|
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
relating to limited purpose subsidiary life insurance companies. |
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
SECTION 1. Chapter 841, Insurance Code, is amended by |
|
adding Subchapter I to read as follows: |
|
SUBCHAPTER I. LIMITED PURPOSE SUBSIDIARY LIFE INSURANCE COMPANIES |
|
Sec. 841.401. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: |
|
(1) "Affiliated company" means a domestic life |
|
insurance company that is classified as an affiliate under Section |
|
823.003. |
|
(2) "Material transaction" means a transaction or |
|
series of transactions involving an amount equal to or greater than |
|
three percent of a subsidiary company's admitted assets, less any |
|
letters of credit and intangible assets included as an admitted |
|
asset of the subsidiary company. |
|
(3) "Parent" means a person that directly or |
|
indirectly controls, as described by Section 823.005, a subsidiary |
|
company. |
|
(4) "Reinsurance contract" means a contract in which a |
|
subsidiary company agrees to provide reinsurance for risks of the |
|
domestic life insurance company to the domestic life insurance |
|
company that organized the subsidiary company. |
|
(5) "Risk" means risk associated with life insurance |
|
policies and contracts written or assumed by a domestic life |
|
insurance company, for which the domestic life insurance company |
|
holds direct statutory reserves as required by Subchapter B, |
|
Chapter 425. |
|
(6) "Securitization" means a transaction or group of |
|
related transactions to fund a subsidiary company's obligations |
|
under a reinsurance contract, including a capital market offering, |
|
that is effected through related risk transfer instruments and in |
|
which proceeds are: |
|
(A) obtained by a subsidiary company through the |
|
issuance of securities by the subsidiary company or another person; |
|
or |
|
(B) provided through a letter of credit or other |
|
asset for the benefit of the subsidiary company, authorized by the |
|
commissioner to be treated as admitted assets for the purpose of the |
|
subsidiary company's annual statements. |
|
(7) "Security" has the meaning assigned by Section 4, |
|
The Securities Act (Article 581-4, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes). |
|
The term also includes any form of debt obligation, surplus note, |
|
derivative, or other financial instrument that the commissioner |
|
designates as a security for purposes of this subchapter. |
|
(8) "Subsidiary company" means a life insurance |
|
company organized under this subchapter that is wholly owned by the |
|
domestic life insurance company that organized the subsidiary |
|
company. |
|
(9) "Surplus note" means an unsecured subordinated |
|
debt obligation. |
|
Sec. 841.402. ORGANIZATION. (a) A domestic life insurance |
|
company may organize a subsidiary company to which the domestic |
|
life insurance company cedes risk under a reinsurance contract. |
|
(b) A subsidiary company organized under this subchapter: |
|
(1) must be wholly owned by the domestic life |
|
insurance company that organized the subsidiary company; and |
|
(2) may not issue stock to any organization or |
|
individual other than the domestic life insurance company that |
|
organized the subsidiary company. |
|
(c) Except as provided by Subsection (d), a subsidiary |
|
company may not engage in the business of insurance. |
|
(d) A subsidiary company may: |
|
(1) reinsure risks of: |
|
(A) the domestic life insurance company that |
|
organized the subsidiary company; or |
|
(B) an affiliated company; and |
|
(2) access alternative forms of financing. |
|
(e) A domestic life insurance company may invest funds from |
|
its surplus in a subsidiary company organized by the domestic life |
|
insurance company. |
|
(f) An officer or director of a domestic life insurance |
|
company may serve as an officer or director of a subsidiary company |
|
organized by the domestic life insurance company. |
|
Sec. 841.403. CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORITY REQUIRED. A |
|
subsidiary company may engage in the limited business of insurance |
|
in this state, as described by Section 841.402(d), only if the |
|
subsidiary company holds a certificate of authority issued under |
|
this subchapter. |
|
Sec. 841.404. APPLICATION FOR CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORITY. |
|
To obtain a certificate of authority for a subsidiary company, the |
|
domestic life insurance company that organizes a subsidiary company |
|
shall: |
|
(1) pay to the department: |
|
(A) a fee in an amount prescribed by the |
|
commissioner; and |
|
(B) the reasonable expenses and costs incurred by |
|
the department in examining the subsidiary company's application; |
|
and |
|
(2) file with the department: |
|
(A) an application for a certificate of authority |
|
on a form containing information required by the department; |
|
(B) the subsidiary company's articles of |
|
incorporation; |
|
(C) an affidavit made by two or more of the |
|
incorporators of the subsidiary company stating that: |
|
(i) the subsidiary company is able to |
|
satisfy the minimum capital and surplus requirements of this |
|
subchapter; |
|
(ii) the subsidiary company's capital and |
|
surplus are the bona fide property of the subsidiary company; |
|
(iii) the information contained in the |
|
subsidiary's articles of incorporation is true and correct; and |
|
(iv) the subsidiary company's investment |
|
policy takes into consideration the liquidity of the subsidiary |
|
company's assets and the reasonable preservation, administration, |
|
and management of the assets with respect to the risks associated |
|
