Source: https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacodefull/title64.2/chapter16/article2/
Timestamp: 2020-02-16 22:13:23
Document Index: 56632779

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 64', '§ 64', '§ 64', '§ 64', '§ 64', '§ 170', '§ 26', '§ 64', '§ 64', '§ 64', '§ 64', '§ 26', '§ 64', '§ 64', '§ 64', '§ 26', '§ 64', '§ 26', '§ 64', '§ 26', '§ 64', '§ 26', '§ 64', '§ 26', '§ 64', '§ 26', '§ 64', '§ 1171', '§ 1320', '§ 26', '§ 64', '§ 64', '§ 26', '§ 64', '§ 408', '§ 408', '§ 408', '§ 403', '§ 401', '§ 457', '§ 409', '§ 26', '§ 64', '§ 64', '§ 64', '§ 529', '§ 2503', '§ 2513', '§ 2513', '§ 26']

Code of Virginia Code - Article 2. Authority
Table of Contents » Title 64.2. Wills, Trusts, and Fiduciaries » Chapter 16. Uniform Power of Attorney Act » Article 2. Authority
§ 64.2-1622. Authority that requires specific grant; grant of general authority.
A. Subject to the provisions of subsection H, an agent under a power of attorney may do the following on behalf of the principal or with the principal's property only if the power of attorney expressly grants the agent the authority and exercise of the authority is not otherwise prohibited or limited by another statute, agreement, or instrument to which the authority or property is subject:
1. Create, amend, revoke, or terminate an inter vivos trust;
3. Create or change rights of survivorship;
4. Create or change a beneficiary designation;
5. Delegate authority granted under the power of attorney;
6. Waive the principal's right to be a beneficiary of a joint and survivor annuity, including a survivor benefit under a retirement plan;
7. Exercise fiduciary powers that the principal has authority to delegate; or
8. Have authority over the content of an electronic communication of the principal as provided by § 64.2-123.
B. Notwithstanding a grant of authority to do an act described in subsection A or H, unless the power of attorney otherwise provides, an agent that is not an ancestor, spouse, or descendant of the principal may not exercise authority under a power of attorney to create in the agent, or in an individual to whom the agent owes a legal obligation of support, an interest in the principal's property, whether by gift, right of survivorship, beneficiary designation, disclaimer, or otherwise.
C. Subject to subsections A, B, D, and E, if a power of attorney grants to an agent authority to do all acts that a principal could do, the agent has the general authority described in § 64.2-124 and §§ 64.2-1625 through 64.2-1637.
D. Unless the power of attorney otherwise provides and subject to subsection H, a grant of authority to make a gift is subject to § 64.2-1638.
E. Subject to subsections A, B, and D, if the subjects over which authority is granted in a power of attorney are similar or overlap, the broadest authority controls.
F. Authority granted in a power of attorney is exercisable with respect to property that the principal has when the power of attorney is executed or acquires later, whether or not the property is located in the Commonwealth and whether or not the authority is exercised or the power of attorney is executed in the Commonwealth.
G. An act performed by an agent pursuant to a power of attorney has the same effect and inures to the benefit of and binds the principal and the principal's successors in interest as if the principal had performed the act.
H. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection A, if a power of attorney grants to an agent authority to do all acts that a principal could do, the agent shall have the authority to make gifts in any amount of any of the principal's property to any individuals or to organizations described in §§ 170(c) and 2522(a) of the Internal Revenue Code or corresponding future provisions of federal tax law, or both, in accordance with the principal's personal history of making or joining in the making of lifetime gifts. This subsection shall not in any way impair the right or power of any principal, by express words in the power of attorney, to authorize, or limit the authority of, an agent to make gifts of the principal's property.
2010, cc. 455, 632, § 26-95; 2012, c. 614; 2017, cc. 33, 80.
§ 64.2-1623. Incorporation of authority.
A. An agent has authority described in this article if the power of attorney refers to general authority with respect to the descriptive term for the subjects stated in §§ 64.2-1625 through 64.2-1638, or cites the section in which the authority is described.
