Section 4109. Mutual companies; special contingent surplus  


Latest version.
  • (a) A domestic
      mutual property/casualty insurance company licensed to write any of  the
      kinds  of  insurance defined respectively in the following paragraphs of
      subsection (a) of section one thousand  one  hundred  thirteen  of  this
      chapter:   accident  and  health  (item  (i)  of  (3)),  non-cancellable
      disability (item (ii) of (3)), burglary and theft (7), glass (8), boiler
      and machinery (9), elevator (10), animal (11), personal injury liability
      (13),  property  damage  liability  (14),  workers'   compensation   and
      employers'  liability  (15),  fidelity  and  surety (16) or credit (17),
      shall establish on its general ledger a special contingent  surplus  and
      shall  thereafter maintain the same unimpaired so long as it is licensed
      to write one or more of the foregoing kinds of insurance. An  impairment
      exists in the surplus of any such company at any time when the aggregate
      value  of  its  admitted  assets  is  less than the amount of all of its
      liabilities and the special contingent surplus which it is  required  to
      maintain at such time.
        (b)  During each full calendar year except the first two full calendar
      years next following  the  calendar  year  in  which  such  company  was
      licensed  to  write  any  kind  of insurance specified in subsection (a)
      hereof, the amount of such contingent surplus shall exceed the  required
      amount  thereof at last year-end, by an amount at least equal to one and
      one-half percent of the net premium income received  for  the  kinds  of
      insurance  referred  to  in  subsection  (a)  hereof  during  such whole
      calendar year, until the amount of such contingent surplus shall  be  at
      least  equal  to  the  amount of surplus to policyholders required under
      section four thousand one hundred three of this article to be maintained
      by a similar domestic stock property/casualty insurance company licensed
      to do any one or more of the kinds of insurance specified in  subsection
      (a)  hereof.  Such  special contingent surplus, by whatever name called,
      shall be inclusive of the minimum surplus required by the provisions  of
      this  chapter  and shall be exclusive of any divisible surplus available
      for the payment of dividends.
        (c) No  domestic  mutual  property/casualty  insurance  company  shall
      declare  or  pay  any dividend to policyholders if, after the payment of
      such dividend, its special contingent surplus as herein required will be
      impaired.  The declaration and payment of dividends by any such  company
      shall  be  subject to the provisions of section one thousand two hundred
      eleven of this chapter.
        (d) Any domestic mutual property/casualty insurance company  shall  be
      authorized  in  any  year  to  further  increase  its special contingent
      surplus by an amount in excess of the annual  accumulation  required  by
      this  section,  and  any  such  excess shall be credited upon the amount
      which otherwise it  would  have  been  required  to  accumulate  by  the
      provisions of this section in any subsequent year or years.
        (e)  The  superintendent  may  refuse  to  issue  a license or renewal
      license to do an insurance business in this  state  to  any  foreign  or
      alien  mutual  property/casualty insurance company which does not comply
      in substance with this section applicable to a similar  domestic  mutual
      property/casualty  insurance  company licensed to write the same kind or
      kinds of insurance.