Sections
Subchapter I General Provisions 49A-101 – 49A-120
Subchapter II Authority 49A-201 – 49A-217
Subchapter III Statutory Forms 49A-301

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Terms Used In Delaware Code > Title 12 > Chapter 49A - Durable Personal Powers of Attorney Act

  • Account holder: means a decedent, a disabled person pursuant to Chapter 39 of this title, a principal of a durable personal power of attorney pursuant to Chapter 49A of this title, a settlor of a trust which was revocable until the time of the settlor's death or incapacity, or a trust, whether or not revocable, that invokes this chapter. See Delaware Code Title 12 Sec. 5002
  • Adult: means an individual who has attained 18 years of age. See Delaware Code Title 12 Sec. 39A-101
  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • Amortization: Paying off a loan by regular installments.
  • 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.
  • Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
  • Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
  • Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
  • Attorney-in-fact: A person who, acting as an agent, is given written authorization by another person to transact business for him (her) out of court.
  • Bank: means a bank or trust company existing under the laws of the State, or a national banking association existing under the National Bank Act, as amended (12 U. See Delaware Code Title 5 Sec. 821
  • Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
  • 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
  • Catalogue of electronic communications: means information that identifies each person with which an account holder has had an electronic communication, the time and date of the communication, and the electronic address of the person. See Delaware Code Title 12 Sec. 5002
  • Child: means a person who has not reached the age of 18 years. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302
  • Civil union: means a legal union between 2 individuals of the same sex established pursuant to this chapter. See Delaware Code Title 13 Sec. 201
  • Clerk: means clerk of election. See Delaware Code Title 15 Sec. 101
  • Codicil: An addition, change, or supplement to a will executed with the same formalities required for the will itself.
  • 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.
  • Content of an electronic communication: means information not readily accessible to the public concerning the substance or meaning of an electronic communication. See Delaware Code Title 12 Sec. 5002
  • 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.
  • Counterclaim: A claim that a defendant makes against a plaintiff.
  • Court: means the Court of Chancery for the State. See Delaware Code Title 12 Sec. 5002
  • Court: means the Court of Chancery. See Delaware Code Title 12 Sec. 39A-101
  • Custodian: includes an electronic communication service, as the term is defined by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U. See Delaware Code Title 12 Sec. 5002
  • Decedent: A deceased person.
  • Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
  • Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
  • Digital account: means an electronic system for creating, generating, sending, sharing, communicating, receiving, storing, displaying, or processing information which provides access to a digital asset which currently exist or may exist as technology develops or such comparable items as technology develops, stored on any type of digital device, regardless of the ownership of the digital device upon which the digital asset is stored, including but not in any way limited to, email accounts, social network accounts, social media accounts, file sharing accounts, health insurance accounts, health-care accounts, financial management accounts, domain registration accounts, domain name service accounts, web hosting accounts, tax preparation service accounts, online store accounts and affiliate programs thereto, and other online accounts which currently exist or may exist as technology develops or such comparable items as technology develops. See Delaware Code Title 12 Sec. 5002
  • Digital asset: means data, text, emails, documents, audio, video, images, sounds, social media content, social networking content, codes, health care records, health insurance records, computer source codes, computer programs, software, software licenses, databases, or the like, including the usernames and passwords, created, generated, sent, communicated, shared, received, or stored by electronic means on a digital device. See Delaware Code Title 12 Sec. 5002
  • Digital device: means an electronic device that can create, generate, send, share, communicate, receive, store, display, or process information, and such electronic devices shall include, but not limited to, desktops, laptops, tablets, peripherals, servers, mobile telephones, smartphones, and any similar storage device which currently exists or may exist as technology develops or such comparable items as technology develops. See Delaware Code Title 12 Sec. 5002
  • Donee: The recipient of a gift.
  • Donor: The person who makes a gift.
  • Electronic: means relating to technology having electrical, digital, magnetic, wireless, optical, electromagnetic, or similar capabilities. See Delaware Code Title 12 Sec. 5002
  • Electronic funds transfer: The transfer of money between accounts by consumer electronic systems-such as automated teller machines (ATMs) and electronic payment of bills-rather than by check or cash. (Wire transfers, checks, drafts, and paper instruments do not fall into this category.) Source: OCC