B. A reference in a power of attorney to general authority with respect to the descriptive term for a subject in §§ 64.2-1625 through 64.2-1638 or a citation to a section of §§ 64.2-1625 through 64.2-1638 incorporates the entire section as if it were set out in full in the power of attorney.
C. A principal may modify authority incorporated by reference.
2010, cc. 455, 632, § 26-96; 2012, c. 614.
§ 64.2-1624. Construction of authority generally.
Except as otherwise provided in the power of attorney, by executing a power of attorney that incorporates by reference a subject described in §§ 64.2-1625 through 64.2-1638 or that grants to an agent authority to do all acts that a principal could do pursuant to subsection C of § 64.2-1622, a principal authorizes the agent, with respect to that subject, to:
1. Demand, receive, and obtain by litigation or otherwise, money or another thing of value to which the principal is, may become, or claims to be entitled, and conserve, invest, disburse, or use anything so received or obtained for the purposes intended;
2. Contract in any manner with any person, on terms agreeable to the agent, to accomplish a purpose of a transaction and perform, rescind, cancel, terminate, reform, restate, release, or modify the contract or another contract made by or on behalf of the principal;
3. Execute, acknowledge, seal, deliver, file, or record any instrument or communication the agent considers desirable to accomplish a purpose of a transaction, including creating at any time a schedule listing some or all of the principal's property and attaching it to the power of attorney;
4. Initiate, participate in, submit to alternative dispute resolution, settle, oppose, or propose or accept a compromise with respect to a claim existing in favor of or against the principal or intervene in litigation relating to the claim;
5. Seek on the principal's behalf the assistance of a court or other governmental agency to carry out an act authorized in the power of attorney;
6. Engage, compensate, and discharge an attorney, accountant, discretionary investment manager, expert witness, or other advisor;
7. Prepare, execute, and file a record, report, or other document to safeguard or promote the principal's interest under a statute or regulation;
8. Communicate with any representative or employee of a government or governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality, on behalf of the principal;
9. Access communications intended for, and communicate on behalf of the principal, whether by mail, electronic transmission, telephone, or other means; and
10. Do any lawful act with respect to the subject and all property related to the subject.
2010, cc. 455, 632, § 26-97; 2012, c. 614.
§ 64.2-1625. Real property.
1. Demand, buy, lease, receive, accept as a gift or as security for an extension of credit, or otherwise acquire or reject an interest in real property or a right incident to real property;
2. Sell; exchange; convey with or without covenants, representations, or warranties; quitclaim; release; surrender; retain title for security; encumber; partition; consent to partitioning; subject to an easement or covenant; subdivide; apply for zoning or other governmental permits; plat or consent to platting; develop; grant an option concerning; lease; sublease; contribute to an entity in exchange for an interest in that entity; or otherwise grant or dispose of an interest in real property or a right incident to real property;
3. Pledge or mortgage an interest in real property or right incident to real property as security to borrow money or pay, renew, or extend the time of payment of a debt of the principal or a debt guaranteed by the principal;
4. Release, assign, satisfy, or enforce by litigation or otherwise a mortgage, deed of trust, conditional sale contract, encumbrance, lien, or other claim to real property that exists or is asserted;
5. Manage or conserve an interest in real property or a right incident to real property owned or claimed to be owned by the principal, including:
b. Obtaining or regaining possession of or protecting the interest or right by litigation or otherwise;
c. Paying, assessing, compromising, or contesting taxes or assessments or applying for and receiving refunds in connection with them; and
d. Purchasing supplies, hiring assistance or labor, and making repairs or alterations to the real property;
6. Use, develop, alter, replace, remove, erect, or install structures or other improvements upon real property in or incident to which the principal has, or claims to have, an interest or right;
7. Participate in a reorganization with respect to real property or an entity that owns an interest in or right incident to real property and receive, hold, and act with respect to stocks and bonds or other property received in a plan of reorganization, including:
a. Selling or otherwise disposing of them;
b. Exercising or selling an option, right of conversion, or similar right with respect to them; and
c. Exercising any voting rights in person or by proxy;
8. Change the form of title of an interest in or right incident to real property; and
9. Dedicate to public use, with or without consideration, easements or other real property in which the principal has, or claims to have, an interest.
