SPONSOR: |
Rep. Stone & Sen. Blevins |
|
|
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 143rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
HOUSE
BILL NO. 218 |
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 18 OF THE |
Section
1. Amend Chapter 69 of Title 18 of the
Delaware Code by striking Chapter 69 in its entirety and by substituting in
lieu thereof the following:
"CHAPTER
69. CAPTIVE INSURANCE COMPANIES
Subchapter 1. General Provisions.
§6901. Finding; purpose.
(a) It is
determined and declared as a matter of legislative finding that captive insurance companies can serve a
valuable risk management function, and that their responsible utilization and
the growth of the captive insurance industry in the State of Delaware are in
the best interests of this State;
(b) It is further determined and declared that
the purpose and policy of this chapter shall be:
(1) to provide for the
regulation of captive insurance companies consistent with their nature and
purpose;
(2) to provide flexibility and
opportunity to captive insurance companies and to persons utilizing them; and
(3) to foster economic
development in this State through the growth of the captive insurance industry.
§6902. Definitions.
As used in
this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise:
(a) 'Affiliated company' means
any person (other than a natural person in his or her individual capacity) in
the same corporate system as a parent, an industrial insured, or an association
member by virtue of common ownership, control, operation, or management.
(b) 'Alien' means formed under
the laws of any country or jurisdiction other than the
(c) 'Association' means any legal association
of persons that has been in continuous existence for at least one year or such
lesser period of time approved by the Commissioner, the association members of
which, or which does itself, whether or not in conjunction with some or all of
the association members:
(1) directly or indirectly, own, control, or
hold with power to vote all of the outstanding voting securities or other
voting interests of, or have complete voting control over, an association
captive insurance company; or
(2) constitute all of the subscribers of an
association captive insurance company organized as a reciprocal insurer.
(d) 'Association captive
insurance company' means any captive insurance company that insures risks of
the association members of the association and any of their affiliated
companies.
(e) 'Association member' means
any person that belongs to an association.
(f) 'Capital and surplus'
means the amount by which the value of all of the assets of the captive
insurance company exceeds all of the liabilities of the captive insurance
company, as determined under the method of accounting utilized by the captive
insurance company in accordance with §6907(b) of this chapter.
(g) 'Captive insurance company'
means any pure captive insurance company, association captive insurance
company, sponsored captive insurance company, industrial insured captive
insurance company, special purpose captive insurance company, or risk retention
group, whether domestic, foreign or alien, licensed under the provisions of this
chapter.
(h) 'Commissioner' means the
Insurance Commissioner of this State.
(i) 'Controlled unaffiliated
business' means any person (other than a natural person in his or her
individual capacity):
(1) that is not in the
corporate system of a parent and its affiliated companies;
(2) that has an existing
contractual relationship with such parent or any such affiliated company; and
(3) whose risks are managed by
a pure captive insurance company in accordance with §6919 of this chapter.
(j) 'Department' has the
meaning given such term in §102(5) of this title.
(k) 'Domestic' means formed
under the laws of this State.
(l) 'Excess workers'
compensation insurance' means, in the case of an employer that has insured its
workers' compensation risks in accordance with applicable law, insurance in
excess of a specified per-incident or aggregate limit established by the
Commissioner. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, the per-incident and aggregate limit to be utilized by the Commissioner
in establishing the excess workers compensation threshold for employers that
are authorized under applicable law to self insure their workers compensation
risks shall be $0.00.
(m) 'Foreign' means formed under
the laws of any state.
(n) 'Industrial insured' means
an insured:
(1) who procures the insurance of any risk or
risks by use of the services of a full-time employee acting as an insurance
manager or buyer;
(2) whose aggregate annual premiums for
insurance on all risks total at least $25,000.00; and
(3) who has at least 25 full-time employees.
(o) 'Industrial insured captive
insurance company' means any captive insurance company that insures risks of
the industrial insureds that comprise the industrial insured group and any of
their affiliated companies.
(p) 'Industrial insured group'
means any group of industrial insureds that collectively:
(1) directly or indirectly, own, control, or
hold with power to vote all of the outstanding voting securities or other
voting interests of, or have complete voting control over, an industrial insured
captive insurance company; or
(2) constitute all of the subscribers of an
industrial insured captive insurance company organized as a reciprocal insurer.
(q) 'Insurance' has the meaning
given such term in §102(2) of this title.
(r) 'Insurer' has the meaning
given such term in §102(3) of this title.
(s) 'Mutual insurer' has the meaning given such term in §502 of this title.
(t) 'Parent' means a person
that directly or indirectly owns, controls, or holds with power to vote more
than 50 percent of the outstanding voting securities or other voting interests
of a pure captive insurance company.
