Revised Code of Washington - RCW Title 48 Insurance - Chapter 48.36A Fraternal Benefit Societies

48.36A.010 Fraternal benefit society defined
Any incorporated society, order, or supreme lodge, without capital stock, including one exempted under the provisions of RCW 48.36A.370(1)(b) whether incorporated or not, conducted solely ...
48.36A.020 Lodge system -- Lodges for children
(1) A society is operating on the lodge system if it has a supreme governing body and subordinate lodges into which members are elected, initiated, ...
48.36A.030 Representative form of government
A society has a representative form of government when: (1) It has a supreme governing body constituted in one of the following ways: (a) The ...
48.36A.040 Definitions
As used in this chapter, the following terms have the meanings indicated unless the context clearly requires otherwise: (1) "Benefit contract" means the agreement for ...
48.36A.050 Beneficial operations -- Laws and rules
(1) A society shall operate for the benefit of members and their beneficiaries by: (a) Providing benefits as specified in RCW 48.36A.160; and (b) Operating ...
48.36A.060 Membership classes, rights, grievances
(1) A society shall specify in its laws or rules: (a) Eligibility standards for each and every class of membership, provided that if benefits are ...
48.36A.070 Location of office and meetings -- Official publications, annual statement
(1) The principal office of any domestic society shall be located in this state. The meetings of its supreme governing body may be held in ...
48.36A.080 Immunity of officers -- Indemnification of person responsible -- Insurance for liability
(1) The officers and members of the supreme governing body or any subordinate body of a society shall not be personally liable for any benefits ...
48.36A.090 Nonwaiver provisions
The laws of the society may provide that no subordinate body, nor any of its subordinate officers or members shall have the power or authority ...
48.36A.100 Formation of domestic society -- Procedures and requirements
A domestic society organized on or after January 1, 1988, shall be formed as follows, but not until it has and continues to maintain unimpaired ...
48.36A.110 Amendment of society's laws
(1) A domestic society may amend its laws in accordance with the provisions thereof by action of its supreme governing body at any regular or ...
48.36A.120 Not-for-profit institutions authorized -- Funeral homes prohibited
(1) A society may create, maintain, and operate, or establish organizations to operate, not-for-profit institutions to further the purposes permitted by RCW 48.36A.050(1)(b). The institutions ...
48.36A.130 Reinsurance
(1) A domestic society may, by a reinsurance agreement, transfer any individual risk or risks in whole or in part to an insurer, other than ...
48.36A.140 Consolidation and merger
(1) A domestic society may consolidate or merge with any other society by complying with the provisions of this section. It shall file with the ...
48.36A.150 Conversion to mutual life insurance company
Any domestic fraternal benefit society may be converted and licensed as a mutual life insurance company by compliance with all the requirements of the insurance ...
48.36A.160 Contractual benefits
(1) A society may provide the following contractual benefits in any form: (a) Death benefits; (b) Endowment benefits; (c) Annuity benefits; (d) Temporary or permanent ...
48.36A.170 Designation of beneficiary -- Funeral benefits
(1) The owner of a benefit contract shall have the right at all times to change the beneficiary or beneficiaries in accordance with the laws ...
48.36A.180 Protection of benefits
No money or other benefit, charity, relief, or aid to be paid, provided or rendered by any society, shall be liable to attachment, garnishment, or ...
48.36A.190 Benefit certificates -- Impaired reserves
(1) Every society authorized to do business in this state shall issue to each owner of a benefit contract a certificate specifying the amount of ...
48.36A.200 Paid-up nonforfeiture benefits and cash surrender values
(1) For certificates issued prior to one year after January 1, 1988, the value of every paid-up nonforfeiture benefit and the amount of any cash ...
48.36A.210 Authorized investments
A society shall invest its funds only in investments that are authorized by the laws of this state for the investment of assets of life ...
48.36A.220 Assets -- Investment and disbursement
(1) All assets shall be held, invested, and disbursed for the use and benefit of the society and no member or beneficiary shall have or ...
48.36A.230 Chapter exclusive
Societies shall be governed by this chapter and shall be exempt from all other provisions of the insurance laws of this state unless they are ...
48.36A.240 Funds tax exempt, exception
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 ...
48.36A.250 Valuation standards -- Reserves
(1) Standards of valuation for certificates issued prior to one year after January 1, 1988, shall be those provided by the laws applicable immediately prior ...
