Corporate capacity and authority; general rights, powers, and privileges; authority to purchase and hold life insurance
Ind. Code § 28-1-5-2
in effectSec. 2. (a) Every corporation has the capacity to act that is possessed by a natural person, but has the authority to perform only those acts that are necessary, convenient, or expedient to accomplish the purposes for which it is formed and that are not repugnant to law.
(b) Subject to any limitations or restrictions imposed by law or by the articles of incorporation, each corporation has the following general rights, powers, and privileges:
(1) To continue as a corporation, under its corporate name, for the period limited in its articles of incorporation, or, if the period is not so limited, then perpetually.
(2) To sue and be sued in its corporate name.
(3) To have a corporate seal and to alter such seal at its pleasure.
(4) To acquire, own, hold, use, lease, mortgage, pledge, sell, convey, or otherwise dispose of property, real and personal, tangible and intangible, in the manner and to the extent hereinafter provided.
(5) To borrow money and to mortgage or pledge its property to secure the payment thereof, in the manner and to the extent hereinafter provided; but no financial institution having power to accept deposits of money shall pledge any of the assets of such financial institution as security for the safekeeping and prompt payment of any money so deposited, except that any such financial institution may, for the safekeeping and prompt payment of any money so deposited, give security of the kind authorized by any statute of this state or by the Congress of the United States. Notwithstanding this subdivision, a financial institution may receive deposits of state and federal public funds and may pledge securities or other assets for the repayment of deposits if the pledge is permitted by applicable law or regulation.
(6) To conduct business in this state and elsewhere.
(7) To appoint such officers and agents as the business of the corporation may require and to do the following with respect to any officers or agents appointed:
(A) Define their duties.
(B) Fix their compensation, which may include compensation paid pursuant to any plan of deferred compensation approved by the corporation's board of directors.
(C) Enter into employment contracts with the corporation's officers and agents which set forth terms and conditions of employment.
(D) Provide the corporation's officers, agents, and employees with individual or group life insurance.
(E) Procure and maintain in effect for the benefit of the bank, insurance on the life or lives of designated officers or directors.
(8) To make bylaws for the government and regulation of its affairs.
(9) To cease doing business and to dissolve and surrender its corporate franchise.
(10) To do all acts and things necessary, convenient, or expedient to carry out the purposes for which it is formed.
(c) Subject to any limitations or restrictions that the department or a federal regulator may impose by regulation, rule, policy, or guidance, each corporation may purchase and hold life insurance as follows:
(1) Life insurance purchased or held in connection with employee compensation or benefit plans approved by the corporation's board of directors.
(2) Life insurance purchased or held to recover the cost of providing preretirement or postretirement employee benefits approved by the corporation's board of directors.
(3) Life insurance on the lives of borrowers.
(4) Life insurance held as security for a loan.
(5) Life insurance that a national bank may purchase or hold under 12 U.S.C. 24 (Seventh).
Formerly: Acts 1933, c.40, s.90; Acts 1937, c.33, s.10; Acts 1963, c.179, s.1; Acts 1969, c.280, s.2; Acts 1971, P.L.394, SEC.23; Acts 1974, P.L.128, SEC.2. As amended by P.L.266-1987, SEC.8; P.L.10-2006, SEC.29 and P.L.57-2006, SEC.29; P.L.35-2010, SEC.111; P.L.27-2012, SEC.37.
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://iga.in.gov/laws/2026/ic/titles/28Fetched: 10/17/2026