Owasso, OK asked in Estate Planning and Probate for Oklahoma

Q: Bank of America won't accept Holographic will. It is entirely handwritten, dated and signed by the deceased.

Bank account is well under $50,000. How can the bank refuse to accept the will and give me the bank account? I am the only person listed in his will to inherit everything he owned. I am/was a close friend for 30 years. We were never married and never had any children together or owned anything together. I have left everything to him in my holographic will and he left everything to me in his will.

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1 Lawyer Answer
Nina Whitehurst
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Answered
  • Estate Planning Lawyer
  • Crossville, TN

A: The bank does not have to accept any will, handwritten or notarized or witnessed or whatever. It is the probate court that decides if a will is valid. You probably need to hire a probate attorney to help you with this. If the estate truly is small, a probate attorney can help you prepare a small estate affidavit to collect it.

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