  • End user license agreement: means an agreement between an account holder and a custodian establishing the rights and responsibilities of each. See Delaware Code Title 12 Sec. 5002
  • Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
  • Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
  • Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
  • Fiduciary: includes a personal representative appointed by the Register of Wills, a guardian appointed pursuant to Chapter 39 of this title, an agent under a durable personal power of attorney pursuant to Chapter 49A of this title, a trustee, or an adviser pursuant to § 3313 of this title. See Delaware Code Title 12 Sec. 5002
  • 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.
  • Garnishment: Generally, garnishment is a court proceeding in which a creditor asks a court to order a third party who owes money to the debtor or otherwise holds assets belonging to the debtor to turn over to the creditor any of the debtor
  • Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
  • Good faith: means honesty in fact. See Delaware Code Title 12 Sec. 5002
  • Governing instrument: means a will, trust, a durable personal power of attorney pursuant to Chapter 49 or Chapter 49A of this title, order appointing a guardian over the property of the account holder, or other dispositive, appointive, or nominative instrument of any similar type. See Delaware Code Title 12 Sec. 5002
  • 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: is a "guardian of the person" as that term is used in this title. See Delaware Code Title 12 Sec. 39A-101
  • Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
  • Inter vivos: Transfer of property from one living person to another living person.
  • 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
  • Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
  • Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
  • 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.
  • Out-of-state bank holding company: means an out-of-state bank holding company as defined in § 801(2) of this title. See Delaware Code Title 5 Sec. 821
  • 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.
  • Party: means the respondent, petitioner, guardian, conservator, or any other person allowed by the Court to participate in a guardianship or protective proceeding. See Delaware Code Title 12 Sec. 39A-101
  • party to a civil union: means an individual who is a party to a civil union established pursuant to this chapter. See Delaware Code Title 13 Sec. 201
  • Person: means an individual, corporation, statutory trust, estate, trust, partnership (general or limited), limited liability company, association, joint venture, business or nonprofit entity, public corporation, government or governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality, or any other legal or commercial entity. See Delaware Code Title 12 Sec. 5002
  • Personal property: All property that is not real property.
  • Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
  • political party: means any political organization which elects a state committee and officers of a state committee, by a state convention composed of delegates elected from each representative district in which the party has registered members, and which nominates candidates for electors of President and Vice-President, or nominates candidates for offices to be decided at the general election. See Delaware Code Title 15 Sec. 101
  • Power of attorney: A written instrument which authorizes one person to act as another's agent or attorney. The power of attorney may be for a definite, specific act, or it may be general in nature. The terms of the written power of attorney may specify when it will expire. If not, the power of attorney usually expires when the person granting it dies. Source: OCC
  • Probate: Proving a will
  • Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
  • real property: is synonymous with the phrase "lands, tenements and hereditaments. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302
  • Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
  • 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 Delaware Code Title 12 Sec. 39A-101
  • 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.
  • Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
  • 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.
  • State: means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, a federally recognized Indian tribe, or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. See Delaware Code Title 12 Sec. 39A-101
  • State assisted bank: means a bank which the State has, in order to relieve financial distress determined to exist by the State Bank Commissioner, assisted by means of a grant, loan, asset purchase or deposit made pursuant to a plan or agreement if:

    a. See Delaware Code Title 5 Sec. 821

  • State Board: consists of 9 members who are citizens of this State andappointed as follows:

    (1) The Governor shall appoint, with Senate confirmation, 7 voting members. See Delaware Code Title 14 Sec. 104

  • Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
  • Statute of limitations: A law that sets the time within which parties must take action to enforce their rights.
  • Subsidiary: means a subsidiary as defined in § 801(6) of this title. See Delaware Code Title 5 Sec. 821
  • Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
  • Valid written request: means a request made by a fiduciary with authority over the digital assets or digital accounts of another person that complies on its face with the requirements of § 5005 of this title. See Delaware Code Title 12 Sec. 5002
  • Year: means a calendar year, and is equivalent to the words "year of our Lord. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302