Friendly Societies Act 1974

82 Amalgamation and transfer of engagements

(1) Any two or more registered societies may, by special resolution of each of them, become amalgamated together a one society with or without any dissolution or division of the funds of those societies or any of them.

(2) A registered society may, by special resolution, transfer its engagements to any other registered society which, by special resolution or in such other manner as may be authorised by its rules, undertakes to fulfil those engagements.

(3) A registered society may by special resolution determine to transfer its engagements to a company under the Companies Acts.

(4) Before a registered friendly society becomes amalgamated with, or transfers its engagements to, another friendly society in pursuance of subsection (1) or subsection (2) above, or transfers its engagements to a company in accordance with subsection (3) above, information relating to the terms of the proposed amalgamation or transfer shall be given to the members of the society—

(a) by sending to each member of the society, not less than fourteen days before the date of the general meeting at which the resolution for the amalgamation or transfer is to be proposed, a notice in terms approved for the purpose by the Chief Registrar; or

(b) if the Chief Registrar so allows in the case of all or any of the members of the society, by placing an advertisement, in terms approved for the purpose by him, in such newspaper or newspapers, and at such time or times, as he may specify.

(5) If a registered society transfers all its engagements to a company under the Companies Acts, the registration of that society under this Act shall thereupon become void and shall be cancelled by the Chief Registrar or, under the direction of the Chief Registrar, by the assistant registrar for Scotland.

(6) A registered society consisting wholly of members under twenty-one and a registered society or branch or branches of a society having members above twenty-one may, by resolutions registered in the manner required for the registration of an amendment of rules, become amalgamated together as one society or branch, or provide for distributing among several branches the members of a society consisting wholly of members under twenty-one; and the preceding provisions of this section shall not apply to such an amalgamation.

(7) An amalgamation or transfer of engagements in pursuance of any of the provisions of this section shall not prejudice any right of a creditor of any registered society which is a party thereto.