(1) The purpose of this section is to authorize domestic insurers to use modern systems for holding and transferring securities without physical delivery of securities certificates, subject to appropriate rules of the commission.

(2) The following terms are defined for use in this section:

(a) “Securities” means instruments as defined in s. 678.1021.

(b) “Clearing corporation” means a clearing corporation as defined in s. 678.1021 and includes the Treasury/Reserve Automated Debt Entry System or Treasury Direct book-entry securities systems as established pursuant to 31 U.S.C. chapter 31, 12 U.S.C. s. 391, and 5 U.S.C. s. 301.

(c) “Custodian” means a national bank, state bank, trust company, broker, or dealer that participates in a clearing corporation.

(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a domestic insurer may deposit or arrange for the deposit of securities held in or purchased for its general account and its separate accounts in a clearing corporation. When securities are deposited with a clearing corporation, certificates representing securities of the same class of the same issuer may be merged and held in bulk in the name of the nominee of such clearing corporation with any other securities deposited with such clearing corporation by any person, regardless of the ownership of such securities, and certificates representing securities of small denominations may be merged into one or more certificates of larger denominations. The records of any custodian through which an insurer holds securities in a clearing corporation shall at all times show that such securities are held for such insurer and for which accounts thereof. Ownership of, and other interests in, such securities may be transferred by bookkeeping entry on the books of such clearing corporation without physical delivery of certificates representing such securities.

(4) The commission may adopt rules governing the deposit by insurers of securities with clearing corporations.

History.—ss. 663, 809(1st), ch. 82-243; s. 72, ch. 82-386; ss. 187, 188, ch. 91-108; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 1289, ch. 2003-261; s. 3, ch. 2007-138.