(A) The Director of the Department of Insurance shall review the plan of reorganization for the purpose of determining whether the plan meets the requirements of this article. The director may employ staff personnel and outside consultants. All reasonable costs related to the review, including those costs attributable to staff personnel, shall be paid by the insurer making the filing. During the process of review, the director may communicate with the mutual insurer and request such additional information from the mutual insurer as the director may consider necessary.

(B) The director or his designee must conduct a public hearing regarding the proposed plan of reorganization no later than forty-five days from when the filing is deemed complete. Any interested person may appear and participate at the hearing. The director or his designee must provide notice of the public hearing by publication in a newspaper of general circulation.

(C) Within one hundred twenty days of the filing of the plan which is considered to be complete by the director, the director shall issue an order approving or disapproving the plan. The director shall approve the plan if the director determines:

(1) the requirements of this article have been met;

(2) the director is satisfied that the interests of the policyholders are preserved and protected and that the plan of reorganization is fair and equitable to the policyholders, and in the best interests of the policyholders;

(3) the directors, officers, agents, and employees are not unjustly enriched by the reorganization plan. The approval of the director shall be conditioned upon the approval of the policyholders as provided in this article. If the director does not approve the plan, then the director shall issue an order setting forth in detail the reasons for disapproval. If a plan is disapproved, then the mutual insurer may resubmit the plan to the director within thirty days of receipt of the order of disapproval. Within ninety days after the filing of the resubmitted plan, which is considered to be complete by the director, the director shall issue an order approving or disapproving the resubmitted plan. The approval of the resubmitted plan shall be conditioned upon the approval of the policyholders as provided by this article. If the director disapproves the resubmitted plan, then the mutual insurer may seek judicial review of the director's decision in the circuit court of common pleas for Richland County.

HISTORY: 1998 Act No. 413, Section 1.