Whenever a person shall die leaving deposits in a bank not exceeding $5,000.00 in the aggregate, the bank may in its discretion discharge itself from liability thereafter by paying the deposits to the surviving spouse of the deceased or, if there is none, to the adult children and to the person having the actual custody and control of the minor child or children of the deceased; provided, that such person, if not the legal guardian, shall execute to the probate judge of the county where the principal office of the bank is located a bond in the penal sum of double the amount of the portion of such deposit he receives for the faithful accounting of the money so received, which shall be approved by said probate judge; or, if there is no surviving spouse or child or children, to the person or persons who, under the laws of Alabama, are the next of kin and inherit the personal property of the deceased. The bank shall be fully protected by requiring an affidavit by some reputable citizen as to the facts specified.
Alabama Legal Code