Sec. 14. Every such company shall on June 30 and December 31 of each year, and before the payment of any dividends on its outstanding stock, transfer to its surplus account a credit equal to five per cent (5%) of the net earnings of such company for the preceding six (6) months and shall accumulate such surplus account until the unimpaired amount thereof equals the amount of the capital stock of such company. No such company shall declare or pay dividends upon its stock in any form unless its capital is unimpaired and unless a surplus fund equal to twenty-five per cent (25%) of its capital has been accumulated and is maintained unimpaired. Thereafter any such company may annually or semiannually, but not more frequently declare and pay a dividend of so much of its net earnings as may be deemed expedient, but the rate of such dividend shall not exceed the rate of six per cent (6%) per annum upon the book value of its shares, as determined by the department, until the unimpaired surplus fund of the company is equal to the amount of its unimpaired capital stock.

Formerly: Acts 1935, c.181, s.14.