Section 5-1501 - Application and definitions1. This title shall apply to all powers of attorney except powers of attorney excluded from this title by section 5-1501 C of this title.2. As used in this title the following terms shall have the following meanings: (a) "Agent" means a person granted authority to act as attorney-in-fact for the principal under a power of attorney, and includes the original agent and any co-agent or successor agent. Unless the context indicates otherwise, an "agent" designated in a power of attorney shall mean "attorney-in-fact" for the purposes of this title. An agent acting under a power of attorney has a fiduciary relationship with the principal.(b) "Benefits from governmental programs or civil or military service" means any benefit, program or assistance provided under a statute or governmental regulation, including social security, medicare and medicaid.(c) "Capacity" means ability to comprehend the nature and consequences of the act of executing and granting, revoking, amending or modifying a power of attorney, any provision in a power of attorney, or the authority of any person to act as agent under a power of attorney.(d) "Compensation" means reasonable compensation authorized to be paid to the agent from assets of the principal for services actually rendered by the agent pursuant to the authority granted in a power of attorney.(e) "Financial institution" means a financial entity, including, but not limited to: a bank, trust company, national bank, savings bank, federal mutual savings bank, savings and loan association, federal savings and loan association, federal mutual savings and loan association, credit union, federal credit union, branch of a foreign banking corporation, public pension fund, retirement system, securities broker, securities dealer, securities firm, and insurance company.(f) "Incapacitated" means to be without capacity.(g) "Internal Revenue Code" means the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Such references, however, shall be deemed to constitute references to any corresponding provisions of any subsequent federal tax code.(h) "Monitor" means a person appointed in the power of attorney who has the authority to request, receive, and seek to compel the agent to provide a record of all receipts, disbursements, and transactions entered into by the agent on behalf of the principal.(i) "Person" means an individual, whether acting for himself or herself, or as a fiduciary or as an official of any legal, governmental or commercial entity (including, but not limited to, any such entity identified in this subdivision), corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture, government, governmental subdivision, government agency, government entity, government instrumentality, public corporation, or any other legal or commercial entity.(j) "Power of attorney" means a written document, other than a document referred to in section 5-1501 C of this title, by which a principal with capacity designates an agent to act on his or her behalf and includes both a statutory short form power of attorney and a non-statutory power of attorney.(k) "Principal" means an individual who is eighteen years of age or older, acting for himself or herself and not as a fiduciary or as an official of any legal, governmental or commercial entity, who executes a power of attorney.(l) "Record" means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in perceivable form.(m) "Sign" means to place any memorandum, mark or sign, written, printed, stamped, photographed, engraved or otherwise upon an instrument or writing, or to use an electronic signature as that term is defined in subdivision three of section three hundred two of the state technology law, with the intent to execute the instrument, writing or electronic record. In accordance with the requirements of section three hundred seven of the state technology law, a power of attorney or any other instrument executed by the principal or agent that is recordable under the real property law shall not be executed with an electronic signature.(n) "Statutory short form power of attorney" means a power of attorney that meets the requirements of paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of subdivision one of section 5-1501 B of this title, and that substantially conforms to the wording of the form set forth in section 5-1513 of this title; provided however, that any section indicated as "Optional" that is not used may be omitted and replaced by the words "Intentionally Omitted". A given power of attorney substantially conforms to the form required pursuant to section 5-1513 of this title notwithstanding that the form contains (i) an insignificant mistake in wording, spelling, punctuation or formatting, or the use of bold or italic type; or (ii) uses language that is essentially the same as, but is not identical to, the statutory form, including utilizing language from a previous statute. The determination of whether there is substantial conformity with the form set forth in section 5-1513 of this title shall not depend on the presence or absence of a particular clause. Failing to include clauses that are not relevant to a given power of attorney shall not in itself cause such power of attorney to be found to not substantially conform with the requirements of such form. The use of the form set forth in section 5-1513 of this title is lawful and when used, it shall be construed as a statutory short form power of attorney. A statutory short form power of attorney may be used to grant authority provided in sections 5-1502 A through 5-1502N of this title. A "statutory short form power of attorney" may contain modifications or additions as provided in section 5-1503 of this title.(0) "Non-statutory power of attorney" means a power of attorney that is not a statutory short form power of attorney.(p) "Third party" means a financial institution or person other than a principal or an agent.N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law § 5-1501
Amended by New York Laws 2020, ch. 323,Secs. 1, 2, 3 eff. 6/13/2021.