(1) Any demand, savings or matured time deposit with a financial institution, including a deposit that is automatically renewable, and any funds paid toward the purchase of a share, mutual investment certificate or any other interest in a financial institution is presumed abandoned unless the owner, within three years, has done one or more of the following:
(a) In the case of a deposit, increased or decreased its amount or presented the passbook or other similar evidence of the deposit for the crediting of interest.
(b) Communicated in writing with the financial institution concerning the property.
(c) Otherwise indicated an interest in the property as evidenced by a memorandum or other record on file prepared by an employee of the financial institution.
(d) Owned other property to which paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of this subsection applies, and the financial institution has communicated in writing with the owner with regard to the property that would otherwise be presumed abandoned under this subsection at the address to which communications regarding the other property regularly are sent.
(e) Had another relationship with the financial institution concerning which the owner has:
(A) Communicated in writing with the financial institution; or
(B) Otherwise indicated an interest as evidenced by a memorandum or other record on file prepared by an employee of the financial institution, and the financial institution has communicated in writing with the owner with regard to the property that would otherwise be abandoned under this subsection at the address to which communications regarding the other relationship regularly are sent.
(2) With respect to property described in subsection (1) of this section, a holder may not impose any charge or cease payment of interest due to dormancy or inactivity unless:
(a) There is a written contractual agreement between the holder and the owner of the account clearly and prominently setting forth the conditions under which a service charge may be imposed or the payment of interest terminated;
(b) The establishment of a service charge, the change of an existing service charge or the change of a policy pertaining to the payment of interest is uniformly applied to all dormant or inactive accounts;
(c) The holder gives written notice to the owner at the owner’s last-known address whenever an account becomes dormant or inactive; and
(d) Three months’ written notice is given by first class mail to the last-known address of the owner of a dormant or inactive account before the holder applies a service charge to that account or stops paying interest on that account.
(3) A signature card is not a written contractual agreement for the purposes of subsection (2)(a) of this section. However, a signature card and a written contractual agreement may be contained in one instrument.
(4) Property described in subsection (1) of this section that is automatically renewable is matured for purposes of subsection (1) of this section upon the expiration of its initial time period. However, if the owner consents to a renewal at or about the time of renewal, the property is matured upon the expiration of the last time period for which consent was given. The owner shall be deemed to have consented to a renewal if:
(a) The owner communicates in writing with the financial institution or otherwise indicates consent as evidenced by a memorandum or other record on file prepared by an employee of the institution; or
(b) The financial institution has sent an account statement or other written or electronic statement pertaining to the account by first class mail or by electronic mail and the statement has not been returned to the financial institution and the financial institution has not been notified that the statement was undeliverable as addressed.
(5) If the delivery of funds or property required by ORS 98.352 would result in a penalty or forfeiture in the payment of interest from the delivery of the funds or property, the delivery may be delayed until the time when no penalty or forfeiture would result.
(6) Except for those instruments subject to ORS 98.309, any sum payable on a check, draft or similar instrument, on which a financial institution is directly liable, including a cashier’s check and a certified check, which has been outstanding for more than three years after it was payable or after its issuance if payable on demand, is presumed abandoned, unless the owner, within three years, has communicated in writing with the financial institution concerning it or otherwise indicated an interest as evidenced by a memorandum or other record on file prepared by an employee thereof.
(7) A holder may not deduct from the amount of any instrument subject to subsection (6) of this section any charge imposed by reason of the failure to present the instrument for payment unless:
(a) There is a valid and enforceable written contract between the holder and the owner of the instrument pursuant to which the holder may impose a charge;
(b) The holder regularly imposes such charges; and
(c) The holder does not regularly reverse or otherwise cancel the charges.
(8) For purposes of subsection (1) of this section, “property” includes interest and dividends. [1983 c.716 §§30, 31; 1993 c.694 §2; 1997 c.631 §397; 2003 c.272 §2; 2007 c.539 §1]
Section: Previous 98.245 98.260 98.270 98.280 98.302 98.304 98.306 98.308 98.309 98.310 98.311 98.312 98.314 98.316 98.320 NextLast modified: August 7, 2008