Can your soon-to-be ex clear out your shared bank account?

A joint account means both people have full access, so either can 'clear out' the account if they want to. That doesn't mean that during the divorce process the judge wouldn't require the person who 'cleared out" the account, to return a portion of that money to the other party. If there wasn't much in the account, it may not be worth fighting over. Your friend should speak to his attorney.

"Doesn't the bank need permission from the other spouse to do that?" - No, otherwise it wouldn't be a "shared" account. What's the point of having a "shared" account if one person needs the other person's permission every time they wanted to move money out of the account?

Yes, she can take all the money in the shared account and run up credit cards, and he can spend $1000's on legal fees in court to try to get it back. Even though you would win in court if she did this, you do not want to put yourself in a situation where she owes you money, since collecting that money is not always easy.

If he really thinks things are that bad, he should take half the money, cancel joint credit cards and start his own checking account while he still can.

Take half out, she's entitled to the other half anyway

Joint account she can clear out; she leaves a dollar if she doesn't want to go through the trouble of officially closing it. Happens all the time.

If it is a joint account, either owner may withdraw from it or close it as s/he wishes.

If someone is planning on leaving then they should take exactly half of the shared money before they leave/announce that they are leaving.

If he's seriously thinking of leaving her, then he'd do well to first consult a lawyer and get his legal ducks in a row before he tells the wife that he's done with the marriage.

It'd also be wise for him to make photocopies/scans of all of the important paperwork - marriage certificate, deed to the house, home/life/car insurance papers, wills, his passport and other IDs, car registration and driver's license, etc. - that way if she hides or destroys it out of vengeance, he's still got something to fall back on.

"Shared" means either party can access the money at any time presuming there is no other legal impediment.

Your friend needs to get a lawyer, follow his/her instructions and then serve his wife with the appropriate legal separation/divorce papers before he lets the cat out of the bag.

See "and" - "or" above.

It happens all the time and is perfectly legal. However, it is not a good idea because it could prejudice the divorce proceedings on the part of the spouse who 'cleaned out'.

He can close it at any time. Your friend has every reason to be concerned. He should open an account in his name and start putting his money into it. That way, if there's no breakup, the money is still in the family, and if there is a split, his money is unavailable to her.

Yes she can unless the account has an and not or. that'ts right "and" not "or" People sometimes set up an account to be Jane and John which means both have to be there If you don't designate "and" then either can access the account without the other present.

The only recourse is at the divorce the judge can order her to pay him back or forfeit the amount in an other way. Like splitting the other assets profit from house sale or car sale. Tell him to call all the credit card companies and lock the accounts or drop the amount available to what ever the balance on the card is.

This is important. Tell him to go to his employer and change his deductions to married 10. YES married 10 or even more married 20.They will take out minium money . Tell him to get the extra amount of money in his paycheck and hide the cash with someone he can trust. Come tax filing they will both owe the Govt. she won't get half of the return because there won't be a return. They will both owe the IRS and he can use the cash to pay his half with money he got from claiming married 20

This is not illegal. The govt. does not care how many you claim. during the year as long as they get the taxes on the money you earned during the filing year.

