Montana Code Annotated
Part 4. Protection of Property of Minors and Persons Under Disability
72-5-427. Powers of conservator in administration

72-5-427. Powers of conservator in administration. (1) A conservator has all of the powers conferred in this section and any additional powers conferred by law on trustees in this state. In addition, a conservator of the estate of an unmarried minor under 18 years of age, as to whom no one has parental rights, has the duties and powers of a guardian of a minor described in 72-5-231 until the minor attains 18 years of age or marries, but the parental rights so conferred on a conservator do not preclude appointment of a guardian as provided by Title 72, chapter 5, part 2.
(2) A conservator has power, without court authorization or confirmation, to invest and reinvest funds of the estate as would a trustee.
(3) A conservator, acting reasonably in efforts to accomplish the purpose for which the conservator was appointed, may act without court authorization or confirmation to:
(a) collect, hold, and retain assets of the estate, including land in another state, until in the conservator's judgment disposition of the assets should be made, and the assets may be retained even though they include an asset in which the conservator is personally interested;
(b) receive additions to the estate;
(c) continue or participate in the operation of any business or other enterprise;
(d) acquire an undivided interest in an estate asset in which the conservator in any fiduciary capacity holds an undivided interest;
(e) invest and reinvest estate assets in accordance with subsection (2);
(f) deposit estate funds in a bank, including a bank operated by the conservator;
(g) acquire or dispose of an estate asset, including land in another state, for cash or on credit at public or private sale and manage, develop, improve, exchange, partition, change the character of, or abandon an estate asset;
(h) make ordinary or extraordinary repairs or alterations in buildings or other structures, demolish any improvements, raze existing or erect new party walls or buildings;
(i) subdivide, develop, or dedicate land to public use; make or obtain the vacation of plats and adjust boundaries, adjust differences in valuation on exchange or partition by giving or receiving considerations, and dedicate easements to public use without consideration;
(j) enter for any purpose into a lease as lessor or lessee, with or without option to purchase or renew, for a term within or extending beyond the term of the conservatorship;
(k) enter into a lease or arrangement for exploration and removal of minerals or other natural resources or enter into a pooling or unitization agreement;
(l) grant an option involving disposition of an estate asset or take an option for the acquisition of any asset;
(m) vote a security in person or by general or limited proxy;
(n) pay calls, assessments, and any other sums chargeable or accruing against or on account of securities;
(o) sell or exercise stock subscription or conversion rights or consent, directly or through a committee or other agent, to the reorganization, consolidation, merger, dissolution, or liquidation of a corporation or other business enterprise;
(p) hold a security in the name of a nominee or in other form without disclosure of the conservatorship so that title to the security may pass by delivery, but the conservator is liable for any act of the nominee in connection with the stock so held;
(q) insure the assets of the estate against damage or loss and the conservator against liability with respect to third persons;
(r) borrow money to be repaid from estate assets or otherwise or advance money for the protection of the estate or the protected person and for all expenses, losses, and liability sustained in the administration of the estate or because of the holding or ownership of any estate assets, and the conservator has a lien on the estate as against the protected person for advances made;
(s) pay or contest any claim or settle a claim by or against the estate or the protected person by compromise, arbitration, or otherwise and release, in whole or in part, any claim belonging to the estate to the extent that the claim is uncollectible;
(t) pay taxes, assessments, compensation of the conservator, and other expenses incurred in the collection, care, administration, and protection of the estate;
(u) allocate items of income or expense to either estate income or principal, as provided by law, including creation of reserves out of income for depreciation, obsolescence, or amortization or for depletion in mineral or timber properties;
(v) pay any sum distributable to a protected person or a dependent of the person who is a minor or incompetent, without liability to the conservator, by paying the sum to the distributee or by paying the sum for the use of the distributee either to the person's guardian or, if none, to a relative or other person with custody of the person;
(w) employ persons, including attorneys, auditors, investment advisors, or agents, even though they are associated with the conservator, to advise or assist the conservator in the performance of administrative duties, act upon their recommendation without independent investigation, and instead of acting personally, employ one or more agents to perform any act of administration, whether or not discretionary;
(x) prosecute or defend actions, claims, or proceedings in any jurisdiction for the protection of estate assets and of the conservator in the performance of the conservator's duties; and
(y) execute and deliver all instruments that will accomplish or facilitate the exercise of the powers vested in the conservator.
History: En. 91A-5-424 by Sec. 1, Ch. 365, L. 1974; R.C.M. 1947, 91A-5-424; amd. Sec. 2428, Ch. 56, L. 2009.

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