with the subsidiary company's reinsurance contract; |
|
(D) a copy of the subsidiary company's |
|
reinsurance contract with the domestic life insurance company that |
|
organized the subsidiary company, and any other agreement securing |
|
the subsidiary company's obligations under the reinsurance |
|
contract; and |
|
(E) any other statement or document required by |
|
the department. |
|
Sec. 841.405. ISSUANCE OF CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORITY. (a) |
|
The commissioner may issue a certificate of authority to a |
|
subsidiary company authorizing the subsidiary company to engage in |
|
the reinsurance business if: |
|
(1) the commissioner finds that the terms of the |
|
subsidiary company's reinsurance contract and any related |
|
transactions comply with this chapter and all other applicable |
|
provisions of this code or rules adopted under this code; and |
|
(2) the subsidiary company maintains at least $700,000 |
|
of unimpaired paid-in capital and $700,000 of surplus. |
|
(b) In conjunction with the issuance of a certificate of |
|
authority under Subsection (a), the commissioner may issue any |
|
order relating to the organization, licensing, or operation of the |
|
subsidiary company that the commissioner deems appropriate. |
|
Sec. 841.406. REINSURANCE. (a) A subsidiary company may |
|
purchase reinsurance under which the risks assumed under a |
|
reinsurance contract with the domestic life insurance company that |
|
organized the subsidiary company are ceded to the reinsurer. |
|
(b) Unless approved in advance by the commissioner, a |
|
subsidiary company may not assume or retain exposure to reinsurance |
|
losses for the account of the subsidiary company, unless the |
|
exposure is funded by: |
|
(1) proceeds from a securitization; |
|
(2) premium and other amounts payable to the domestic |
|
life insurance company that organized the subsidiary company under |
|
the applicable reinsurance contract; |
|
(3) a letter of credit; |
|
(4) a guarantee of a parent organization; or |
|
(5) a return on investment of the items described by |
|
Subdivision (1) or (2). |
|
(c) A subsidiary company may enter into a contract or |
|
conduct other commercial activities necessary to fulfill the |
|
purposes of a reinsurance contract, an insurance securitization, or |
|
this chapter, if the activity is approved in advance by the |
|
commissioner. Commercial activities described by this subsection |
|
include: |
|
(1) entering into a reinsurance contract; |
|
(2) issuing securities; |
|
(3) complying with the terms of contracts or |
|
securities; |
|
(4) entering into a trust, guaranteed investment |
|
contract, swap, or other derivative, tax, administration, service |
|
reimbursement, or fiscal agent transaction; |
|
(5) complying with trust indenture, reinsurance, or |
|
retrocession; or |
|
(6) entering into another agreement necessary or |
|
incidental to effect a reinsurance contract or an insurance |
|
securitization in compliance with this chapter. |
|
(d) Unless otherwise approved in advance by the |
|
commissioner, a reinsurance contract may not contain a provision |
|
for payment by the subsidiary company to any person other than the |
|
domestic life insurance company that organized the subsidiary |
|
company, or any receiver of that company, for the discharge of the |
|
subsidiary company's obligations under the reinsurance contract. |
|
Sec. 841.407. REVOCATION OF CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORITY. The |
|
department shall revoke a subsidiary company's certificate of |
|
authority if the subsidiary company fails to maintain unimpaired |
|
paid-in capital and surplus in the amounts required under Section |
|
841.405(a)(2). |
|
Sec. 841.408. DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS. (a) A |
|
subsidiary company may pay a dividend or distribution if the |
|
dividend or distribution: |
|
(1) does not decrease the subsidiary company's |
|
unimpaired paid-in capital and surplus below the minimum amounts |
|
required under Section 841.405(a)(2); and |
|
(2) does not impair the subsidiary company's ability |
|
to fulfill the subsidiary company's obligations under the |
|
reinsurance contract. |
|
(b) A subsidiary company shall notify the commissioner at |
|
least 15 days before the subsidiary company issues a dividend or |
|
distribution. The notice must include: |
|
(1) the amount of the dividend or distribution to be |
|
issued; and |
|
(2) a statement signed by an officer of the subsidiary |
|
company that the dividend or distribution meets the requirements of |
|
Subsection (a). |
|
Sec. 841.409. REQUIRED REPORTS AND NOTICE BY SUBSIDIARY |
|
COMPANY. (a) Not later than the 45th day after the closing date of a |
|
securitization, a subsidiary company shall provide the |
|
commissioner with a copy of a complete set of executed documents for |
|
the issuance of the securitization. |
|
(b) In the event of a material change in the financial |
|
condition or management of a subsidiary company, the subsidiary |
|
company shall notify the commissioner in writing not later than the |
|
fifth day after the date the material change occurs. |
|
(c) A subsidiary company shall file with the commissioner: |
|
(1) an annual actuarial opinion prepared by an actuary |
|
employed by the subsidiary company that complies with the |
|
requirements of Section 425.054, regarding the subsidiary |
|
company's reserves for all risks assumed by the subsidiary company |
|
under the subsidiary company's reinsurance contract; |
|
(2) a biennial actuarial opinion prepared by an |
|
independent actuary that complies with the rules of the |
|
commissioner, regarding the methods and assumptions used by the |
|
