When your brother borrowed money from a bank to purchase a truck, the bank placed a lien on that truck for the amount of the loan. That lien will remain against that truck until the lien is satisfied. In B.C., all liens placed against personal property are registered under the Personal Property Security Act. See the following link
http://www.bcregistryservices.gov.bc.ca/bcreg/pprpg/index.page
You can verify that the lien still exists by contacting the B.C. Registry Services and search on either the name of the last-known person to have owned this truck ( i.e. your brother ) or the VIN ( Vehicle Identification Number ) which appears on the vehicle ownership and also appears on the left side of the dash up against the windshield.
I am not familiar with the exact procedures in B.C. for the transfer of a vehicle in a private sale. However, in Ontario, here is how it works
When a seller wishes to sell a vehicle in a private sale, the seller must purchase from the Ministry of Transportation what is known as a "Seller's Package". The cost is $20. This package details the complete history of the vehicle from the date it left the factory or if it was imported, the date of import. It shows all the registered owners and their addresses together with any outstanding liens currently registered against the vehicle together with the name of the lienholder. In reality, the purchaser will buy the "Seller's Package" but whoever purchases it, it must be obtained BEFORE the vehicle can be transferred.
If there are any liens currently registered against the vehicle, they should ( as opposed to MUST ) be paid before the vehicle is transferred. Otherwise, the purchaser buys the vehicle with the lien attached and the lienholder ( i.e. the bank ) could repossess the vehicle at any time without notice to the buyer. The buyer's only recourse is against the seller. For obvious reasons then, no buyer will purchase a vehicle with a lien attached to it.
In Ontario, a registered automobile dealer is not required to purchase a "Seller's Package" but it is illegal for a dealer to sell a vehicle with a lien attached. When a vehicle is traded-in at a dealer, the dealer must pay out the lien, if any, before the dealer can sell that vehicle on their lot or take it to an auction sale. Failure to do this will result in the loss of their licence.
If your brother attempts to sell this vehicle after being stored for 7 years, I can assure you that the lien is more than the value of the truck. It sounds to me that your brother is trying to "beat the system" and get away from paying the bank loan. If this is the case, then he is in for a "rude awakening".
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