bank account? Gov't is killing you at night with high frequency electricity. Theotokos Virgin Mary gave prayers to "Schema-nun Antonia" on how to save aborted babies from hell. If you pray these prayers diligently, aborted babies are released from hell. On each painted nail there are 40 demons. Smoking is censer to the devil. Using foul language calls upon Pagan deities (aka demons); Holy Spirit departs on 7 meters. People who use drugs see demons who cleverly disguise themselves as ghosts and aliens. America will be last country to switch to Euro (antichrist's world currency). Contraceptives = abortion; using contraceptives for 1 year = 5 aborted kids. Miscarriages happen because of high heels; cesarean because of tight pants (second generation cesarean will be infertile). Unbaptized aborted/miscarried/unborn babies burn in hell for 33 and a half years; if pregnant, keep the kid and deliver at home because kids are chipped using IVs and vaccines in hospitals. Dentists and doctors chip patients secretly. Ultrasound leads to mark of the beast; don't do ultrasound, please. Abortion leads to breast cancer; a demon is released from hell for each aborted kid. Dogs can become possessed; don't keep dogs inside you home [Pelageya of Ryazan]. Walmart has technology to administer mark of the beast to those who have cat bacteria in their stomachs; stay away from cats [Afanasiy Sidyachiy]. Next false flag is the Statue of Liberty. Above earth there is ice (hemisphere); when rockets go up they bring ice down from upper sky to lower sky; ice stuck in lower sky will fall on us during Apocalypse. Earth is flat; earth stands on 3 pillars (the Most Holy Trinity); pillars stand on water at zero Kelvin; underneath this ice there is a bubble; and then the abyss. Zodiac is planetary prison of demons; don't believe in horoscopes or you'll exhibit the traits of the trapped demons. Most thoughts and dreams are from demons; demons never do good. Sleep fully clothed; pray the Jesus prayer. Pray to your guardian angel to have normal sleep. Vyacheslav Krasheninnikov was the last prophet before Apostle John (who wrote the Book of Revelation), Enoch, Elijah, resurrected Seraphim of Sarov, and resurrected Sergius of Radonezh will preach against the antichrist. Humans were created about 7525 years ago. Birds participate in time creation. It's a sin to kill birds. Dinosaurs live under our level; they will get out through sinkholes and lakes; to kill them, go for their nerves. Save the birds; but kill the dinosaurs. First dinosaur will come out of Volga River in Russia. Scientists don't see dinosaurs under our level because of radiation. Sinkholes happen because people dig for resources underground and because earth is heating up. Demons grow human skin (from a sample taken during abduction) and put it on so as to look like us. Demons will invite people to be healed inside their UFOs; those who go will be like zombies after. Gov't provides demons with diamonds and allows demons to abduct people. If you're being abducted, slowly pray the Jesus prayer. Don't panic. Demons use diamonds and souls to power their UFO craft. The bigger the diamond, the more it lasts. Demons have 4 UFO bases: 1)moon 2)inside fake mountain Kailash in Tibet 3)in lake Baikal in Russia 4)in Atlantis which is underneath the Mariana Trench in Pacific Ocean. There are no aliens. Nobody lives on other planets. Airplanes that go down are hit by demons because they need the airspace to fight Jesus. Antichrist is pale with red eyes. He's possessed by Satan since he's 12 years old [Lavrentiy Chernigovskiy]. He flies super fast; deceived people will say: "Christ is here; Christ is there" when he's flying from one city to the next very fast. He wears gloves to hide long nails. He's surrounded by demons who appear as angels of light. Antichrist will trick people that he can do mountain moving and resurrection using holograms; fire from the sky is real because of pollution gases in the atmosphere. Antichrist will have food only for 6 months; then he will feed his 666ed people flour from mashed up turtles (Tavrion Batozskiy), but this won't be enough because 666ed people are 10 times as angry and 7 times as hungry as normal people even though 666ed people became shorter (3-4 feet tall = 80 - 120 cm) because nanochips do function of organs (organs diminish) [Nilus Myrrhgusher]. If you have a lot of nanochips in your forearm, then you will not be able to make proper Orthodox sign of the cross (last mercy for you will be to cut your forearm off). Nanochips are sprayed by the gov't using chemtrails; they're also in gov't food and medicine; so, eat food from your own garden. In case garden is destroyed by ice from the sky, have chickens for eggs and goats for milk (Paisios). Lipstick contains cells of aborted fetuses, dog fat, and placenta; human flesh is in McDonalds, Pepsi, toothpaste, antiaging, anticancer, vaccines, perfume, etc.; that's why you should not be using anything that modern society has to offer. You're better off hiding within a 10-12 people group in order to escape Apocalypse. During Apocalypse, Chrtistians will eat dirt from under pussywillowtree as it's filled with tears of Theotokos Virgin Mary; this water will flee if a 666ed person tries to get it. Barcode is Druid black magic curse; QRcode is Mayan curse; when food is scanned, it becomes dead because laser is a substance from demons. Don't go into a UFO to be healed by demons. Green 666 is given by isotope rays on wrist or forehead when people stretch hands to receive small plastic grey card with no name on it (World Passport). It doesn't just have to be during this procedure (could be anything you sign up for or anywhere where there is a secret scanner); biometrics (fingerprints, eyes scan) or getting picture for passport are very dangerous because they could mark you secretly. Gabriel Urgebadze said that they do it on index finger when they scan your finger. Basically, try to avoid new documents at all cost. Police will microchip and isotope ray people on highways. Chipped people will be influenced by computers to take grey plastic card; but when they do, green mark by isotope rays is given on forehead/wrist. Food stores will isotope ray people too. Antichrist will also release prisoners to mark people. Reject 666 at all cost because it leads to permanent hell. If you're about to be marked, pray the Jesus prayer. Hide with Orthodox Christians to escape 666; leave all electronics behind so that antichrist's minions can't track you; burn documents because they're from Satan. The Most Holy Trinity gives you a name during baptism; devil gives an antiname during antibaptism (ex. Social Security Number). People who die with these Satanic documents go to concentration camp in hell to await Final Judgement; once the BEAST Computer is burned down, souls will be released for Final Judgement. That's why you should give back documents of your deceased relatives back to the gov't so that the gov't cancels these digital antichristian names given during antibaptism by the beast system; or just burn these documents because gov't could get upset and could send demons to mark you because of this outright act of defiance. Prophecy from half a millenium ago describes Final Judgement like this: Jesus was very upset with people who had little boards (plastic cards) in their hands because they wanted discount from the antichrist. Give to charity in the name of Archangel Michael; he rescues people from temporary hell twice a year [at midnight between September 18 and September 19 and similarly on November 20-21; pray at these times on your knees remembering the deceased by names (adding "and relatives by flesh up to Adam") so that they are rescued if they're in hell] (or brings them up a level, that is, to a level with less punishment; eventually, people are freed). Feed the pigeons; when pigeons bow down, people are saved from temporary hell. It's a big sin to remember the dead with wreaths (because demons put these wreaths on their necks if they're in hell with their hands tied up behind their back while hanging by their hands), meat, alcohol, sweets, and worldly music. Demons print icons on saints in newspapers so that you throw these newspapers in the trash blaspheming these saints. Crosses on soles of shoes and back of pants are blasphemy. Demons make carpets with crosses and put them on sidewalks so that people walk on crosses. Playing cards mock how Jesus suffered on the cross: clubs (cross on which Jesus was crucified), diamonds (four nails Jesus was crucified with), hearts (sponge with vinegar that Jesus was given to drink), spades (spear with which Jesus was pierced). Cremation is devil worship; only blasphemers such as Lenin should be burned; if Lenin is buried, earth will be polluted, and China will attack Russia because of this. After China attacks Russia, Ruski Orthodox Tsar (shown by resurrected Seraphim of Sarov) will come to power in Russia; this Tsar will slay traitors inside church and gov't; as a result, Russia will be the only country not under the antichrist. Ecumenism has 263 heresies; each heresy leads to hell. In 2006 in Moscow (that's why Moscow will sink), representatives from most religions signed a document where it says that all religions worship the same Supreme Being [aka the devil]. Priests who participate in ecumenism will have Pagans walking on their heads in hell. Arkhimandrite Antonin Kapustin left a prophecy that John the Baptist's living space will become a church and it will be blessed by forerunner of antichrist. Patriarch Kirill of Russia blessed this church. When priests pray for current gov't (instead of praying for future Tsar), Jesus gets up from His throne and turns His back to them. Forgive me.

