Sec. 443.261. QUALIFIED FINANCIAL CONTRACTS. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, including any other provision of this chapter permitting the modification of contracts, or other law of this state, a person may not be stayed or prohibited from exercising:

(1) a contractual right to terminate, liquidate, or close out any netting agreement or qualified financial contract with an insurer because of:

(A) the insolvency, financial condition, or default of the insurer at any time, provided that the right is enforceable under applicable law other than this chapter; or

(B) the commencement of a formal delinquency proceeding under this chapter;

(2) any right under a pledge, security, collateral, or guarantee agreement, or any other similar security arrangement or credit support document, relating to a netting agreement or qualified financial contract; or

(3) subject to any provision of Section 443.209(b), any right to set off or net out any termination value, payment amount, or other transfer obligation arising under or in connection with a netting agreement or qualified financial contract where the counterparty or its guarantor is organized under the laws of the United States or a state or foreign jurisdiction approved by the Securities Valuation Office of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners as eligible for netting.

(b) Upon termination of a netting agreement, the net or settlement amount, if any, owed by a nondefaulting party to an insurer against which an application or petition has been filed under this chapter shall be transferred to, or on the order of the receiver for, the insurer, even if the insurer is the defaulting party and notwithstanding any provision in the netting agreement that may provide that the nondefaulting party is not required to pay any net or settlement amount due to the defaulting party upon termination. Any limited two-way payment provision in a netting agreement with an insurer that has defaulted is deemed to be a full two-way payment provision as against the defaulting insurer. Any such property or amount is, except to the extent it is subject to one or more secondary liens or encumbrances, a general asset of the insurer.

(c) In making any transfer of a netting agreement or qualified financial contract of an insurer subject to a proceeding under this chapter, the receiver shall either:

(1) transfer to one party, other than an insurer subject to a proceeding under this chapter, all netting agreements and qualified financial contracts between a counterparty or any affiliate of the counterparty and the insurer that is the subject of the proceeding, including:

(A) all rights and obligations of each party under each netting agreement and qualified financial contract; and

(B) all property, including any guarantees or credit support documents, securing any claims of each party under each netting agreement and qualified financial contract; or

(2) transfer none of the netting agreements, qualified financial contracts, rights, obligations, or property referred to in Subdivision (1), with respect to the counterparty and any affiliate of the counterparty.

(d) If a receiver for an insurer makes a transfer of one or more netting agreements or qualified financial contracts, the receiver shall use its best efforts to notify any person who is party to the netting agreements or qualified financial contracts of the transfer not later than noon, the receiver's local time, on the business day following the transfer. For purposes of this subsection, "business day" means a day other than a Saturday, a Sunday, or any day on which either the New York Stock Exchange or the Federal Reserve Bank of New York is closed.

(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, a receiver may not avoid a transfer of money or other property arising under or in connection with a netting agreement or qualified financial contract, or any pledge, security, or collateral or guarantee agreement or any other similar security arrangement or credit support document relating to a netting agreement or qualified financial contract, that is made before the commencement of a formal delinquency proceeding under this chapter. However, a transfer may be avoided under Section 443.205(a) if the transfer was made with actual intent to hinder, delay, or defraud the insurer, a receiver appointed for the insurer, or existing or future creditors.

(f) In exercising any of the receiver's powers under this chapter to disaffirm or repudiate a netting agreement or qualified financial contract, the receiver shall take action with respect to each netting agreement or qualified financial contract and all transactions entered into in connection with the agreement or contract in its entirety. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, any claim of a counterparty against the estate arising from the receiver's disaffirmance or repudiation of a netting agreement or qualified financial contract that has not been previously affirmed in the liquidation or immediately preceding rehabilitation case must be determined and must be allowed or disallowed as if the claim had arisen before the date of the filing of the petition for liquidation or, if a rehabilitation proceeding is converted to a liquidation proceeding, as if the claim had arisen before the date of the filing of the petition for rehabilitation. The amount of the claim must be the actual direct compensatory damages determined as of the date of the disaffirmance or repudiation of the netting agreement or qualified financial contract. For purposes of this subsection, the term "actual direct compensatory damages" does not include punitive or exemplary damages, damages for lost profit or lost opportunity, or damages for pain and suffering but does include normal and reasonable costs of cover or other reasonable measures of damages utilized in the derivatives market for the contract and agreement claims.

(g) For purposes of this section, the term "contractual right" includes any right, whether or not evidenced in writing, arising under:

(1) statutory or common law;

(2) a rule or bylaw of a national securities exchange, national securities clearing organization, or securities clearing agency;

(3) a rule, bylaw, or resolution of the governing body of a contract market or its clearing organization; or

(4) law merchant.

(h) The provisions of this section do not apply to persons who are affiliates of the insurer that is the subject of the proceeding.

(i) All rights of counterparties under this chapter apply to netting agreements and qualified financial contracts entered into on behalf of the general account or separate accounts if the assets of each separate account are available only to counterparties to netting agreements and qualified financial contracts entered into on behalf of that separate account.

Added by Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 995 (H.B. 2157), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2005.

Redesignated from Insurance Code - Not Codified, Art/Sec 21A.261 by Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 730 (H.B. 2636), Sec. 3B.004(a)(1), eff. September 1, 2007.

Amended by:

Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 730 (H.B. 2636), Sec. 3B.004(ii), eff. September 1, 2007.

Redesignated from Insurance Code - Not Codified, Art/Sec 21A.261 by Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 921 (H.B. 3167), Sec. 9.004(a)(1), eff. September 1, 2007.

Amended by:

Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 921 (H.B. 3167), Sec. 9.004(ii), eff. September 1, 2007.