Terms Used In Virginia Code > Title 38.2 > Chapter 14 > Article 1 - General Provisions

• Admitted assets: means , for purposes of the limitations and standards imposed by Articles 1 and 2 of this chapter, the amount thereof as permitted to be reported on the statutory financial statement of the insurer most recently required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to §§ 38. See Virginia Code 38.2-1401
• Adult: means a person 18 years of age or more. See Virginia Code 1-203
• Annuities: means all agreements to make periodic payments in specified or calculable sums pursuant to the terms of a contract for a stated period of time or for the life of the person or persons specified in the contract. See Virginia Code 38.2-106
• Annuity: A periodic (usually annual) payment of a fixed sum of money for either the life of the recipient or for a fixed number of years. A series of payments under a contract from an insurance company, a trust company, or an individual. Annuity payments are made at regular intervals over a period of more than one full year.
• annuity: shall be deemed to include "variable annuity" and "modified guaranteed annuity" and shall be deemed to include a contract under which a lump sum cash settlement is an alternative to the option of periodic payments. See Virginia Code 38.2-106
• Ascertainable standard: means a standard relating to an individual's health, education, support, or maintenance within the meaning of § 2041(b)(1)(A) or 2514(c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and any applicable regulations. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Authorized fiduciary: means (i) a trustee or other fiduciary, other than a settlor, that has discretion to distribute or direct a trustee to distribute part or all of the income or principal of the first trust to one or more current beneficiaries and that is not (a) a current beneficiary of the first trust or a beneficiary to which the net income or principal of the first trust would be distributed if the first trust were terminated, (b) a trustee of the first trust that may be removed and replaced by a current beneficiary who has the power to remove the existing trustee of the first trust and designate as successor trustee a person that may be a related or subordinate party, as defined in 26 U. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. ^{Source: OCC}
• Beneficiary: means a person that (i) has a present or future, vested or contingent, beneficial interest in a trust; (ii) holds a power of appointment over trust property; or (iii) is an identified charitable organization that will or may receive distributions under the terms of the trust. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Business entity: means a corporation, association, partnership, joint venture, trust, church, or religious body. See Virginia Code 38.2-1401
• Cap: means an agreement obligating the seller to make payments to the buyer, with each payment based on the amount by which a reference price or level or the performance or value of one or more underlying interests exceeds a predetermined number, sometimes called the strike rate or strike price. See Virginia Code 38.2-1401
• Charitable interest: means an interest in a trust that (i) is held by an identified charitable organization and makes the organization a qualified beneficiary; (ii) benefits only charitable organizations and, if the interest were held by an identified charitable organization, would make the organization a qualified beneficiary; or (iii) is held solely for charitable purposes and, if the interest were held by an identified charitable organization, would make the organization a qualified beneficiary. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Commission: means the State Corporation Commission. See Virginia Code 38.2-100
• Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
• Company: means any association, aggregate of individuals, business, corporation, individual, joint-stock company, Lloyds type of organization, organization, partnership, receiver, reciprocal or interinsurance exchange, trustee or society. See Virginia Code 38.2-100
• Conservator: means a person appointed by the court to administer the estate of an adult individual. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Court: means the court of the Commonwealth having jurisdiction in matters related to trusts. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Current beneficiary: includes the holder of a presently exercisable general power of appointment but does not include a person that is a beneficiary only because the person holds any other power of appointment. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Date of investment: means the date on which funds are disbursed for an investment. See Virginia Code 38.2-1401
• Decanting power: means the power of an authorized fiduciary under the Uniform Trust Decanting Act (§ 64. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• Derivative instrument: means an agreement, instrument, or a series or combination thereof (i) to make or take delivery of, or assume or relinquish, a specified amount of one or more underlying interests or to make a cash settlement in lieu thereof or (ii) that has a price, performance, value, or cash flow based primarily upon the actual or expected price, level, performance, value, or cash flow of one or more underlying interests. See Virginia Code 38.2-1401
• Derivative transaction: means a transaction involving the use of one or more derivative instruments. See Virginia Code 38.2-1401
• Environmental law: means a federal, state, or local law, rule, regulation, or ordinance relating to protection of the environment. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Expanded distributive discretion: means a discretionary power of distribution that is not limited to an ascertainable standard or a reasonably definite standard. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Fiduciary: includes a guardian, committee, trustee, executor, conservator, or personal representative. See Virginia Code 64.2-100
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• First trust: means a trust over which an authorized fiduciary may exercise the decanting power. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• First-trust instrument: means the trust instrument for a first trust. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• fixed charges: includes contingent interest payments. See Virginia Code 38.2-1401
• Floor: means an agreement obligating the seller to make payments to the buyer in which each payment is based on the amount by which a predetermined number, sometimes called the floor rate or price, exceeds a reference price, a level, or the performance or value of one or more underlying interests. See Virginia Code 38.2-1401
• Future: means an agreement, traded on a qualified exchange or qualified foreign exchange, to make or take delivery of, or effect a cash settlement based on the actual or expected price, level, performance or value of, one or more underlying interests and includes an insurance future. See Virginia Code 38.2-1401
• General power of appointment: means a power of appointment exercisable in favor of a powerholder, the powerholder's estate, a creditor of the powerholder, or a creditor of the powerholder's estate. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Guardian: means a person appointed by the court to make decisions regarding the support, care, education, health, and welfare of a minor or adult individual. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Hedging transaction: means :

