HB0938 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB095 07026 KBJ 27148 b

95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
HB0938

Introduced 2/8/2007, by Rep. Mark H. Beaubien, Jr.

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

215 ILCS 5/531.09

from Ch. 73, par. 1065.80-9

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. In an Article involving the Illinois Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association, provides that the amount of any Class A assessment for member insurers shall be determined at the discretion of the board of directors of the Association and such assessments shall be authorized and called on a non pro-rata basis (instead of the amount being determined by the board, which may be made on a non-pro rata basis). Deletes a provision stating that such assessments shall not exceed $200 per company in any one calendar year.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning insurance.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Insurance Code is amended by changing Section 531.09 as follows:

(215 ILCS 5/531.09) (from Ch. 73, par. 1065.80-9)

Sec. 531.09. Assessments.

(1) For the purpose of providing the funds necessary to carry out the powers and duties of the Association, the board of directors shall assess the member insurers, separately for each account, at such times and for such amounts as the board finds necessary. Assessments shall be due not less than 30 days after written notice to the member insurers and shall accrue interest from the due date at such adjusted rate as is established under Section 6621 of Chapter 26 of the United States Code and such interest shall be compounded daily.

(2) There shall be 2 classes of assessments, as follows:

(a) Class A assessments shall be made for the purpose of meeting administrative costs and other general expenses and examinations conducted under the authority of the Director under subsection (5) of Section 531.12.

(b) Class B assessments shall be made to the extent necessary to carry out the powers and duties of the Association under Section 531.08 with regard to an impaired or insolvent domestic insurer or insolvent foreign or alien insurers.

(3) (a) The amount of any Class A assessment shall be determined at the discretion of the board of directors by the Board and such assessments shall may be authorized and called made on a non-pro rata basis. Such assessments shall not exceed $200 per company in any one calendar year. The amount of any Class B assessment shall be allocated for assessment purposes among the accounts and subaccounts 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.

(b) Class B assessments against member insurers for each account and subaccount 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 or subaccount for the three most recent calendar years for which information is available preceding the year in which the 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.

(c) 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 Article. Classification of assessments under subsection (2) and computations of assessments under this subsection shall be made with a reasonable degree of accuracy, recognizing that exact determinations may not always be possible.

(4) 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. The total of all assessments upon a member insurer for the life and annuity account and for each subaccount thereunder may not in any one calendar year exceed 2% and for the health account may not in any one calendar year exceed 2% of such insurer's average premiums received in this State on the policies and contracts covered by the account or subaccount during the three calendar years preceding the year in which the insurer became an impaired or insolvent insurer. If a one percent assessment for any subaccount of the life and annuity account in any one year does not provide an amount sufficient to carry out the responsibilities of the Association, then pursuant to subsection 3(b), the board shall access all subaccounts of the life and annuity account for the necessary additional amount, subject to the maximum stated in this subsection.

(5) In the event an assessment against a member insurer is abated, or deferred, in whole or in part, because of the limitations set forth in subsection (4) of this Section 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. If the maximum assessment, together with the other assets of the Association in either account, does not provide in any one year in either account an amount sufficient to carry out the responsibilities of the Association, the necessary additional funds may be assessed as soon thereafter as permitted by this Article. 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.

(6) The board may, by an equitable method as established in the plan of operation, refund to member insurers, in proportion to the contribution 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 during the coming year the obligations of the Association with regard to that account, including assets accruing from 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 if refunds are impractical.

(7) An assessment is deemed to occur on the date upon which the board votes such assessment. The board may defer calling the payment of the assessment or may call for payment in one or more installments.

(8) It is proper for any member insurer, in determining its premium rates and policyowner dividends as to any kind of insurance within the scope of this Article, to consider the amount reasonably necessary to meet its assessment obligations under this Article.

(9) The Association must issue to each insurer paying a Class B assessment under this Article a certificate of contribution, in a form acceptable to the Director, for the amount of the assessment so paid. All outstanding certificates are of equal dignity and priority without reference to amounts or dates of issue. A certificate of contribution may be shown by the insurer in its financial statement as an asset in such form and for such amount, if any, and period of time as the Director may approve, provided the insurer shall in any event at its option have the right to show a certificate of contribution as an admitted asset at percentages of the original face amount for calendar years as follows:

100% for the calendar year after the year of issuance;

80% for the second calendar year after the year of issuance;

60% for the third calendar year after the year of issuance;

40% for the fourth calendar year after the year of issuance;

20% for the fifth calendar year after the year of issuance.

(Source: P.A. 86-753.)