Missouri Revised Statutes § 362.550 - Appointment as fiduciary — investments — handling of trust property — effect of merger or consolidation

362.550. Appointment as fiduciary — investments — handling of trust property — effect of merger or consolidation. — 1. When any trust company organized pursuant to the laws of this state shall have been nominated as personal representative of the last will of any deceased person, the court or officer authorized pursuant to the law of this state to grant letters testamentary thereon shall, upon proper application, grant letters testamentary thereon to the trust company or to its successor by merger. 2. When application is made for the appointment of a personal representative on the estate of any deceased person, and there is no person entitled to the letters, or if there is one so entitled then, on the application of the person, the court or officer making the appointment may grant letters of administration with will annexed to any trust company. 3. Any trust company may be appointed conservator, trustee, personal representative, receiver, assignee or in any other fiduciary capacity, in the manner now provided by law for appointment of individuals to any such office. On the application of any natural person acting in any such office, or on the application of any natural persons acting jointly in any such office, any trust company may be appointed by the court or officer having jurisdiction in the place and stead of the person or persons; or on the application of the person or persons any trust company may be appointed to the office to act jointly with the person or persons theretofore appointed, or appointed at the same time; provided, the appointment shall not increase the compensation to be paid the joint fiduciaries over the amount pursuant to the law payable to a fiduciary acting alone. 4. Any natural person or persons heretofore or hereafter appointed as guardian, trustee, personal representative, receiver, assignee, or in any other fiduciary capacity, desiring to have their bond under the office reduced, or desiring to be appointed under a reduced bond, the person or persons may apply to the court to have their appointment put or made under such limitation of powers and upon such terms and conditions as to the deposits of assets by the person or persons with any trust company, under such reduced bond to be given by the person or persons as the court or judge shall prescribe, and the court or judge may make any proper order in the premises. 5. Any investments made by any trust company of money received by it in any fiduciary capacity shall be at its sole risk, and for all losses of such money the capital stock and property of the company shall be absolutely liable, unless the investments are such as are proper when made by an individual acting in such fiduciary capacity, or such as are permitted under and by the instrument or order creating or defining the trust. Any trust company in the exercise of its fiduciary powers as personal representative, guardian, trustee or other fiduciary capacity, may retain and continue to hold, as an investment of an estate, trust or other account administered by it as fiduciary, any shares of the capital stock, and other securities or obligations, of the trust company so acting, and of any parent company or affiliated company of such trust company, which stock, securities and obligations have been transferred to or deposited with such fiduciary by the creator or creators of such fiduciary account or other donors or grantors, or received by it in exchange for, or as dividends upon, or purchased by the exercise of subscription rights, including rights to purchase fractional shares, in respect of, any other stock, securities or obligations so transferred to or deposited with it, or which have been purchased by such fiduciary pursuant to a requirement of the instrument or order governing such account or pursuant to the direction of such person or persons other than the trust company having power to direct such fiduciary with respect to such purchases; but except as herein provided, including the exercise of subscription rights, no such trust company shall purchase as an investment for any fiduciary account, in the exercise of its own discretion, any stock or other securities or obligations, other than deposit accounts, savings certificates or certificates of deposits, issued by such trust company, or its parent or affiliated companies. This subsection shall not be construed to prohibit a trust company, in the exercise of its own discretion, from purchasing as an investment, for any fiduciary account, securities or obligations of any state or political subdivision thereof which meet investment standards which shall be established by the director of the division of finance, even though such obligations are underwritten by such trust company or its parent or affiliated companies. 6. The court or officer may make orders respecting the trusts and require any trust company to render all accounts which the court or officer might lawfully require if the personal representative, guardian, trustee, receiver, depositary or the trust company acting in any other fiduciary capacity, were a natural person. 7. Upon the appointment of a trust company to any fiduciary office, no official oath shall be required. 