Terms Used In Maryland Code, CORPORATIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS 2-103

  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • 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.
  • Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
  • 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.
  • Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
  • 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.
  • Personal property: All property that is not real property.
  • state: means :

    (1) a state, possession, territory, or commonwealth of the United States; or

    (2) the District of Columbia. See
Unless otherwise provided by law or its charter, a Maryland corporation has the general powers, whether or not they are set forth in its charter, to:

(1) Have perpetual existence;

(2) Sue, be sued, complain, and defend in all courts;

(3) Have, use, alter, or abandon a corporate seal;

(4) Transact its business, carry on its operations, and exercise the powers granted by this article in any state, territory, district, and possession of the United States and in any foreign country;

(5) Make contracts and guarantees, incur liabilities, and borrow money;

(6) Sell, lease, exchange, transfer, convey, mortgage, pledge, and otherwise dispose of any or all of its assets;

(7) Issue bonds, notes, and other obligations and secure them by mortgage or deed of trust of any or all of its assets;

(8) Acquire by purchase or in any other manner, and take, receive, own, hold, use, employ, improve, and otherwise deal with any interest in real or personal property, wherever located;

(9) Purchase, take, receive, subscribe for, or otherwise acquire, own, hold, vote, use, employ, sell, mortgage, loan, pledge, or otherwise dispose of and otherwise use and deal in and with stock and other interests in and obligations of other Maryland and foreign corporations, associations, partnerships, and individuals;

(10) Subject to the limitations provided in this article, acquire any of its own stock, bonds, notes, and other obligations and securities;

(11) Invest its surplus funds, lend money from time to time in any manner which may be appropriate to enable it to carry on the operations or fulfill the purposes specified in its charter, and take and hold real and personal property as security for the payment of funds so invested or loaned;

(12) Be a promoter, partner, member, associate, or manager of any partnership, joint venture, trust, or other enterprise;

(13) Make gifts or contributions in cash, other property, or stock or other securities of the corporation to or for the use of:

(i) The United States, this State, another state of the United States, a territory, possession, or district of the United States, or any institution, agency, or political subdivision of any of them; and

(ii) Any governmental or other organization, whether inside or outside the United States, for religious, charitable, scientific, civic, public welfare, literary, or educational purposes;

(14) Elect its officers and appoint its agents, define their duties, determine their compensation, and adopt and carry into effect employee and officer benefit plans;

(15) Renounce, in its charter or by resolution of its board of directors, any interest or expectancy of the corporation in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, business opportunities or classes or categories of business opportunities that are:

(i) Presented to the corporation; or

(ii) Developed by or presented to one or more of its directors or officers;

(16) Adopt, alter, and repeal bylaws not inconsistent with law or its charter for the regulation and management of its affairs;

(17) Exercise generally the powers set forth in its charter and those granted by law; and

(18) Do every other act not inconsistent with law which is appropriate to promote and attain the purposes set forth in its charter.