State Codes and Statutes
Statutes > Vermont > Title-08 > Chapter-112 > 4159
§ 4159. Assessments
(a) 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. The board shall collect the assessment after 30 days written notice to the member insurers before payment is due.
(b) There shall be three classes of assessments, as follows:
(1) Class A assessments shall be made for the purpose of meeting administrative costs and other general expenses not related to a particular impaired insurer.
(2) Class B assessments shall be made to the extent necessary to carry out the powers and duties of the association under section 4158 of this title with regard to an impaired domestic insurer.
(3) Class C assessments shall be made to the extent necessary to carry out the powers and duties of the association under section 4158 of this title with regard to an impaired foreign or alien insurer.
(c)(1) The amount of any Class A assessment for each account shall be determined by the board. The amount of any Class B or C assessment shall be divided among the accounts in the proportion that the premiums received by the impaired insurer on the policies covered by each account bears to the premiums received by such insurer on all covered policies.
(2) Class A and Class C assessments against member insurers for each account shall be in the proportion that the premiums received on business in this state by each assessed member insurer on policies covered by each account bears to such premiums received on business in this state by all assessed member insurers.
(3) Class B assessments for each account shall be made separately for each state in which the impaired domestic insurer was authorized to transact insurance at any time, in the proportion that the premiums received on business in such state by the impaired insurer on policies covered by such account bears to such premiums received in all such states by the impaired insurer. The assessments against member insurers shall be in the proportion that the premiums received on business in each such state by each assessed member insurer on policies covered by each account bears to such premiums received on business in each such state by all assessed member insurers.
(4) Assessments for funds to meet the requirements of the association with respect to an impaired insurer shall not be made until necessary to implement the purposes of this subchapter. Classification of assessments under subdivision (2) of this subsection and computation of assessments under this subdivision shall be made with a reasonable degree of accuracy, recognizing that exact determinations may not always be possible.
(d) 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 each account shall not in any one calendar year exceed 2 percent of such insurer's premiums in this state on the policies covered by the account.
(e)(1) 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 (d) 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 any account, does not provide in any one year in any account an amount sufficient to carry out the responsibilities of the association, the necessary additional funds shall be assessed as soon thereafter as permitted by this subchapter.
(2) The board may provide in the plan of operation a method of allocating funds among claims, whether relating to one or more impaired insurers, when the maximum assessment will be insufficient to cover anticipated claims.
(f) 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 member 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. In lieu of sending a refund directly to a member insurer, the board may, in its discretion, pay all or any portion of the refund to the commissioner of taxes, who shall apply the payment to the insurer's obligation to repay the amount of any insurance premium taxes previously offset by the insurer pursuant to subsection 4167(b) of this title. To effectuate this payment, the commissioner of taxes is specifically authorized to disclose to the association and to the commissioner of banking, insurance, securities, and health care administration the amount of insurance premium taxes offset by the insurer.
(g) The association shall issue to each insurer paying an assessment under this subchapter a certificate of contribution, in a form prescribed by the commissioner, for the amount so paid. All outstanding certificates shall be of equal dignity and priority without reference to amounts or dates of issue. (Added 1971, No. 170 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. April 27, 1972; amended 1989, No. 222 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 31, 1990; No. 225 (Adj. Sess.), § 25(b); 1993, No. 55, § 7, eff. June 3, 1993; 1995, No. 180 (Adj. Sess.), § 38(a).)
