3553 - Discharge of property from lien of charge.
§ 3553. Discharge of property from lien of charge. (a) Payment into court.--When real or personal property by will, inter vivos trust or decree is subject to a charge which has become payable, the court which has jurisdiction of the estate or trust, upon petition of a party in interest and after such notice as it shall direct, shall enter a decree fixing the amount of the charge then payable, and directing that it be paid into court and that upon such payment the property shall be discharged from so much of the charge as shall be paid into court. When the amount of the charge does not appear as a matter of record, the court, by appointment of a master or by investigation in open court, may ascertain and fix the amount. A certified copy of every decree relieving real property of the lien of a charge shall be recorded in the deed book in the office of the recorder of deeds of each county where the real estate shall lie, and shall be indexed by the recorder in the grantor's index under the name of the decedent or settlor, as the case may be, and in the grantee's index under the name of the owner of the land: Provided, That no conditional decree shall be recorded unless there is offered for recording, concurrently therewith, written evidence of compliance with the condition. (b) Distribution of moneys paid into court.--Any money paid into court under the provisions of this section, subject to the laws of the Commonwealth relating to the payment of unclaimed funds into the State Treasury without escheat, shall remain there until the court, on petition of a party in interest and after such notice as it shall direct, aided by the report of a master if necessary, shall direct distribution to the persons entitled. The court may, in its discretion, appoint an auditor to make such distribution.