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I am attempting to obtain title insurance on a property acquired at a tax foreclosure sale in North Carolina. The title insurance company requires affidavits from two relatives confirming that the previous owner was the only heir of her deceased mother. One relative, the heir's father, agreed... View More
answered on Oct 9, 2025
You might have standing to file a quiet title action if you have a deed to yourself. But otherwise find another title insurance company to insure title. Or forego title insurance entirely if your NC lawyer has done a good job of searching the title, determining heirship, and the boundaries... View More
My husband is deceased, and I have been appointed by the court as the administrator for his estate. He had two businesses: a floor sanding company and a street ministry. The bank requires a signature card with an EIN number that matches their records to release funds from his account, specifically... View More
answered on Oct 16, 2025
To access funds in your late husband’s ministry account, you’ll need to work through both the IRS (for the EIN) and the bank’s estate procedures. Here’s how to do it step by step:
Confirm the EIN (Employer Identification Number).
If your husband’s ministry had its own EIN,... View More
I'm a beneficiary of my dad's lifetime estate, and I've been the sole benefactor in keeping up with the estate taxes through an attorney due to delinquency and foreclosure threats from the county. My siblings, the other beneficiaries, live out of state and have not contributed... View More
answered on Jul 14, 2025
Who has the vested remainder interest? That remainderman should sue the other interested parties for a Sale For Partition. If you are a remainderman, then ask the Court for a return of your contributions to your share from the common fund proceeds. You might or might not get reimbursed.... View More
My husband was involved in an automobile accident while driving his company car and died on the scene. The other driver did not die but suffered non-life-threatening injuries and a total loss of their $100,000 truck. The police report did not state that my husband was at fault, although it... View More
answered on May 1, 2025
The auto accident liability case is a potential claim against your husband's estate. Yes, your husband's auto insurance might end up actually paying the claim, but the legal mechanism for presenting claims against a decedent is to file them in the probate case. If you had opened a... View More
My deceased uncle has a bank account with Bank of America in the US, which has been unclaimed for 20 years. I am helping my cousin, who cannot speak English well, to address this matter. My cousin has a single bank account document but hasn't reached out to Bank of America yet. We are unsure... View More
answered on Apr 27, 2025
Check the clerk's office (Estates) in the county where your relative last resided, to see if an estate was ever opened. If so, look to see if the account was distributed. Also, you can check online at NCCASH to see if the money was handed over to the state. If so, you'll need to follow... View More
My father owned a car and added his new wife's name to the title. After his passing, my brother and I were named as the sole heirs in his will. We believe we are entitled to his half of the car. We offered to buy her out, but she refused and sold the car, keeping the money. We even had an... View More
answered on Apr 5, 2025
Get a NC attorney to advise about the title if you have a copy. Wife probably owned car at Husband's death. If not, the Will bequests will control if it was probated, and the executor will need to do his job of marshalling assets. If no probate, Will means nothing.
Can my husband, who was named in his grandfather's will to inherit land upon his mother's passing, legally sign over life estate rights to someone else before actually inheriting the land from his mother?
answered on Mar 25, 2025
If the Will was probated then apparently he is vested with a life estate after his Mother dies. But you need a NC lawyer to examine this closely, and search the title, as the Estates, especially contingent future interests, may not be as you think. So if his Estate is as you state, he can... View More
I am concerned about the actions of the lawyer appointed by an Ohio court to administer my deceased son’s estate, as my son left no will. He passed away in November 2022, and since early 2023, I informed the lawyer about my son's 401k accounts at Fidelity. Despite this, he has continually... View More
answered on Mar 5, 2025
You file a motion to remove the personal representative for cause listing your grounds. But be prepared to have someone else ready to take his place, such as yourself represented by a good NC attorney. Be aware alot of those accounts are not Estate assets, but the fiduciary should have... View More
My grandmother passed away and had a notarized will leaving everything to me. My grandfather is in a nursing home and is aware of the will and the reasoning behind it. He agreed to deed the house to me, we had the same notary come to the nursing home with all necessary paperwork and he signed. The... View More
answered on Dec 30, 2024
There may be grounds to set aside the Deed but you probably will not know until sued. Was GM's Will probated? If not, it means nothing. Hire a NC to search the title and determine the present estate, which will be scrutinized if you are sued. Do not hire notaries to draft deeds.
