§ 27-9.3-2. Definitions.
For purposes of this chapter:
(1) "Annuity issuer� means an insurer that has issued a contract to fund periodic payments
under a structured settlement.
(2) "Dependents� includes a payee's spouse and minor children and all other persons for
whom the payee is legally obligated to provide support, including alimony.
(3) "Discounted present value� means the present value of future payments determined by
discounting the payments to the present using the most recently published applicable
federal rate for determining the present value of an annuity, as issued by the United
States Internal Revenue Service.
(4) "Gross advance amount� means the sum payable to the payee or for the payee's account
as consideration for a transfer of structured settlement payment rights before any
reductions for transfer expenses or other deductions to be made from the consideration.
(5) "Independent professional advice� means advice of an attorney, certified public accountant,
actuary, or other licensed professional adviser.
(6) "Interested parties� means, with respect to any structured settlement, the payee,
any beneficiary irrevocably designated under the annuity contract to receive payments
following the payee's death, the annuity issuer, the structured settlement obligor,
and any other party that has continuing rights or obligations under the structured
settlement.
(7) "Net advance amount� means the gross advance amount less the aggregate amount of the
actual and estimated transfer expenses required to be disclosed under § 27-9.3-3(5).
(8) "Payee� means an individual who is receiving tax-free payments under a structured
settlement and proposes to make a transfer of payment rights under the settlement.
(9) "Periodic payments� includes both recurring payments and scheduled future lump sum
payments.
(10) "Qualified assignment agreement� means an agreement providing for a qualified assignment
within the meaning of Section 130 of the United States Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. § 130.
(11) "Responsible administrative authority� means, with respect to a structured settlement,
any government authority vested by law with exclusive jurisdiction over the settled
claim resolved by the structured settlement.
(12) "Settled claim� means the original tort claim or workers' compensation claim resolved
by a structured settlement.
(13) "Structured settlement� means an arrangement for periodic payment of damages for personal
injuries or sickness established by settlement or judgment in resolution of a tort
claim or for periodic payments in settlement of a workers' compensation claim.
(14) "Structured settlement agreement� means the agreement, judgment, stipulation, or release
embodying the terms of a structured settlement.
(15) "Structured settlement obligor� means, with respect to any structured settlement,
the party that has the continuing obligation to make periodic payments to the payee
under a structured settlement agreement or a qualified assignment agreement.
(16) "Structured settlement payment rights� means rights to receive periodic payments under
a structured settlement, whether from the structured settlement obligor or the annuity
issuer, where:
(i) The payee is domiciled in, or the domicile or principal place of business of the structured
settlement obligor or the annuity issuer is located in, this state; or
(ii) The structured settlement agreement was approved by a court or responsible administrative
authority in this state; or
(iii) The structured settlement agreement is expressly governed by the laws of this state.
(17) "Terms of the structured settlement� includes, with respect to any structured settlement,
the terms of the structured settlement agreement, the annuity contract, any qualified
assignment agreement, and any order or other approval of any court or responsible
administrative authority or other government authority that authorized or approved
the structured settlement.
(18) "Transfer� means any sale, assignment, pledge, hypothecation, or another alienation
or encumbrance of structured settlement payment rights made by a payee for consideration;
provided that the term "transfer� does not include the creation or perfection of a
security interest in structured settlement payment rights under a blanket security
agreement entered into with an insured depository institution, in the absence of any
action to redirect the structured settlement payments to an insured depository institution,
or an agent or successor in interest of an insured depository institution, or to enforce
the blanket security interest against the structured settlement payment rights.
(19) "Transfer agreement� means the agreement providing for a transfer of structured settlement
payment rights.
(20) "Transfer expenses� means all expenses of a transfer that are required under the transfer
agreement to be paid by the payee or deducted from the gross advance amount, including,
without limitation, court filing fees, attorneys' fees, escrow fees, lien recordation
fees, judgment and lien search fees, finders' fees, commissions, and other payments
to a broker or other intermediary; "transfer expenses� do not include preexisting
obligations of the payee payable for the payee's account from the proceeds of a transfer.
(21) "Transferee� means a party acquiring or proposing to acquire structured settlement
payment rights through a transfer.