48.36A.260 Annual financial statement
(1) Every domestic society shall annually, on or before the first day of March, unless for cause shown such time has been extended by the ...
48.36A.263 Filing of financial statements
Every fraternal benefit society holding a certificate of authority shall file its financial statements as required by this code and by the commissioner in accordance ...
48.36A.270 Licenses and renewals -- Fees -- Existing societies
A license under this chapter continues in force until suspended, revoked, or not renewed. A license is subject to renewal annually on the first day ...
48.36A.272 Notice of intent to suspend, revoke, or refuse to renew a license
The commissioner shall give a society notice of his or her intention to suspend, revoke, or refuse to renew its license not less than ten ...
48.36A.274 Duration of suspension
The commissioner shall not suspend a society's license for a period in excess of one year, and shall state in his or her order of ...
48.36A.276 Reauthorization of license
A society whose license has been suspended, revoked, or refused may not subsequently be authorized unless the grounds for the suspension, revocation, or refusal no ...
48.36A.278 Notice to agents of loss of authority
Upon the suspension, revocation, or refusal of a society's license, the commissioner shall give notice to the society and shall suspend, revoke, or refuse the ...
48.36A.280 Examinations
(1) The commissioner, or any person the commissioner may appoint, may examine any domestic, foreign, or alien society transacting or applying for admission to transact ...
48.36A.282 Transactions hazardous to certificate holders or creditors -- Standards for consideration
The following standards may be considered by the commissioner to determine whether the continued operation of any society transacting an insurance business in this state ...
48.36A.284 Determination of financial condition -- Hazardous to certificate holders -- Commissioner's order -- Hearing
(1) For the purpose of making a determination of a society's financial condition, the commissioner may: (a) Disregard any credit or amount receivable resulting from ...
48.36A.286 Rehabilitation, liquidation, or conservation of society -- Same as insurance companies -- Priority of distribution of claims
(1) Any rehabilitation, liquidation, or conservation of a domestic fraternal benefit society is the same as the rehabilitation, liquidation, or conservation of an insurance company ...
48.36A.290 License required -- Obtaining
(1) No foreign or alien society shall transact business in this state without a license issued by the commissioner. Any society desiring admission to this ...
48.36A.310 Deficiencies, noncompliance by societies -- Actions against license
(1) The commissioner may refuse, suspend, or revoke a fraternal benefit society's license, if the society: (a) Has exceeded its powers; (b) Has failed to ...
48.36A.320 Requirements for injunction
No application or petition for injunction against any domestic, foreign, or alien society, or lodge thereof, shall be maintained in any court of this state ...
48.36A.330 Agents
(1) Agents of societies shall be licensed in accordance with the applicable provisions of chapter 48.17 RCW regulating the licensing, revocation, suspension, or termination of ...
48.36A.340 Unfair trade practices
(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, every society authorized to do business in this state shall be subject to the provisions ...
48.36A.350 Service of process upon commissioner
(1) Every society authorized to do business in this state shall: (a) Appoint in writing the commissioner and each successor in office to be its ...
48.36A.360 Penalties
(1) Any person who wilfully makes a false or fraudulent statement in or relating to an application for membership or for the purpose of obtaining ...
48.36A.370 Exemptions
(1) Nothing contained in this chapter shall be so construed as to affect or apply to: (a) Grand or subordinate lodges of Masons, Odd Fellows, ...
48.36A.380 World War I societies
Any corporation, society, order, or voluntary association operating as set forth in RCW 48.36A.010, 48.36A.020, and 48.36A.030, organized during the war in which the United ...
48.36A.390 Fraternal mutual insurers
(1) A domestic mutual property insurer which is affiliated with and is comprised exclusively of members of a specified fraternal society that conducts its business ...
48.36A.400 Fraternal mutual life insurers
(1) A mutual life insurer which is affiliated with and insures exclusively members of a specified fraternal society, which society conducts its business and secures ...
48.36A.410 Review of commissioner's decisions and findings
All decisions and findings of the commissioner made under the provisions of this chapter shall be subject to review as provided in chapter 34.05 RCW.[1987 ...
48.36A.900 Severability -- 1987 c 366
If any provision of this chapter or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the chapter or the application ...
48.36A.901 Effective date -- 1987 c 366
This act shall take effect January 1, 1988.[1987 c 366 § 45.] ...

Last modified: April 7, 2009