I always thought the official take in the U.S. was that no one owns the miles because the miles have no value. They aren't an asset, a currency, or a contractual promise of a future flightshare. I don't know what they are...a shapeless, odorless grey blob, perhaps...but I thought the U.S. government had taken care to not define them as a commodity with an attached value or exchange rate into a hard currency. (Probably for everyone's benefit, including enthusiasts like us who make a point to know and play the game to the best of our advantage.)

But then again...I have heard other cases where employers claim them, they are part of divorce or estate settlements, etc. So obviously they become "assetlike" in some cases.

Can you tell that IANAL?