Stevens v. Billings

Robert H. Dudley, Justice.

This is another in the long series of cases in which a bank signature card is used as a substitute for a will. See, e.g., Lovell v. Marianna Fed. Sav. & Loan Ass’n, 264 Ark. 99, 568 S.W.2d 38 (1978). In this case W.C. Pickens and his wife, Ola Maie Pickens, opened a joint checking account in the Union Bank of Mena. The bank titled the account “Mr. or Mrs. W.C. Pickens,” and the signature card reflected the authorized signatures of “W.C. Pickens” and “Mrs. W.C. Pickens.” The account was opened in 1958, and at that time the statute in effect provided in pertinent part:

W…