N.M. Stat. § 45-6-212
Rights at death.
A. Except as otherwise provided in this part, on death of a party sums on deposit in
a multiple-party account belong to the surviving party or parties. If two or more parties
survive and one is the surviving spouse of the decedent, the amount to which the
decedent, immediately before death, was beneficially entitled under Section 45-6-211
NMSA 1978 belongs to the surviving spouse. If two or more parties survive and none is
the surviving spouse of the decedent, the amount to which the decedent, immediately
before death, was beneficially entitled under Section 45-6-211 NMSA 1978 belongs to
the surviving parties in equal shares, and augments the proportion to which each
survivor, immediately before the decedent's death, was beneficially entitled under
Section 45-6-211 NMSA 1978, and the right of survivorship continues between the
surviving parties.
B. In an account with a POD designation:
(1)
on death of one of two or more parties, the rights in sums on deposit are
governed by Subsection A of this section; and
(2)
on death of the sole party or the last survivor of two or more parties, sums
on deposit belong to the surviving beneficiary or beneficiaries; if two or more
beneficiaries survive, sums on deposit belong to them in equal and undivided shares,
and there is no right of survivorship in the event of death of a beneficiary thereafter; if no
beneficiary survives, sums on deposit belong to the estate of the last surviving party.
C. Sums on deposit in a single-party account without a POD designation, or in a
multiple-party account that, by the terms of the account, is without right of survivorship,
are not affected by death of a party, but the amount to which the decedent, immediately
before death, was beneficially entitled under Section 45-6-211 NMSA 1978 is
transferred as part of the decedent's estate. A POD designation in a multiple-party
account without right of survivorship is ineffective. For purposes of this section,
designation of an account as a tenancy in common establishes that the account is
without right of survivorship.
D. The ownership right of surviving party or beneficiary, or of the decedent's estate,
in sums on deposit is subject to requests for payment made by a party before the party's
death, whether paid by the financial institution before or after death, or unpaid. The
surviving party or beneficiary, or the decedent's estate, is liable to the payee of an
unpaid request for payment. The liability is limited to a proportionate share of the
amount transferred under this section, to the extent necessary to discharge the request
for payment.