  1. See Virginia Code 38.2-1401

• in writing: include any representation of words, letters, symbols, numbers, or figures, whether (i) printed or inscribed on a tangible medium or (ii) stored in an electronic or other medium and retrievable in a perceivable form and whether an electronic signature authorized by Chapter 42. See Virginia Code 1-257
• Includes: means includes, but not limited to. See Virginia Code 1-218
• Indemnification: In general, a collateral contract or assurance under which one person agrees to secure another person against either anticipated financial losses or potential adverse legal consequences. ^{Source: FDIC}
• Insurance future: means a future relating to an index or pool that is based on insurance-related items. See Virginia Code 38.2-1401
• Insurance futures option: means an option on an insurance future. See Virginia Code 38.2-1401
• insurance policies: shall include contracts of fidelity, indemnity, guaranty and suretyship. See Virginia Code 38.2-100
• Insurer: means a company licensed pursuant to Chapter 10 (§ 38. See Virginia Code 38.2-1401
• Interests of the beneficiaries: means the beneficial interests provided in the terms of the trust. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Life insurance: includes policies that also provide (i) endowment benefits; (ii) additional benefits incidental to a loss in the event of death, dismemberment, or loss by accident or accidental means; (iii) additional benefits to safeguard the contract from lapse or to provide a special surrender value, a special benefit or an annuity, in the event of total and permanent disability of the insured; and (iv) optional modes of settlement of proceeds. See Virginia Code 38.2-102
• Lower grade obligations: means obligations which (i) are rated four, five, or six by the Securities Valuation Office of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners or (ii) if not rated by the Securities Valuation Office, are rated in an equivalent grade by a national rating agency recognized by the Commission. See Virginia Code 38.2-1401
• Marital deduction: The deduction(s) that can be taken in the determination of gift and estate tax liabilities because of the existence of a marriage or marital relationship.
• Medium grade obligations: means obligations which (i) are rated three by the Securities Valuation Office of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners or (ii) if not rated by the Securities Valuation office, are rated in an equivalent grade by a national rating agency recognized by the Commission. See Virginia Code 38.2-1401
• Minimum capital and surplus: means the minimum surplus to policyholders, or minimum net worth, a particular insurer must have to obtain and maintain its license to transact business in this Commonwealth pursuant to the applicable provisions of this title. See Virginia Code 38.2-1401
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Obligation: means a bond, debenture, note or other evidence of indebtedness. See Virginia Code 38.2-1401
• Option: includes an insurance futures option. See Virginia Code 38.2-1401
• Over-the-counter derivative instrument: means a derivative instrument that is entered into with a business entity other than through a qualified exchange or qualified foreign exchange or that is cleared other than through a qualified clearinghouse. See Virginia Code 38.2-1401
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Person: means an individual; estate; business or nonprofit entity; government; governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality; public corporation; or other legal entity. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Power of appointment: means a power that enables a powerholder acting in a nonfiduciary capacity to designate a recipient of an ownership interest in or another power of appointment over the appointive property. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Powerholder: means a person in which a donor creates a power of appointment. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Presently exercisable power of appointment: includes a power of appointment exercisable only after the occurrence of a specified event, the satisfaction of an ascertainable standard, or the passage of a specified time, only after (i) the occurrence of the specified event, (ii) the satisfaction of the ascertainable standard, or (iii) the passage of the specified time. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Property: means anything that may be the subject of ownership, whether real or personal, legal or equitable, or any interest therein. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• Qualified beneficiary: means a beneficiary who, on the date the beneficiary's qualification is determined, (i) is a distributee or permissible distributee of trust income or principal; (ii) would be a distributee or permissible distributee of trust income or principal if the interests of the distributees described in clause (i) terminated on that date without causing the trust to terminate; or (iii) would be a distributee or permissible distributee of trust income or principal if the trust terminated on that date. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Qualified clearinghouse: means a clearinghouse for, and that is subject to the rules of, a qualified exchange or a qualified foreign exchange, which clearinghouse provides clearing services, including acting as a counterparty to each of the parties to a transaction such that the parties no longer have credit risk as to each other. See Virginia Code 38.2-1401
• Qualified exchange: means :

