72-14-102. When title to escheated property vests in state. (1) Whenever the title to any property, either real or personal or mixed, fails for any reason, including want of heirs or next of kin, the title vests in the state of Montana immediately upon the death of the owner without an inquest or other similar proceeding and there is no presumption that the owner died leaving heirs or next of kin.

(2) This chapter does not apply to any rural electric or telephone cooperative organized under Title 35, chapter 18, if the board of trustees of the cooperative has acted to retain patronage refunds that are made by the cooperative to a member or former member and that remain unclaimed for 5 years.