(u) 'Person' means a natural
person, partnership (whether general or limited), trust, estate, association,
corporation, limited liability company, statutory trust, business trust,
custodian, nominee or any other individual or entity in its own or any
representative capacity, in each case whether domestic, foreign, or alien.
(v) 'Protected cell' has the
meaning given such term in §6932(c) of this chapter.
(w) 'Pure captive insurance company' means any captive insurance company that insures risks of its parent and any of such parent's affiliated companies and any controlled unaffiliated business.
(x) 'Reciprocal insurer' has the meaning given such term in §503 of this title.
(y) 'Risk retention group' means a risk retention group formed pursuant to the Liability Risk Retention Act of 1986, 15 U.S.C. §3901 et seq., as amended.
(z) 'Special purpose captive insurance company' means any person that is licensed under this chapter and designated as a special purpose captive insurance company by the Commissioner.
(aa) 'Sponsored captive insurance company' has the meaning given such term in §6932(e) of this chapter.
(bb) 'State' means the
State of
(cc) 'Transacting insurance' has the meaning given such term in §103 of this title.
§6903. License application; certificate of
authority.
(a) Any person complying with §6906 of this chapter may apply to the Commissioner for a certificate of authority to do any and all insurance business comprised in §§ 902, 903, 904, 905, 906(a)(1)-(2), (4)-(15) and (b), 907, and 908 of this title and to issue annuities as defined in §2902 of this title; provided, however, that:
(1) no pure captive insurance company may directly insure any risks other than those of its parent, any of such parent's affiliated companies, and any controlled unaffiliated business;
(2) no association captive insurance company:
(A) organized as a reciprocal insurer may insure any risks that a reciprocal insurer is not permitted to insure under chapter 57 of this title; and
(B) may insure any risks other than those of the association members of its association and their affiliated companies, provided that an association captive insurance company may insure risks of any other person if the insurance for such other persons satisfies each of the following requirements:
(i) The insurance lines for such other persons must be the same as are authorized by the Commissioner to be written by the association captive insurance company for its association members;
(ii) Such other persons conduct the same or a related or similar business as that of the association members of the association captive insurance company; and
(iii) The maximum amount of premiums received in any year from all such other persons cannot without the express written consent of the Commissioner exceed 50 percent of the gross direct premiums received by the association captive insurance company from its association members in its preceding financial year;
(3) no industrial insured captive insurance company:
(A) organized as a reciprocal insurer may insure any risks that a reciprocal insurer is not permitted to insure under chapter 57 of this title; and
(B) may insure any risks other than those of the industrial insureds of its industrial insured group and their affiliated companies, provided that an industrial insured captive insurance company may insure risks of any other person (other than a natural person in his or her individual capacity) if the insurance for such other persons satisfies each of the following requirements:
(i) The insurance lines for such other persons must be the same as are authorized by the Commissioner to be written by the industrial insured captive insurance company for its industrial insureds;
(ii) Such other persons conduct the same or a related or similar business as that of the industrial insureds of the industrial insured captive insurance company; and
(iii) The maximum amount of premiums received in any year from all such other persons cannot without the express written consent of the Commissioner exceed 50 percent of the gross direct premiums received by the industrial insured captive insurance company from its industrial insureds in its preceding financial year;
(4) no risk retention group may insure any
risks other than risks that may be insured by a risk retention group under
chapter 80 of this title;
(5) a special purpose captive insurance
company may, in addition to the authority set forth in this section for captive
insurance companies, provide insurance or reinsurance, or both, for such other
risks as approved by the Commissioner;
(6) no captive insurance company may provide personal motor vehicle or homeowner's insurance coverage or any component thereof;
(7) no captive insurance company may accept or cede reinsurance except as provided in §6911 of this chapter; and
(8) any captive insurance company may provide excess workers' compensation insurance to its parent and affiliated companies, unless prohibited by federal law or laws of this State or any other state having jurisdiction over the transaction, and any captive insurance company, unless prohibited by federal law, may reinsure workers' compensation of a qualified self-insured plan of its parent and affiliated companies.
(b) No captive insurance
company shall do any insurance business in this State unless:
(1) it first obtains from the Commissioner a
certificate of authority authorizing it to do insurance business in this State;
(2) its board of directors, members, partners, managers, committee of managers, or other governing body, or in the case of a reciprocal insurer, its subscribers' advisory committee, holds at least one meeting each year in this State, provided that this requirement shall not apply to a captive insurance company that has 5 or more full-time employees each of whom has his or her principal place of employment in this State;
(3) it maintains its principal place of
business in this State; and
(4) it identifies in its application for a
certificate of authority its registered office in this State and its registered
agent located at such office to accept service of process on its behalf and to
otherwise act as its registered agent in this State, provided that whenever
such registered agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found at the
registered office of the captive insurance company, the Commissioner shall be
an agent of such captive insurance company upon whom any process, notice or
demand may be served.