2010, cc. 455, 632, § 26-98; 2012, c. 614.
§ 64.2-1627. Stocks and bonds.
1. Buy, sell, and exchange stocks and bonds;
2. Establish, continue, modify, or terminate an account with respect to stocks and bonds;
3. Pledge stocks and bonds as security to borrow, pay, renew, or extend the time of payment of a debt of the principal;
4. Receive certificates and other evidences of ownership with respect to stocks and bonds; and
5. Exercise voting rights with respect to stocks and bonds in person or by proxy, enter into voting trusts, and consent to limitations on the right to vote.
2010, cc. 455, 632, § 26-100; 2012, c. 614.
§ 64.2-1628. Commodities and options.
1. Buy, sell, exchange, assign, settle, and exercise commodity futures contracts and call or put options on stocks or stock indexes traded on a regulated option exchange; and
2. Establish, continue, modify, and terminate option accounts.
2010, cc. 455, 632, § 26-101; 2012, c. 614.
§ 64.2-1629. Banks and other financial institutions.
1. Continue, modify, and terminate an account or other banking arrangement made by or on behalf of the principal;
2. Establish, modify, and terminate an account or other banking arrangement with a bank, trust company, savings and loan association, credit union, thrift company, brokerage firm, or other financial institution selected by the agent;
3. Contract for services available from a financial institution, including renting a safe deposit box or space in a vault;
4. Withdraw, by check, order, electronic funds transfer, or otherwise, money or property of the principal deposited with or left in the custody of a financial institution;
5. Receive statements of account, vouchers, notices, and similar documents from a financial institution and act with respect to them;
6. Enter a safe deposit box or vault and withdraw or add to the contents;
7. Borrow money and pledge as security personal property of the principal necessary to borrow money or pay, renew, or extend the time of payment of a debt of the principal or a debt guaranteed by the principal;
8. Make, assign, draw, endorse, discount, guarantee, and negotiate promissory notes, checks, drafts, and other negotiable or nonnegotiable paper of the principal or payable to the principal or the principal's order, transfer money, receive the cash or other proceeds of those transactions, and accept a draft drawn by a person upon the principal and pay it when due;
9. Receive for the principal and act upon a sight draft, warehouse receipt, or other document of title whether tangible or electronic, or other negotiable or nonnegotiable instrument;
10. Apply for, receive, and use letters of credit, credit and debit cards, electronic transaction authorizations, and traveler's checks from a financial institution and give an indemnity or other agreement in connection with letters of credit; and
11. Consent to an extension of the time of payment with respect to commercial paper or a financial transaction with a financial institution.
2010, cc. 455, 632, § 26-102; 2012, c. 614.
§ 64.2-1630. Operation of entity or business.
1. Operate, buy, sell, enlarge, reduce, or terminate an ownership interest;
2. Perform a duty or discharge a liability and exercise in person or by proxy a right, power, privilege, or option that the principal has, may have, or claims to have;
3. Enforce the terms of an ownership agreement;
4. Initiate, participate in, submit to alternative dispute resolution of, settle, oppose, or propose or accept a compromise with respect to litigation to which the principal is a party because of an ownership interest;
5. Exercise in person or by proxy, or enforce by litigation or otherwise, a right, power, privilege, or option the principal has or claims to have as the holder of stocks and bonds;
6. Initiate, participate in, submit to alternative dispute resolution of, settle, oppose, or propose or accept a compromise with respect to litigation to which the principal is a party concerning stocks and bonds;
7. With respect to an entity or business owned solely by the principal:
a. Continue, modify, renegotiate, extend, and terminate a contract made by or on behalf of the principal with respect to the entity or business before execution of the power of attorney;
b. Determine (i) the location of its operation; (ii) the nature and extent of its business; (iii) the methods of manufacturing, selling, merchandising, financing, accounting, and advertising employed in its operation; (iv) the amount and types of insurance carried; and (v) the mode of engaging, compensating, and dealing with its employees and accountants, attorneys, or other advisors;
c. Change the name or form of organization under which the entity or business is operated and enter into an ownership agreement with other persons to take over all or part of the operation of the entity or business; and
d. Demand and receive money due or claimed by the principal or on the principal's behalf in the operation of the entity or business and control and disburse the money in the operation of the entity or business;
8. Put additional capital into an entity or business in which the principal has an interest;
9. Join in a plan of reorganization, consolidation, conversion, domestication, or merger of the entity or business;
10. Sell or liquidate all or part of an entity or business;
11. Establish the value of an entity or business under a buyout agreement to which the principal is a party;
12. Prepare, sign, file, and deliver reports, compilations of information, returns, or other papers with respect to an entity or business and make related payments; and
13. Pay, compromise, or contest taxes, assessments, fines, or penalties and perform any other act to protect the principal from illegal or unnecessary taxation, assessments, fines, or penalties, with respect to an entity or business, including attempts to recover, in any manner permitted by law, money paid before or after the execution of the power of attorney.
