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Article 14.3. Uniform Liquidation Act of California Insurance Code >> Division 1. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 1. >> Article 14.3.

For the purposes of this act:
  (a) "Insurer" means any person subject to the insurance supervisory authority of, or to liquidation, rehabilitation, reorganization, or conservation by the commissioner or the equivalent insurance supervisory official of another state.
  (b) "Delinquency proceeding" means any proceeding commenced against an insurer for the purpose of liquidating, rehabilitating, reorganizing, or conserving that insurer.
  (c) "Foreign country" means territory not in any state.
  (d) "Domiciliary state" means the state in which an insurer is incorporated or organized, or, in the case of an insurer incorporated or organized in a foreign country, the state in which the insurer, having become authorized to do business in the state, has, at the commencement of delinquency proceedings, the largest amount of its assets held in trust and assets held on deposit for the benefit of its policyholders or policyholders and creditors in the United States; and any such insurer is deemed to be domiciled in such state.
  (e) "Ancillary state" means any state other than a domiciliary state.
  (f) "Reciprocal state" means any state other than this state in which in substance and effect the provisions of this act are in force, including the provisions requiring that the commissioner or equivalent insurance supervisory official be the receiver of a delinquent insurer. A "reciprocal state" includes any state also which has, through its commissioner or equivalent supervisory official, entered into a binding and enforceable written agreement with the commissioner of this state which provides that (1) a commissioner or equivalent supervisory official is required to be the receiver of a delinquent insurer; (2) title to assets of the delinquent insurer shall vest in the domiciliary receiver, as of the date of any court order appointing him or her as receiver, and he or she shall have the same rights to recover those assets as provided under subdivision (b) of Section 1064.3; (3) nondomiciliary creditors may file and prove their claims before ancillary receivers; (4) the laws of the domiciliary state of the delinquent insurer shall be applied uniformly to residents and nonresidents in the allowance of preference of claims, except for claims to special deposits created under the laws of the domiciliary state; (5) preferences (including attachments, garnishments, and liens) for creditors with advance information shall be prevented; and (6) the domiciliary receiver may sue in the reciprocal state to recover any assets of a delinquent insurer to which he or she may be entitled under the law.
  (g) "General assets" means all property, real, personal, or otherwise, not specifically mortgaged, pledged, deposited, or otherwise encumbered for the security or benefit of specified persons or limited class or classes of persons, and as to such specifically encumbered property the term includes all such property or its proceeds in excess of the amount necessary to discharge the sum or sums secured thereby. Assets held in trust and assets held on deposit for the security or benefit of all policyholders or all policyholders and creditors in the United States, shall be deemed general assets.
  (h) "Preferred claim" means any claim with respect to which the law of a state accords priority of payment from the general assets of the insurer.
  (i) "Special deposit claim" means any claim secured by a deposit made for the security or benefit of a limited class or classes of persons, but not including any general assets.
  (j) "Secured claim" means any claim secured by mortgage, trust, deed, pledge, deposit as security, escrow, or otherwise, but not including special deposit claims or claims against general assets. The term also includes claims, which more than four months prior to the commencement of delinquency proceedings in the state of the insurer's domicile, have become liens upon specific assets by reason of judicial process.
  (k) "Receiver" means receiver, liquidator, rehabilitator, or conservator as the context may require.
(a) Whenever under the laws of this state a receiver is to be appointed in delinquency proceedings for an insurer domiciled in this state, the court shall appoint the commissioner as receiver. Upon the appointment, the court shall direct the receiver forthwith to take possession of the assets of the insurer and to administer them under the orders of the court.
  (b) The domiciliary receiver and his or her successors in office shall be vested by operation of law with the title to all of the property, contracts, and rights of action, and all of the books and records of the insurer wherever located, as of the date of the order of his or her appointment, and he or she shall have the right to recover the same and reduce them to possession; except that ancillary receivers in reciprocal states shall have, as to assets located in their respective states, the rights and powers which are prescribed in this article for ancillary receivers appointed in this state as to assets located in this state. The filing or recording of the order appointing the receiver or certified copy thereof, in the office where instruments affecting title to property are required to be filed or recorded shall impart the same notice as would be imparted by a deed, bill of sale, or other evidence of title duly filed or recorded. The domiciliary receiver shall be responsible on his or her official bond for the proper administration of all assets coming into his or her possession or control.
