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ALABAMA - Insurable Interest Laws

As of August 1, 2007
Most recent legislation changes:  1994

Section 27-14-3.   Insurable interest 

(a) Insurable interest with reference to personal insurance is an interest based upon a reasonable expectation of pecuniary advantage through the continued life, health, or bodily safety of another person and consequent loss by reason of his or her death or disability or a substantial interest engendered by love and affection in the case of individuals closely related by blood or by law.

(b) An individual has an unlimited insurable interest in his or her own life, health, and bodily safety and may lawfully take out a policy of insurance on his or her own life, health, or bodily safety and have the same made payable to whomsoever he or she pleases, regardless of whether the beneficiary so designated has an insurable interest.

(c) A corporation, foreign or domestic, has an insurable interest in the life or physical or mental ability of any of its directors, officers, or employees, or the directors, officers, or employees of any of its subsidiaries or any other person whose death or physical or mental disability might cause financial loss to the corporation; or, pursuant to any contractual arrangement with any shareholder concerning the reacquisition of shares owned by the shareholder at the time of his or her death or disability, on the life or physical or mental ability of that shareholder for the purpose of carrying out the contractual arrangement; or pursuant to any contract obligating the corporation as part of compensation arrangements or pursuant to a contract obligating the corporation as guarantor or surety, on the life of the principal obligor. The trustee of a trust established by a corporation for the sole benefit of the corporation has the same insurable interest in the life or physical or mental ability of any person as does the corporation. The trustee of a trust established by a corporation providing life, health, disability, retirement, or similar benefits to employees of the corporation or its affiliates and acting in a fiduciary capacity with respect to the employees, retired employees, or their dependents or beneficiaries has an insurable interest in the lives of employees for whom the benefits are to be provided.

(d) Any provision of this section and chapter to the contrary notwithstanding, a charitable organization that meets the requirements of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, may own or purchase life insurance on an individual who consents to the ownership of purchase of that insurance. The charitable organization shall be deemed to have a substantial interest in the individual insured and to have an insurable interest in the individual insured whether the charitable organization originally purchases the insurance or the insurance is later transferred to the charitable organization by the insured or another person. This subsection (d) is intended to clarify and declare existing law.

(e) An insurable interest shall exist at the time the contract of personal insurance becomes effective, but this requirement need not exist at the time the loss occurs.

(f) Any personal insurance contract procured, or caused to be procured, upon another individual is void unless the benefits under the contract are payable to the individual insured, or his or her personal representative, or to a person having, at the time when the contract was made, an insurable interest in the individual insured. In the case of a void contract, the insurer shall not be liable on the contract but shall be liable to repay to the person, or persons, who have paid the premiums, all premium payments without interest.

Section  27-14-4. Insurable interest; defined

(a) No contract of insurance of property or of any interest in property, or arising from property, shall be enforceable as to the insurance except for the benefit of persons having an insurable interest in the things insured as at the time of the loss.

(b) "Insurable interest," as used in this section, means any actual, lawful and substantial economic interest in the safety or preservation of the subject of the insurance free from loss, destruction or pecuniary damage or impairment.

(c) The measure of an insurable interest in property is the extent to which the insured might be damnified by loss, injury or impairment thereof.

This information does not constitute legal advice by the Insurance Barometer LLC and should not be relied upon as such. Every effort has been made to provide correct and accurate information but the reader should verify state laws prior to implementing an insurance program.