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A post on the Whitfield-Hastings website suggests that CEO Cristopher Whitfield has passed away.

Whitfield-Hastings was a prominent bank that turned its attention to land sales after the banking ban. The company also has roughly 1.4M L$ invested in the WSE under Whitfield's name. The post states that Cristopher Whitfield's Second Life account was removed, which apparently provoked a legal battle of sorts between Linden Lab and Whitfield's RL brother 'Steffen,' the latter eventually receiving control of his brother's land holdings.

To put it lightly, it seems a little fishy. There's no official announcement of Cristopher Whitfield's death. Further, am I wrong in assuming that the executor (presumably 'Steffen') of the RL Whitfield's estate would have been responsible for canceling his SL account? The post states that Steffen had to fight for the holdings of the account because it was canceled. That the fight even HAD to occur on that premise makes absolutely no sense to me.

I must admit that the controversy surrounding Geyl Fapp's death has made me a bit skeptical of oddly-timed passings. A post on the WHJ forums jokingly suggested taking out life insurance on Cristopher Whitfield as a means to ensure some recuperation of funds in a company struggling to find footing after the banking ban. Was that post foreshadowing or simply dark humor no-doubt finding the author abashed in the wake of the actual death?

Further, if the land truly was transferred, is there any possibility that such a decision might extend to virtual exchange holdings? Based on the lack of information on the WHJ website, these questions don't seem likely to be answered anytime soon.

LeaPatrizia Zemach, a board member of the reformed Whitfield Hastings company, launched an investigation committee without substantiative results. According to Zemach, the most daunting question is one of determining the motive for staging the death and returning under the guise of a relative who is determined to oversee asset liquidation. Even though the benefit of staging a death is unapparent, it cannot be ruled out - for that matter, it cannot be immediately assumed, either.

Zemach provided me with a notecard advertising the auction of Whitfield-Hastings' land. You can find the contents of that notecard here

Update: Please see Chris Whitfield...Alive?

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