(a) (1) If fiduciary funds, as defined in Section 1733, are received by any person licensed, hereinafter the “licensee,” whether under a permanent license, restricted license, temporary license, or certificate of convenience, to act in any of the capacities specified in Section 1733, and the funds are not remitted, or maintained pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 1734, except as provided in subdivision (f), the funds shall be maintained in any of the following:

(A) United States government bonds and treasury certificates or other obligations for which the full faith and credit of the United States are pledged for payment of principal and interest.

Terms Used In California Insurance Code 1734.5

  • Commissioner: means the Insurance Commissioner of this State. See California Insurance Code 20
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
  • Foreign: means not organized under the laws of this State, whether or not admitted. See California Insurance Code 27
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • license: includes a certificate of convenience and a permanent license, and the term "persons who are licensed" includes the holders of any such certificate or the license, but these definitions and the use of those terms in this chapter shall not confer upon a certificate of convenience or any holder thereof any property right in or to the certificate, the certificate being and remaining only a temporary permit, issued as a matter of convenience, allowing the transaction of insurance without a permanent license, but within the limits, and subject to the conditions of the certificate of convenience issued and the laws applicable thereto. See California Insurance Code 1627
  • licensee: means an insurer, agent, broker, or any other person who is required to be licensed by the department. See California Insurance Code 38.6
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • Person: means any person, association, organization, partnership, business trust, limited liability company, or corporation. See California Insurance Code 19
  • Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
  • State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Insurance Code 28
  • Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
  • Trust account: A general term that covers all types of accounts in a trust department, such as estates, guardianships, and agencies. Source: OCC

(B) Certificates of deposit of banks or savings and loan associations, which are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and licensed by any state government within the United States or by the United States government.

(C) Repurchase agreements collateralized by securities issued by the United States government.

(D) Either of the following:

(i) Bonds and other obligations of this state or of any local agency or district of the State of California having the power, without limit as to rate or amount, to levy taxes or assessments upon all property within its boundaries subject to taxation or assessment by the local agency or district to pay the principal and interest of the obligations.

(ii) Revenue bonds and other obligations payable solely out of the revenues from a revenue-producing property owned, controlled, or operated by this state, or a local agency or district, or by a department, board, agency, or authority thereof.

(2) The bonds and obligations described in subparagraph (D) of paragraph (1) shall either have maturities of not more than one year or afford the holder of the obligation the unilateral right to redeem the obligation from its issuer within one year from date of purchase at an amount equal to, or greater than, its par value, and the bonds and obligations shall be required to be rated at least Aa1, MIG-1/VMIG-1, or Prime-1 by Moody’s Investor Service, Inc., or AA, SP-1, or A-1 by Standard and Poor’s Corporation.

(3) For the fiduciary funds maintained as provided in paragraph (1), the bonds, certificates, obligations, certificates of deposit, and repurchase agreements shall be valued on the basis of their acquisition cost.

(b) As a condition to maintaining the fiduciary funds pursuant to this section, a written agreement shall be obtained from each and every insurer or person entitled thereto authorizing the maintenance and the retention of any earnings accruing on the funds.

(c) Except as provided in subdivision (f), evidence of the funds shall be maintained at all times in a trust account in a bank or savings and loan association within any state of the United States, which account is insured by the FDIC and which institution is licensed by any state government within the United States or by the United States government, separate from any other funds, in an amount at least equal to the premiums and return premiums, net of commissions received by the licensee and unpaid to the persons entitled thereto, or, at their discretion or pursuant to a written contract, for the account of these persons. However, the person may commingle with the fiduciary funds any additional funds as the licensee may deem prudent for the purpose of advancing premiums, establishing reserves for the paying of return premiums, or for any contingencies that may arise in the business of receiving and transmitting premium or return premium funds by the licensee.

(d) All administrative actions involving trust accounts shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the commissioner. All suits involving trust accounts shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of the State of California and the federal courts located within the State of California.

(1) Any licensee specified in Section 1733 utilizing a trust account located outside of the State of California shall be required to file and maintain in the commissioner’s office, as a condition of maintaining a license, a written designation identifying the agent for service of process in this state for the bank or savings and loan association located outside the State of California being utilized by the licensee. The designated agent shall be a person residing in this state. The writing shall state the name of the agent and the agent’s place of business in this state with sufficient particularity so that the agent can readily be found by peace officers or process servers. Appointment of an agent reasonably available for service of papers, notice, proof of loss, summons, or other process during business hours shall be continuously maintained by every licensee subject to this article while the licensee holds a valid and unrevoked license.

(2) The commissioner shall not have jurisdiction over any disputes arising between parties concerning the maintenance of fiduciary funds pursuant to this section. However, this subdivision shall not otherwise affect the authority granted to the commissioner over fiduciary funds by other provisions of this code, or regulations adopted pursuant thereto. As used in this subdivision, “parties” shall not include the commissioner.

(e) Investment losses to the principal of fiduciary funds maintained pursuant to this section are the responsibility of the person licensed, whether under a permanent license, restricted license, temporary license, or certificate of convenience, to act in any of the capacities specified in Section 1733, and any obligation to insurers or other persons entitled to the fiduciary funds shall in no way be diminished due to any loss in the value to the principal of the fiduciary funds held pursuant to this section.

(f) Any fiduciary funds, as defined in Section 1733, received as cash, lawful money of the United States, or freely tradeable currency of any foreign government, by any person licensed, whether under a permanent license, restricted license, temporary license, or certificate of convenience, to act in any of the capacities specified in Section 1733, shall comply with Section 1734, but shall initially be maintained in a trust account in a bank or savings and loan association in California, licensed by the State of California or the United States government and insured by the FDIC.

(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 133, Sec. 23. (SB 272) Effective July 23, 2021.)

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