Section 499.30A. Reversion of disbursements.

  1.  As used in this section, “disbursement” means an amount of any dividend, patronage dividend, distribution including earnings distribution, or any other increment or sum realized or accruing from a membership or stock, subscription, or other equity interest in a cooperative association.

  2.  Once a person’s membership or stock, subscription, or other member’s equity in a cooperative association is deemed abandoned under section 556.5, the cooperative association may retain any disbursement held by the cooperative association for or owing to the person. The cooperative association may also deliver the disbursement to the treasurer of state for disposition as abandoned property pursuant to sections 556.5 and 556.11.

  3.  If the cooperative association elects to retain the disbursement under this section, the disbursement shall be deposited into a reversion fund established by the cooperative association.

  4.  A disbursement having an aggregate value of fifty dollars or more that is retained by the cooperative association shall be forfeited to the cooperative association only if the cooperative association publishes at least one notice of the abandoned property in a publication regularly distributed to its membership or in a newspaper having a general circulation in the county where the cooperative association is located. The notice shall include all of the following:

  a.  The name and address of the cooperative association.

  b.  The name of the person who has an interest in the disbursement according to the records of the cooperative association.

  c.  A brief description of the type of disbursement retained by the cooperative association.

  d.  A statement that the disbursement will be forfeited to the cooperative association unless the person files a claim for the disbursement within the period provided for in this section.

  5.  a.  Subject to this subsection, a person asserting an interest in the disbursement may file a claim for it with the cooperative association in a manner and according to procedures required by the cooperative association. If a person is entitled to an abandoned membership, stock, subscription, or other interest as provided in section 556.20 or 556.21, the cooperative association shall also pay the person the disbursement deposited in the reversion fund that is realized or accrued from the membership or stock, subscription, or other interest.

  b.  If a person has not filed a claim for the disbursement within six months after the first date that the notice of abandoned property is first published as provided in this section, the disbursement shall be forfeited to the cooperative association.

  6.  The disbursements deposited into the reversion fund that are forfeited to the cooperative association shall be used as provided in this subsection. The cooperative association may authorize the payment of forfeited disbursements to persons claiming interests in forfeited disbursements as provided in the cooperative association’s articles of incorporation or bylaws. Otherwise, forfeited disbursements shall be used as the directors deem suitable for any of the following purposes:

  a.  Teaching and promoting cooperation. The directors may deposit the amounts of disbursements into the education fund as provided in section 499.30.

  b.  Economic development including private or joint public and private investments involving the creation of economic opportunities for its members or the retention of existing sources of income that would otherwise be lost.

2001 Acts, ch 142, §3

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2004 Acts, ch 1028, §1