2017 South Carolina Code of Laws
Title 32 - Contracts and Agents
CHAPTER 7 - PRENEED FUNERAL CONTRACTS
Section 32-7-45. Transfer of contracts where provider goes out of business; department authorized to accomplish transfer.

(A) If a provider goes out of business or the provider's license issued by the State Board of Funeral Service is cancelled or the license to sell preneed funeral contracts is cancelled and application for a replacement license is not filed, the provider within thirty days shall submit to the department a complete listing of names and addresses of all active contracts in its possession. The provider also shall notify all contract purchasers in writing that their contracts are to be transferred to another licensed provider of the purchaser's choice. The former licensee then shall transfer the contracts and notify the department of the providers selected within sixty days of the cancellation of the preneed license. All contracts funded by insurance or trust funds together with interest are to be transferred. The selling provider forfeits its right to monies it otherwise would be entitled to. If the provider fails to provide for the transfer of contracts within sixty days, the purchasers may request directly the financial institution to transfer the account balance to another provider selected by the purchaser with payment jointly to the provider and its financial institution. The purchaser also may request that an insurance company assign another provider as beneficiary for the insurance policy.

(B) The department has jurisdiction over the provider and the insurance policy or trust funds together with interest of all active contracts and has the authority to accomplish the necessary transfer of preneed funeral contracts in all cases in which the purchaser has failed to effectuate the transfer to a licensed provider within six months of the date the provider's license issued by the State Board of Funeral Service is cancelled or the license to sell preneed funeral contracts is cancelled and an application for a replacement license has not been filed.

HISTORY: 1989 Act No. 89, Section 1; 2004 Act No. 188, Section 2; 2009 Act No. 70, Section 1, eff July 1, 2009.

Effect of Amendment

The 2009 amendment substituted "department" for "board" and deleted "burial" preceding "insurance" throughout.