Tag Archives: fiduciary bond

Administrator, Administratrix, Executor, Executrix, Probate/Fiduciary Bonds, Uncategorized

What is the difference between the Administrator of an Estate and an Executor of an Estate?

(And why they both should be bonded)

A short answer is that an Executor (Executrix if a female) is the person whom is named in the Will to take charge of the estate.  The Executor is responsible for wrapping up the deceased person’s affairs and distributing the assets to, or for the benefit of, the persons named in the will (beneficiaries).

An Administrator is the person in charge of the estate when my someone dies without a Last Will and Testament.

Both the Administrator and Executor are subject to the jurisdiction of the Probate Court. Both have similar duties. Selling properties, paying taxes, gathering and dispersing assets.

Administrators and Executors are fiduciaries. A fiduciary is a person who has been given the highest degree of trust and responsibility that can be imposed by law.   Both must answer to and be accountable to the probate court. They must act in a fiduciary capacity with the settlement of the estate in the best interest of the estate. Their role as liquidators should have the best interest of the estate in mind when dealing with any person, property, interest, trust, or savings.

The most significant difference between an Executor and an Administrator is that an Administrator’s authority is limited to what the law provides in the statutes. The Executor has all the same legal authority PLUS additional powers that may be granted in the Last Will and Testament.

The Last Will and Testament can give the Executor the power to sell real estate at private or public sales without having to go through the courts, this saves time and money.

In the end, trust is key. Money and power without checks and balances can influence a person’s judgments.  This is why a BOND is so important.  A bond holds accountable the person and gives the heirs confidence this Executor or Administrator will be honest and proper when dealing with the estates money and business.

To learn more visit us at www.bfbond.com and live chat with a knowledgeable Bond professional or call us at 800.921.1008 to speak with someone regarding you particular situation or apply here.

 

 

 

Bond Issues, Bonds FYI, Crime Coverage, Fidelity Bonds, Surety Bonds, Uncategorized

Would a crime policy cover this?

A Strange way of stealing Gold from the Royal Canadian Mint. Via the Anus?!

goldbullion1717128The case against Leston Lawrence, 35, in an Ottawa courtroom presided over by Justice Peter Doody on a number of smuggling-for-cash charges may seem like a joke, but the risk of employee dishonesty is all too real. Mr. Lawrence is accused of theft, laundering the proceeds of crime, possession of stolen property, breach of trust and he was fired from the Mint. Would a Fidelity Crime Bond cover this?

During testimony it was revealed that Mr. Lawrence set off the metal detectors more often than the other employees (Except for the ones with medical implants), requiring manual scans using a metal detecting wand but they never seemed to find anything on him. Investigators say that he used Vaseline and rubber gloves that they found in his work locker to aid in smuggling the cookie sized pucks of gold.

Four of the pucks were found in a safe deposit box owned by Lawrence and he had sold 18 of them for approximately $6,800 each from November 2014 to March 2015. Subsequently, an obviously dedicated security employee tested the idea that the pucks could be concealed in an anal cavity and not be detected by the wand.

Curiously, the mint never noticed any gold missing. After a bank teller noticed Mr. Lawrence had been cashing several checks from a gold dealer and then transferring the money out of the country is when the teller looked up the man’s place of work and alerted the mint to the suspicious activity.

Jaw dropping statistics from the ‘Statistic Brain’ website, trusted research provider for Forbes, CNN, ABC News, and many others reveals that the amount stolen annually from U.S. businesses by employees is $50,000,000,000 and 7% of annual revenues are lost to employee dishonesty and fraud.

Although a minority of employees becomes dishonest, they can rationalize their theft in many ways: ‘the company won’t miss it,’ ‘they’re not paying me enough,’ or the person succumbs to gambling or some other addiction. Protecting a business with a Fiduciary bond aka Crime bond or Fidelity bond is the most effective way of preventing these losses. The definition on a Travelers Insurance policy for Employee Theft reads

“The Company will pay the Insured for the Insured’s direct loss of, or direct loss from damage to
Money, Securities and Other Property directly caused by Theft or Forgery committed by an
Employee, whether identified or not, acting alone or in collusion with other persons”

In addition to the employer being protected from covered losses due to theft and forgery, the exact definition of “who” is covered is defined in the policy, but should include all current or former employees, partners, members, directors, volunteers, trustees, seasonal employees and temporary employees. If the mint had one of these bond policies they would be insured against the conservatively estimated $180,000.00 loss.

Some of the typical exclusions to these policies are accounting or math errors, vandalism, Governmental action, restatement of a profit and loss statement and theft by the employer itself. You cannot steal from yourself; however coverage extends to partners, directors, members, and trustees.

To learn more about fiduciary bond products or any other types of bonds visit our website at www.bfbond.com, our blog at www.bfbond.com/blog , call us at 800.921.1008, or email bonds@bfbond.com with your inquiries or APPLY HERE.