(1) A broker shall not place any coverage with a nonadmitted insurer unless, at the time of placement, the nonadmitted insurer meets all applicable eligibility requirements contained in the federal act or is an insurance exchange, Lloyds plan, or group of incorporated insurers under common administration that has been approved by the commissioner and is included on the list of eligible nonadmitted insurers prepared by the commissioner at least annually. To be placed on the eligible list, the nonadmitted insurer shall:
Submit a current year's application, fees as prescribed by sections 10-3-207 and 2431-104.5, C.R.S., and other information required by the commissioner. In the case of an insurance exchange, the nonadmitted insurer shall submit an aggregate combined annual statement of all underwriting syndicates operating during the period reported, in addition to individual annual statements for each syndicate.
(I) In the case of a foreign insurer, meet all applicable eligibility requirements contained in the federal act. The commissioner may approve an insurer with less than the required minimum requirements upon an affirmative finding of acceptability by the commissioner. The finding must be based upon such factors as quality of management, capital and surplus of any parent company, company underwriting profit and investment income trends, market availability, and company record and reputation within the industry. The commissioner shall not make an affirmative finding of acceptability when the insurer's capital and surplus is less than four million five hundred thousand dollars.
(II) In the case of an "insurance exchange" created by the laws of a state other than this state, the syndicates of the exchange shall have and maintain, under terms acceptable to the commissioner, capital and surplus of not less than seventy-five million dollars in the aggregate. The insurance exchange shall maintain, under terms acceptable to the commissioner, not less than fifty percent of the policyholder surplus of each syndicate in a custodial account accessible to the exchange or its domiciliary commissioner in the event of insolvency or impairment of the individual syndicate. In addition, each individual syndicate to be eligible to accept surplus lines insurance placements from this state shall meet either of the following requirements:
For insurance exchanges that maintain funds in an amount of not less than fifteenmillion dollars for the protection of all exchange policyholders, the syndicate shall have and maintain, under terms acceptable to the commissioner, minimum capital and surplus of not less than five million dollars; or
For insurance exchanges that do not maintain funds in an amount of not less thanfifteen million dollars for the protection of all exchange policyholders, the syndicate shall maintain, under terms acceptable to the commissioner, minimum capital and surplus of not less than the minimum capital and surplus requirements under the laws of its domiciliary jurisdiction or fifteen million dollars, whichever is greater.
(I) In the case of an alien insurer, as defined in section 10-3-301 (1), maintain statuson the current national association of insurance commissioners' international insurers department listing;
In the case of a Lloyd's plan or other similar unincorporated group of individualinsurers, or a combination of both unincorporated and incorporated insurers, such alien insurer shall have and maintain a trust fund in the United States, in an amount of not less than one hundred million dollars, which trust fund shall be available for the benefit of United States surplus lines policyholders of any member of the group. The group shall, in addition, maintain in the United States a trust fund or trust funds in an amount satisfactory to the commissioner that is not less than the amount required by the law of the state where the trust fund or trust funds are located. The incorporated members of the group shall not be engaged in any business other than underwriting as a member of the group and shall be subject to the same level of solvency regulation and control by the group's domiciliary regulator as are the unincorporated members. The trust funds shall be maintained in an irrevocable trust account in the United States in a qualified financial institution and shall consist of cash, securities, letters of credit, or investments of substantially the same character and quality as those that are eligible investments for the capital and statutory reserves of admitted insurers to write like kinds of insurance in this state, and the trust instrument representing the surplus portion of the trust deposit shall satisfy the requirements of the standard trust agreement required for listing with the national association of insurance commissioners' international insurers department.
In the case of a group of incorporated insurers under common administration thathas continuously transacted an insurance business outside the United States for at least three years immediately before May 16, 1995, and that submits to this state's authority to examine its books and records and bears the expense of the examination, have and maintain an aggregate policyholders' surplus of ten billion dollars and have and maintain in trust a surplus in the amount of one hundred million dollars, all of which surplus funds shall be available for the benefit of United States surplus lines policyholders of any member of the group. Each insurer shall individually maintain capital and surplus of not less than twenty-five million dollars per company. The trust funds shall satisfy the requirements of the standard trust agreement requirement for listing with the national association of insurance commissioners' international insurers department, shall be maintained in an irrevocable trust account in the United States in a qualified financial institution, and shall consist of cash, securities, letters of credit, or investments of substantially the same character and quality as those that are eligible investments for the capital and statutory reserves of admitted insurers to write like kinds of insurance in this state. Additionally, each member of the group shall make available to the commissioner an annual certification of the member's solvency by the member's domiciliary regulator and its independent public accountant.
(Deleted by amendment, L. 95, p. 493, § 13, effective May 16, 1995.)
(2) A surplus line broker who places insurance with a nonadmitted insurance company that does not comply with this article is subject to a penalty of up to ten thousand dollars as determined by the commissioner and the surplus line broker's license may be revoked.
Source: L. 49: p. 469, § 7. CSA: C. 87, § 324. CRS 53: § 72-14-7. C.R.S. 1963: § 7213-7. L. 71: p. 725, § 1. L. 73: p. 856, § 1. L. 75: (1) R&RE, p. 342, § 1, effective July 1. L. 81:
(1) amended, p. 539, § 5, effective January 1, 1982. L. 91: (1) amended, p. 1232, § 6, effective June 5. L. 92: (1) amended, p. 1492, § 21, effective July 1. L. 93: (1)(c) amended, p. 485, § 2, effective April 26. L. 95: Entire section amended, p. 493, § 13, effective May 16. L. 98: (1)(c)(II) amended, p. 227, § 1, effective April 10. L. 2010: (1)(a) amended, (HB 10-1385), ch. 204, p. 883, § 4, effective May 5. L. 2012: (1)(a) amended, (SB 12-110), ch. 158, p. 561, § 6, effective July 1; IP(1), (1)(a), IP(1)(b), (1)(b)(I), (1)(c)(I), and (2) amended, (HB 12-1215), ch. 104, p. 351, § 2, effective August 8.
Editor's note: Amendments to subsection (1)(a) by House Bill 12-1215 and Senate Bill 12-110 were harmonized.