2010, cc. 455, 632, § 26-103; 2012, c. 614.
§ 64.2-1634. Personal and family maintenance.
A. Unless the power of attorney otherwise provides, language in a power of attorney granting general authority with respect to personal and family maintenance authorizes the agent to:
1. Perform the acts necessary to maintain the customary standard of living of the principal, the principal's spouse, and the following individuals, whether living when the power of attorney is executed or later born:
a. The individuals legally entitled to be supported by the principal; and
b. The individuals whom the principal has customarily supported or indicated the intent to support;
2. Make periodic payments of child support and other family maintenance required by a court or governmental agency or an agreement to which the principal is a party;
3. Provide living quarters for the individuals described in subdivision 1 by:
a. Purchase, lease, or other contract; or
b. Paying the operating costs, including interest, amortization payments, repairs, improvements, and taxes, for premises owned by the principal or occupied by those individuals;
4. Provide normal domestic help, usual vacations and travel expenses, and funds for shelter, clothing, food, appropriate education, including postsecondary and vocational education, and other current living costs for the individuals described in subdivision 1;
5. Pay expenses for necessary health care and custodial care on behalf of the individuals described in subdivision 1;
6. Act as the principal's personal representative pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, §§ 1171 through 1179 of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1320d, as amended, and applicable regulations, in making decisions related to the past, present, or future payment for the provision of health care consented to by the principal or anyone authorized under the law of the Commonwealth to consent to health care on behalf of the principal;
7. Continue any provision made by the principal for automobiles or other means of transportation, including registering, licensing, insuring, and replacing them, for the individuals described in subdivision 1;
8. Maintain credit and debit accounts for the convenience of the individuals described in subdivision 1 and open new accounts; and
9. Continue payments incidental to the membership or affiliation of the principal in a religious institution, club, society, order, or other organization or to continue contributions to those organizations.
B. Authority with respect to personal and family maintenance is neither dependent upon, nor limited by, authority that an agent may or may not have with respect to gifts under this chapter.
2010, cc. 455, 632, § 26-107; 2012, c. 614.
§ 64.2-1635. Benefits from governmental programs or civil or military service.
A. In this section, "benefits from governmental programs or civil or military service" means any benefit, program, or assistance provided under a statute or regulation including, but not limited to, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
B. Unless the power of attorney otherwise provides, language in a power of attorney granting general authority with respect to benefits from governmental programs or civil or military service authorizes the agent to:
1. Execute vouchers in the name of the principal for allowances and reimbursements payable by the United States or a foreign government or by a state or subdivision of a state to the principal, including allowances and reimbursements for transportation of the individuals described in subdivision A 1 of § 64.2-1634 and for shipment of their household effects;
2. Take possession and order the removal and shipment of property of the principal from a post, warehouse, depot, dock, or other place of storage or safekeeping, either governmental or private, and execute and deliver a release, voucher, receipt, bill of lading, shipping ticket, certificate, or other instrument for that purpose;
3. Enroll in, apply for, select, reject, change, amend, or discontinue, on the principal's behalf, a benefit or program;
4. Prepare, file, and maintain a claim of the principal for a benefit or assistance, financial or otherwise, to which the principal may be entitled under a statute or regulation;
5. Initiate, participate in, submit to alternative dispute resolution of, settle, oppose, or propose or accept a compromise with respect to litigation concerning any benefit or assistance the principal may be entitled to receive under a statute or regulation; and
6. Receive the financial proceeds of a claim described in subdivision 4 and conserve, invest, disburse, or use for a lawful purpose anything so received.