The house in question is in Washington DC. The probate was first filed in North Carolina, since the deceased's primary residence was in NC. The executor is not paying the mortgage even though there are significant cash assets in the estate. Is the estate responsible for paying the mortgage or... View More
answered on Dec 7, 2024
The beneficiaries are not liable on the note, but take property subject to the note and mortgage/deed of trust. Beneficiaries should file a motion to remove the executor for cause which is detrimental to the Estate. Will may give him discretion on what bills to pay however. Any beneficiary... View More
My father died without a will and his wife(StepMom) passed 3 years later. The Deed states that it was Joint Tenancy with Rights of Survivorship.
answered on Nov 18, 2024
When property is purchased by a married couple in NC, it is assumed they own it as Tenants by the Entirety. Based on your representations, it would appear that when your father died, the property would pass to his surviving wife. When she died, it would go to her heirs, and you would not inherit.
There is a lot of information to write down. The situation in short is my family member is dead. His girlfriend broke up with him, according to a documented police report & body cam footage, the night he died in an accident. She now provides a Living Will (Not Will & last testament) printed... View More
answered on Aug 16, 2024
No claim to estate assets as either a spouse, will beneficiary nor heir. However Decedent's relatives need to hire a GA attorney to start a Probate if there are any decent assets. Quickly... If GF was on a Banking Account, then it will be cleaned out and not an Estate Asset.
Ally bank says according to OK laws, probate is required but from what I've been told, it's not necessary here in NC. He had no fixed residence- his address on the death cert says "transient", which the bank has a copy of. Ally won't allow me to close out his account, even... View More
answered on Jun 18, 2024
If the value of the account is less than $50,000 you should be able to collect it using a small estate affidavit. The bank might even have their own form for that. If they don't a probate attorney in Oklahoma can help you with that.
the proceeds from the sale of the house?
answered on Feb 27, 2024
When a property is co-owned and one of the owners passes away, the distribution of their interest in the property depends on how the deed is titled and the laws of the state in which the property is located. If the deed was held as "joint tenants with right of survivorship," then upon the... View More
My mother recently passed away. We transferred her home and car into my name a few months before her death, but the mortgage is still in her name which I have been paying. She did not have any estate. Am I responsible for paying her Medical bills prior to her passing and can they take the house... View More
answered on Feb 15, 2024
Without seeing the actual bills and the deed transferring the property to you, I can't give you an answer. I suggest taking all the paperwork to a local attorney and having them give you specific advice.
The mortgage company will likely require you to get a new mortgage or, if you are... View More
My father passed in 2021& his wife last year . My siblings and I Were not even notified of my father's passing until he was buried and gone even his brother wasn't notified.im afraid she is up to something
answered on Jan 31, 2024
There are a couple forms she could be trying to get you to sign. It sounds like she's trying to get you to waive your inheritance rights. If your father's wife never adopted you and never made a will, realistically the stepsister gets her property. Why she's trying to get you to... View More
It's her and her oldest kids that think everything is theirs
answered on Jan 28, 2024
If you are now a co-owner you do have the right to live in the house. If you cannot cohabit with your sister peacefully then you have the right to petition a court to force the sale of the house and split the proceeds. That threat might be enough to convince her to buy you out because litigation... View More
I am 36 years old. My mom passed away many years ago and so did my only brother. Everything of course was then only my stepdads. My stepdad has been my father since I was 5 years old. I consider him my father of course. We’ve always had a great relationship but recently he has been ill and... View More
answered on Jan 14, 2024
Your stepdad is mistaken and you are right to be concerned. You are NOT in the line of succession. To inherit from your stepdad he would need to name you as the death beneficiary on his financial accounts (an excellent method) AND sign a will that leaves everything to you (for items that do not... View More
I am 36 years old. My mom passed away many years ago and so did my only brother. Everything of course was then only my stepdads. My stepdad has been my father since I was 5 years old. I consider him my father of course. We’ve always had a great relationship but recently he has been ill and... View More
answered on Jan 31, 2024
If he never adopted you, you don't inherit from him in the absence of a will. Intestacy statutes will apply and the property will either go to his children (if he has any legal children) or his sibling(s). His living sister's daughter won't have a claim (rather the sister herself... View More
My Grandmother outlived my father. As far as my siblings and I were told that his half of the inheritance would be split among us. We are not very close with his brother (my uncle) who is now the executor of the estate. In my fathers will it states that any inheritance that he would receive in the... View More
answered on Jan 1, 2024
In North Carolina, the probate court oversees the administration of estates to ensure that wills are followed correctly. The executor, in your case, your uncle, has a legal responsibility to administer the estate in accordance with your grandmother's will and relevant state laws.
If... View More
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