  (c) Upon taking possession of the assets of a delinquent insurer the domiciliary receiver shall, subject to the direction of the court, and in accordance with those procedures that the receiver may petition the court to establish, immediately proceed to conduct the business of the insurer or to take the steps authorized by the laws of this state for the purpose of liquidating, rehabilitating, reorganizing, or conserving the affairs of the insurer. In connection with delinquency proceedings, he or she may appoint one or more special deputy commissioners to act for him or her, and may employ clerks and assistants as he or she deems necessary. The compensation of the special deputies, clerks, or assistants and all expenses of taking possession of the delinquent insurer and of conducting the delinquency proceedings shall be fixed by the receiver, subject to the approval of the court, and shall be paid out of the funds or assets of the insurer. Within the limits of the duties imposed upon them, special deputies shall possess all the powers given to them, and, in the exercise of those powers, shall be subject to all of the duties imposed upon the receiver with respect to delinquency proceedings.
(a) Whenever under the laws of this state an ancillary receiver is to be appointed in delinquency proceedings for an insurer not domiciled in this state, the court shall appoint the commissioner as ancillary receiver. The commissioner shall file an application requesting the appointment (1) if he or she finds that there are sufficient assets of that insurer located in this state, or that there are sufficient persons residing in this state having claims against that insurer, to justify the appointment of an ancillary receiver, or (2) if 10 or more persons resident in this state having claims against that insurer file an application with the commissioner requesting the appointment of an ancillary receiver.
  (b) The domiciliary receiver of an insurer domiciled in a reciprocal state, shall be vested by operation of law with the title to all of the property, contracts, and rights of action, and all of the books and records of the insurer located in this state, and he or she shall have the immediate right to recover balances due from local agents and to obtain possession of any books and records of the insurer found in this state. He or she shall also be entitled to recover the other assets of the insurer located in this state except that upon the appointment of an ancillary receiver in this state, the ancillary receiver shall, during the ancillary receivership proceedings, have the sole right to recover such other assets. The ancillary receiver shall, as soon as practicable, liquidate from their respective securities those special deposit claims and secured claims which are proved and allowed in the ancillary proceedings in this state, and shall pay the necessary expenses of the proceedings. All remaining assets shall be promptly transferred to the domiciliary receiver. Subject to the foregoing provisions, the ancillary receiver and his or her deputies shall have the same powers and be subject to the same duties with respect to the administration of such assets, as a receiver of an insurer domiciled in this state.
  (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, in any ancillary receivership proceeding in this state against an insurer domiciled in a reciprocal state, assets located in this state which comprise all or part of any deposit by that insurer under the laws of that reciprocal state for the benefit and security of beneficiaries of awards of workers' compensation against insurers shall be returned promptly to the domiciliary receiver, if he or she so requests, without deduction of any amounts to satisfy claims of policyholders and creditors.
(a) In a delinquency proceeding begun in this state against an insurer domiciled in this state, claimants residing in reciprocal states may file claims either with the ancillary receivers, if any in their respective states, or with the domiciliary receiver. All claims shall be filed on or before the last date fixed for the filing of claims in the domiciliary delinquency proceedings.
  (b) Controverted claims belonging to claimants residing in reciprocal states may either (1) be proved in this state as provided by law, or (2), if ancillary proceedings have been commenced in those reciprocal states, be proved in those proceedings. In the event a claimant elects to prove his or her claim in ancillary proceedings, if notice of the claim and opportunity to appear and be heard is afforded the domiciliary receiver of this state as provided in Section 1064.5 with respect to ancillary proceedings in this state, the final allowance of such claim by the courts in the ancillary state shall be accepted in this state as conclusive as to its amount, and shall also be accepted as conclusive as to its priority, if any, against special deposits or other security located within the ancillary state.
(a) In a delinquency proceeding in a reciprocal state against an insurer domiciled in that state, claimants against such insurer who reside within this state may file claims either with the ancillary receiver, if any, appointed in this state, or with the domiciliary receiver. All such claims shall be filed on or before the last date fixed for the filing of claims in the domiciliary delinquency proceeding.
  (b) Controverted claims belonging to claimants residing in this state may either (1) be proved in the domiciliary state as provided by the laws of that state, or (2), if ancillary proceedings have been commenced in this state, be proved in those proceedings. In the event that any such claimant elects to prove his or her claim in this state, he or she shall file his or her claim with the ancillary receiver in the manner provided by the law of this state for the proving of claims against insurers domiciled in this state, and he or she shall give notice in writing to the receiver in the domiciliary state, either by registered mail or by personal service at least 40 days prior to the date set for hearing. The notice shall contain a concise statement of the amount of the claim, the facts on which the claim is based, and the priorities asserted, if any. If the domiciliary receiver, within 30 days after the giving of notice, shall give notice in writing to the ancillary receiver and to the claimant, either by registered mail or by personal service, of his or her intention to contest that claim, he or she shall be entitled to appear or to be represented in any proceeding in this state involving the adjudication of the claim. The final allowance of the claim by the courts of this state shall be accepted as conclusive as to its amount, and shall also be accepted as conclusive as to its priority, if any, against special deposits or other security located within this state.
