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Terms Used In Maryland Code, ESTATES AND TRUSTS 14.5-813

  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • 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.
  • 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
  • County: means a county of the State or Baltimore City. See
  • 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.
  • including: means includes or including by way of illustration and not by way of limitation. See
  • Irrevocable trust: A trust arrangement that cannot be revoked, rescinded, or repealed by the grantor.
  • Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
  • Personal representative: includes an administrator and an executor. See
  • Revocable trust: A trust agreement that can be canceled, rescinded, revoked, or repealed by the grantor (person who establishes the trust).
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
(a) Unless unreasonable under the circumstances, a trustee shall promptly respond to the request of a qualified beneficiary for information related to the administration of the trust, including a copy of the trust instrument.

(b) (1) A trustee:

(i) Within 60 days after accepting a trusteeship, shall notify the qualified beneficiaries of the acceptance and of the trustee’s name, address, and telephone number; and

(ii) Within 90 days after the date the trustee acquires knowledge of the creation of an irrevocable trust, or the date the trustee acquires knowledge that a formerly revocable trust has become irrevocable, whether by the death of the settlor or otherwise, shall notify the qualified beneficiaries of the trust’s existence, of the identity of the settlor or settlors, of the right to request a copy of the trust instrument, and of the right to a trustee’s report as provided in subsection (c) of this section.

(2) Notice required under this subsection shall be:

(i) To the extent the names and locations or delivery addresses of the qualified beneficiaries are known to the trustee:

1. By delivery of the notice to the qualified beneficiaries personally; or

2. By sending the notice to the qualified beneficiaries at their delivery address by a method of notice specified in § 14.5-109(a)(3)(ii) of this title; and

(ii) If the name, location or delivery address, or both of a qualified beneficiary is not known to the trustee, by publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the trust property is located once a week for 3 successive weeks.

(c) (1) On request by a qualified beneficiary, a trustee shall send to the qualified beneficiary annually and at the termination of the trust a report of the trust property, liabilities, receipts, and disbursements, including the source and amount of the compensation of the trustee, a listing of the trust assets, and, if feasible, the respective market values of the trust assets.

(2) On a vacancy in a trusteeship, unless a cotrustee remains in office, the former trustee shall send a report to the qualified beneficiaries that request the report.

(3) A personal representative, a guardian, or an attorney-in-fact may send the qualified beneficiaries a report on behalf of the former trustee.

(d) (1) A qualified beneficiary may waive the right to a trustee’s report or other information otherwise required to be furnished under this section.

(2) A qualified beneficiary, with respect to future reports and other information, may withdraw a waiver previously given.

(3) If a trustee is a qualified beneficiary of the trust for which the trustee is serving, the trustee is not required to provide himself or herself a trustee’s report or other information required to be furnished under this section.

(e) Subsection (b) of this section does not apply to a trustee that accepts a trusteeship before January 1, 2015, to an irrevocable trust created before January 1, 2015, or to a revocable trust that becomes irrevocable before January 1, 2015.