(c) (1) Before receiving a certificate of authority, an applicant captive insurance company shall file with the Commissioner a certified copy of its organizational documents, a statement under oath of its president or other authorized person showing its financial condition, and any other statements or documents required by the Commissioner.
(2) Each applicant captive insurance company shall also file with the Commissioner evidence of the following:
(A) the amount and liquidity of its assets
relative to the risks to be assumed;
(B) the adequacy of the expertise, experience,
and character of the person or persons who will manage it;
(C) the overall soundness of its plan of
operation;
(D) the adequacy of the loss prevention
programs of its insureds; and
(E) such other factors deemed relevant by the Commissioner in ascertaining whether the proposed captive insurance company will be able to meet its policy obligations.
(d) Each applicant captive insurance company shall pay to the Commissioner a nonrefundable application fee of $200.00 for reviewing its application to determine its completeness, and a nonrefundable processing fee of $3,000.00 for examining, investigating and processing its application for a certificate of authority, and the Commissioner is authorized to retain legal, financial and examination services from outside the Department, the reasonable cost of which may be charged against the applicant. The provisions of §330 of this title shall apply to reviews, examinations, investigations, and processing conducted under the authority of this section. In addition, each captive insurance company shall pay a nonrefundable license fee for the year of registration and a nonrefundable renewal fee for each year thereafter of $300.00.
(e) Two or more captive insurance companies under common ownership and control shall pay the $200.00 application fee, the $300.00 license fee and the $300.00 renewal fee required by subsection (d) of this section as though they were a single captive insurance company; provided, however, that each such captive insurance company shall be charged the reasonable cost of any legal, financial and examination services from outside the Department retained by the Commissioner in connection with the examination, investigation and processing of its application for a certificate of authority. For purposes of this subsection (e), 'common ownership and control' has the meaning set forth in §6914(e) of this chapter.
(f) If the Commissioner is satisfied that the documents and statements that such captive insurance company has filed comply with the provisions of this chapter, the Commissioner may grant a certificate of authority authorizing it to do insurance business in this State until April 1 thereafter, which certificate of authority may be renewed.
§6904. Company name.
No captive insurance company shall adopt a name that is the same as, deceptively similar to, or likely to be confused with or mistaken for, any other existing business name registered in this State.
§6905. Minimum capital and surplus; letter of credit.
(a) No captive insurance company shall be issued a certificate of authority unless it shall possess and thereafter maintain capital and surplus of:
(1) in the case of a pure captive insurance
company, not less than $250,000.00;
(2) in the case of an association captive
insurance company, not less than $750,000.00;
(3) in the case of an industrial insured
captive insurance company, not less than $500,000.00;
(4) in the case of a risk retention group, not
less than $1,000,000.00;
(5) in the case of a sponsored captive
insurance company, not less than $500,000.00; and
(6) in the case of a special purpose captive
insurance company, not less than $250,000.00 or such other amount determined by
the Commissioner.
(b) In connection with the issuance of a certificate of authority, the Commissioner may prescribe additional minimum capital and surplus based upon the type, volume, and nature of insurance business transacted.
(c) Minimum capital and surplus described in subsections (a)(1) though (a)(6) of this section shall be maintained in this State and may be in the form of cash, an irrevocable letter of credit issued by a financial institution chartered by or licensed or otherwise authorized to do banking business in this State, or by any other financial institution approved by the Commissioner, or such other assets as may be approved by the Commissioner.
§6906. Formation of captive
insurance companies.
(a) A
pure captive insurance company may be incorporated as a stock corporation or as
a nonstock corporation, or may be formed as a limited liability company,
partnership, limited partnership or statutory trust.
(b) An
association captive insurance company or an industrial insured captive
insurance company may be incorporated as a stock corporation or as a nonstock
corporation, may be formed as a limited liability company, partnership, limited
partnership or statutory trust, or may be organized as a reciprocal insurer.
(c) A special purpose captive
insurance company may be incorporated as a stock corporation or as a nonstock
corporation, may be formed as a limited liability company, partnership, limited
partnership or statutory trust, or may be such other person (other than a
natural person in his or her individual capacity) approved by the Commissioner.
(d) A sponsored captive
insurance company may be incorporated as a stock corporation or as a nonstock
corporation, or may be formed as a limited liability company, partnership,
limited partnership or statutory trust.
(e) A risk retention group may
take any form permitted under the Liability Risk Retention Act of 1986, 15
U.S.C. §3901 et seq., as amended.