(a) In a delinquency proceeding against an insurer domiciled in this state, claims owing to residents of ancillary states shall be preferred claims if like claims are preferred under the laws of this state. All such claims, whether owing to residents or nonresidents, shall be given equal priority of payment from general assets regardless of where such assets are located.
  (b) In a delinquency proceeding against an insurer domiciled in a reciprocal state, claims owing to residents of this state shall be preferred if like claims are preferred by the laws of that state.
The owners of special deposit claims against an insurer for which a receiver is appointed in this or any other state shall be given priority against their several special deposits in accordance with the provisions governing the creation and maintenance of such deposits. If there is a deficiency in any such deposit so that the claims secured thereby are not fully discharged therefrom, the claimants may share in the general assets, but, unless applicable law provides otherwise, the sharing shall be deferred until general creditors, and also claimants against other special deposits who have received smaller percentages from their respective special deposits, have been paid percentages of their claims equal to the percentage paid from the special deposit.
The owner of a secured claim against an insurer for which a receiver has been appointed in this or any other state may surrender his or her security and file his or her claim as a general creditor, or the claim may be discharged by resort to the security, in which case the deficiency, if any, shall be treated as a claim against the general assets of the insurer on the same basis as claims of unsecured creditors. If the amount of the deficiency has been adjudicated in ancillary proceedings as provided in this article, or if it has been adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction in proceedings in which the domiciliary receiver has had notice and opportunity to be heard, that amount shall be conclusive; otherwise the amount shall be determined in the delinquency proceeding in the domiciliary state.
During the pendency of delinquency proceedings in this or any reciprocal state, no action or proceeding in the nature of an attachment, garnishment, or execution shall be commenced or maintained in the courts of this state against the delinquent insurer or its assets. Any lien obtained by any such action or proceeding within four months prior to the commencement of any such delinquency proceeding or at any time thereafter shall be void as against any rights arising in such delinquency proceeding.
The domiciliary receiver of an insurer domiciled in a reciprocal state may sue in this state to recover any assets of that insurer to which he or she may be entitled under the laws of this state.
If any provision of this article or the application thereof to any person or circumstances is held invalid, that invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the article which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this article are declared to be severable.
(a) This article may be referred to as the "Uniform Insurers Rehabilitation Act."
  (b) The Uniform Insurers Rehabilitation Act shall be so interpreted and construed as to effectuate its general purpose to make uniform the law of those states that enact it. To the extent that its provisions, when applicable, conflict with Article 14 (commencing with Section 1010), the provisions of this article shall control. The provisions of Article 14 (commencing with Section 1010) not in conflict with this article shall be unaffected by it.
  (c) This article does not apply in regard to insurers domiciled in any state that is not a reciprocal state, and to any insurer domiciled in a reciprocal state before that state appoints a domiciliary receiver for the insurer. All those insurers shall be governed by Article 14 (commencing with Section 1010). If a domiciliary receiver is appointed in a reciprocal state while a receivership is proceeding under Article 14 (commencing with Section 1010), the receiver under that article shall thereafter act as ancillary receiver under Section 1064.3.
  (d) This article shall not apply to the State Compensation Insurance Fund.
(a) Upon receipt of a notice of liquidation the commissioner shall cease imposing, billing or collecting fees and assessments against the subject company pursuant to this code.
  (b) Upon receipt of a notice of conservation or administrative supervision the commissioner may cease to impose, bill, or collect fees against the subject company pursuant to this code. Following the date the order has been lifted the commissioner may once again impose, bill, or collect fees against the subject company.
  (c) Upon receipt of a notice of liquidation all outstanding invoices, billings or assessments pursuant to this code prior to the date of the notice shall be cancelled.
  (d) Upon issuance of a notice of conservation or administrative supervision, outstanding amounts due from the subject company imposed prior to the date of the conservation or administrative supervision, may be held in abeyance and remain unpaid until the conservation or administrative supervision is terminated. Late filing fees accrued pursuant to Section 12995 of this code shall not be imposed.
  (e) If it is determined that an insurer is in any of the conditions enumerated in Section 1011, and it is determined that all available funds are needed to pay policyholders, the commissioner may suspend the imposition of fees or assessments until the condition of the insurer has improved to the extent where payment of fees or assessments will not harm policyholders.