Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 614 - Insurance — fraternals.
614.19 - Initial surplus requirements.

614.19 Initial surplus requirements.
(1) Minimum permanent surplus. The commissioner may by rule establish the minimum permanent surplus for a fraternal organized under this chapter. In the absence of such a rule, the minimum permanent surplus shall be $2,000,000 or such greater amount as the commissioner specifies by order.
(2) Initial expendable surplus. A corporation organized under this chapter shall have an initial expendable surplus, after payment of all organizational expenses, of at least 50 percent of the minimum permanent surplus specified under sub. (1), or such other percentage as the commissioner specifies by order.
(3) Maintenance of solvency provision.
(a) In this subsection:
1. “Insured employee" means an employee of a fraternal or of a subsidiary or other affiliate of a fraternal who is provided insurance benefits by the fraternal under s. 614.10 (2) (c) 2. but is not a member of the fraternal.
2. “Owner" means the owner of a policy or certificate issued by a fraternal in accordance with s. 614.10.
(b) Except as provided in s. 614.24 (1m), every fraternal shall contain in its laws and in each certificate of insurance it issues, a provision, to which every certificate of insurance issued by the fraternal shall be subject, that if the financial position of the fraternal becomes impaired, the board of directors or the supreme governing body may, on an equitable basis, apportion the deficiency among the members of the fraternal, the insured employees or the owners, or any combination thereof. A member, insured employee or owner may then either pay the member's, insured employee's or owner's share of the deficiency, or accept the imposition of a lien on the certificate of insurance, to bear interest at the rate charged on policy loans under the certificate, compounded annually until paid, or may accept a proportionate reduction in benefits under the certificate. The fraternal may specify the manner of the election and which alternative is to be presumed if no election is made. No assessment of shares of a deficiency under this paragraph may take effect until 90 days after the date the commissioner is notified of the assessment, unless the commissioner approves an earlier effective date. The commissioner may disapprove the assessment of shares of a deficiency under this paragraph if the commissioner finds that the assessment is not adopted in conformity with this chapter or is contrary to the interests of the members of the domestic fraternal.
(4) Reduction of minimum surplus. The commissioner may, by order, reduce the minimum amounts of surplus required under subs. (1) and (2) if in the commissioner's opinion the extent and nature of providers' contracts, financial guarantees and other support by financially sound private or public corporations, a pressing social need in a particular community for the formation of a fraternal to provide needed insurance coverage, or other special circumstances, justify the proposed reduction in the required surplus. A person who will directly compete with the proposed fraternal is aggrieved within the meaning of s. 601.62 (3) (a).
(5) Health maintenance organization insurer. This section does not apply to a health maintenance organization insurer that is subject to s. 609.96.
History: 1975 c. 373, 421; 1985 a. 335; 1987 a. 361; 1989 a. 23, 336; 1997 a. 177; 2019 a. 66.

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