(f) In the case of a captive
insurance company:
(1) formed as a corporation, at least one of
the members of the board of directors or other governing body shall be a
resident of, or have his or her principal place of business in, this State;
(2) formed as a reciprocal insurer, at least
one of the members of the subscribers' advisory committee shall be a resident
of, or have its principal place of business in, this State;
(3) formed as a limited liability company, at
least one member, manager or person in whom management of the limited liability
company is vested or to whom rights and powers to manage and control the
business and affairs of the limited liability company have been delegated shall
be a resident of, or have its principal place of business in, this State;
(4) formed as a partnership, at least one
partner or person in whom management of the partnership is vested or to whom
rights and powers to manage and control the business and affairs of the
partnership have been delegated shall be a resident of, or have its principal
place of business in, this State;
(5) formed as a limited partnership, at least
one general partner or person in whom management of the limited partnership is
vested or to whom rights and powers to manage and control the business and
affairs of the limited partnership have been delegated shall be a resident of,
or have its principal place of business in, this State; and
(6) formed as a statutory trust, at least one
trustee or person in whom management of the statutory trust is vested or to
whom rights and powers to manage and control the business and affairs of the
statutory trust have been delegated shall be a resident of, or have its
principal place of business in, this State.
(g) A captive insurance company
incorporated, formed or organized under the laws of this State or under the
laws of another jurisdiction that is licensed under the provisions of this
chapter shall have the privileges and be subject to the provisions of the laws
of this State or the laws of such other jurisdiction, as applicable, under
which such captive insurance company is incorporated, formed or organized as
well as the applicable provisions contained in this chapter. In the event of conflict between the
provisions of the laws of this State or the laws of such other jurisdiction, as
applicable, under which such captive insurance company is incorporated, formed
or organized, and the provisions of this chapter, the latter shall control.
§6907. Annual reports.
(a) Captive insurance companies shall not be required to make any annual report to the Commissioner except as provided in this chapter.
(b) Prior to March 1 of each
year, each captive insurance company shall submit to the Commissioner a report
of its financial condition, verified by oath of two of its executive officers
or other authorized persons. Each
captive insurance company shall report using generally accepted accounting
principles, unless the Commissioner approves the use of statutory accounting
principles or international accounting standards, with any appropriate or
necessary modifications or adaptations thereof required or approved or accepted
by the Commissioner for the type of insurance and kinds of insurers to be
reported upon, and as supplemented by additional information required by the
Commissioner. Any captive insurance
company whose use of statutory accounting principles is approved by the Commissioner
may make such modifications and adaptations thereof as are necessary (1) to
record, as 'admitted,' the full value of all investments by such captive
insurance company permitted under this chapter, and (2) subject to the
Commissioner's approval, to make its reports under this section consistent with
the purposes of this chapter. The
Commissioner shall by rule propose the forms in which captive insurance
companies shall report.
(c) Any captive insurance
company may make written application to the Commissioner for filing the
required report on a fiscal year-end. If
an alternative reporting date is granted by the Commissioner:
(1) the annual report is due 60 days after the fiscal year-end; and
(2) in order to provide sufficient detail to support the premium tax return, the captive insurance company shall file prior to March 1 of each year for each calendar year-end such form or information as the Commissioner shall by rule prescribe, verified by oath of two of its executive officers or other authorized persons.
§6908. Examinations and investigations.
(a) At least once in three
years, and whenever the Commissioner determines it to be prudent, the Commissioner
or the Commissioner's examiner shall personally visit each captive insurance
company and thoroughly inspect and examine its affairs to ascertain its
financial condition, its ability to fulfill its obligations and its compliance
with the provisions of this chapter. The
Commissioner may enlarge the aforesaid three-year period to five years,
provided said captive insurance company is subject to a comprehensive annual
audit during such period of a scope satisfactory to the Commissioner by
independent auditors approved by the Commissioner. The expenses and charges of the examination
shall be paid to this State by the company or companies examined.
(b) The provisions of §§ 318,
319, 320, 321 (other than subsection (g)), 322 and 330 of this title shall
apply to examinations conducted under this section.
§6909. Suspension or revocation of certificate of authority.
(a) A captive insurance
company's certificate of authority to do an insurance business in this State
may be suspended or revoked by the Commissioner for any of the following
reasons:
(1) Insolvency;
(2) Failure to meet the
requirements of §6905 of this chapter;
(3) Refusal or failure to submit an annual
report, as required by §6907 of this chapter, or any other report or statement
required by law or by lawful order of
the Commissioner;
(4) Failure to comply with the
provisions of its own organizational documents;
(5) Failure to pay any tax or fee, or to
submit to or pay the cost of examination or any legal obligation relative
thereto, as required by this chapter;
(6) Use of methods that, although not otherwise specifically
prohibited by law, nevertheless render its operation detrimental or its
condition unsound with respect to the public or its policyholders; or
(7) Failure otherwise to comply
with the laws of this State.
