(a) Every pre-need seller shall keep and maintain, at a minimum, accurate accounts, books, and records in this state of all pre-need funeral contract and prearrangement insurance policy transactions, copies of all agreements, insurance policies, instruments of assignment, the dates and amounts of payments made and accepted thereon, the names and addresses of the pre-need funeral contract purchasers, the names and addresses of the pre-need funeral contract beneficiaries, the names of the trustees holding pre-need funeral trust funds, copies of the trustee‘s regular valuations of assets required in § 62-5-408, and the names of insurance companies issuing prearrangement insurance policies. The records shall be kept for a minimum of five (5) years after the death of the pre-need funeral contract beneficiary.

Terms Used In Tennessee Code 62-5-411

  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • 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
  • Commissioner: means the commissioner of commerce and insurance or the commissioner's designee. See Tennessee Code 62-5-403
  • 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.
  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Pre-need funeral contract: means any agreement, contract or plan requiring the payment of money in advance, whether in a lump sum or installments and whether funded by a pre-need funeral trust or prearrangement insurance policy or combination of a pre-need funeral trust and a prearrangement insurance policy, that is made or entered into with any person, association, partnership, firm or corporation for the final disposition of a dead human body, for funeral or burial services or for the furnishing of personal property or funeral or burial merchandise, wherein the use of the personal property or the funeral or burial merchandise or the furnishing of professional services by a funeral director or embalmer is not immediately required. See Tennessee Code 62-5-403
  • Pre-need funeral trust: means funds set aside in a trust account held by a trustee to provide for a pre-need funeral contract. See Tennessee Code 62-5-403
  • Pre-need sales agent: means an individual who has applied for and has been granted, or who engages in conduct requiring, registration to sell pre-need funeral contracts on behalf of a pre-need seller pursuant to this part. See Tennessee Code 62-5-403
  • Pre-need seller: means a funeral establishment or other individual, firm, partnership, company, corporation, or association that has applied for and has been granted, or that engages in conduct requiring, registration to sell pre-need funeral contracts pursuant to this part. See Tennessee Code 62-5-403
  • Prearrangement insurance policy: means a life insurance policy, annuity contract, or other insurance contract, or any series of contracts or agreements in any form or manner, issued by an insurance company, that, whether by assignment or otherwise, funds a pre-need funeral contract, the insured or annuitant being the person for whose funeral service the funds were paid. See Tennessee Code 62-5-403
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Trustee: means a state or national bank, federally chartered savings and loan association, state chartered trust company, or, in the reasonable discretion of the commissioner upon the terms and conditions that the commissioner may require, a securities brokerage firm licensed and in good standing with appropriate state and federal regulatory authorities. See Tennessee Code 62-5-403
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
(b) The commissioner may investigate or examine the affairs of any pre-need seller or pre-need sales agent whenever it is deemed appropriate to do so. However, the commissioner shall require an annual examination to ensure that each person, firm, or corporation promising to pay or arrange for funeral services under this part will be able to perform its contract with the purchaser.
(c) The pre-need seller shall pay all costs of any examination conducted under subsection (b), including, but not limited to, the reasonable fees of actuaries, accountants, attorneys and other professionals with whom the commissioner may enter into a contract to perform examination services on behalf of the commissioner.
(d) Trustees of pre-need funeral trusts shall disclose to the commissioner any information regarding pre-need funeral trust accounts overseen by the trustee.
(e) A certified public accountant acting as a trustee pursuant to § 62-5-403(15)(B) shall submit proof of errors and omissions liability coverage with each trustee report to be filed with the commissioner.