I inherited mineral royalties over 30 years ago. The trust and estate were very complicated and the executor (my aunt) has had to deal with multiple paper trail issues over the years.With the recent Pioneer to Exxon transition, I have been dealing with a division analyst who will not help with some current mineral rights we discovered were not given to me. I have sent all of the legal paperwork from the estate and trust to the analyst as requested in January. My emails go unanswered, and I have requested the attorney’s name multiple times with no reply. I am at a loss. Does anyone have any advice on what I can do?
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It is unfortunate that the division order analyst is not responding. Perhaps the title issue requires more than the documentation you sent. It is unlikely that the Exxon attorney discus the legal or title situation directly with you. Your oil and gas attorney should approach Exxon to get this resolved.
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JrMats
Since the Exxon takeover, I also have experienced really lousy responses from PNR division analysts (as in no response) on issues that should be really simple such as failing to transfer ownership on parcels despite having provided all required heirship proof and the majority of properties being transferred. The typical online status is (waiting on information) despite no communication indicating they need info from me. I can’t really suggest a course of action, but wanted to let you know you are not alone.
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Thank you! I am beyond frustrated. This whole process started in August of last year and very little progress has been made. I do not know who to attempt to communicate with beyond the division analyst at this point. I do not know how this will get resolved.
Are you sending any correspondence via certified mail? Sometimes that helps.
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Yes, all paperwork I have sent has been certified mail.
Make sure it is return receipt requested. If you CC the legal department also it might make a big difference.
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Do the county records show these as well in your name? If not, then that may be an issue that is out of the control of the analyst? The paper work you say that has been given by you to Pioneer/Exxon is from the estate and the trust. No mention of the county records which would record the deeds and transfer. I know that it is required of me, to the analyst of Pioneer/Exxon before anything moves forward. Just asking for some clarity on my end. MK
Great question! Another recent discovery is that it does not look like a deed was ever recorded in my name. My aunt, the trustee of the estate, has gone back to the original attorney’s office as he has passed away since it has been over 30 years. However, his son has taken over for his office. They are having a difficult time trying to find any records that date back that far. Through my own searches with public records and county, I am not finding a deed in my name.
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I know you already have an attorney, but is it the trust and estate attorney? If so, I would look at an Oil and Gas attorney in Texas that could find this out for you. Check the menu above on this site in the directories section, under mineral services, any attorney in Texas that is oil and gas can help you. I personally use Eric Camp in Ft Worth. MK
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JrMats
Are your inherited mineral royalties in Texas? Have you checked Texas Unclaimed Property and the Unclaimed Property site for any state the person you inherited from might have lived in?
If the properties are in pay but the funds are being escheated in the name of the ancestor to unclaimed property funds, it may be easier to provide proof of heirship to resolve payment issues.
In my case, I discovered in 2021 that a distant relative had left royalties to my wife (now deceased) and her sister. I contacted PNR to see about changing the owner name and went through the process of recording required documents and providing them to PNR. Despite providing PNR with both the maiden name and both married names of the ancestor, they only transferred ownership on those properties being carried in the maiden name. I recently discovered they had been escheating funds to an unclaimed property site in a different state all this time for one of the married names. I am currently working to resolve this.
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My 2 cents, Exxon is very hard to deal with, I started 8 months ago and have still not finished all the mineral interests that I own! What a mess , good luck 