(b) If the Commissioner finds,
upon examination, hearing or other evidence, that any captive insurance company
has committed any of the acts specified in subsection (a) of this section, the
Commissioner may suspend or revoke such company's certificate of authority if
the Commissioner deems it in the best interest of the public and the
policyholders of such captive insurance company, notwithstanding any other provision of this title.
(c) Although issued and
delivered to the captive insurance company, the certificate of authority at all
times shall be the property of this State.
Upon any expiration, suspension or termination thereof, the captive
insurance company shall promptly deliver the certificate of authority to the
Commissioner.
§6910. Legal investments; management of assets.
(a) Association captive
insurance companies, special purpose captive insurance companies and risk
retention groups shall comply with (1) the investment requirements contained in
chapter 13 of this title, as applicable, or (2) such investment requirements as
may be approved by the Commissioner upon application by any such captive
insurance company.
(b) No pure captive insurance
company or industrial insured captive insurance company shall be subject to any
restrictions on allowable investments whatsoever, including those limitations
contained in this title; provided, however, that the Commissioner may prohibit
or limit any investment that threatens the solvency or liquidity of any such
captive insurance company.
(c) Loans of minimum capital and
surplus funds required by §6905 of this chapter are prohibited.
(d) Subject to subsections (a)
and (b) of this section and §6937 of this chapter, as applicable, a captive
insurance company may own securities of or other interests in another captive
insurance company, whether voting or non-voting.
§6911. Reinsurance.
(a) Any captive insurance company may provide reinsurance, on risks ceded by any other insurer, in accordance with §910 of this title.
(b) Any captive insurance company may take credit or a reduction from liability for the reinsurance of risks or portions of risks ceded to reinsurers in accordance with subchapter III of chapter 9 of this title, or as otherwise approved by the Commissioner.
§6912. Rating organization
membership.
No captive insurance company shall be
required to join a rating organization.
§6913. Prohibited associations.
No captive insurance company shall be
permitted to join or contribute financially to any plan, pool, association, or
guaranty or insolvency fund in this State, nor shall any such captive insurance
company, or any insured or affiliate thereof, receive any benefit from any such
plan, pool, association, or guaranty or insolvency fund for claims arising out
of the operations of such captive insurance company.
§6914. Tax on premiums collected.
(a) Each
captive insurance company, other than a sponsored captive insurance company,
and each protected cell of a sponsored captive insurance company shall pay to
the Commissioner no later than March 1 of each year a tax at the rate of 2
tenths of one percent on each dollar of direct premiums collected or contracted
for, during the year ending December 31 next preceding, on policies or
contracts of insurance written by the captive insurance company, after
deducting from the direct premiums subject to the tax the amounts paid to
policyholders as return premiums with respect to such preceding year only,
which amounts shall include only dividends or distributions of unabsorbed
premiums or premium deposits returned or credited to policyholders, up to a
maximum tax for such year of $125,000; provided, however, that no tax shall be
due or payable as to consideration received for annuity contracts.
(b) Each
captive insurance company, other than a sponsored captive insurance company,
and each protected cell of a sponsored captive insurance company shall pay to
the Commissioner no later than March 1 of each year a tax at the rate of 1
tenth of one percent on each dollar of assumed reinsurance premiums collected
or contracted for, during the year ending December 31 next preceding, on
policies or contracts of insurance written by the captive insurance company, up
to a maximum tax for such year of $75,000; provided, however, that no such tax
applies to premiums for risks or portions of risks which are subject to
taxation on a direct basis pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, and no
such tax shall be payable in connection with the receipt of assets in exchange
for the assumption of loss reserves and other liabilities of another insurer
under common ownership and control if such transaction is part of a plan to
discontinue the operations of such other insurer and if the intent of the
parties to such transaction is to renew or maintain such business with the
captive insurance company.
(c) The annual minimum aggregate tax to be
paid by a captive insurance company or a protected cell of a sponsored captive
insurance company under subsections (a) and (b) of this section shall be
$5,000.00 and the annual maximum aggregate tax to be paid by a captive
insurance company or a protected cell of a sponsored captive insurance company
under subsections (a) and (b) of this section shall be $200,000.00, provided,
that the tax to be paid by a captive insurance company under subsections (a)
and (b) of this section and this subsection (c) is subject to subsections (d),
(e) and (h) of this section.
