Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 645 - Insurers rehabilitation and liquidation.
645.03 - Definitions.

645.03 Definitions.
(1) General definitions. For the purposes of this chapter:
(a) “Ancillary state" means any state other than a domiciliary state.
(b) “Delinquency proceeding" means any proceeding commenced against an insurer for the purpose of liquidating, rehabilitating, reorganizing or conserving such insurer, and any summary proceeding under ss. 645.21 to 645.24.
(c) “Domiciliary state" means the state in which an insurer is incorporated or organized or, in the case of an alien insurer, the state in which the insurer has, at the commencement of delinquency proceedings, the largest amount of its assets held in trust and on deposit for the benefit of policyholders and creditors in the United States.
(d) “Fair consideration" is given for property or an obligation:
1. When in exchange for such property or obligation, as a fair equivalent therefor, and in good faith, property is conveyed or services are rendered or obligation is incurred or an antecedent debt is satisfied; or
2. When such property or obligation is received in good faith to secure a present advance or antecedent debt in amount not disproportionately small as compared to the value of the property or obligation obtained.
(e) “General assets" means all property, real, personal or otherwise, not specifically mortgaged, pledged, deposited or otherwise encumbered for the security or benefit of specified persons or limited classes of persons, and as to specifically encumbered property the term includes all such property or its proceeds in excess of the amount necessary to discharge the sums secured thereby. Assets held in trust and on deposit for the security or benefit of all policyholders or all policyholders and creditors, in more than a single state, shall be treated as general assets.
(f) “Insurer" means any person who is doing, has done, purports to do or is licensed to do an insurance business and is or has been subject to the authority of, or to liquidation, rehabilitation, reorganization or conservation by, a commissioner. For purposes of this chapter, all other persons included under s. 645.02 shall be deemed to be insurers.
(g) “Preferred claim" means any claim with respect to which the law accords priority of payment from the general assets of the insurer.
(h) “Receiver" means receiver, liquidator, rehabilitator or conservator, as the context requires.
(i) “Reciprocal state" means any state other than this state in which in substance and effect ss. 645.42 (1), 645.83 (1) and (3), 645.84 and 645.86 to 645.89 are in force, and in which provisions are in force requiring that the commissioner be the receiver of a delinquent insurer, and in which some provision exists for the avoidance of fraudulent conveyances and preferential transfers.
(j) “Secured claim" means any claim secured by mortgage, trust deed, pledge, deposit as security, escrow or otherwise, but not including special deposit claims or claims against general assets. The term also includes claims which have become liens upon specific assets by reason of judicial process, except where they have been invalidated.
(k) “Special deposit claim" means any claim secured by a deposit made pursuant to law for the security or benefit of one or more limited classes of persons, but not including any claim secured by general assets.
(L) “Transfer" includes the sale and every other method, direct or indirect, of disposing of or of parting with property or with an interest therein or with the possession thereof or of fixing a lien upon property or upon an interest therein, absolutely or conditionally, voluntarily or involuntarily, by or without judicial proceedings. The retention of a security title to property delivered to a debtor shall be deemed a transfer suffered by the debtor.
(2) Definitions applicable to proceedings involving surety insurance. If the subject of a rehabilitation or liquidation proceeding under this chapter is an insurer engaged in a surety business:
(a) “Beneficiary" as used in this chapter includes an obligee of a bond.
(b) “Insured" as used in this chapter includes both the principal and obligee of a bond.
(c) “Policy" as used in this chapter includes a bond issued by a surety.
(d) “Policyholder" as used in this chapter includes a principal on a bond.
History: 1971 c. 260; 1979 c. 93; 1983 a. 189.

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