Section 48.32A.135. Miscellaneous provisions.

(1) This chapter does not reduce the liability for unpaid assessments of the insureds of an impaired or insolvent insurer operating under a plan with assessment liability.

(2) Records must be kept of all meetings of the board of directors to discuss the activities of the association in carrying out its powers and duties under RCW 48.32A.075. The records of the association with respect to an impaired or insolvent insurer may not be disclosed prior to the termination of a liquidation, rehabilitation, or conservation proceeding involving the impaired or insolvent insurer, upon the termination of the impairment or insolvency of the insurer, or upon the order of a court of competent jurisdiction. This subsection does not limit the duty of the association to render a report of its activities under RCW 48.32A.145.

(3) For the purpose of carrying out its obligations under this chapter, the association is a creditor of the impaired or insolvent insurer to the extent of assets attributable to covered policies reduced by any amounts to which the association is entitled as subrogee under RCW 48.32A.075(11). Assets of the impaired or insolvent insurer attributable to covered policies must be used to continue all covered policies and pay all contractual obligations of the impaired or insolvent insurer as required by this chapter. Assets attributable to covered policies, as used in this subsection, are that proportion of the assets which the reserves that should have been established for such policies bear to the reserves that should have been established for all policies of insurance written by the impaired or insolvent insurer.

(4) As a creditor of the impaired or insolvent insurer as established in subsection (3) of this section, the association and other similar associations are entitled to receive a disbursement of assets out of the marshaled assets, from time to time as the assets become available to reimburse it, as a credit against contractual obligations under this chapter. If the liquidator has not, within one hundred twenty days of a final determination of insolvency of an insurer by the receivership court, made an application to the court for the approval of a proposal to disburse assets out of marshaled assets to guaranty associations having obligations because of the insolvency, then the association is entitled to make application to the receivership court for approval of its own proposal to disburse these assets.

(5)(a) Prior to the termination of any liquidation, rehabilitation, or conservation proceeding, the court may take into consideration the contributions of the respective parties, including the association, the shareholders, and the policy owners of the insolvent insurer, and any other party with a bona fide interest, in making an equitable distribution of the ownership rights of the insolvent insurer. In such a determination, consideration must be given to the welfare of the policy owners of the continuing or successor insurer.

(b) A distribution to stockholders, if any, of an impaired or insolvent insurer shall not be made until and unless the total amount of valid claims of the association with interest thereon for funds expended in carrying out its powers and duties under RCW 48.32A.075 with respect to the insurer have been fully recovered by the association.

(6)(a) If an order for liquidation or rehabilitation of an insurer domiciled in this state has been entered, the receiver appointed under the order has a right to recover on behalf of the insurer, from any affiliate that controlled it, the amount of distributions, other than stock dividends paid by the insurer on its capital stock, made at any time during the five years preceding the petition for liquidation or rehabilitation subject to the limitations of (b) through (d) of this subsection.

(b) A distribution is not recoverable if the insurer shows that when paid the distribution was lawful and reasonable, and that the insurer did not know and could not reasonably have known that the distribution might adversely affect the ability of the insurer to fulfill its contractual obligations.

(c) Any person who was an affiliate that controlled the insurer at the time the distributions were paid is liable up to the amount of distributions received. Any person who was an affiliate that controlled the insurer at the time the distributions were declared, is liable up to the amount of distributions which would have been received if they had been paid immediately. If two or more persons are liable with respect to the same distributions, they are jointly and severally liable.

(d) The maximum amount recoverable under this subsection is the amount needed in excess of all other available assets of the insolvent insurer to pay the contractual obligations of the insolvent insurer.

(e) If any person liable under (c) of this subsection is insolvent, all its affiliates that controlled it at the time the distribution was paid are jointly and severally liable for any resulting deficiency in the amount recovered from the insolvent affiliate.

[ 2001 c 50 § 14.]

2001 c 50 § 14.