Title 26, Insurance Code

Purposes and powers. (a) A society shall operate for the benefit of members and their beneficiaries by: (i) Providing benefits as specified in W.S. 26-29-216; and (ii) Operating for one (1) or more social, intellectual, educational, charitable, benevolent, moral, fraternal, patri…

Qualifications for membership. (a) A society shall specify in its laws or rules: (i) Eligibility standards for each and every class of membership, provided that if benefits are provided on the lives of children, the minimum age for adult membership shall be set at not less than a…

Location of office; meetings; communications to members; grievance procedures. (a) The principal office of any domestic society shall be located in this state. The meetings of its supreme governing body may be held in any state, district, province or territory in which the societ…

No personal liability. (a) The officers and members of the supreme governing body or any subordinate body of a society shall not be personally liable for any benefits provided by a society. (b) Any person may be indemnified and reimbursed by any society for expenses reasonably in…

Waiver. The laws of the society may provide that no subordinate body or any of its subordinate officers or members shall have the power or authority to waive any of the provisions of the laws of the society. This provision shall be binding on the society and every member and bene…

Organization. (a) Ten (10) or more citizens of the United States, a majority of whom are citizens of this state, who desire to form a fraternal benefit society, may make, sign and acknowledge before some officer competent to take acknowledgement of deeds, articles of incorporatio…

Amendments to laws. (a) A domestic society may amend its laws in accordance with the provisions thereof by action of its supreme governing body at any regular or special meeting thereof or, if its laws so provide, by referendum. The referendum may be held in accordance with the p…

Institutions. A society may create, maintain and operate, or may establish organizations to operate, not for profit institutions to further the purposes permitted by W.S. 26-29-205(a)(ii). The institutions may furnish services free or at a reasonable charge. Any real or personal …

Reinsurance. (a) 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 fraternal benefit society, having the power to make reinsurance and authorized to do business in this state, or if not so a…

Consolidations and mergers. (a) 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: (i) A certified copy of the written contract containing in full the terms and conditions of th…

Conversion of fraternal benefit society into 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 general insurance laws for mutual life insurance comp…

Benefits. (a) A society may provide the following contractual benefits in any form: (i) Death benefits; (ii) Endowment benefits; (iii) Annuity benefits; (iv) Temporary or permanent disability benefits; (v) Hospital, medical or nursing benefits; (vi) Monument or tombstone benefits…

Beneficiaries. (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 or rules of the society unless the owner waives this right by specifically requesting in writing that the beneficiary design…

Benefits not attachable. 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 other process, or to be seized, taken, appropriated or applied by any legal or equitable process or operation …

Benefit contract. (a) Every society authorized to do business in this state shall issue to each owner of a benefit contract a certificate specifying the amount of benefits provided thereby. The certificate, together with any riders or endorsements attached thereto, the laws of th…

Nonforfeiture benefits; cash surrender values; certificate loans and other options. (a) For certificates issued prior to one (1) year after the effective date of this act, the value of every paid-up nonforfeiture benefit and the amount of any cash surrender value, loan or other o…

Investments. A society shall invest its funds only in investments authorized by Wyoming statutes for the investment of assets of life insurers and subject to the limitations thereon. Any foreign or alien society permitted or seeking to do business in this state which invests its …

Funds. (a) 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 individual rights therein or become entitled to any apportionment on the surrender of any part thereof, except as provided in the …

Exemptions. Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, societies shall be governed by this chapter and shall be exempt from all other provisions of the general insurance laws of this state unless they be expressly designated therein, or unless it is specifically made applicabl…

Exemption from taxation. 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 exempt from all and every state, county, district, municipal and school tax other than taxes on real est…

Valuation. (a) Standards of valuation for certificates issued prior to one (1) year after the effective date of this act shall be those provided by the laws applicable on December 31, 1989. (b) The minimum standards of valuation for certificates issued on or after one (1) year fr…

Reports. (a) Every society transacting business in this state shall annually, on or before March 1, unless for cause shown the time has been extended by the commissioner, file with the commissioner a true statement of its financial condition, transactions and affairs for the prec…

Annual license. Societies which are now authorized to transact business in this state may continue business until February 28, 1990. The authority of those societies and all societies licensed under this chapter, may thereafter be renewed annually, but in all cases to terminate o…

Examination of societies. (a) The commissioner, or his designee, may examine any domestic, foreign or alien society transacting or applying for admission to transact business in this state in the same manner as authorized for examination of domestic, foreign or alien insurers. Re…

Foreign or alien society; admission. (a) No foreign or alien society shall transact business in this state without a license issued by the commissioner. Any foreign or alien society desiring admission to this state shall comply substantially with the requirements and limitations …

Injunction; liquidation; receivership of domestic society. (a) The commissioner shall at once provide written notification to a society when the commissioner upon investigation finds that a domestic society: (i) Has exceeded its powers; (ii) Has failed to comply with any provisio…

Suspension, revocation or refusal of license of society. (a) The commissioner shall at once provide written notification to a society when the commissioner upon investigation finds that a society transacting or applying to transact business in this state: (i) Has exceeded its pow…

Injunction. No application or petition for injunction against any domestic, foreign or alien society, or lodge thereof, shall be recognized in any court of this state unless made by the attorney general upon request of the commissioner.

Licensing of agents. (a) Agents of societies shall be licensed in accordance with the provisions of the laws regulating the licensing, revocation, suspension or termination of license of resident and nonresident agents, provided that no examination shall be required of any agent …

Unfair methods of competition; unfair and deceptive acts and practices. Every society authorized to do business in this state is subject to chapter 13 of title 26, the Unfair Trade Practices Act, provided, that nothing in that act shall be construed as applying to or affecting th…

Service of process. (a) Every society authorized to do business in this state shall appoint in writing the commissioner to be its true and lawful attorney upon whom all lawful process in any action or proceeding against it shall be served, and shall agree in the writing that any …

Review. 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 of competent jurisdiction in this state.

Penalties. (a) 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 from or a benefit in any society is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than one hundred dollar…

Exemption of certain societies. (a) Nothing contained in this chapter shall be so construed as to affect or apply to: (i) Grand or subordinate lodges of societies, orders or associations now doing business in this state which provide benefits exclusively through local or subordin…

Application of Wyoming Insurance Corporate Governance Annual Disclosure Act. The Wyoming Insurance Corporate Governance Annual Disclosure Act, W.S. 26-54-101 through 26-54-108, shall apply to domestic fraternal benefit societies regulated under this chapter.