New York: Lifetime Trust Is a Term of Art

I spoke with a colleague recently who stated, "Inter vivos trust, not lifetime trust, is a term of art in New York." The opposite is actually true: In New York, "lifetime trust" is a term of art because it is statutorily defined in Estates, Powers, and Trusts Law section 1-2.20 and Surrogate's Court Procedure Act section 103(31).

EPTL 1-2.20:

The term "lifetime trust" shall mean an express trust and all amendments thereto created other than by will and shall not include; a trust for the benefit of creditors, a resulting or constructive trust, a business trust where certificates of beneficial interest are issued to the beneficiary, an investment trust, voting trust, a security instrument such as a deed of trust and a mortgage, a trust created by the judgment or decree of a court, a liquidation or reorganization trust, a trust for the sole purpose of paying dividends, interest, interest coupons, salaries, wages, pensions or profits, instruments wherein persons are mere nominees for others, or a trust created in deposits in any banking institution or savings and loan institution.

SCPA 103:

31. Lifetime trust. An express trust, including all amendments thereto, created during the grantor's lifetime other than a trust for the benefit of creditors, a resulting or constructive trust, a business trust where certificates of beneficial interest are issued to the beneficiary, an investment trust, voting trust, a security instrument such as a deed of trust and a mortgage, a trust created by the judgment or decree of a court, a liquidation or reorganization trust, a trust for the sole purpose of paying dividends, interest, interest coupons, salaries, wages, pensions or profits, instruments wherein persons are mere nominees for others, or a trust created in deposits in any banking institution or savings and loan institution.

The following image shows the minor differences between the EPTL and SCPA definitions of lifetime trust: