239. Repayment of deposits of minors, trust deposits, joint deposits, and deposits adversely claimed; interpleader in certain actions; statute of limitations. 1. Any deposit made by or in the name of any minor shall be held for the exclusive right and benefit of such minor, and free from the control or lien of all other persons, except creditors, and shall be paid together with the interest credited thereon, to the person in whose name the deposit shall have been made, and the receipt or acquittance of such minor shall be a valid and sufficient release and discharge to the savings bank for any payment so made.
5. Notice to any savings bank of an adverse claim to a deposit standing on its books to the credit of any person shall not be effectual to cause such savings bank to recognize such adverse claimant unless he shall also either procure a restraining order, injunction or other appropriate process against such savings bank from a court of competent jurisdiction in a cause therein instituted by him wherein the person to whose credit the deposit stands or his executor or administrator is made a party and served with summons, or shall execute to such savings bank, in form and with sureties acceptable to it a bond, indemnifying such savings bank from any and all liability, loss, damage, costs and expenses, for and on account of the payment of such adverse claim or the dishonor of the order of the person to whose credit the deposit stands on the books of such savings bank; provided, that this section shall not apply in any instance where the person to whose credit the deposit stands is a fiduciary for such adverse claimant, and the facts constituting such relationship, and the facts showing reasonable cause for belief on the part of such claimant that such fiduciary is about to misappropriate such deposit, are made to appear by the affidavit of such claimant.
6. (a) In all actions against any savings bank to recover moneys on deposit therewith, if there be any person or persons, not parties to the action, who claim the same fund, the court in which the action is pending may, on the petition of such savings bank, and upon eight days' notice to the plaintiff and such claimants, and without proof as to the merits of the claim, make an order amending the proceedings in the action by making such claimants parties defendant thereto; and the court shall thereupon proceed to determine the rights and interests of the several parties to the action in and to such funds. The remedy provided in this section shall be in addition to and not exclusive of that provided in any other interpleader provision.
(b) The funds on deposit which are the subject of such an action may remain with such savings bank to the credit of the action until final judgment therein, and be entitled to the same interest as other deposits of the same class, or, in the case of deposits held pursuant to subdivision one-a of section two hundred thirty-four of this chapter, to interest at the rate specified in the deposit contract until maturity and at the rate at which interest is credited on regular savings accounts from maturity until final judgment, and shall be paid by such savings bank in accordance with the final judgment of the courts; or the deposit in controversy may be paid into court to await the final determination of the action, and when the deposit is so paid into court such savings bank shall be struck out as a party to the action, and its liability for such deposit shall cease.
(c) The costs in all actions against a savings bank to recover deposits shall be in the discretion of the court, and may be charged upon the fund affected by the action.
Last modified: February 3, 2019