufficient release and discharge to the
association for any payment so made, unless, prior to such payment,
the association receives notice in the form and manner required in
Section 905 of Title 6 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
C. The provisions of this section shall apply to all forms of
deposit accounts, including, but not limited to, transaction
accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposits, negotiable
order of withdrawal (N.O.W.) accounts, and money market deposit
accounts (M.M.D.A.).
A. When a deposit has been made or shall hereafter be made in
any association in the names of two or more persons, payable to any
of them or payable to any of them or their survivor, such deposit,
or any part thereof, or any interest thereon, may be paid to either
of the persons, whether one of such persons shall be a minor or not,
and whether the other be living or not. The receipt or acquittance
of the person so paid shall be valid and sufficient release and
discharge to the association for any payment so made.
B. 1. When a deposit has been made or shall hereafter be made
in any association using the terms "Payable on Death" or "P.O.D.",
such deposits shall be payable on the designated person's death to a
trust designated in the deposit account agreement as the P.O.D.
beneficiary, or to an individual or individuals named beneficiary,
if living, and if not, to the named beneficiary's estate,
notwithstanding any provision to the contrary contained in Sections
41 through 57 of Title 84 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Such deposit
shall constitute a contract between the depositor and the
association that upon the death of the named owner of the account
Oklahoma Statutes - Title 18. Corporations Page 45
the association will hold the funds for or pay them to the named
beneficiary or the estate of the named beneficiary.
2. In order to designate multiple payable-on-death
beneficiaries for a deposit account, the account should be styled as
follows: "(Name of Account Owner), payable on death (or P.O.D.) to
(Name of Beneficiary), (Name of Beneficiary), and (Name of
Beneficiary), in equal shares".
3. Adjustments may be made in the styling, depending upon the
number of beneficiaries. It is to be understood that each
beneficiary is entitled to a proportionate share of the account
proceeds upon the owner's death. In the event of the death of a
beneficiary prior to the death of the owner, the beneficiary's share
shall go to the beneficiary's estate. It is not permissible for an
account to designate unequal shares for different payable-on-death
beneficiaries.
4. An association may require the owner of an account to
provide an address for any payable-on-death beneficiary. If the
P.O.D. account is an interest-bearing account and the funds are not
claimed by the payable-on-death beneficiary or beneficiaries within
sixty (60) days after the death of the account holder, or after the
association has notice of the account holder's death, whichever is
later, the association has the right to convert the account to a
noninterest-bearing account.
5. No change in the designation of a named beneficiary shall be
valid unless executed by the owner of the fund and in the form and
manner prescribed by the association; however, this section shall be
subject to the provisions of Section 178 of Title 15 of the Oklahoma
Statutes.
6. The receipt or acquittance of the named beneficiary so paid
or the legal representative of such named beneficiary's estate, if
deceased, shall be valid and sufficient release and discharge to the
association for any payment so made, unless, prior to such payment,
the association receives notice in the form and manner required in
Section 905 of Title 6 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
C. The provisions of this section shall apply to all forms of
deposit accounts, including, but not limited to, transaction
accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposits, negotiable
order of withdrawal (N.O.W.) accounts, and money market deposit
accounts (M.M.D.A.).
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Oklahoma?
Find a Oklahoma lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.