(d) For all purposes of this section, two or
more captive insurance companies under common ownership and control shall be
taxed as though they were a single captive insurance company.
(e) For all purposes of this section, 'common
ownership and control' means the direct or indirect ownership of 80 percent or
more of the outstanding voting securities or other voting interests of two or
more captive insurance companies by the same person or persons.
(f) The
tax provided for in this section shall constitute all taxes collectible under
the laws of this State from any captive insurance company, and no other
occupation tax or other taxes shall be levied on or collected from any captive
insurance company by this State or any county, city, or municipality within
this State, except ad valorem taxes on real and personal property used in the
production of income.
(g) The tax provided for in this section shall
be calculated on an annual basis, notwithstanding that policies or contracts of
insurance or contracts of reinsurance are issued on a multiyear basis. In the case of multiyear policies or
contracts, the premium shall be prorated for purposes of determining the tax
under this section.
(h) A captive insurance company that has 25 or
more separate qualified individuals throughout a given tax year and that
otherwise would be liable under this section for tax for such year in an amount
exceeding $50,000.00 shall pay to the Commissioner under this section a tax for
such year in the amount of $50,000.00. For purposes of this subsection (h), 'qualified
individual' means a natural person employed in this State on a regular basis of
35 or more hours per week either by such captive insurance company, or by a
wholly-owned subsidiary of such captive insurance company that provides captive
insurance company management, operating, investment or related services
exclusively to such captive insurance company.
§6915. Rules and regulations - In General.
The Commissioner may establish and
from time to time amend such rules and regulations relating to captive
insurance companies as are necessary to enable the Commissioner to carry out
the provisions of this chapter.
§6915A. Exemption from rules and regulations - Special Purpose Captive Insurance Companies.
The Commissioner, on a case by case
basis, may by order exempt a special purpose captive insurance company from the
provisions of this chapter and any rule or regulation established by the
Commissioner pursuant to §6915 of this chapter that, as reasonably determined by
the Commissioner based on such factors deemed relevant by the Commissioner
consistent with the purposes of this chapter, are inappropriate to apply to
such special purpose captive insurance company.
§6916.
Applicable laws.
No provisions of this title, other
than those contained in this chapter or specifically referenced in this
chapter, shall apply to captive insurance companies.
§6917. Captive insurance
regulatory and supervision fund.
(a) There
is hereby created a fund to be known as the captive insurance regulatory and
supervision fund for the purpose of providing the financial means for the
Commissioner to administer this chapter. All of the tax under §6914 of this chapter and
all other amounts received by the Department pursuant to this chapter shall be
credited to this fund.
(b) At
the end of each fiscal year, the balance in the captive insurance regulatory
and supervision fund, in excess of such amount reasonably necessary to finance
the Commissioner's administration of this chapter during the upcoming fiscal
year, shall be transferred to the General Fund.
(c) Within 30 days after the
end of each fiscal year,
the Commissioner shall submit to the Secretary of Finance of this State a written report stating:
(1) the total amount of taxes and other amounts
paid to the Department pursuant to this chapter during such fiscal year, and the total
amount of the
Commissioner's costs and expenses to administer this chapter during such fiscal
year; and
(2) the Commissioner's estimate of the total amount of the Commissioner's
costs and expenses to administer this chapter during the current fiscal year.
§6918. Delinquency.
To the extent not
inconsistent with this chapter, the provisions of chapter 59 of this title
shall apply to captive insurance companies licensed under this chapter
(including for this purpose individual protected cells of sponsored captive
insurance companies as set forth in §6938 of this chapter).
§6919. Rules for controlled unaffiliated business.
The
Commissioner may adopt rules establishing standards to ensure that a pure
captive insurance company's parent or any of its affiliated companies is able
to exercise control of the risk management function of any controlled
unaffiliated business to be insured by the pure captive insurance company; provided,
however, that, until such time as rules under this section
are adopted, the Commissioner may approve the coverage of such risks by a pure
captive insurance company, on a case by case basis.
§6920. Confidentiality.
All portions of license
applications reasonably designated confidential by the applicable applicant
captive insurance company, and all examination reports,
preliminary examination reports, working papers, recorded information, other documents,
and any copies of any of the foregoing, produced or obtained by or submitted or
disclosed to the Commissioner related to an examination pursuant to this
chapter shall, unless the prior written consent (which may be given on a
case-by-case basis) of the captive insurance company to which it pertains has
been obtained, be given confidential treatment, shall not be subject to
subpoena, may not be made public by the Commissioner, and may not be provided
or disclosed to any other person at any time except (1) to the insurance
department of any state or of any country or jurisdiction other than the United
States of America, or (2) to a law enforcement official or agency of this
State, any other state or the United States of America so long as such official
or agency agrees in writing to hold it confidential and in a manner consistent
with this section.
