Dying intestate

State: OK
Friend verbally left me "in charge" of his affairs.
Died with no will; no children; no spouse, no assets.
He gave his car to a friend-but didn't ever actually sign over title. Now I find that he put lien on same car for a loan at a local finance company.
Who if anyone needs to pay the finance company?
Who if anyone is entitled to the car?

cambria said:

State: OK
Friend verbally left me "in charge" of his affairs.
Died with no will; no children; no spouse, no assets.
He gave his car to a friend-but didn't ever actually sign over title. Now I find that he put lien on same car for a loan at a local finance company.
Who if anyone needs to pay the finance company?
Who if anyone is entitled to the car?

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My response:

No one, except for his Estate, is responsible to the finance company (FC).

Since your friend refinanced the vehicle through the FC, it's a good bet that he also pledged the vehicle as collateral for the loan. Therefore, if his Estate cannot pay the loan, the FC will take the collateral (the vehicle) and sell it.

Any verbal "promises" that he made to others, without placing such promises in writing via a Will, are worthless "promises." No one gets anything, except for the FC.

"Friends" are outsiders to the Estate and, unless any of his "friends" are creditors, none of them have any rights to anything in the Estate. Friends have no rights to start a probate action, either. Anything left by your friend, e.g., clothes, household goods, etc., will eventually "escheat" to the State if the State wants anything. Otherwise, since he had no relatives, and you want his pots and pans, just take them. Apparently, and according to your post, there is no one who is left to object to something like that.

IAAL