Mo. Rev. Stat. § 375.1176 — MO Code / Chapter 375 / Section 375.1176
375.1176 Director to be liquidator — powers and duties — special deputy may be ...
Status: in_force

375.1176. Director to be liquidator — powers and duties — special deputy may be appointed, powers — effect of liquidation — order for, issued when — plan for continued operation during appeal, contents — penalty for interference with records or property. — 1. An order to liquidate the business of a domestic insurer shall appoint the director and his successors as liquidator and shall direct the liquidator forthwith to take immediate possession of the assets of the insurer and to administer them subject to the supervision of the court until the liquidator is discharged by the court. The liquidation of any insurer shall be considered to be the business of insurance for purposes of application of any law of this state. The liquidator shall be vested by operation of law with the title to all of the property, contracts and rights of action, and all of the books and records of the insurer ordered liquidated, wherever located, as of the entry of the order of liquidation. The order shall require the liquidator to take immediate possession of and to secure all of the records and property of the insurer wherever it is located, and to take all measures necessary to preserve the integrity of the insurer's records. The filing or recording of the order with the clerk of the court and the recorder of deeds of the county in which its principal office or place of business is located or, in the case of real estate, with the recorder of deeds of the county where the property is located, shall impart the same notice as a deed, bill of sale or other evidence of title duly filed or recorded with that recorder of deeds would have imparted.

2. With the approval of the court, the director as liquidator may appoint a special deputy or deputies to act for him under sections 375.1175 to 375.1230 . The special deputy shall not be an employee of the department of commerce and insurance. The special deputy shall have all powers of the liquidator granted by sections 375.1175 to 375.1230 . The special deputy shall administer and liquidate the insolvent insurer subject to the general supervision of the director and the specific supervision of the court as provided in sections 375.1175 to 375.1230 .

3. Upon issuance of the order of liquidation, the rights and liabilities of any such insurer and of its creditors, policyholders, shareholders, members and any other persons interested in its estate shall become fixed and the termination of any period fixed by any statute of limitations provided by law shall be suspended as of the date of entry of the order of liquidation, except as provided in sections 375.1178 , 375.1206 and 375.1210 . Rights of shareholders provided by any law other than as provided by sections 375.1150 to 375.1246 shall be suspended upon issuance of the order of liquidation.

4. An order to liquidate the business of an alien insurer domiciled in this state shall be in the same terms and have the same legal effect as an order to liquidate a domestic insurer, except that the assets and the business in the United States shall be the only assets and business included therein.

5. At the time of petitioning for an order of liquidation, or at any time thereafter, the director, after making determination of an insurer's insolvency, may petition the court for a judicial declaration of such insolvency. After providing such notice and hearing as it deems proper, the court may make the declaration.

6. (1) Any order issued under this section shall require periodic financial reports to the court by the liquidator. Financial reports shall include, at a minimum, the assets and liabilities of the insurer and all funds received or disbursed by the liquidator during the current period. Financial reports shall be filed within one year of the liquidation order and at least annually thereafter.

(2) After an order of liquidation has been entered, the liquidator of such insurer shall file with the director a statement which shall reflect the claims reserves, including losses incurred but not reported, and unearned premium reserves which have been established by the liquidator and which shall also set forth the amounts of such reserves that are allocable to particular reinsurers of the insolvent company. A similar statement shall be filed by each liquidator not less frequently than annually and shall be considered for all intents and purposes as the annual statement which was required to be filed by the insurer with the director prior to the liquidation proceedings. To the extent that any reinsurer of an insurer in liquidation would have been required under any agreement pertaining to reinsurance to post letters of credit or other security prior to an order of liquidation to cover such reserves reflected upon a statement filed with a regulatory authority, such reinsurer shall be required to post letters of credit or other security to cover such reserves after an insurer has been placed in liquidation. If a reinsurer shall fail to post letters of credit or other security required by a reinsurance agreement or the provisions of this section, the director may issue an order barring such reinsurer from thereafter reinsuring any insurer which is incorporated under the laws of the state of Missouri.

7. (1) Within five days after the initiation of an appeal of an order of liquidation, the liquidator shall present for the court's approval a plan for the continued performance of the defendant company's policy claims obligations, including the duty to defend insureds under liability insurance policies, during the pendency of an appeal. Such plan shall provide for the continued performance and payment of policy claims obligations in the normal course of events, notwithstanding the grounds alleged in support of the order of liquidation including the ground of insolvency. In the event the defendant company's financial condition, in the judgment of the liquidator, will not support the full performance of all policy claims obligations during the appeal pendency period, the plan may prefer the claims of certain policyholders and claimants over creditors and interested parties as well as other policyholders and claimants, as the liquidator finds to be fair and equitable considering the relative circumstances of such policyholders and claimants. The court shall examine the plan submitted by the liquidator and if it finds the plan to be in the best interests of the parties, the court shall approve the plan. No action shall lie against the liquidator or any of his deputies, agents, clerks, assistants or attorneys by any party based on preference in an appeal pendency plan approved by the court.

(2) The appeal pendency plan shall not supersede or affect the obligations of any insurance guaranty association.

(3) Any such plans shall provide for equitable adjustments to be made by the liquidator to any distributions of assets to guaranty associations, in the event that the liquidator pays claims from assets of the estate, which would otherwise be the obligations of any particular guaranty association but for the appeal of the order of liquidation, such that all guaranty associations equally benefit on a pro rata basis from the assets of the estate. Further, in the event an order of liquidation is set aside upon any appeal, the company shall not be released from delinquency proceedings unless and until all funds advanced by any guaranty association, including reasonable allocated loss adjustment expenses in connection therewith relating to obligations of the company, shall be repaid in full, together with interest at the judgment rate of interest or unless an arrangement for repayment thereof has been made with the consent of all applicable guaranty associations.

8. Any person who shall knowingly destroy, conceal, convert or alter any records or property of an insurer after entry of an order of liquidation, without having received prior written permission of the liquidator or of the court, or who shall knowingly neglect or refuse, upon the order or demand of the liquidator, to deliver to the liquidator any records or property of an insurer in his possession or control, shall be guilty of a class D felony.

(L. 1991 H.B. 385, et al. § 66, A.L. 1992 H.B. 1574, A.L. 2014 S.B. 491) Effective 1-01-17