§6921. Material changes in information; continued
licensure.
In the
event of any material change in the financial condition or management of a
captive insurance company, the captive insurance company shall notify the
Commissioner in writing promptly of any such change and in any event within 10
business days thereof.
§6922. Material transactions; prior notice.
No captive insurance company
shall voluntarily take any of the following actions without providing the
Commissioner at least 30 days prior written notice or receiving the
Commissioner's approval of any such action within such 30 day period:
(a) The dissolution of the
captive insurance company;
(b) Any sale, exchange, lease,
mortgage, assignment, pledge or other transfer of, or granting of a security
interest in, all or substantially all of the assets of the captive insurance
company;
(c) Any incurrence of material
indebtedness by the captive insurance company;
(d) Any making of a material
loan or other material extension of credit by the captive insurance company;
(e) Any material payment out of capital and surplus;
(f) Any merger or
consolidation to which the captive insurance company is a constituent party;
(g) Any conversion of the
captive insurance company to another business form;
(h) Any transfer to or
domestication in any jurisdiction by the captive insurance company; or
(i) Any material amendment of
the organizational documents of the captive insurance company.
Subchapter 2. Sponsored Captive Insurance Companies.
§6931. General.
In addition to the provisions of subchapter 1 of this chapter, the provisions of this subchapter shall apply to sponsored captive insurance companies, and §6922 of this chapter shall apply to each protected cell of a sponsored captive insurance company.
§6932. Definitions.
As used in this subchapter, unless
the context requires otherwise:
(a) 'Participant' means any person that is
insured by a sponsored captive insurance company, where the losses of such
participant are limited through a participant contract to such participant's
pro rata share of the assets of one or more protected cells identified in such
participant contract.
(b) 'Participant
contract' means a contract by which a sponsored captive insurance company
insures the risks of one or more participants, and limits the losses of each
such participant to its pro rata share of the assets of one or more protected
cells identified in such participant contract.
(c) 'Protected
cell' means a separate and distinct account established and maintained by or on
behalf of a sponsored captive insurance company in which assets, including
assets invested pursuant to §6937 of this chapter, are accounted for and
recorded for one or more participants in accordance with the terms of one or
more participant contracts to fund the liability of the sponsored captive
insurance company assumed on behalf of such participants as set forth in such
participant contracts.
(d) 'Sponsor' means any person qualifying as a
sponsor under §6935 of this chapter.
(e) 'Sponsored captive insurance company' means any captive insurance company:
(1) of which the minimum capital and surplus required by this chapter is provided by one or more sponsors;
(2) that is licensed under the provisions of this chapter;
(3) that insures the risks of its participants only, through separate participant contracts; and
(4) that funds its liability to each
participant through one or more protected cells and segregates the assets of
each protected cell from the assets of other protected cells and from the
assets of the sponsored captive insurance company's general account.
§6933. Supplemental license application materials.
In addition to the information required by §6903(c) of this chapter, each applicant sponsored captive insurance company shall file with the Commissioner the following:
(a) materials demonstrating to the
satisfaction of the Commissioner how the applicant will report to the
Commissioner on, and account for, the loss and expense experience of each
protected cell;
(b) a statement acknowledging that all
financial records of the sponsored captive insurance company, including records
pertaining to any protected cells, shall be made available for inspection or
examination by the Commissioner or the Commissioner's designated agent;
(c) all contracts or sample contracts between
the sponsored captive insurance company and any participants; and
(d) evidence that expenses shall be allocated to each protected cell in a fair and equitable manner.
§6934. Protected cells.