2010, cc. 455, 632, § 26-108; 2012, c. 614.
§ 64.2-1636. Retirement plans.
A. In this section, "retirement plan" means a plan or account created by an employer, the principal, or another individual to provide retirement benefits or deferred compensation of which the principal is a participant, beneficiary, or owner, including a plan or account under the following sections of the Internal Revenue Code:
1. An individual retirement account under Internal Revenue Code 26 U.S.C. § 408, as amended;
2. A Roth individual retirement account under Internal Revenue Code 26 U.S.C. § 408A, as amended;
3. A deemed individual retirement account under Internal Revenue Code 26 U.S.C. § 408 (q), as amended;
4. An annuity or mutual fund custodial account under Internal Revenue Code 26 U.S.C. § 403 (b), as amended;
5. A pension, profit-sharing, stock bonus, or other retirement plan qualified under Internal Revenue Code 26 U.S.C. § 401 (a), as amended;
6. A plan under Internal Revenue Code 26 U.S.C. § 457 (b), as amended; and
7. A nonqualified deferred compensation plan under Internal Revenue Code 26 U.S.C. § 409A, as amended.
B. Unless the power of attorney otherwise provides, language in a power of attorney granting general authority with respect to retirement plans authorizes the agent to:
1. Select the form and timing of payments under a retirement plan and withdraw benefits from a plan;
2. Make a rollover, including a direct trustee-to-trustee rollover, of benefits from one retirement plan to another;
3. Establish a retirement plan in the principal's name;
4. Make contributions to a retirement plan;
5. Exercise investment powers available under a retirement plan; and
6. Borrow from, sell assets to, or purchase assets from a retirement plan.
2010, cc. 455, 632, § 26-109; 2012, c. 614.
§ 64.2-1638. Gifts.
A. In this section, a gift "for the benefit of" a person includes a gift to a trust, a custodial trust under the Uniform Custodial Trust Act (§ 64.2-900 et seq.), an account under the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (§ 64.2-1900 et seq.), and a tuition savings account or prepaid tuition plan as defined under Internal Revenue Code 26 U.S.C. § 529, as amended.
B. Unless the power of attorney otherwise provides, language in a power of attorney granting general authority with respect to gifts authorizes the agent only to:
1. Make outright to, or for the benefit of, a person a gift of any of the principal's property, including by the exercise of a presently exercisable general power of appointment held by the principal, in an amount per donee not to exceed the annual dollar limits of the federal gift tax exclusion under Internal Revenue Code 26 U.S.C. § 2503 (b), as amended, without regard to whether the federal gift tax exclusion applies to the gift, or if the principal's spouse agrees to consent to a split gift pursuant to Internal Revenue Code 26 U.S.C. § 2513, as amended, in an amount per donee not to exceed twice the annual federal gift tax exclusion limit; and
2. Consent, pursuant to Internal Revenue Code 26 U.S.C. § 2513, as amended, to the splitting of a gift made by the principal's spouse in an amount per donee not to exceed the aggregate annual gift tax exclusions for both spouses.
C. An agent may make a gift of the principal's property only as the agent determines is consistent with the principal's objectives if actually known by the agent and, if unknown, as the agent determines is consistent with the principal's best interest based on all relevant factors, including:
1. The value and nature of the principal's property;
2. The principal's foreseeable obligations and need for maintenance;
3. Minimization of taxes, including income, estate, inheritance, generation-skipping transfer, and gift taxes;
4. Eligibility for a benefit, a program, or assistance under a statute or regulation; and
5. The principal's personal history of making or joining in making gifts.
2010, cc. 455, 632, § 26-111; 2012, c. 614.