15-63-204. Administration of account. - Montana Statutes

     15-63-204. Administration of account. (1) An account administrator shall administer the first-time home buyer savings account from which the payment of eligible costs for the purchase of a single-family residence is made and has a fiduciary duty to the person for whose benefit the account is administered. Except for reporting and remitting of penalties to the department, a financial institution shall administer a first-time home buyer's savings account as a regular deposit. A financial institution is not responsible for the use or applications of funds.
     (2) Within 30 days after an account administrator begins to administer an account, the account administrator shall notify in writing each account holder on whose behalf the account administrator administers an account of the date of the last business day of the account administrator's business year.
     (3) An account administrator may use funds held in a first-time home buyer savings account only for the purpose of paying the eligible costs of the account holder or paying the expenses of administering the account.
     (4) The account holder may submit documentation of eligible costs paid by the account holder in the tax year to the account administrator, and the account administrator shall reimburse the account holder from the account holder's account for eligible costs for the first-time purchase of a single-family residence. The burden of proving that a withdrawal from a first-time home buyer's savings account was made for eligible costs is upon the account holder and not upon the account administrator.
     (5) In the case of an account administrator who is also the account holder:
     (a) notice by the account administrator to the account holder pursuant to subsection (2) is not required;
     (b) the account administrator may not use funds held in an account to pay expenses of administering the account, except that a service fee may be deducted from the account by a financial institution or other holder of the account;
     (c) documentation of the segregation of funds in separate accounts and documentation of eligible costs for the purchase of a single-family residence must be maintained but is not required to be submitted to the account administrator;
     (d) the account administrator shall file reports as reasonably required by the department; and
     (e) the account holder is required to forward the 10% penalty on funds withdrawn for other than eligible costs to the department.

     History: En. Sec. 6, Ch. 544, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 429, L. 1999.