A sponsored captive insurance company may establish and maintain one or more protected cells to insure risks of one or more participants, subject to the following conditions:
(a) the
owners of a sponsored captive insurance company shall be limited to its
participants and sponsors, provided that a sponsored captive insurance company
may issue nonvoting securities or interests to other persons on terms approved
by the Commissioner;
(b) the assets of each protected cell shall be
held and accounted for separately on the books and records of the sponsored
captive insurance company to reflect the financial condition and results of
operations of such protected cell, net income or loss of such protected cell,
dividends or other distributions to participants of such protected cell, and
such other factors regarding such protected cell as may be provided in the
applicable participant contract or required by the Commissioner;
(c) the assets of a protected cell shall not be chargeable with liabilities of any other protected cell or, unless otherwise agreed in the applicable participant contract, of the sponsored captive insurance company generally;
(d) no sale, exchange, or transfer of assets, or dividend or other distribution, may be made with respect to a protected cell by such sponsored captive insurance company without the consent of the participants of each affected protected cell;
(e) no
sale, exchange, or transfer of assets, or dividend or other distribution (other
than a payment to a sponsor in accordance with the applicable participant
contract), may be made with respect to a protected cell to a sponsor or a participant
without the Commissioner's approval;
(f) each sponsored
captive insurance company shall annually file with the Commissioner such
financial reports as the Commissioner
shall require, which shall include, without limitation, accounting statements
detailing the financial experience of
each protected cell;
(g) each sponsored captive insurance company
shall notify the Commissioner in writing promptly and in any event within 10
business days of any protected cell that is insolvent or otherwise unable to
meet its claim or expense obligations;
(h) no participant contract shall take effect
without the Commissioner's prior written approval, and the addition of each new
protected cell and withdrawal of any participant or termination of any existing
protected cell shall constitute a
change in the plan of operation of the sponsored captive insurance company
requiring the Commissioner's prior written approval; and
(i) the business written by a sponsored
captive insurance company, with respect to each protected cell, shall be:
(1) fronted by an insurance company licensed
under the laws of this State or any other state;
(2) reinsured by a reinsurer authorized or
approved by this State; or
(3) secured by a trust fund in this State for
the benefit of policyholders and claimants or funded by an irrevocable letter
of credit or other arrangement that is acceptable to the Commissioner. The
amount of security provided shall be no less than the reserves associated with
those liabilities which are neither fronted nor reinsured, including reserves
for losses, allocated loss adjustment expenses, incurred but not reported
losses and unearned premiums for business written through such protected cell. The Commissioner may require the sponsored
captive insurance company to increase the funding of any security arrangement
established under this subsection (i). If the form of security is a letter of
credit, the letter of credit must be established, issued or confirmed by a
financial institution chartered by or licensed or otherwise authorized to do
banking business in this State, or by any other financial institution approved
by the Commissioner. A trust maintained
pursuant to this subsection (i) shall be established in a form and upon such
terms approved by the Commissioner.
§6935. Qualification of sponsors.
A sponsor
of a sponsored captive insurance company shall be an insurer (including a
reinsurer) licensed under the laws of this State or any other state, a captive
insurance company licensed under this chapter, or any other person approved by
the Commissioner. A risk retention group
shall not be a sponsor of a sponsored captive insurance company, and a risk
retention group may be a participant of a sponsored captive insurance company
only to the extent that it is the sole participant of one or more protected
cells.
§6936. Participants in sponsored
captive insurance companies.
(a) Any person may be a
participant in any sponsored captive insurance company.
(b) A sponsor may be a
participant in a sponsored captive insurance company.
(c) A participant need not be
an owner of the sponsored captive insurance company or any affiliate thereof.
(d) Except as otherwise
approved by the Commissioner, a participant may insure through a sponsored
captive insurance company only its own risks and the risks of its affiliates
who are participants.
§6937. Investments by sponsored
captive insurance companies.
Notwithstanding the provisions of §6934 of this chapter, a
sponsored captive insurance company may combine the assets of two or more
protected cells for purposes of investing such assets, and such combination
shall not be construed as defeating the segregation of such assets for purposes
of §6934 and §6938 of this chapter or for accounting or other purposes.
Sponsored captive insurance companies shall comply with (1) the investment
requirements contained in chapter 13 of this title, as applicable, or (2) such investment requirements as may
be approved by the Commissioner upon application by any such sponsored captive
insurance company; provided, however, that compliance with such investment
requirements shall be waived for sponsored captive insurance companies to the
extent that credit for reinsurance ceded to reinsurers is allowed pursuant to §6911
of this chapter or to the extent otherwise deemed reasonable and appropriate by
the Commissioner.
§6938. Delinquency of sponsored captive insurance
companies.
The provisions of §6918 of this chapter shall
apply to a sponsored captive insurance company and to each protected cell of
the sponsored captive insurance company, provided:
(a) the assets of a protected cell may not be
used to pay any expenses or claims other than those attributable to such
protected cell; and
(b) the minimum capital and surplus of the
sponsored captive insurance company shall at all times be available to pay any
expenses of or claims against the sponsored captive insurance company or any
protected cell thereof.
Subchapter 3.
Miscellaneous.
§6961. Repeals; effective date; applicability.
(a) Except as provided in subsection (b)
of this section, this chapter shall apply to all captive insurance companies.
(b) Chapter
69 of this title as in effect prior to
(c) Any captive insurance
company licensed in this State as of
§6962. Reserved power of this State to alter or repeal chapter.
All provisions of this chapter may be
altered from time to time or repealed.
§6963. Short title.
This chapter may be cited as the "Delaware Revised Captive Insurance Company Act.".
SYNOPSIS
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