§ 46-1-208 — Disposition of trust funds

(a) The pre-need cemetery merchandise and services trust funds, including the income from the trust funds, after payment of any appropriate trustee fees, commissions and costs, shall remain intact until the cemetery merchandise is delivered or the services performed as specified in the sales contract. However, a seller may, upon proper certification to the trustee, withdraw specific funds previously deposited if no deposit was required by § 46-1-207 . Upon complete performance of the services or delivery of the cemetery merchandise specified in the sales contract, the seller shall certify the performance of the services or the delivery of the cemetery merchandise to the trustee by affidavit. Upon the receipt of the certification, the amount of specific funds in the trust account identified to the delivered cemetery merchandise or the performed services, including any income or interest earned from the specific funds and not paid pursuant to subsection (b), shall be paid to the seller. The trustee may rely upon all proper certifications required to be made pursuant to this subsection (a), and shall not be liable to anyone for such reliance. (b) Notwithstanding subsection (a), the trustee shall pay the seller, at the seller's option, the net income accumulated as of the end of any fiscal year; provided, that the trust assets after disbursement of income shall not have a market value of less than one hundred twenty percent (120%) of the aggregate procurement costs of all cemetery merchandise and services for which deposits are held in trust, subject to proration allowed under § 46-1-207 . The seller shall exercise its option by delivering to the trustee a notarized certification of the procurement costs as of the first day of the seller's current fiscal year. (c) Any specified funds held on behalf of a purchaser that have been dormant for a period of seventy-five (75) years since the time of deposit or last withdrawal against those moneys, may be considered to be closed accounts against which no further demand will be made by the purchaser, and the principal amount may be paid by the trustee to the seller's improvement care trust.

Legislative History

Amended by 2016 Tenn. Acts, ch. 911,s 16, eff. 4/27/2016. Acts 1979, ch. 307, § 4(C); T.C.A., §46-2-204; Acts 1986, ch. 693, § 22; T.C.A. §46-2-404; Acts 2006, ch. 1012, § 3.