Article 3. Deposit Of Money Of Estate of California Probate Code >> Division 7. >> Part 1. >> Chapter 4. >> Article 3.

(a) The public administrator shall, upon receipt, deposit all money of the estate in an insured account in a financial institution or with the county treasurer of the county in which the proceedings are pending.
  (b) Upon deposit under this section the public administrator is discharged from further responsibility for the money deposited until the public administrator withdraws the money.

Money deposited in a financial institution or with the county treasurer under this article may be withdrawn upon the order of the public administrator when required for the purposes of administration.

(a) The public administrator shall credit each estate with the highest rate of interest or dividends that the estate would have received if the funds available for deposit had been individually and separately deposited.
  (b) Interest or dividends credited to the account of the public administrator in excess of the amount credited to the estates pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be deposited in the county general fund.

(a) The county treasurer shall receive and safely keep all money deposited with the county treasurer under this chapter and pay the money out on the order of the public administrator when required for the purposes of administration. The county treasurer and sureties on the official bond of the county treasurer are responsible for the safekeeping and payment of the money.
  (b) The county treasurer shall deliver to the State Treasurer or the Controller all money in the possession of the county treasurer belonging to the estate, if there are no beneficiaries or other persons entitled to the money, or the beneficiaries or other persons entitled to the money do not appear and claim it. Delivery shall be made under the provisions of Article 1 (commencing with Section 1440) of Chapter 6 of Title 10 of Part 3 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

(a) If a deposit in a financial institution is made under this article, money remaining unclaimed at the expiration of five years after the date of the deposit, together with the increase and proceeds of the deposit, shall be presumed abandoned in any of the following circumstances:
  (1) The deposit belongs to the estate of a known decedent for which a personal representative has never been appointed.
  (2) The deposit belongs to the estate of a known decedent for which a personal representative has been appointed but no order of distribution has been made due to the absence of interested persons or the failure of interested persons diligently to protect their interests by taking reasonable steps for the purpose of securing a distribution of the estate.
  (b) The Controller may, at any time after the expiration of the five-year period, file a petition with the court setting forth the fact that the money has remained on deposit in a financial institution under the circumstances described in subdivision (a) for the five-year period, and requesting an order declaring that the money is presumptively abandoned and directing the holder of the money to pay the money to the State Treasurer.
  (c) Upon presentation of a certified copy of a court order made under subdivision (b), the financial institution shall forthwith transmit the money to the State Treasurer for deposit in the State Treasury. The deposit shall be made as provided in Section 1310 of the Code of Civil Procedure. All money deposited in the State Treasury under the provisions of this section shall be deemed to be deposited in the State Treasury under the provisions of Article 1 (commencing with Section 1440) of Chapter 6 of Title 10 of Part 3 of the Code of Civil Procedure. The deposit shall be transmitted, received, accounted for, and disposed of as provided by Title 10 (commencing with Section 1300) of Part 3 of the Code of Civil Procedure.