Every exchange shall maintain its required assets in any one, or more, or all of the following forms:

(a) In cash or deposits in solvent banks.

(b) Invested in securities of the kind designated for the investment of assets of incorporated insurers having a capital stock by the laws of the state where the principal office is located.

(c) Invested in real property acquired by or for it to secure the payment of loans heretofore contracted or for moneys heretofore due, or purchased at sales upon deeds of trust or upon judgments obtained for the loans or debts, or conveyed to it in satisfaction of debts heretofore contracted in the course of its dealings. The real property may be acquired, held, and conveyed on behalf of the exchange in trust by the attorney, but shall be sold and disposed of within five years after acquisition of title thereto unless the time for any such sale or disposal is extended by the commissioner in writing.

(d) Excess fund investments may be made in real estate and in making improvements thereon for business or residential purposes as an investment for the production of income. “Business or residential purposes” does not include real estate primarily intended for use or valued as agricultural, horticultural, farm, ranch, or mineral property. Any such investment may be made only by admitted exchanges having admitted assets aggregating in value not less than twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000). Real estate acquired and improvements made thereon shall not exceed an amount equal to 5 percent of the admitted assets of the exchange. Any investment in a single parcel of real estate including improvements thereon made under the authority of this subdivision shall not be made in an amount in excess of 1 percent of the admitted assets of the exchange. The percentage or dollar value of assets as provided in this subdivision shall be determined by the exchange’s last preceding annual statement of conditions and affairs made as of the December 31 last preceding and which has been filed with the commissioner pursuant to law.

(e) In addition to the investments authorized by subdivisions (a) to (d), inclusive, every exchange may purchase, hold, or reconvey real estate for any of the following purposes:

(1) The building, and the land upon which that building stands, owned by it and in which is located its home office or principal office in this state by virtue of the occupancy thereof, in whole or in part, by its attorney-in-fact. The exchange may make any type of arrangement which is fair and reasonable for the occupation of the building, in whole or in part, by its attorney.

(2) Real estate requisite for its accommodation in the convenient transaction of its business.

(f) Subject to the limitations established under subdivisions (c), (d), and (e), every exchange in its own name as in the case of an individual, may purchase, receive, own, hold, lease, mortgage, pledge, or encumber, by deed of trust or otherwise, manage, and sell real estate for the purposes and objects of the exchange.

(Amended by Stats. 1985, Ch. 106, Sec. 94.)