Not unless his name is on it

All sorts of unusual things happen during things like this.........most important is both be honest with each other instead.......
Shame you know about your friend and he gives his wife no clue.......sad to the core.
I just pray both handle this with good intentions for each other's peace of mind and being cared for until other plans can be worked out.

One alternative is to take HALF the money and put it into a separate account. EITHER party removing funds within 12 months of a Divorce application has to make clear WHERE the funds went and WHY. Then the courts could allocate the other party an EQUAL value of the share in other assets to make up for the missing monies. Same for any assets "sold" (even if sold under valued) or given away immediately prior to this process, especially to family members or friends. So giving control of assets to family members at this time might still be "marital assets" by the courts and the REAL value added to the other's share.

Legally, no. Literally, yes.

if a joint account she can, my ex went from her lawyer to the bank and emptied our savings account which had about 3-4 months pay in it
the courts said she was allowed to do that because we were married and would not adjust that money for the division of assets

Yes

Only if the account needs two signatures...best to remove her half now and open a single account.

no doubt its a yes if he is a loser type of guy.

Only if there is a legal stipulation then it is a two way highway here.

If the account is shared, both people have unfettered access to the funds. How two grown man can be so ignorant is beyond my comprehension.

Is the bank going to stop it? No. Can she legally do it? No. That is communal property and she would end in the very negative eyes of the judge ruling on the divorce.

No ,my sister got half abd he got half