§27-14-29. Rights of beneficiaries, etc., under life insurance policies against creditors, etc.

(a) If a policy of insurance, whether heretofore or hereafter issued, is effected by any person on his own life or on another life in favor of a person other than himself or, except in cases of transfer with intent to defraud creditors, if a policy of life insurance is assigned or in any way made payable to any such person, the lawful beneficiary, or assignee thereof, other than the insured or the person so effecting such insurance or his executors or administrators, shall be entitled to its proceeds and avails against the creditors, personal representatives, trustees in bankruptcy, and receivers in state and federal courts of the person insured and of the person effecting the insurance, whether or not the right to change the beneficiary is reserved or permitted and whether or not the policy is made payable to the person whose life is insured, if the beneficiary or assignee shall predecease such person; provided, however, that, subject to the statute of limitations, the amount of any premiums for the insurance paid with intent to defraud creditors, with interest thereon, shall inure to their benefit from the proceeds of the policy; but the insurer issuing the policy shall be discharged of all liability thereon by payment of its proceeds in accordance with its terms, unless before such payment the insurer shall have written notice, by or in behalf of a creditor, of a claim to recover for transfer made or premiums paid with intent to defraud creditors, with specifications of the amount claimed.

(b) If a policy of insurance, whether heretofore or hereafter issued, is effected by any person on the life of another in favor of the person effecting the same or, except in cases of transfer with intent to defraud creditors, is made payable by assignment, change of beneficiary or otherwise to any such person, the latter shall be entitled to the proceeds and avails of the policy as against the creditors, personal representatives, trustees in bankruptcy and receivers in state and federal courts of the person insured. If the person effecting such insurance, or the assignee of such insurance, is the wife of the insured, she shall also be entitled to the proceeds and avails of the policy as against her own creditors, personal representatives, trustees in bankruptcy, and receivers in state and federal courts.

(c) "Proceeds and avails," as used in this section, means death benefits, cash surrender and loan values, premiums waived, and dividends, whether used in reduction of premiums or otherwise, excepting only where the debtor, subsequent to issuance of the policy, has actually elected to receive the dividends in cash.

(d) For the purposes of subsection (a) of this section, a policy shall also be deemed to be payable to a person other than the insured if, and to the extent that, a facility-of-payment clause, or similar clause, in the policy permits the insurer to discharge its obligations after the death of the individual insured by paying the death benefits to a person as permitted by such clause.

(Acts 1971, No. 407, p. 707, §342.)