Section 5302 Of Chapter 3. Ownership Between Parties And Their Creditors And Successors From California Probate Code >> Division 5. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 3.
5302
. Subject to Section 5040:
(a) Sums remaining on deposit at the death of a party to a joint
account belong to the surviving party or parties as against the
estate of the decedent unless there is clear and convincing evidence
of a different intent. If there are two or more surviving parties,
their respective ownerships during lifetime are in proportion to
their previous ownership interests under Section 5301 augmented by an
equal share for each survivor of any interest the decedent may have
owned in the account immediately before the decedent's death; and the
right of survivorship continues between the surviving parties.
(b) If the account is a P.O.D. account:
(1) On death of one of two or more parties, the rights to any sums
remaining on deposit are governed by subdivision (a).
(2) On death of the sole party or of the survivor of two or more
parties, (A) any sums remaining on deposit belong to the P.O.D. payee
or payees if surviving, or to the survivor of them if one or more
die before the party, (B) if two or more P.O.D. payees survive, any
sums remaining on deposit belong to them in equal and undivided
shares unless the terms of the account or deposit agreement expressly
provide for different shares, and (C) if two or more P.O.D. payees
survive, there is no right of survivorship in the event of death of a
P.O.D. payee thereafter unless the terms of the account or deposit
agreement expressly provide for survivorship between them.
(c) If the account is a Totten trust account:
(1) On death of one of two or more trustees, the rights to any
sums remaining on deposit are governed by subdivision (a).
(2) On death of the sole trustee or the survivor of two or more
trustees, (A) any sums remaining on deposit belong to the person or
persons named as beneficiaries, if surviving, or to the survivor of
them if one or more die before the trustee, unless there is clear and
convincing evidence of a different intent, (B) if two or more
beneficiaries survive, any sums remaining on deposit belong to them
in equal and undivided shares unless the terms of the account or
deposit agreement expressly provide for different shares, and (C) if
two or more beneficiaries survive, there is no right of survivorship
in event of death of any beneficiary thereafter unless the terms of
the account or deposit agreement expressly provide for survivorship
between them.
(d) In other cases, the death of any party to a multiparty account
has no effect on beneficial ownership of the account other than to
transfer the rights of the decedent as part of the decedent's estate.
(e) A right of survivorship arising from the express terms of the
account or under this section, a beneficiary designation in a Totten
trust account, or a P.O.D. payee designation, cannot be changed by
will.