  1. See Virginia Code 38.2-1401

• Qualified foreign exchange: means a foreign exchange, board of trade, or contract market located outside the United States:

  1. See Virginia Code 38.2-1401

• rates: means any rate of premium, policy fee, membership fee or any other charge made by an insurer for or in connection with a contract or policy of insurance. See Virginia Code 38.2-100
• real estate: includes lands, tenements and hereditaments, and all rights and appurtenances thereto and interests therein, other than a chattel interest. See Virginia Code 1-219
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Reasonably definite standard: means a clearly measurable standard under which a holder of a power of distribution is legally accountable within the meaning of § 674(b)(5)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and any applicable regulations. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Record: means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in perceivable form. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• Replication transaction: means a derivative transaction that is intended to replicate the performance of one or more assets that an insurer is authorized to acquire under this chapter. See Virginia Code 38.2-1401
• Second trust: means (i) a first trust after modification, including a restatement of the first trust, under the Uniform Trust Decanting Act (§ 64. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Second-trust instrument: means the trust instrument for a second trust. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• Settlor: except as otherwise provided in § 64. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Sign: means , with present intent to authenticate or adopt a record, (i) to execute or adopt a tangible symbol or (ii) to attach to or logically associate with the record an electronic symbol, sound, or process. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• State: means any commonwealth, state, territory, district or insular possession of the United States. See Virginia Code 38.2-100
• State: means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Surplus to policyholders: means the excess of total admitted assets over the liabilities of an insurer, and shall be the sum of all capital and surplus accounts, including any voluntary reserves, minus any impairment of all capital and surplus accounts. See Virginia Code 38.2-100
• Trust instrument: means a record executed by the settlor to create a trust or by any person to create a second trust that contains some or all of the terms of the trust, including any amendments. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• Trustee: includes an original, additional, and successor trustee and a cotrustee. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• United States: includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-255
• Warrant: means an instrument that gives the holder the right to purchase an underlying financial instrument at a given price and time or at a series of prices and times outlined in the warrant agreement. See Virginia Code 38.2-1401