General Laws of Massachusetts - Chapter 176 Fraternal Benefit Societies
- Massachusetts General Laws - Definitions - Chapter 176, Section 1
Any incorporated society, order or supreme lodge, without capital stock, conducted solely for the benefit of its members and their beneficiaries, and not for profit,...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Lodge system - Chapter 176, Section 2
A society having a supreme legislative or governing body and subordinate lodges or branches by whatever name known, into which members are elected, initiated or...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Representative form of government - Chapter 176, Section 3
A society has a representative form of government when: (a) it has a supreme governing body constituted in one of the following ways: (1) The...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Articles of incorporation; preliminary certificate; certificate; powers - Chapter 176, Section 4
(1) Seven or more citizens of the United States, a majority of whom are citizens of the commonwealth who desire to form a fraternal benefit...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Principal office - Chapter 176, Section 5
The principal office of any domestic society shall be located in the commonwealth. The meetings of its supreme legislative or governing body may be held...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Change in location of place of business or purposes of incorporation; rights, powers and privileges - Chapter 176, Section 6
A domestic fraternal benefit corporation may, with the approval of the commissioner, change the location of its place of business to another location in the...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Consolidation or merger - Chapter 176, Section 7
A domestic society may consolidate or merge with any other society by complying with the provisions of this section. It shall file with the commissioner—...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Conversion to mutual life insurance company - Chapter 176, Section 8
Any domestic society may be converted and licensed as a mutual life insurance company by compliance with all the requirements of chapter one hundred and...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Admission to membership - Chapter 176, Section 9
A society may admit to benefit membership any person not less than fifteen years of age, nearest birthday, who has furnished evidence of insurability acceptable...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Amendment of articles of incorporation - Chapter 176, Section 10
A domestic society may amend its articles of incorporation, constitution or laws in accordance with the provisions thereof by action of its supreme legislative or...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Fraudulent alteration, etc., of records - Chapter 176, Section 11
Whoever with fraudulent intent alters, defaces, mutilates, destroys or conceals any record of any society made by or in the custody of the secretary thereof...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Funds - Chapter 176, Section 12
Any society may create, maintain, invest, disburse and apply a death fund, any part of which may in accordance with the by-laws of the society...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Disbursements; vouchers - Chapter 176, Section 13
No society shall make any disbursements of fifteen dollars or more, except disbursements on account of the return of dues paid in advance, unless the...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Creation and operation of charitable, benevolent or educational institutions - Chapter 176, Section 14
It shall be lawful for a society to create, maintain and operate charitable, benevolent or educational institutions for the benefit of its members and their...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Benefits other than insurance benefits - Chapter 176, Section 15
A society may pay benefits, other than insurance benefits, to its members from any special account or fund maintained for such purpose; provided, that if...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Liability of officers and members; indemnification - Chapter 176, Section 16
(a) The officers and members of the supreme, grand or any subordinate body of a society shall not be personally liable for the payment of...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Benefits - Chapter 176, Section 17
A society authorized to do business in the commonwealth may provide for the payment of— (a) Death benefits in any form; (b) Endowment benefits; (c)...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Children - Chapter 176, Section 18
A society may provide for benefits on the lives of children under the minimum age for adult membership, but not greater than eighteen years of...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Deferred payments or instalments - Chapter 176, Section 19
Deferred payments or instalments of claims shall be considered as fixed liabilities on the happening of the contingency upon which such payments or instalments are...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Paid-up nonforfeiture benefits, cash surrender values, and other options - Chapter 176, Section 20
A society may grant paid-up nonforfeiture benefits, cash surrender values, certificate loans and such other options as its by-laws may permit. As to each certificate...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Change of beneficiary; interest of beneficiary; funeral benefits; payment of benefits to personal representative - Chapter 176, Section 21
(a) The owner of a benefit contract shall have the right at all times to change the beneficiary or beneficiaries in accordance with the laws...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Attachment or other process - Chapter 176, Section 22
No money or other benefit, charity, relief or aid to be paid, provided or rendered by any society, shall be liable to attachment or other...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Burial benefits; restrictions; payment - Chapter 176, Section 22A
No society shall by its by-laws or by any contract or policy made or issued by it in this commonwealth restrict the payment of benefits...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Certificate; agreement between society and member; statements by member as representations; reserves - Chapter 176, Section 23
Every society authorized to do business in the commonwealth shall issue to each benefit member a certificate specifying the amount of benefits provided thereby. The...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Filing copies of forms with commissioner; standard provisions of certificates - Chapter 176, Section 24
(a) No certificate shall be delivered or issued for delivery in this commonwealth unless a copy of the form has been filed with the commissioner...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Surplus of assets; waiver of contributions - Chapter 176, Section 25
Whenever it appears by a valuation certified to by a competent actuary that the actual assets of a society exceed its liabilities, including in liabilities...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 2000, 320, Sec. 13 - Chapter 176, Section 26
Repealed, 2000, 320, Sec.