subsidiary company to set reserves; and |
|
(3) an annual report of the subsidiary company's |
|
risk-based capital level as of the end of the preceding calendar |
|
year. |
|
(d) A subsidiary company shall notify the commissioner |
|
immediately of any action by a domestic life insurance company or |
|
other person to foreclose on, or otherwise take possession of, |
|
collateral provided by the subsidiary company to secure an |
|
obligation of the subsidiary company. |
|
(e) Notwithstanding Section 802.052 or any other law, a |
|
subsidiary company is not required to file a report, notice, or |
|
other document with the National Association of Insurance |
|
Commissioners unless required by the commissioner. |
|
Sec. 841.410. PRIOR APPROVAL OF CERTAIN PAYMENTS. (a) A |
|
subsidiary company shall submit to the commissioner for prior |
|
approval a written request for authorization to make a payment of |
|
interest on, or a repayment of principal of, surplus notes and other |
|
debt obligations issued by the subsidiary company. |
|
(b) The commissioner shall approve the payment described by |
|
Subsection (a) unless the commissioner determines that the payment |
|
would impair the ability of the subsidiary company or another |
|
person to fulfill the obligations of the subsidiary company or |
|
other person. |
|
Sec. 841.411. SECURITIZATION AGREEMENTS. A document issued |
|
by a subsidiary company to prospective investors regarding the |
|
offer and sale of a surplus note or other security must include a |
|
disclosure that all or part of the proceeds of the securitization |
|
will be used to fund the subsidiary company's obligations under a |
|
reinsurance contract with the domestic life insurance company that |
|
organized the subsidiary company. |
|
Sec. 841.412. ADMITTED ASSETS. (a) The admitted assets of a |
|
subsidiary company must include: |
|
(1) proceeds from a securitization; |
|
(2) a premium or other amount payable to the |
|
subsidiary company by the domestic life insurance company that |
|
organized the subsidiary company; |
|
(3) a letter of credit; |
|
(4) a guarantee of a parent company; or |
|
(5) any other asset approved by the commissioner. |
|
(b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), the commissioner |
|
may reduce the amount of admitted assets previously approved by the |
|
commissioner, if the commissioner determines that the value of |
|
those assets has decreased. |
|
(c) The commissioner may not reduce the amount of admitted |
|
assets previously approved by the commissioner if the asset is |
|
covered by the Accounting Practices and Procedures Manual of the |
|
National Association of Insurance Commissioners. |
|
(d) The commissioner shall notify a subsidiary company at |
|
least 30 days before the commissioner reduces the amount of |
|
previously approved admitted assets under Subsection (b). The |
|
notice provided by the commissioner under this subsection must |
|
identify the reasons for the reduction and give the subsidiary |
|
company an opportunity to remedy any issues or deficiencies |
|
identified by the commissioner. |
|
Sec. 841.413. LOANS. (a) A subsidiary company may not make |
|
a loan or an investment in another entity unless: |
|
(1) the commissioner first approves the loan or |
|
investment; and |
|
(2) the loan is evidenced by documentation approved by |
|
the commissioner. |
|
(b) A subsidiary company may issue a loan from the |
|
subsidiary company's minimum capital and surplus. |
|
Sec. 841.414. SECURITIES. (a) A security issued by a |
|
subsidiary company is not subject to regulation as an insurance or |
|
reinsurance contract, and an investor or holder of a security |
|
issued by a subsidiary company may not be considered to be |
|
conducting the business of insurance in this state solely by reason |
|
of having an interest in the security. |
|
(b) An underwriter's placement or selling agent, partner, |
|
commissioner, officer, member, manager, employee, representative, |
|
or advisor involved in an insurance securitization by a subsidiary |
|
company may not be considered to be an insurance producer or broker, |
|
or to be conducting the business of insurance or reinsurance, |
|
solely by virtue of participating in underwriting activities |
|
relating to the securitization. |
|
Sec. 841.415. CERTIFICATION OF ACTUARIAL OFFICER. (a) At |
|
the time a domestic life insurance company files for a certificate |
|
of authority for a subsidiary company under Section 841.404, and by |
|
not later than the March 31 following the date on which the domestic |
|
life insurance company cedes business to the subsidiary company, |
|
the domestic life insurance company shall file with the |
|
commissioner a certification by a senior actuarial officer that the |
|
domestic life insurance company's transactions with a subsidiary |
|
company are not being used to an unfair advantage in the pricing of |
|
the domestic life insurance company's products. |
|
(b) A domestic life insurance company may not be deemed as |
|
having an unfair advantage if the pricing of the policies and |
|
contracts reinsured by the subsidiary company: |
|
(1) reflects, at the time the policies and contracts |
|
were issued, a reasonable long-term estimate of the cost to the |
|
domestic life insurance company of an alternative third-party |
|
transaction; and |
|
(2) uses current pricing assumptions. |
|
(c) A domestic life insurance company shall maintain |
|
documentation between examinations conducted under Subsection (a) |
|
that sets forth the methods by which the senior actuarial officer |
|
arrived at the conclusions in the certification. |
|
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect January 1, 2012. |