willie in mn
Well-known Member
Slightly OT, & a bit long, but use p-up truck to haul tractor supplies & stuff for our small acreage. Lesson in keeping paperwork up to date.
Met SWMBO about 10 yrs ago. When her husband was still alive they had a 4x4 p-up & full size car. She liked driving the p-up better so sold the car.
Fast forward to this summer. She got tired of high gas costs so bought herself an econo-box little car, put p-up for sale. After 2 months, still not sold. My main vehicle is SUV, also have 25 yr old p-up for rough stuff. Decided to scrap out my old truck, buy hers. Always need a truck around, just a paper & budget transfer.
2 problems
1-truck title had both names on it, Ralph OR Matilda Jones,not their real names. License office wouldn't do transfer without both signing off. Had to prove that husband died in 99 so can't contact him to sign off. All her old papers were packed up several years ago in prep for moving, would have to dig through many boxes to find. Had to go to library, look for obit in old newspaper files. Get a printout, attach to transfer papers. After all this, was able to prove license clerk was wrong. The word OR on title means one or the other, only need one signature . The word AND on title means both signatures needed. When estate was settled, the lawyer & probate judge missed getting his name removed.
2- there was a loan for the truck, paid off with life insurance money shortly after he died. Old method was title would be sent to bank/loan company, not to owner. When loan paid off, they would stamp it cleared & forward to owner. New method, state sends title to owner, marked "security agreement with ABC Loan Co". Bank sends a release to owner when loan paid up. This one came during the transition, got the title, but not the release. Also ABC Credit Union no longer exists, was merged with several others, now known as XYZ Credit Union. Tracked that outfit down, checked files, got the release. More dumb luck than good sense, they had some old letterheads in back room, so the name matched.
Moral of the story, keep your papers updated. Names change with births, deaths, marriages, divorces, company mergers etc. Kind of a nuisance at the time, but saves hair pulling later.
Willie
Met SWMBO about 10 yrs ago. When her husband was still alive they had a 4x4 p-up & full size car. She liked driving the p-up better so sold the car.
Fast forward to this summer. She got tired of high gas costs so bought herself an econo-box little car, put p-up for sale. After 2 months, still not sold. My main vehicle is SUV, also have 25 yr old p-up for rough stuff. Decided to scrap out my old truck, buy hers. Always need a truck around, just a paper & budget transfer.
2 problems
1-truck title had both names on it, Ralph OR Matilda Jones,not their real names. License office wouldn't do transfer without both signing off. Had to prove that husband died in 99 so can't contact him to sign off. All her old papers were packed up several years ago in prep for moving, would have to dig through many boxes to find. Had to go to library, look for obit in old newspaper files. Get a printout, attach to transfer papers. After all this, was able to prove license clerk was wrong. The word OR on title means one or the other, only need one signature . The word AND on title means both signatures needed. When estate was settled, the lawyer & probate judge missed getting his name removed.
2- there was a loan for the truck, paid off with life insurance money shortly after he died. Old method was title would be sent to bank/loan company, not to owner. When loan paid off, they would stamp it cleared & forward to owner. New method, state sends title to owner, marked "security agreement with ABC Loan Co". Bank sends a release to owner when loan paid up. This one came during the transition, got the title, but not the release. Also ABC Credit Union no longer exists, was merged with several others, now known as XYZ Credit Union. Tracked that outfit down, checked files, got the release. More dumb luck than good sense, they had some old letterheads in back room, so the name matched.
Moral of the story, keep your papers updated. Names change with births, deaths, marriages, divorces, company mergers etc. Kind of a nuisance at the time, but saves hair pulling later.
Willie
