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Terms Used In Maryland Code, INSURANCE 8-430

  • 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
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Person: includes an individual, receiver, trustee, guardian, personal representative, fiduciary, representative of any kind, corporation, partnership, business trust, statutory trust, limited liability company, firm, association, or other nongovernmental entity. See
  • Personal representative: includes an administrator and an executor. See
(a) (1) A member of a society may change the beneficiary in a certificate at any time in accordance with the laws or rules of the society.

(2) By its laws or rules, a society:

(i) may limit the scope of beneficiaries; and

(ii) shall provide that a beneficiary may not have or get a vested interest in the proceeds of a certificate until the certificate becomes due and payable under the insurance contract.

(b) (1) A society may provide for the payment of funeral benefits, not exceeding $5,000, to the extent of that part of any payment under a certificate that reasonably appears to be due to a person equitably entitled to reimbursement of expenses incurred by the burial of a member.

(2) (i) Subject to subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph, if at the death of a member there is no lawful beneficiary to whom the insurance benefits are payable, the society shall pay to the personal representative of the deceased member the insurance benefits under the certificate, less any funeral benefits paid under paragraph (1) of this subsection.

(ii) If the owner of the certificate is other than the insured, the proceeds shall be payable to that owner.