8. Property or securities received or held by a trust company in any fiduciary capacity shall be a special deposit in the trust company, and the accounts thereof shall be kept separate from each other and separate from the company's individual business. The property or securities held in trust shall not be mingled with the investments of the capital stock or other property belonging to the trust company or be liable for the debts or obligations thereof. For the purpose of this section, the corporation shall have a trust department, in which all business authorized by subsection 3 of section 362.105 is kept separate and distinct from its general business. 9. The accounts, securities and all records of any trust company relating to a trust committed to it shall be open for the inspection of all persons interested in the trust. 10. When any trust company organized pursuant to the laws of this state shall have been appointed personal representative of the estate of any deceased person, or guardian, trustee, receiver, assignee, or in any other fiduciary capacity, in the manner provided by law for appointment to any such office, and if the trust company has heretofore merged or consolidated with or shall hereafter merge or consolidate with any other trust company organized pursuant to the laws of this state, then, at the option of the first mentioned company, and upon the filing by it, with the court having jurisdiction of the estate being administered, of a certificate of the merger or consolidation, together with a statement that the other trust company is to thereafter administer the estate held by it and an acceptance by the latter trust company of the trust to be administered, the certificate, statement and acceptance to be executed by the president or vice president of the respective companies and to have affixed thereto the corporate seals of the respective companies, attested by the secretary thereof, and further upon the approval of the court and the giving of such bond as may be required, all the rights, privileges, title and interest in and to all property of whatsoever kind, whether real, personal or mixed, and things in action belonging to the trust estate, and every right, privilege or asset of conceivable value or benefit then existing which would inure to the estate under an unmerged or consolidated existence of the first mentioned company, shall be fully and finally and without right of reversion transferred to and vested in the corporation into which it is merged or with which it is consolidated, without further act or deed, and the last mentioned corporation shall have and hold the same in its own right as fully as the same was possessed and held by the corporation from which it was, by operation of the provisions of this section, transferred, and the corporation shall succeed to all the relations, obligations and liabilities, and shall execute and perform all the trusts and obligations devolving upon it, in the same manner as though it had itself assumed the relation or trust. 11. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law to the contrary, a bank, trust company or affiliate thereof, when acting as a trustee, investment advisor, custodian, or otherwise in a fiduciary capacity with respect to the investment and reinvestment of assets may invest and reinvest the assets, subject to the standards contained in section 456.8-816 and sections 469.900 to 469.913, in the securities of any open-end or closed-end management investment company or investment trust registered pursuant to the federal Investment Company Act of 1940 as amended (15 U.S.C. Sections 80a-1, et seq.) (collectively, "mutual funds"), or in shares or interests in a partnership or limited liability company or other entity that operates as a privately offered investment fund. Such investment and reinvestment of assets may be made notwithstanding that such bank, trust company, or affiliate provides services to the investment company or trust or privately offered investment fund as investment advisor, sponsor, distributor, custodian, transfer agent, registrar, or otherwise, and receives reasonable remuneration for such services. Such bank or trust company or affiliate thereof is entitled to receive fiduciary fees with respect to such assets. For such services the bank or trust company or affiliate thereof shall be entitled only to the normal fiduciary fee but neither a bank, trust company nor affiliate shall be required to reduce or waive its compensation for services provided in connection with the investment and management of assets because the fiduciary invests, reinvests or retains assets in a mutual fund or privately offered investment fund. The provisions of this subsection apply to any trust, advisory, custody or other fiduciary relationship established before or after August 28, 1999, unless the governing instrument refers to this section and provides otherwise. 12. As used in this section, the term "trust company" applies to any state or national bank or trust company qualified to act as fiduciary in this state. (L. 1967 p. 445, A.L. 1972 S.B. 410, A.L. 1983 S.B. 44 & 45, A.L. 1991 S.B. 15, A.L. 1993 H.B. 105 & 480, A.L. 1995 H.B. 63, et al. merged with S.B. 178, A.L. 1999 S.B. 386, A.L. 2008 S.B. 1235, A.L. 2021 S.B. 106) (Source: RSMo 1959 § 363.200)