Terms Used In Virginia Code > Title 38.2 > Chapter 41 - Fraternal Benefit Societies

• Adult: means a person 18 years of age or more. See Virginia Code 1-203
• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• 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.
• 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
• Articles of trust: includes the original articles of trust, the original certificate of trust issued by the Commission, and all amendments to the articles of trust. See Virginia Code 13.1-1201
• 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.
• Beneficial owner: means any owner of a beneficial interest in a business trust, the fact of ownership to be determined and evidenced, whether by means of registration, the issuance of certificates or otherwise, in conformity to the applicable provisions of the governing instrument of the business trust. See Virginia Code 13.1-1201
• 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}
• Benefit contract: means the agreement for provision of benefits authorized by § 38. See Virginia Code 38.2-4103
• Benefit member: means an adult member who is designated by the laws or rules of the society to be a benefit member under a benefit contract. See Virginia Code 38.2-4103
• business of insurance: include solicitation, negotiations preliminary to execution, execution of an insurance contract, and the transaction of matters subsequent to execution of the contract and arising out of it. See Virginia Code 38.2-100
• Business trust: includes , without limitation, any of the following entities that conform with subdivisions 1 and 2 of this definition:

  (1) A trust of the type known at common law as a "business trust" or "Massachusetts trust";

  (2) A trust qualifying as a real estate mortgage investment conduit under § 860 D of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or under any successor provision;

  (3) A trust qualifying as a real estate investment trust under §§ 856 through 859 of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or under any successor provision; or

  (4) A "real estate investment trust" or "trust" created under former Chapter 9 of Title 6 or former Chapter 9 of Title 6. See Virginia Code 13.1-1201

• Certificate: means the document issued as written evidence of the benefit contract. See Virginia Code 38.2-4103
• Charity: An agency, institution, or organization in existence and operating for the benefit of an indefinite number of persons and conducted for educational, religious, scientific, medical, or other beneficent purposes.
• City: means both cities and counties, and city-specific terms such as "mayor" shall be deemed to also include the equivalent county term. See Virginia Code 15.2-5301
• Commission: means the State Corporation Commission of Virginia. See Virginia Code 13.1-1201
• Commission: means the State Corporation Commission. See Virginia Code 38.2-100
• Commissioner of Insurance: means the administrative or executive officer of the Bureau. See Virginia Code 38.2-100
• 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
• County: means any existing county or such unit hereafter created. See Virginia Code 15.2-102
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• domestic business trust: means an unincorporated business, trust, or association that:

  1. See Virginia Code 13.1-1201

• Entity: includes any domestic or foreign business trust or other business entity, any estate or trust, and any state, the United States, and any foreign government. See Virginia Code 13.1-1201
• 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}
• 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
• Governing instrument: means a trust instrument that creates a business trust and provides for the governance of the affairs of the business trust and the conduct of its business, including, without limitation, a declaration of trust. See Virginia Code 13.1-1201
• Grace period: The number of days you'll have to pay your bill for purchases in full without triggering a finance charge. ^{Source: Federal Reserve}
• 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}
• inhabitants: means with reference to any county, city, town, political subdivision of the Commonwealth or any combination thereof, the natural persons in such county, city, town, political subdivision or combination as shown by the unadjusted United States decennial census last preceding the time at which any provision dependent upon population is being applied or the time as of which it is being construed. See Virginia Code 1-235
• Insurer: means an insurance company. See Virginia Code 38.2-100
• Laws: means the society's articles of incorporation, constitution and bylaws, however designated. See Virginia Code 38.2-4103
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• 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
• Lodge: means subordinate member units of the society, known as camps, courts, councils, branches or by any other designation. See Virginia Code 38.2-4103
• Other business entity: means a domestic or foreign stock corporation, a nonstock corporation, limited liability company, partnership, or limited partnership. See Virginia Code 13.1-1201
• Person: means any association, aggregate of individuals, business, company, 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
• Personal representative: includes the executor of a will or the administrator of the estate of a decedent, the administrator of such estate with the will annexed, the administrator of such estate unadministered by a former representative, whether there is a will or not, any person who is under the order of a circuit court to take into his possession the estate of a decedent for administration, and every other curator of a decedent's estate, for or against whom suits may be brought for causes of action that accrued to or against the decedent. See Virginia Code 1-234
• Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
• Premiums: means premiums, rates, dues or other required contributions by whatever name known, which are payable under the certificate. See Virginia Code 38.2-4103
• 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.
• Rules: means all rules, regulations or resolutions adopted by the supreme governing body or board of directors which are intended to have general application to the members of the society. See Virginia Code 38.2-4103
• 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.
• Society: means fraternal benefit society, unless otherwise indicated. See Virginia Code 38.2-4103
• State: means any commonwealth, state, territory, district or insular possession of the United States. See Virginia Code 38.2-100
• Trust: includes a common law trust, business trust, and foreign business trust. See Virginia Code 13.1-1201
• United States: includes any district, authority, bureau, commission, department, or other agency of the United States. See Virginia Code 13.1-1201