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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>Neli, good stuff and thank you. As it turns out, the WA legislature just passed the Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (UFADAA) and we are all going to need to modify our Will forms. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><a name="Paul_Neumiller"><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><img width=375 height=225 id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D1641A.70C48670"></span></a><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:white'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com [mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Neli Espe, J.D. - Olympic Legal<br><b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, February 9, 2016 1:56 PM<br><b>To:</b> WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv <wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [WSBAPT] Criminal to Wipe out Accounts?<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>Hello,<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal>Arguably, yes. I found this article helpful and have copied the relevant passage below: <o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#333333;background:white'>Federal law is outdated and thus provides little guidance on planning for digital assets. The two federal laws governing digital assets are the Stored Communications Act (SCA) and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), both passed in 1986. In fact, federal law may add constraints to planning because it allows access to on-line accounts or computers only with specific user authorization and makes intentional unauthorized access, including exceeding authorized access, a criminal offense. For example, under federal law it is unclear whether a fiduciary would be prosecuted if access to a password was directly (and voluntarily) obtained from an account holder and the fiduciary used the password to access the on-line account.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#333333;background:white'><a href="http://www.americanbar.org/publications/probate_property_magazine_2012/2015/january_february_2015/2015_aba_rpte_pp_v29_1_article_klein_parthemer_planning_for_digital_legacy.html">http://www.americanbar.org/publications/probate_property_magazine_2012/2015/january_february_2015/2015_aba_rpte_pp_v29_1_article_klein_parthemer_planning_for_digital_legacy.html</a></span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Neli<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt'>__________________________________________________________________________<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;color:#B93423'>Neli Espe </span></b><span style='font-size:9.0pt'>|</span> <b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;color:#B93423'>Olympic Legal Services, P.S. </span></b><span style='font-size:9.0pt'>|</span> <i><span style='font-size:9.0pt;color:#B93423'>Your Skagit Valley Business and Estate Counsel </span></i><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;color:#0A0201'>General Counsel * Real Property * Estate Planning * Probate</span></b><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt'>tel: 360.630.3635 | web: <a href="http://www.olympiclegal.com">www.olympiclegal.com</a> | <a href="mailto:neli@olympiclegal.com">neli@olympiclegal.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt'>Required e-mail disclaimer: <a href="http://bitly.com/1FUy3fg">http://bitly.com/1FUy3fg</a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><p class=MsoNormal>On Feb 9, 2016, at 11:58 AM, Paul Neumiller <<a href="mailto:pneumiller@hotmail.com">pneumiller@hotmail.com</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Man dies and his leaves everything to girlfriend of many years and she is the nominated PR. He owned a house (passing via transfer on death deed) with mortgage to BECU, savings and checking accounts with BECU of about $6k, and a credit card debt of $9k to BECU. I remember learning on this Listserv that BECU has aggressively offset bank accounts for credit card debt. The girlfriend (who has his login information and passwords) asks if she can legally zero out the savings and bank accounts<span class=apple-converted-space> </span><i>before</i><span class=apple-converted-space> </span>BECU offsets the accounts for the credit card debt. She is not listed on the accounts. She inherits everything anyway but most likely will not probate his Will in light of the few assets and in light of BECU probably going to offset the checking and savings accounts anyway. (Let’s not address the moral issue of if she<span class=apple-converted-space> </span><i>should</i><span class=apple-converted-space> </span>zero out the accounts.) <span class=apple-converted-space> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>I’m not sure it passes the smell test and it may be bank fraud to use the decedent’s passwords to wipe out the accounts. On the other hand, while BECU has the power to probate his Will as a creditor, it seems unlikely that they would do it for $9k in credit card debt. Does she has the right to wipe out the accounts because she inherits everything under the Will? Does she have a duty to creditors even if she doesn’t probate his Will?<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>_______________________________________________<br>WSBAPT mailing list<br></span><a href="mailto:WSBAPT@lists.wsbarppt.com"><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#954F72'>WSBAPT@lists.wsbarppt.com</span></a><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><br></span><a href="http://mailman.fsr.com/mailman/listinfo/wsbapt"><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#954F72'>http://mailman.fsr.com/mailman/listinfo/wsbapt</span></a><o:p></o:p></p></div></blockquote></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></div></body></html>