PROVIDENCE — A Providence lawyer who is the subject of an investigation into the mishandling of clients’ money has voluntarily agreed to be disbarred, the state Supreme Court announced Tuesday.

The high court in December indefinitely suspended Robert D. Natal’s license to practice law after initiating a probe into $710,000 in missing money, according to the court’s disciplinary counsel. The court announced Tuesday that Natal, with offices at 400 Reservoir Ave., had agreed to be disbarred from the practice.

The disciplinary counsel, David D. Curtin, began investigating Natal after a complaint was filed in September on behalf of the estate of Virginia Hoye. Natal had an escrow company and was the settlement agent for the closing on the sale of the Hoye home, at 32 Cedar St. in Taunton, Mass.

The estate was due to receive $286,076 from the sale, but a check that Natal gave the seller in that amount bounced. Curtin subpoenaed the bank records and discovered, according to court papers, that Natal’s account was overdrawn by $93,758.41 at the time he presented the check.

The estate was later made whole with another check, but Curtin said it was a situation in which Natal “was robbing Peter to pay Paul.” While Curtin was investigating the Hoye closing, Natal asked his lawyer to notify America Financial Group, a parent company for First American Title Insurance Co., that “contrary to settlement closing instructions,” he had not paid off mortgages in connection with three other real estate closings. That left the homeowners still on the hook for the mortgages totaling $710,000.

Curtin said Natal apparently had taken the $710,000 for his personal use. The complaint was referred to the state police.

Natal had practiced law in Rhode Island for more than 22 years.

kmulvane@projo.com