- Massachusetts General Laws - Waiver of by-laws or constitutional provisions by subordinate bodies, officers or members - Chapter 176, Section 27
The constitution and by-laws of the society may provide that no subordinate body, nor any of its subordinate officers or members shall have the power...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Reinsurance - Chapter 176, Section 28
A domestic society may, by a reinsurance agreement, cede any individual risk or risks in whole or in part to an insurer, other than another...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Termination and renewal of licenses; fees; license as evidence - Chapter 176, Section 29
The authority of a society licensed under the provisions of this chapter may be renewed annually, but in all cases shall terminate on the first...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Licensing of foreign or alien societies - Chapter 176, Section 30
No foreign or alien society shall transact business in the commonwealth without a license issued by the commissioner. Any such society may be licensed to...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Action by beneficiary - Chapter 176, Section 31
The beneficiary under a certificate issued by any society may maintain an action thereon in his own name.
- Massachusetts General Laws - Foreign societies; deposits - Chapter 176, Section 32
A foreign society, if formed under the laws of any government or state other than the United States or one of the United States, shall...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Injunction against transaction of business; grounds; procedure - Chapter 176, Section 33
When the commissioner upon investigation finds that a domestic society— (a) Has exceeded its powers; (b) Has failed to comply with any provision of this...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Foreign or alien societies; suspension or denial of license - Chapter 176, Section 34
When the commissioner upon investigation finds that a foreign or alien society transacting or applying to transact business in this state, (a) has exceeded its...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Agents of societies; licensing - Chapter 176, Section 35
Agents of societies shall be licensed in accordance with the provisions of this section. (1) The term “insurance agent” as used in this section means...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Commissioner as attorney for service of process - Chapter 176, Section 36
Every society authorized to do business in the commonwealth shall appoint in writing the commissioner and each successor in office to be its true and...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Injunction; attorney general - Chapter 176, Section 37
No application or petition for injunction against any domestic, foreign or alien society, or branch thereof, shall be brought in any court of the commonwealth...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Review of commissioner’s decisions and findings - Chapter 176, Section 38
All decisions and findings of the commissioner made under the provisions of this chapter shall be subject to review by proper proceedings in any court...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Assets; special funds; expenses - Chapter 176, Section 39
All assets shall be held, invested and disbursed for the use and benefit of the society, and no member or beneficiary shall have or acquire...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Investment of funds - Chapter 176, Section 40
Every society shall invest its funds in securities permitted by chapter one hundred and seventy-five for the investment of the capital of insurance companies, except...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Reports; annual statements - Chapter 176, Section 41
Reports shall be filed and synopsis of annual statements shall be published in accordance with the provisions of this section. (1) Every society transacting business...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Valuation of bonds or other evidences of debt - Chapter 176, Section 42
Any society may, in the annual statement required by section forty-one, value its bonds or other evidences of debt having a fixed term and rate...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Additional, increased or extra rates of contributions - Chapter 176, Section 43
If the stated periodical contributions of the members of any society subject to section forty-one are insufficient to pay all reported death, disability, hospitalization and...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Domestic societies; visitation and examination; report and recommendations - Chapter 176, Section 44
The commissioner, or any person he may appoint, shall have the power of visitation and examination into the affairs of any domestic society, and he...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Foreign or alien societies; examination - Chapter 176, Section 45
The commissioner, or any person whom he may appoint, may examine any foreign or alien society transacting or applying for admission to transact business in...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Financial statement, report or finding; service upon society - Chapter 176, Section 46
Pending, during or after an examination or investigation of a society, either domestic, foreign or alien, the commissioner shall make public no financial statement, report...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Misrepresentations, etc. concerning society or contract - Chapter 176, Section 47
No person shall cause or permit to be made, issued or circulated in any form— (a) Any misrepresentation or false or misleading statement concerning the...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Unfair discrimination; inducements not specified in certificate or contract - Chapter 176, Section 48
No society doing business in the commonwealth shall make or permit any unfair discrimination between insured members of the same class and equal expectation of...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Tax exemption - Chapter 176, Section 49
Every society organized or licensed under this chapter is hereby declared to be a charitable and benevolent institution, and all of its funds shall be...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Law governing - Chapter 176, Section 50
Societies shall be governed by this chapter, and shall be exempt from all other provisions of the insurance laws of the commonwealth except sections sixteen,...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Application of chapter - Chapter 176, Section 51
Nothing contained in this chapter shall be so construed as to affect or apply to— (a) Grand or subordinate lodges of societies, orders or associations...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Penalties - Chapter 176, Section 52
Any person who willfully makes a false or fraudulent statement in or relating to an application for membership or for the purpose of obtaining money...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Jurisdiction to restrain violations, etc. - Chapter 176, Section 53
The superior court shall have jurisdiction in equity, upon an information filed by the Attorney General at the relation of the commissioner, to restrain all...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Validity of contracts issued in violation of chapter, charter, articles, constitution or by-laws - Chapter 176, Section 54
Any contract of insurance or any benefit certificate made, issued, issued or delivered by any society in violation of any provision of this chapter, or...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Solicitation of membership in society not authorized to transact business, etc. - Chapter 176, Section 55
Whoever solicits membership in any society not duly authorized to transact business in the commonwealth, or, whoever, for a person other than himself, or as...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Payment of pensions to employees of society - Chapter 176, Section 56
Any society operating on the lodge system with a representative form of government whose rates are on a basis of mortality not lower than the...
Last modified: September 11, 2015