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<section article="gtg" article_name="Tax - General" number="13-812" title_number="13" title_name="Procedure" subtitle_number="8" subtitle_name="Collections">
  <level label="a">
    <level label="1">
      <text>In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>“Account”, “account holder of interest”, and “financial institution” have the meanings stated in § 13-804 of this subtitle.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>“Obligor” means a person whose property is subject to a tax lien.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <level label="1">
      <level label="i">
        <text>The Comptroller may send notice of a tax lien to any financial institution that the Comptroller reasonably believes holds property subject to a tax lien.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The notice to be sent under this paragraph shall be provided by:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>first-class mail, under the postmark of the United States Postal Service, at the address designated for this purpose by the financial institution or, if no address has been designated, to the principal office of the financial institution;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>an electronic format agreed on by the Comptroller and the financial institution; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>any other reasonable manner as agreed on by the Comptroller and the financial institution.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The notice to be sent by the Comptroller to a financial institution under paragraph (1) of this subsection shall contain:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>the name of the obligor;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>the amount of the tax lien;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>the last known address of the obligor;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>the Social Security number or federal employer identification number of the obligor; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="v">
        <text>a notice to immediately seize and attach from one or more accounts held by the financial institution in the name of the obligor an aggregate amount equal to the lesser of the amounts in all accounts or the amount of the tax lien.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <level label="1">
      <text>On receipt of the notice described in subsection (b) of this section, the financial institution promptly shall seize and attach from one or more of the accounts of the obligor held by the financial institution an aggregate amount equal to the lesser of:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>the total of the amounts in all the accounts of the obligor held by the financial institution; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>the amount stated in the notice sent under subsection (b) of this section.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Within 30 days after the financial institution receives the notice directing it to seize and attach accounts of the obligor, the financial institution shall send notice to the Comptroller, in the manner specified in subsection (b) of this section, specifying the aggregate amount held under this subsection.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <level label="i">
        <text>The financial institution may assess a fee against the accounts or the obligor, in addition to the amount identified in the notice under subsection (b) of this section.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>In the case of insufficient funds to cover both the fee and the amount identified in the notice under subsection (b) of this section, the financial institution may first deduct and retain the fee from the amount seized and attached as provided in this section.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>The financial institution may not be held liable to any person, including the Comptroller, the obligor, or any account holder of interest, for wrongful dishonor or for any other claim relating to the seizure and attachment of an account or other actions taken in compliance with this section.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <level label="1">
      <text>Within 10 business days after the Comptroller has received notice from the financial institution under subsection (c)(2) of this section, the Comptroller shall send a notice to the obligor, by regular mail, to the obligor’s last known address.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The notice shall contain the following information, to the extent known by the Comptroller:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>the address of the Comptroller;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>the telephone number, address, and name of a contact person at the Office of the Comptroller;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>the name and Social Security number, federal employer identification number, or other taxpayer identification number of the obligor;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>the address of the obligor;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="v">
        <text>for each account of the obligor, the name of the financial institution that has seized and attached amounts as required by this section;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="vi">
        <text>the total amount of the tax lien owed by the obligor;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="vii">
        <text>the date the notice is being sent;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="viii">
        <text>a statement informing the obligor that the Comptroller has directed the financial institution to seize and attach the amount of the tax lien owed by the obligor from one or more of the accounts of the obligor and, on subsequent notice by the Comptroller, to forward the amount to the Comptroller; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ix">
        <text>a statement informing the obligor that, unless a timely challenge is made by the obligor or an account holder of interest under subsection (g) of this section, the Comptroller shall notify the financial institution to forward the amount seized and attached by the financial institution to the Comptroller.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>The Comptroller shall not be obligated to send the notice described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection if, prior to the time that the notice must be sent, the Comptroller and the obligor agree to an arrangement under which the obligor will pay amounts owed under the tax lien.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <level label="1">
      <text>If a timely challenge is not made by the obligor or an account holder of interest under subsection (g) of this section, the Comptroller shall send a notice to the financial institution, in the manner specified in subsection (b) of this section, directing the institution to:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>forward the amount seized and attached by the financial institution to the Comptroller;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>reduce the amount seized and attached by the financial institution to a revised amount as stated, forward the revised amount to the Comptroller, and release the excess amount; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>release the amount seized and attached by the financial institution.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The Comptroller may send the notice described in paragraph (1) of this subsection before the time for filing a timely challenge under subsection (g) of this section on agreement among the Comptroller, the obligor, and, if the Comptroller is aware of an account holder of interest, the account holder of interest.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <text>The Comptroller shall apply the amount seized and forwarded by the financial institution to the obligor’s tax lien obligation.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="g">
    <level label="1">
      <text>An obligor or an account holder of interest may challenge the actions of the Comptroller under this section by filing a motion with the circuit court within 10 days of the date of the notice sent under subsection (d)(1) of this section.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>An obligor or an account holder of interest may challenge the actions of the Comptroller based on:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>a mistake in the identity of the obligor;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>a mistake in the ownership of the account;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>a mistake in the contents of the account;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>invalidity of the Comptroller’s actions under § 11-603 of the Courts Article;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="v">
        <text>a mistake in the amount of the lien obligation due; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="vi">
        <text>any other good cause.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>An obligor or an account holder of interest may not challenge the actions of the Comptroller based on a mistake or error in the original tax assessment underlying the tax lien against the obligor.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="h">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Comptroller may withdraw the notice to seize and attach accounts by sending notice to the financial institution, in the manner specified in subsection (b) of this section, directing the financial institution to release the attachment on the accounts.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>If a determination is made by the Comptroller or by the circuit court that the account or accounts of the obligor should not have been held, the Comptroller shall notify the financial institution, in the manner specified in subsection (b) of this section, to release the amount seized and attached by the financial institution.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>If a determination is made by the Comptroller or by the circuit court, pursuant to a challenge under subsection (g) of this section, to reduce the amount seized and attached by the financial institution, the Comptroller shall notify the financial institution, in the manner specified in subsection (b) of this section, to revise the amount as stated, forward the revised amount to the Comptroller, and release the excess amount seized and attached by the financial institution.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>If a challenge made under subsection (g) of this section is denied by the circuit court, the Comptroller shall notify the financial institution, in the manner specified in subsection (b) of this section, to forward the amount seized and attached by the financial institution to the Comptroller.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="i">
    <text>A financial institution that complies with a notice from the Comptroller sent under this section is not liable under State law to any person for:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>any disclosure of information to the Comptroller under this section;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>seizing and attaching any amounts from an account or sending any amount seized and attached by the financial institution to the Comptroller; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>any other action taken in good faith to comply with the requirements of this section.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="j">
    <text>A financial institution has no obligation to reimburse fees assessed as a result of the Comptroller instituting an action under this section or as otherwise permitted by law or authorized by contract.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="k">
    <text>This section may not be construed to prohibit the Comptroller from collecting taxes due from the obligor in any other manner authorized by law.</text>
  </level>
</section>
