Fidelity Corporation shall bill and collect from each member an annual premium that in the aggregate shall consist of assessments for the operations fund and the fidelity fund.

(a) The annual assessment for the operations fund shall be assessed no later than October 15 of each year for the current fiscal year in accordance with subdivision (b) of Section 17320. The payment of any invoice for assessments under this subdivision is payable by the member escrow agent in three equal and consecutive monthly installments with the first installment payable at or within 30 days after receipt of the Fidelity Corporation invoice. The assessment shall include:

(1) All costs and expenses of administration as budgeted by the board of directors for the current fiscal year.

(2) Any expenses actually incurred in the preceding fiscal year which exceeded the budgeted costs of expenses and administration except for expenses recovered pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 17321.1.

Each member’s assessment shall be determined pro rata based upon the ratio of each member’s licensed locations to the total licensed locations of all members as of the preceding June 30.

Members licensed on or after July 1 of each year shall be assessed only for costs and expenses pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subdivision. This assessment shall be prorated on a monthly basis.

(b) The annual assessment for the fidelity fund shall be assessed no later than May 1. The assessment shall include any amount necessary to replenish the membership fund pursuant to Section 17324, and shall be based upon the balances of the membership fund and the fidelity fund as of December 31 of the previous year and the escrow liability schedule of each licensed location as provided in Section 17348, and shall be calculated as follows:

(1) If the membership fund and fidelity fund in the aggregate equal an amount less than five million dollars ($5,000,000), or if the balance in the fidelity fund is less than two million five hundred thousand dollars ($2,500,000), then the assessment shall be the greater of: (A) the amount necessary to bring the membership fund and fidelity fund in the aggregate up to five million dollars ($5,000,000), but not to exceed one million dollars ($1,000,000) per assessment, or (B) the amount necessary to maintain a minimum fidelity fund balance of two million five hundred thousand dollars ($2,500,000), including the amount of the assessment, or (C) four hundred thousand dollars ($400,000).

(2) If the membership fund and fidelity fund in the aggregate equal an amount that is at least five million dollars ($5,000,000), and the balance in the fidelity fund is at least two million five hundred thousand dollars ($2,500,000), then the assessment shall be four hundred thousand dollars ($400,000).

Each member’s fidelity fund assessment for paragraphs (1) and (2) shall be the amount derived by multiplying the amount to be assessed by the ratio that each member’s risk factors bear to the total of all members’ risk factors.

A member’s risk factors shall be computed in accordance with the following formula, except that the total factors of a member shall be reduced by one for each licensed branch location:

Coverage per Licensed Location

Factors

$1,000,000

3

$2,000,000

5

$3,000,000

7

$4,000,000

8

$5,000,000

9

(c) Notwithstanding subdivision (b), the assessment for the fidelity fund for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1989, shall be made immediately upon 90-day notice of cancellation of the fidelity bond or insurance policy permitted by paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) of Section 17310, but in no event later than 60 days prior to the date of cancellation.

(d) Every licensed member as of March 31 shall pay the fidelity fund assessment, without any pro rata adjustment, notwithstanding that the member may have surrendered a license or have a license revoked prior to the date that the assessment is mailed.

(Amended by Stats. 2004, Ch. 180, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2005.)