1192.95
. (a) Notwithstanding Section 1100, an insurer may make
excess funds investments in investment pools and cash management
pools established pursuant to this section. The pools shall meet all
of the following standards:
(1) All participants in a pool shall each be affiliated with one
another within the meaning of subdivision (a) of Section 1215 and
shall all be insurers, or a pension plan or profit-sharing plan of a
participant or affiliate.
(2) The pools shall be a corporation, partnership, trust, limited
liability company, or business trust domiciled in the United States
with all assets held in accordance with Section 1104.9 and shall be
maintained in one or more accounts in the name of or on behalf of the
investment pool. Pool assets shall be held under a bank custody
agreement that states and recognizes the claims and rights of each
participant, acknowledges that the pool assets are held solely for
the benefit of each participant in proportion to the aggregate amount
of its pool investments, and states that the investments shall not
be commingled with the general assets of the custodian or any other
person. The pool manager shall be an insurer as defined by Section
826 or a business entity registered as an investment adviser under
the federal Investment Act of 1940. The fiduciary duties a manager
owes to the limited liability company and its members are those of a
partner to a partnership. This duty may not be restricted by
agreement.
(3) Any management fee shall be subject to disapproval by the
commissioner. Costs directly incurred in acquiring or selling assets,
such as commissions, transaction fees, or custodial fees, are not
management fees and may be charged by the pool to the participants as
long as these fees are on a direct cost reimbursement basis. All
costs shall be apportioned to each participant in proportion to its
interest in the pool.
(4) All shares of the pool shall be of the same class with equal
rights, preferences, and privileges. Each share shall participate
equally in dividends and distributions declared by the pool on
liquidation in proportion to each participant's interest. When
issued, the shares shall be fully paid and nonassessable and shall
have no preemptive, conversion, or exchange rights.
(5) Each participant shall be entitled to require the pool to
redeem all or any portion of the shares held by the participant on
demand without penalty or assessment on any business day.
(6) All assets of a cash management pool shall be assets that
participant insurers may lawfully acquire individually and shall be:
(A) debt obligations issued by or on behalf of the United States, its
territories and possessions, the District of Columbia, and states or
their political subdivisions, agencies, and instrumentalities,
including industrial development obligations, having a maturity not
exceeding one year; (B) corporate debt obligations, other than debt
obligations issued, assumed, guaranteed, or insured by a participant
or by any affiliate of a participant, having a maturity not exceeding
one year and that are rated One or Two by the Securities Valuation
Office of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners; or (C)
accounts, deposits, or obligations of banks or savings and loan
associations insured by an agency or instrumentality of the federal
government.
(7) All assets of an investment pool shall be: (A) investments
that are authorized under Section 1191, other than stock issued,
assumed, guaranteed, or insured by a participant or any affiliate of
a participant; (B) accounts, deposits, or obligations of banks or
savings and loan associations insured by an agency or instrumentality
of the federal government; or (C) investments that are authorized
under Section 1192, other than securities or notes issued, assumed,
guaranteed, or insured by a participant or any affiliate of a
participant, or under Section 1194.5 or 1241.
(8) The assets of pools shall be required to meet the requirements
of and be authorized for investment by a domestic incorporated
insurer under Article 3 (commencing with Section 1170) or this
article.
(9) No pool shall make investments in purchases of, or loans upon,
more than 30 percent of the total in par value or more than 30
percent of the total number of outstanding shares of the capital
stock of any one corporation.
(10) Transactions between the pool and its participants shall not
be deemed to be material for purposes of subdivision (d) of Section
1215.4 or subdivision (b) of Section 1215.5. Investment activity of
pools and transactions between pools and participants shall be
reported in the annual registration statement required by Section
1215.4 and pursuant to Section 1215.5.
(11) Participation in an investment pool shall be subject to a
written pooling agreement that shall be approved by the participant's
board of directors and shall provide that (A) the underlying assets
of the pool shall not be commingled with the general assets of the
pool manager or any other person; (B) each participant must own an
undivided interest in the underlying assets of the pool; (C) the
underlying assets of the investment pool are held solely for the
benefit of each participant; and (D) the pool manager shall make the
records of the investment pool available for inspection by the
commissioner. Pool agreements shall also specify what type of share
participants hold to evidence their beneficial interest in the pool's
assets. Prior to the execution of a pool agreement, a participating
insurer's board of directors must approve the agreement only after
having received a written opinion from an independent outside counsel
explaining the ramifications and possible effects that a declaration
of insolvency by a participant will have on the insurer's share of
the investment pool.
(12) No participant insurer may invest more than 10 percent of
admitted assets in a single pool or more than 25 percent of admitted
assets in all pools combined.
(13) Each participant's proportionate share of the assets of a
pool shall be deemed to be the direct holdings of that participant
for purposes of determining compliance with the investment
requirements of this code and shall be reported as such on required
quarterly and annual reports. Pools operated as limited liability
companies pursuant to Title 2.6 (commencing with Section 17701.01) of
the Corporations Code shall conform their investments to this
paragraph and the requirements of Sections 1200 and 1201.
(14) The pool manager shall compile and maintain detailed
accounting records setting forth (A) the cash received and
disbursements reflecting each participant's proportional investment
in the investment pool; (B) a complete description of all underlying
assets of the investment pool including amount, interest rate, and
maturity date, if any, and other appropriate designations; and (C)
other records that, on a daily basis, will allow the commissioner and
the participants to verify each participant's investments in the
pool.
(15) Pools shall not borrow or loan assets, except for
securities-lending arrangements that are otherwise lawful for insurer
participants of the pool.
(b) As used in this section, "share" means stock, participation
unit, certificate of interest, or other evidence of beneficial
ownership in the pool, whether evidenced by an instrument or by a
book entry maintained by the pool.
(c) The commissioner shall have the authority to review any pool
agreement and to disapprove any agreement that does not comply with
this section. The commissioner shall have the authority to review the
operation of any pool and to order compliance with this section. The
commissioner shall have the authority to disallow, as an admitted
asset, any pool investment not in compliance with this section. The
commissioner may impose a fee upon any pool to recoup the actual cost
of review under this section.