(1) No domestic insurer may pledge, hypothecate, or otherwise encumber its assets to secure the debt, guaranty, or obligation of any other person. This prohibition does not apply to obligations of the insurer under surety bonds or insurance contracts issued in the regular course of business.

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Terms Used In Utah Code 31A-17-203

  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Certificate: means evidence of insurance given to:
         (23)(a) an insured under a group insurance policy; or
         (23)(b) a third party. See Utah Code 31A-1-301
  • Domestic insurer: means an insurer organized under the laws of this state. See Utah Code 31A-1-301
  • Insurance: includes :
              (96)(b)(i) a risk distributing arrangement providing for compensation or replacement for damages or loss through the provision of a service or a benefit in kind;
              (96)(b)(ii) a contract of guaranty or suretyship entered into by the guarantor or surety as a business and not as merely incidental to a business transaction; and
              (96)(b)(iii) a plan in which the risk does not rest upon the person who makes an arrangement, but with a class of persons who have agreed to share the risk. See Utah Code 31A-1-301
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
  • Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • Person: includes :
         (146)(a) an individual;
         (146)(b) a partnership;
         (146)(c) a corporation;
         (146)(d) an incorporated or unincorporated association;
         (146)(e) a joint stock company;
         (146)(f) a trust;
         (146)(g) a limited liability company;
         (146)(h) a reciprocal;
         (146)(i) a syndicate; or
         (146)(j) another similar entity or combination of entities acting in concert. See Utah Code 31A-1-301
  • Policy: includes a service contract issued by:
              (150)(b)(i) a motor club under Chapter 11, Motor Clubs;
              (150)(b)(ii) a service contract provided under Chapter 6a, Service Contracts; and
              (150)(b)(iii) a corporation licensed under:
                   (150)(b)(iii)(A) Chapter 7, Nonprofit Health Service Insurance Corporations; or
                   (150)(b)(iii)(B) Chapter 8, Health Maintenance Organizations and Limited Health Plans. See Utah Code 31A-1-301
  • Reinsurance: means an insurance transaction where an insurer, for consideration, transfers any portion of the risk it has assumed to another insurer. See Utah Code 31A-1-301
  • Surplus: means the excess of assets over the sum of paid-in capital and liabilities. See Utah Code 31A-1-301
(2) No domestic insurer may pledge, hypothecate, or otherwise encumber its assets in an amount in excess of the amount of its capital and surplus, without the prior written consent of the commissioner.
(3) The commissioner may grant a domestic insurer an exception to Subsection (2) for a reinsurance agreement which may cause assets of the domestic insurer to be held, deposited, pledged, hypothecated, or otherwise encumbered in an amount in excess of capital and surplus to secure, offset, protect, or meet reserves or liabilities of the insurer that are established, incurred, or required under the provisions of the reinsurance agreement. The domestic insurer shall first file with the commissioner a written request for this exception, accompanied by a copy of the proposed reinsurance agreement and specifically stating its purpose and the reasons the exception should be granted.
(4) Any person that accepts a pledge, hypothecation, or encumbrance of any asset of an insurer not in accordance with the terms and limitations of this section is considered to have accepted that asset subject to a superior, preferential, and perfected lien in favor of owners, beneficiaries, assignees, certificate holders, or third party claimants or beneficiaries of any insurance benefit or right arising out of and within the coverage of any insurance policy issued by the insurer. The commissioner may bring or participate in an action in any court of competent jurisdiction to protect the interests of insureds or claimants under this section.