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<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">
<DIV>I agree with Sara.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>There are two forms. One is the claim form. The second form is, when
one is claiming the total, and all of the beneficiaries have to sign that
authorization form before one can claim the total.</DIV>
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style='FONT-SIZE: small; TEXT-DECORATION: none; FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri"; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: #000000; FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY: inline'>
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<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #f5f5f5">
<DIV style="font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=sara@longley-law.pro
href="mailto:sara@longley-law.pro">Sara D. Longley</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, January 14, 2015 6:24 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com
href="mailto:wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com">'WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv'</A>
</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Re: [WSBAPT] Small Estate Affidavit (RCW
11.62.010)</DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV>
<DIV
style='FONT-SIZE: small; TEXT-DECORATION: none; FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri"; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: #000000; FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY: inline'>
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<P class=MsoNormal><A name=_MailEndCompose><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d">Having
prepared one (1) small estate affidavit and having carefully read the statute at
that time, I believe the confusion lies in knowing what, exactly, your client is
claiming.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></A></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d"><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d">If, on the one hand, your client
is claiming only that portion of the account to which he has a personal right of
ownership, he must simply give notice to the other potential claimants before
doing so. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d"><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d">If, on the other hand, he wishes
to claim any portion of the account that rightfully belongs to a different
claiming successor, he must have the written authority of that other successor
in order to take possession of that successor’s portion.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d"><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d">The result is that any claiming
successor who doesn’t give written authority to your client will have to do
his/her own small estate affidavit to claim his/her own portion of the
account.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d"><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d">I hope it all works
out.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d"><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d">Best,<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d">Sara<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d"><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<DIV>
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style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Lucida Bright",serif; COLOR: #1f497d'><IMG
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width=60 height=74><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Lucida Bright",serif; COLOR: #1f497d'>Sara
D. Longley, J.D., LL.M.</SPAN><SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Lucida Bright",serif; COLOR: #1f497d'>Attorney
at Law<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Lucida Bright",serif; COLOR: #1f497d'>1718
NW 56<SUP>th</SUP> Street #304<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Lucida Bright",serif; COLOR: #1f497d'>Seattle,
WA 98107</SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><A href="tel:%28206%29%20434-5644" target=_blank><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; TEXT-DECORATION: none; FONT-FAMILY: "Lucida Bright",serif; COLOR: #1f497d'>(206)
434-5644</SPAN></A><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><A href="mailto:Sara@Longley-law.pro"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Lucida Bright",serif'>Sara@Longley-law.pro</SPAN></A><SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><A href="http://www.longley-law.pro/" target=_blank><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Lucida Bright",serif'>www.longley-law.pro</SPAN></A><SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d"><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<DIV>
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<P class=MsoNormal><B>From:</B> wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com
[mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Douglas
Bratt<BR><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, January 14, 2015 5:14 PM<BR><B>To:</B>
wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com<BR><B>Subject:</B> [WSBAPT] Small Estate Affidavit
(RCW 11.62.010)<o:p></o:p></P></DIV></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p></o:p> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal>Hello Fellow List-Serv Colleagues:<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p></o:p> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal>I am dealing with a client, named to be PR in his Decedent
mother’s Will, related to a relatively small investment account, in the sole
name of the Decedent mother, maintained at a brokerage company whose main office
is outside the State of Washington (but which has branch offices located in this
State). The small size of the investment account mirrors the small size of
the entire probate estate, putting the probate estate value at well under
$100,000.00. We were finally able to convince the brokerage house that the
Washington Small Estates Affidavit method should suffice as opposed to the
company’s earlier insistence that we automatically had to produce “Letters.”
<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p></o:p> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal>So, when I turned to RCW 11.62.010 (2), it struck me that
subsections (h) and (i) are at variance one with the other. According to
(h), the “Claiming Successor” is to give ten days’ notice to all of the “other
successors” that we are going to placing the claim with the brokerage company,
for the investment account contents, as a Claiming Successor.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p></o:p> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal>However, subsection (i) requires that we include in the
Affidavit a statement that we have written authority from “all other successors
who have an interest” in the property the claiming successor wants to obtain,
for the benefit of himself and the other “takers” under the Will.
<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p></o:p> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal>What happens if one of those “takers” has a free flowing
life-style and is not often available, on short notice, and might not even
receive the ten day notice because of frequent moves, and, thus, will certainly
not be available to sign “written authority.” It appears that that would
leave us out in the cold, since the Claiming Successor client could not swear
that he has written authority from all of the other successors. Why
require a ten day notice period if nothing occurs if one of the “other
successors” does not respond to the notice? <o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p></o:p> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal>That leads me to think that each of the four separate
“takers” under the will might have to be a “claiming successor” as to a
one-quarter interest in the investment account, but if all four people have to
jump through those hoops, the total cost might easily match the costs of a
“shell probate,” filed for the sole purpose of obtaining Letters
Testamentary.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p></o:p> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal>Have I missed something in my reading of the
statute?<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p></o:p> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal>And, why is it that the smallest, seemingly insignificant,
assets in an Estate take much longer, and much more money, to deal with than any
other assets?<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p></o:p> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal>Thanks.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p></o:p> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal>Doug Bratt<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p></o:p> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p></o:p> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Lucida Calligraphy"'>Douglas J.
Bratt</SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Lucida Calligraphy"'>Lawyer</SPAN><SPAN
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<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman",serif'>Office: (360)
213-2040 <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
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