A. For the purpose of providing the funds necessary to carry out the powers and duties of the Oklahoma Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association, the Board of Directors of the Oklahoma Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association shall assess the member insurers, separately for each account, at such time and for such amounts as the Board finds necessary. Assessments shall be due not less than thirty (30) days after prior written notice to the member insurers and shall accrue interest at six percent (6%) per annum on and after the due date.
B. There shall be two classes of assessments, as follows:
1. Class A assessments shall be made for the purpose of meeting administrative and legal costs and other expenses and examinations. Class A assessments may be made whether or not related to a particular impaired or insolvent insurer;
2. Class B assessments shall be made to the extent necessary to carry out the powers and duties of the Association under Section 2028 of this title with regard to an impaired or an insolvent foreign or domestic insurer.
C. 1. The amount of any Class A assessment shall be determined by the Board and may be made on a pro rata or non-pro rata basis. If pro rata, the Board may provide that it be credited against future Class B assessments. A non-pro rata assessment shall be credited against future insolvency.
The amount of any Class B assessment, except for assessments related to long-term care insurance, shall be allocated for assessment purposes among the accounts and among the subaccounts of the life insurance and annuity account, pursuant to an allocation formula which may be based on the premiums or reserves of the impaired or insolvent insurer or any other standard deemed by the Board in its sole discretion as being fair and reasonable under the circumstances.
The amount of the Class B assessment for long-term care insurance written by the impaired or insolvent insurer shall be allocated according to a methodology included in the plan of operation and approved by the Commissioner. The methodology shall provide for fifty percent (50%) of the assessment to be allocated to accident and health member insurers and fifty percent (50%) to be allocated to life and annuity member insurers.
2. Class B assessments against member insurers for each account shall be in the proportion that the premiums received on business in this state by each assessed member insurer on policies or contracts covered by each account for the three (3) most recent calendar years for which information is available preceding the year in which the member insurer became impaired or insolvent, as the case may be, bears to such premiums received on business in this state for such calendar years by all assessed member insurers.
3. Assessments for funds to meet the requirements of the Association with respect to an impaired or insolvent insurer shall not be made until necessary to implement the purposes of this act. Classification of assessments under subsection B of this section and computation of assessments under this subsection shall be made with a reasonable degree of accuracy, recognizing that exact determinations may not always be possible.
D. The Association may abate, or defer in whole or in part, the assessment of a member insurer if, in the opinion of the Board, payment of the assessment would endanger the ability of the member insurer to fulfill its contractual obligations. In the event an assessment against a member insurer is abated, or deferred in whole or in part, the amount by which such assessment is abated or deferred may be assessed against the other member insurers in a manner consistent with the basis for assessments set forth in this section.
E. The total of all assessments upon a member insurer for each account in any one (1) calendar year shall not exceed two percent (2%) of such average premiums of the insurer received in this state during the three (3) calendar years preceding the assessment on the policies and contracts covered by the account and in which the member insurer became an impaired or insolvent insurer. If the maximum assessment together with the other assets of the Association in any account does not provide in any one (1) year in either account an amount sufficient to carry out the responsibilities of the Association, the necessary additional funds shall be assessed as soon thereafter as permitted by the Oklahoma Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association Act. The Board may provide in the plan of operation, a method of allocating funds among claims, whether relating to one or more impaired or insolvent insurers, when the maximum assessment will be insufficient to cover anticipated claims.
F. The Board may, by an equitable method as established in the plan of operation, refund to member insurers, in proportion to the contributions of each insurer to that account, the amount by which the assets of the account exceed the amount the Board finds is necessary to carry out the obligations of the Association during the coming year with regard to that account, including assets accruing from assignment, subrogation, net realized gains and income from investments. A reasonable amount may be retained in any account to provide funds for the continuing expenses of the Association and for future losses.
G. It shall be proper for any member insurer to consider the amount reasonably necessary to meet its obligations under this act in determining its premium rates and policy owner dividends as to any kind of insurance or health maintenance organization business within the scope of the Oklahoma Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association Act.
H. The Association shall issue to each member insurer paying an assessment under the Oklahoma Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association Act, other than a Class A assessment, a certificate of contribution, in a form prescribed by the Commissioner, for the amount of the assessment so paid. All outstanding certificates shall be of equal priority without reference to amounts or dates of issue. A certificate of contribution may be shown by the member insurer in its financial statement as an asset in such form and for such amount, if any, and period of time as the Commissioner may approve.
I. A member insurer may offset against its premium, franchise or income tax liability to this state, an assessment described in subsection H of this section to the extent of twenty percent (20%) of the amount of such assessment for each of the five (5) calendar years following the year in which such assessment was paid. In the event a member insurer should cease doing business, all uncredited assessments may be credited against its premium, franchise or income tax liability for the year it ceases doing business.
J. Any sums acquired by refund, pursuant to subsection F of this section, from the Association which have theretofore been written off by contributing insurers and offset against premium, franchise or income taxes as provided in subsection I of this section, and are not then needed for purposes of the Oklahoma Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association Act, shall be paid by the Association to the Insurance Commissioner who shall dispense such funds in accordance with the statutes regarding disbursement of such taxes.
Added by Laws 1981, c. 133, § 10. Amended by Laws 1985, c. 328, § 19, emerg. eff. July 29, 1985; Laws 1987, c. 177, § 6, eff. Nov. 1, 1987; Laws 1989, c. 181, § 7, eff. Nov. 1, 1989; Laws 2019, c. 384, § 8, eff. Nov. 1, 2019.