Simple English definitions for legal terms
Read a random definition: fair-and-equitable requirement
Term: Trust merger
Definition: Trust merger happens when the person who manages the trust and the person who receives the benefits from the trust are the same. This means that there is no longer a separation between the ownership of the trust property and the beneficiary's interest. The trust "merges" and disappears. In simpler terms, when the same person is responsible for managing and receiving benefits from the trust, the trust ends.
Trust merger is a situation where the trustee and the beneficiary of a trust are the same person or entity. In this case, the trustee's legal ownership of the trust property and the beneficiary's interest become one, and the trust ceases to exist.
John creates a trust and names himself as the trustee and his daughter as the beneficiary. However, John later decides to change the terms of the trust and names himself as the sole beneficiary. This action results in a trust merger, and the trust is dissolved.
Another example is when a company creates a trust for its employees and names itself as the trustee. If the company later decides to dissolve the trust and distribute the assets to the employees, a trust merger occurs.
These examples illustrate how trust merger occurs when the trustee and beneficiary become the same person or entity, resulting in the dissolution of the trust.