15-62-301. Family education savings trust. - Montana Statutes

     15-62-301. Family education savings trust. (1) There is a family education savings trust that is an instrumentality of the state and that is created for a public purpose. The trust consists of participating trusts with each participating trust corresponding to an account. The assets of one participating trust may not be commingled with the assets of any other participating trust. The assets and earnings of any participating trust may not be used to satisfy the obligations of any other participating trust. Each participating trust account represents a trust interest in the trust and includes amounts received by the program from account owners pursuant to the participating trust agreement and interest and investment income earned by the trust account.
     (2) The assets of the trust consist of investments and earnings on investments of funds received by the program as deposits to accounts and amounts transferred to the trust from accounts established prior to October 1, 2005, pursuant to subsection (3).
     (3) In accordance with the instructions of the account owner, the trustee shall invest funds deposited in each participating trust in permitted investment products as provided in this chapter. The trustee or a financial institution acting as an agent of the trustee shall pay or apply funds from each participating trust for qualified withdrawals, nonqualified withdrawals, penalties, and withholdings.
     (4) (a) After October 1, 2005, and before the mandatory transfer date specified in subsection (4)(b), each account owner must be provided with notice of the creation of the family education savings trust, the participating trust agreement, and documents describing the options and actions available to the account owner. An account owner may execute a participating trust agreement and have funds that are held by financial institutions in accounts established prior to October 1, 2005, transferred to the trust and to a participating trust corresponding to the transferor's account. Until a voluntary transfer occurs pursuant to this subsection (4)(a) or a mandatory transfer occurs pursuant to subsection (4)(b), accounts established prior to October 1, 2005, remain valid and are governed by this chapter as it read prior to October 1, 2005.
     (b) On December 31, 2005, or at a later date set by the board to protect account owners from possible adverse consequences, all remaining funds or investment products that are not transferred pursuant to subsection (4)(a) and that are held by financial institutions in accounts established pursuant to this chapter prior to October 1, 2005, must be transferred to the trust. The funds or investment products must be placed in a participating trust corresponding to the account and each account owner whose account is transferred is considered to have consented to and be bound by a participating trust agreement and to the transfer of funds or investment products held in the account to a new participating trust.

     History: En. Sec. 1, Ch. 549, L. 2005.