5-1502D. Construction--banking transactions. In a statutory short form power of attorney, the language conferring general authority with respect to "banking transactions," must be construed to mean that the principal authorizes the agent:
1. To continue, to modify, to terminate and to make deposits to and withdrawals from any deposit account, including any joint account with the agent or totten trust for the benefit of the agent, or other banking arrangement made by or on behalf of the principal prior to the creation of the agency, provided, however, that:
(a) with respect to joint accounts existing at the creation of the agency, the authority granted hereby shall not include the power to change the title of the account by the addition of a new joint tenant or the deletion of an existing joint tenant, unless the authority to make such changes is conveyed in a statutory gifts rider to a statutory short form power of attorney or in a non-statutory power of attorney signed and dated by the principal with the signature of the principal duly acknowledged in the manner prescribed for the acknowledgement of a conveyance of real property, and which is executed pursuant to the requirements of paragraph (b) of subdivision nine of section 5-1514 of this title, and
(b) with respect to totten trust accounts existing at the creation of the agency, the authority granted hereby shall not include the power to add, delete, or otherwise change the designation of beneficiaries in effect for any such accounts, unless the authority to make such additions, deletions or changes is conveyed in a statutory gifts rider to a statutory short form power of attorney or in a non-statutory power of attorney signed and dated by the principal with the signature of the principal duly acknowledged in the manner prescribed for the acknowledgment of a conveyance of real property, and which is executed pursuant to the requirements of paragraph (b) of subdivision nine of section 5-1514 of this title.
2. To open in the name of the principal or on behalf of the principal a deposit account of any type with any banker or in any banking institution selected by the agent, to make deposits to and withdrawals from any such deposit account, to hire such safe deposit box or vault space and to make such other contracts for the procuring of other services made available by any such banker or banking institution as the agent shall think to be desirable;
3. To make, to sign and to deliver checks or drafts for any purpose, to withdraw by check, order or otherwise any funds or property of the principal deposited with, or left in the custody of, any banker or banking institution, wherever located, either before or after the creation of the agency;
4. To prepare from time to time financial statements concerning the assets and liabilities or income and expenses of the principal, and to deliver statements so prepared to any banker, banking institution or other person, whom the agent believes to be reasonably entitled thereto;
5. To receive statements, vouchers, notices or other documents from any banker or banking institution and to act with respect thereto;
6. To have free access at any time or times to any safe deposit box or vault to which the principal might have access, if personally present;
7. To borrow money by bank overdraft, or by promissory note of the principal given for such period and at such interest rate as the agent shall select, to give such security out of the assets of the principal as the agent shall think to be desirable or necessary for any such borrowing, to pay, to renew or to extend the time of payment of any note so given or given by or on behalf of the principal, and to procure for the principal a loan from any banker or banking institution by any other procedure made available by such banker or institution;
8. To make, to assign, to indorse, to discount, to guarantee, and to negotiate, for any and all purposes, all promissory notes, bills of exchange, checks, drafts or other negotiable or non-negotiable paper of the principal, or payable to the principal or to his order, to receive the cash or other proceeds of any such transactions, to accept any bill of exchange or draft drawn by any person upon the principal, and to pay it when due;
9. To receive for the principal and to deal in and to deal with any trust receipt, warehouse receipt or other negotiable or non-negotiable instrument, in which the principal has or claims to have an interest;
10. To apply for and to receive letters of credit or travelers checks from any banker or banking institution selected by the agent, giving such indemnity or other agreements in connection therewith as the agent shall think to be desirable or necessary;
11. To consent to an extension in the time of payment with respect to any commercial paper or any banking transaction in which the principal has an interest or by which the principal is, or might be, affected in any way;
12. To pay, to compromise or to contest taxes or assessments and to apply for refunds in connection therewith;
13. To demand, to receive, to obtain by action, proceeding, or otherwise any money or other thing of value to which the principal is, or may become, or may claim to be entitled as the proceeds of any banking transaction conducted by the principal himself, or by the agent in the execution of any of the powers described in this section, or partly by the principal and partly by the agent so acting, to conserve, to invest, to disburse or to utilize anything so received for purposes enumerated in this section, and to reimburse the agent for any expenditures properly made by him in the execution of the powers conferred upon him by the statutory short form power of attorney;
14. To execute, to acknowledge, to seal and to deliver any instrument of any kind, in the name of the principal or otherwise, which the agent may think useful for the accomplishment of any of the purposes enumerated in this section;
15. To prosecute, to defend, to submit to alternative dispute resolution, to settle, and to propose or to accept a compromise with respect to, any claim existing in favor of, or against, the principal based on or involving any banking transaction or to intervene in any action or proceeding relating thereto;
16. To hire, to discharge, and to compensate any attorney, accountant, expert witness or other assistant or assistants when the agent shall think such action to be desirable for the proper execution by him of any of the powers described in this section, and for the keeping of needed records thereof; and
17. In general, and in addition to all the specific acts in this section enumerated, to do any other act or acts, which the principal can do through an agent, in connection with any banking transaction which does or might in any way affect the financial or other interests of the principal.
All powers described in this section 5-1502D of the general obligations law shall be exercisable equally with respect to any banking transaction engaged in by the principal at the giving of the power of attorney or thereafter engaged in, and whether conducted in the state of New York or elsewhere.
Last modified: February 3, 2019