Chapter 705

705.23 History History: 1989 a. 331.

705.24 705.24 Origination of registration in beneficiary form. A security, whether evidenced by certificate or account, is registered in beneficiary form if the registration includes a designation of a beneficiary to take the ownership at the death of the owner or the deaths of all multiple owners.

705.24 History History: 1989 a. 331.

705.25 705.25 Form of registration in beneficiary form. Registration in beneficiary form may be shown by the words “transfer on death” or the abbreviation “TOD” or by the words “pay on death” or the abbreviation “POD”, after the name of the registered owner and before the name of a beneficiary.

705.25 History History: 1989 a. 331.

705.26 705.26 Effect of registration in beneficiary form. The designation of a TOD beneficiary on a registration in beneficiary form does not affect ownership until the owner’s death. A registration of a security in beneficiary form may be canceled or changed at any time by the sole owner or all then surviving owners, without the consent of the beneficiary.

705.26 History History: 1989 a. 331.

705.27 705.27 Ownership on death of owner. Subject to the rights of the registering entity under s. 705.28 (2m), on the death of a sole owner or the last to die of multiple owners, ownership of securities registered in beneficiary form passes to the beneficiary or beneficiaries who survive all owners and to any predeceased beneficiary’s issue who would take under s. 854.06 (3). On proof of death of all owners and compliance with any applicable requirements of the registering entity, a security registered in beneficiary form may be reregistered in the name of the successors to the ownership interest. Until division of the security after the death of all owners, multiple successors to the ownership interest hold their interests as tenants in common. If no beneficiary or predeceased beneficiary’s issue who would take under s. 854.06 (3) survives the death of all owners, the security belongs to the estate of the deceased sole owner or the estate of the last to die of multiple owners.

705.27 History History: 1989 a. 331; 2005 a. 216.

705.28 705.28 Protection of registering entity.

705.28(1) (1) A registering entity is not required to offer or to accept a request for security registration in beneficiary form. If a registration in beneficiary form is offered by a registering entity, the owner requesting registration in beneficiary form assents to the protections given to the registering entity by ss. 705.21 to 705.30.

705.28(2) (2) By accepting a request for registration of a security in beneficiary form, the registering entity agrees that the registration will be implemented upon death of the deceased owner as provided in ss. 705.21 to 705.30.

705.28(2m) (2m) If more than one beneficiary is named and at least one beneficiary is predeceased, a security registered in beneficiary form may be reregistered in the name of the surviving beneficiary with a proof of death of the other beneficiary, without regard to claims by the issue of a predeceased beneficiary under s. 705.27 unless the registering entity receives written notice of a claim under sub. (3) (b). If none of the beneficiaries survive, a security registered in beneficiary form may be reregistered in the name of the estate of the deceased sole owner or the estate of the owner who was last to die of multiple owners, without regard to claims by the issue of a predeceased beneficiary under s. 705.27 unless the registering entity receives written notice of a claim under sub. (3) (b).

705.28(3) (3) 

705.28(3)(a) (a) Subject to par. (b), a registering entity is discharged from all claims to a security by the estate, creditors, heirs or devisees of the deceased owner if it registers a transfer of a security in accordance with s. 705.27 and does so in good faith reliance on the registration, on ss. 705.21 to 705.30, and on information provided to it by affidavit of the personal representative of the deceased owner, or by the surviving beneficiary or by the surviving beneficiary’s representatives, or other information available to the registering entity.

705.28(3)(b) (b) The protections provided in this subchapter do not extend to a reregistration or payment made after a registering entity has received written notice from a claimant to an interest in the security objecting to implementation of a registration in beneficiary form. No other notice or other information available to the registering entity affects its right to protection under this subchapter. If the registering entity has reason to believe that a dispute exists as to the rights of the parties to a security registered in beneficiary form or their successors, the registering entity may refuse to reregister the security pending instructions from a court.

705.28(4) (4) The protection provided by ss. 705.21 to 705.30 to the registering entity of a security does not affect the rights of beneficiaries in disputes between themselves and other claimants to ownership of the security transferred or its value or proceeds.

705.28 History History: 1989 a. 331; 2005 a. 216.

705.29 705.29 Nontestamentary transfer on death.

705.29(1) (1) A transfer on death resulting from a registration in beneficiary form is effective by reason of the contract regarding the registration between the owner and the registering entity and ss. 705.21 to 705.30 and is not testamentary.

705.29(2) (2) Sections 705.21 to 705.30 do not limit the rights of creditors of security owners against beneficiaries and other transferees under other laws of this state.

705.29 History History: 1989 a. 331.

705.30 705.30 Terms, conditions and forms for registration.

705.30(1) (1) A registering entity offering to accept registrations in beneficiary form may establish the terms and conditions under which it will receive requests for registration in beneficiary form and for implementation of registrations in beneficiary form, including requests for cancellation of previously registered TOD beneficiary designations and requests for reregistration to effect a change of beneficiary. The terms and conditions so established may provide for proving death, avoiding or resolving a problem concerning fractional shares, designating primary and contingent beneficiaries, and substituting a named beneficiary’s descendants to take in the place of the named beneficiary in the event of the beneficiary’s death. Substitution may be indicated by appending to the name of the primary beneficiary the letters “LDPS”, standing for “lineal descendants per stirpes”. This designation substitutes a deceased beneficiary’s descendants who survive the owner for a beneficiary who fails to so survive, the descendants to be identified and to share in accordance with the law of the beneficiary’s domicile at the owner’s death governing inheritance by descendants of an intestate. Other forms of identifying beneficiaries who are to take on one or more contingencies, and rules for providing proofs and assurances needed to satisfy reasonable concerns by registering entities regarding conditions and identities relevant to accurate implementation of registrations in beneficiary form, may be contained in a registering entity’s terms and conditions.

705.30(2) (2) The following are illustrations of registrations in beneficiary form which a registering entity may authorize:

705.30(2)(a) (a) Sole owner — sole beneficiary: John S Brown TOD (or POD) John S Brown Jr.

705.30(2)(b) (b) Multiple owners — sole beneficiary: John S Brown Mary B Brown JT TEN TOD John S Brown Jr.

705.30(2)(c) (c) Multiple owners — primary and secondary (substituted) beneficiaries: John S Brown Mary B Brown, JT TEN TOD John S Brown Jr SUB BENE Peter Q Brown or John S Brown Mary B Brown JT TEN TOD John S Brown Jr LDPS.

705.30 History History: 1989 a. 331.

705.31 705.31 Applicability of general transfers at death provisions. Chapter 854 applies to transfers at death under this subchapter.

705.31 History History: 1997 a. 188.

705.31 Annotation Wisconsin’s New Probate Code. Erlanger. Wis. Law. Oct. 1998.