American Pickers alum Frank Fritz’s conservatorship serves bank with order to hand over star’s finances in court war

AMERICAN Pickers star Frank Fritz’s conservator has hit his bank with legal papers to hand over the star’s finances as he continues to recover from a debilitating stroke.

Frank , 60, suffered a stroke in his Iowa home in July 2022 that left him in and out of the hospital and rehabilitation .

Coleman-Rayner

History Channel

The American Pickers alum was placed under a conservatorship in August 2022, as MidWestOne Bank is Frank’s conservator while his close friend Chris Davis is his guardian.

The U.S. Sun previously reported MidWestOne demanded Frank’s finances be transferred to them from a separate bank, JP Morgan, as the star will continue to need “skilled” and “long-term” nursing care .

An Iowa judge on the case approved the request.

Now, The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal two representatives from JP Morgan have been served with court papers to hand over the funds in question.

Court papers from the conservatorship case obtained by The U.S. Sun revealed Frank has “cash assets and credit accounts” at JP Morgan.

The Conservator’s Initial Plan filed in November 2022 stated the assets would be transferred to MidWestOne, as they could “invest to start generating income” for Frank .

“Since the approval of the plan, the Conservator has repeatedly contacted JP Morgan seeking access to the Protected Party’s funds, credit card statements and income tax documents to no avail,” the court papers read.

The bank “repeatedly failed to respond to the Conservator” and “refused to provide access to Mr. Fritz’s assets and documentation, and otherwise ignored the Conservator’s authority, the orders of this court, and the laws of the state of Iowa.”

The court documents continued, “[Frank] continues to rely on long-term skilled nursing care, so it is imperative that his assets are properly managed and wisely invested to support his long-term needs.

“The Protected Party no longer has any need for consumer credit cards and any accounts that remain open are susceptible to fraud, especially since the Conservator is not allowed access to them to review charges.”

MidWestOne Bank requested, “The court should issue an order compelling [the bank] to release all of Frank Fritz’s funds to the Conservator, close all of Frank Fritz’s credit card accounts, provide the Conservator with Frank Fritz’s income tax documents for 2023, and change the mailing address for future income tax documents to the Conservator’s address.”

A hearing took place on July 19 and a judge ruled in favor of MidWestOne Bank.

The court ruling read, “JP Morgan Chase Bank ordered to respond to the conservator and provide access to and authority over all bank accounts, credit card and any other accounts held by or controlled by Mr. Fritz.”

The case remains ongoing.

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UNDER CONSERVATORSHIP

The U.S. Sun broke the news that the conservatorship was filed in August 2022.

“Because of his stroke, Mr. Fritz’s decision­-making capacity is so impaired that he is unable to care for his own safety or to provide for necessities such as food, shelter, clothing, or medical care without which physical injury or illness may occur,” documents obtained by The U.S. Sun read.

“Mr. Fritz’s decision­-making capacity is so impaired that he is unable to make, communicate, or carry out important decisions concerning his own financial affairs.

“Decisions must be made for Mr. Fritz’s care and placement while he continues to recover and receive treatment for his injuries.

The appointment of a guardian and conservator was deemed “necessary” to “avoid immediate harm to him.”

The guardian’s role is to help Frank with his Crohn’s disease treatment, bring him to physical therapy, and help him grocery shop, cook and more.

As for the conservator, MidWestOne filed an Initial Plan that revealed Frank’s monthly expenses .

The amount of $28,292 is spent a month on expenses and the majority of his budget totals $22,832 for “in-home health care.”

His annual healthcare total is $273,984.

Frank Fritz's Conservatorship

Frank Fritz was placed under a conservatorship in August 2022, just weeks after he suffered a stroke.

• Frank’s conservator is MidWestOne Bank and is in charge of his finances
• The bank agreed to invest Frank’s money and collections to generate income
• The guardian is his good friend Chris Davis
• Chris is responsible for helping Frank manage his Crohn’s disease treatment, go to physical therapy, grocery shop, cook and more day-to-day tasks
• The conservatorship also agreed to help replenish Frank’s Iowa antique store, Frank Fritz Finds
• A wheel-chair ramp and more have been installed in his Iowa home under the conservatorship

HEALTH UPDATE

Frank has been in and out of rehabilitation after he was released from the hospital in September 2022.

He has also had various stints in the hospital, including pneumonia.

Despite his medical setbacks, the star “continues to improve daily.”

“You’re never 100 percent after a stroke, but he’s fine. He’s aware of what’s going on,” a friend of Frank’s previously told The U.S. Sun .

“If he were sitting here right now, you could sit and talk to him. He’s the same old Frank.”

Frank was wheelchair-bound after suffering the stroke .

“He can walk, but he’s always going to need the wheelchair because he can’t walk long distances,” the pal shared.

“Basically, you lose motion. He lost motion. A stroke can affect your left or your right side, it affected his right side.”

DEATH RUMORS

Frank was the subject of death rumors in August, as “Frank Frtiz dead” began trending on social media.

“It’s all a bunch of bull. Don’t know where it came from,” the source told The U.S. Sun.

“Frank has been good, been eating ice cream and watching the Olympics.”

LAST EPISODE

Frank’s final American Pickers episode aired in March 2020.

He took time off to recover from back surgery that left him with 185 stitches and two rods in his spine.

During his time off the show, he entered rehab for alcohol addiction in Iowa for 77 days.

Frank had a falling out with his longtime friend and co-star Mike Wolfe .

The two reconciled after Frank suffered the stroke.

American Pickers now stars Mike, Robbie Wolfe, Jon Szalay, and Danielle Colby .

The new season is set to air this fall.

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