Fla. Stat. § 663.178 — Florida Code / Title XXXVIII / Chapter 663 / Part I / Section 663.178
663.178 Claims; valuation; priority; listing; filing; objection; endorsement; adverse interest.
Status: in_force

(1) Proof of claim shall consist of a written statement under oath signed by the claimant or his or her attorney in fact and shall be in such form as the office requires.

(2) The office shall not accept a claim based on an agreement with an international banking corporation unless the agreement is reflected on the accounts, books, or records of the corporation or a creditor provides documentary evidence of such agreement. The commission may adopt any rules determined necessary to implement this section.

(3) No claim or account of any secured claimant or creditor shall be accepted at a sum greater than the difference between the face value of the claim or account and the value of the security itself as of the commencement of the liquidation unless the claimant or creditor, prior to the expiration of the time fixed by the office for the presentation of claims, surrenders his or her security to the office, in which event the claim or account may be accepted in its full face amount.

(4) The office shall not determine priorities in accepting or rejecting claims and the acceptance by the office of a claim in which priority of payment is demanded shall not entitle the claimant to priority. Accepted claims in which priority of payment is demanded shall be presented to a court of competent jurisdiction on notice to the claimant for determination as to the priority of payment of such claims. Except as otherwise provided in ss. 663.17-663.181, all claims entitled to priority of payment shall be paid ratably and proportionately.

(5) The office shall prepare in duplicate a complete list of all claims presented, specifying the name of the claimant, the nature of the claim, and the amount of such claim. Such list shall also contain a statement of accounts payable as shown by the books and records of the corporation and as to which no claims have been presented, specifying the name of each person to whom such account appears to be payable, the nature of the debt, and the amount of such claim. Within 60 days after the last date fixed in the notice to creditors to present and make proof of claims, the office shall file one copy of such list in one of its offices for public inspection and shall file one copy with a court of competent jurisdiction in the county in which the principal office of the corporation is located.

(6) Within 40 days after the office has filed in its headquarters a copy of the list of claims required by subsection (5), objections to any claim presented or to any account appearing on such list may be made by any party interested by filing such objections with the office, in writing, signed by the objector, and verified. Unless the office rejects any claim or accounts to which objections have been filed with it, the office shall, within 60 days after the time to file such objections has expired, apply to a court of competent jurisdiction, upon notice to the objector, for an order directing the office as to the disposition of such claim or account. The court may then dispose of such objections or may order a reference for that purpose.

(7) The office shall, not later than 60 days after the time has expired to file objections to claims presented, accept or reject, in whole or in part, every filed claim, except claims as to which objections are still pending before a court, and shall accept or reject, in whole or in part, every account payable as shown by the books and records and as to which no claim has been presented, except accounts as to which objections are still pending before a court. Whenever the office accepts a portion of a claim or account and rejects the remainder, the portion accepted and the portion rejected shall, for the purpose of this section, each be deemed separate claims or accounts.

(8) Every claim or account payable accepted by the office shall be endorsed as “accepted” and be filed so endorsed. If the office is unable, from the books, accounts, or records of an international banking corporation, to determine the ownership of a claim or account payable or if for any other reason the office doubts the validity of any claim or account payable, the office shall reject such claim or account payable and shall endorse the claim or account payable as “rejected” and file it as so endorsed. The office shall mail notice of such acceptance or rejection within 14 calendar days after the office has accepted or rejected all claims filed. If a proof of claim has been filed, such notice need be mailed only to the address appearing on such claim and, if no proof of claim has been filed, the notice need be mailed only to the address appearing upon the books of the corporation. If the office is unable from the proof of claim or the books and records of the corporation to identify a name or address, such notice of rejection need not be given.

(9) Within 30 days after the office has accepted or rejected all claims filed, and all accounts payable as shown by the books and records as to which no claims have been presented, the office shall make a list of all such claims and accounts accepted or rejected by the office for public inspection and file one copy of such list with the office and one copy with a court of competent jurisdiction in the county in which the principal Florida office of such corporation is located.

(10) When the office has accepted a filed claim and has filed such claim, endorsed as “accepted,” the claimant, unless priority of payment has been demanded and such claim is entitled by law to priority of payment, shall be entitled to share ratably with other general creditors in the distribution of the proceeds of the liquidation of the assets of the international banking corporation; provided, any accepted claim or claims for taxes owed to any taxing authority shall be paid in full, to the extent that assets of the corporation are available, prior to the payment of any other accepted claim pursuant to this section. If the claimant has demanded priority of payment, the receipt and acceptance of ratable dividends shall be without prejudice to the right of such priority of payment.

(11) Any person who fails to demand in writing priority of payment as specified in the notice to file claims shall be deemed to have waived and abandoned any right to such priority of payment. Any person who fails to demand in writing priority of payment as provided in this section is not entitled to maintain any action or proceeding for any priority of payment. In any action or proceeding for priority of payment, the claimant shall allege and prove that the claim upon which the action is instituted was filed and demand for priority of payment was made in writing.

(12) Within 6 months after the date the office files the list of claims and accounts payable which are accepted or rejected by the office, a claimant whose claim has been filed and has not been accepted by the office, or any person whose account payable as shown by the books and records as to which no claim has been presented, has not been accepted by the office, may institute and maintain an action against the international banking corporation. Such action may be maintained only in a court of competent jurisdiction in the county in which the principal Florida office of such international banking corporation is located.

(13) A lien shall not attach to any property or assets of an international banking corporation as a result of any judicial process after the office has taken possession of the assets of the corporation.

(14) No action shall be maintained against an international banking corporation while the office is in possession of the affairs and business of the corporation unless brought within the period of limitation specified in s. 663.17. In any action instituted against such corporation while the office is in possession of the corporation’s property and business, the plaintiff shall be required to allege and prove that the claim upon which the action is instituted was filed and that such claim has not been accepted or, in the case of an action upon an account as to which no claim has been presented, the plaintiff shall be required to allege and prove that such account appeared upon the books and records and that such account has not been accepted.

(15) Notice to the office of an adverse interest in a claim or account payable accepted by the office to the credit of any person shall not require the office to recognize such adverse claimant unless the adverse claimant also: (a) Procures a restraining order, injunction, or other appropriate process against the office from a court of competent jurisdiction in a cause instituted by the office in which the person to whose credit such claim or account payable was accepted or his or her executor or administrator is made a party and served with summons; or (b) Executes to the office, in a form and with sureties acceptable to the office, a bond indemnifying the office from any and all liability, loss, damage, cost, and expenses for and on account of the payment of dividends.

(16) In any action or proceeding against the office to recover dividends accepted, if there is any person who is not a party to the action who makes such a claim, the court in which the action or proceeding is pending may, on the motion of the office, make an order amending the proceedings making such person a party to such action or proceeding and the court shall thereafter proceed to determine the rights and interests of the parties to such funds. The remedy provided in this section is in addition to and not exclusive of that provided in any other interpleader.

History: s. 4, ch. 97-109; s. 1841, ch. 2003-261.