CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.





                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. SB 1982

    Amendment No.    

                            CHAMBER ACTION
              Senate                               House
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11  Senator Geller moved the following amendment:

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13         Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 

14         Delete everything after the enacting clause

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16  and insert:

17         Section 1.  Section 625.111, Florida Statutes, is

18  amended to read:

19         (Substantial rewording of section.  See

20         s. 625.111, F.S., for present text.)

21         625.111  Title insurance reserve.--In addition to an

22  adequate reserve as to outstanding losses relating to known

23  claims, as required under s. 625.041, a title insurer shall

24  establish, segregate, and maintain a guaranty fund or unearned

25  premium reserve as provided in this section. The sums required

26  under this section to be reserved for unearned premiums on

27  title guarantees and policies at all times and for all

28  purposes shall be considered and constitute unearned portions

29  of the original premiums and shall be charged as a reserve

30  liability of such insurer in determining its financial

31  condition. While such sums are so reserved, they shall be

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. SB 1982

    Amendment No.    





 1  withdrawn from the use of the insurer for its general

 2  purposes, impressed with a trust in favor of the holders of

 3  title guarantees and policies, and held available for

 4  reinsurance of the title guarantees and policies in the event

 5  of the insolvency of the insurer. Nothing contained in this

 6  section shall preclude such insurer from investing such

 7  reserve in investments authorized by law for such an insurer

 8  and the income from such invested reserve shall be included in

 9  the general income of the insurer to be used by such insurer

10  for any lawful purpose.

11         (1)  For unearned premium reserves established on or

12  after July 1, 1999, such unearned premium reserve shall

13  consist of not less than an amount equal to the sum of:

14         (a)  A reserve with respect to unearned premiums for

15  policies written or title liability assumed in reinsurance

16  before July 1, 1999, equal to the reserve established on June

17  30, 1999, for those unearned premiums with such reserve being

18  subsequently released as provided in subsection (2). For

19  domestic title insurers subject to this section, such amounts

20  shall be calculated in accordance with provisions of law of

21  this state in effect at the time the associated premiums were

22  written or assumed and as amended prior to July 1, 1999.

23         (b)  A total amount equal to 30 cents for each $1,000

24  of net retained liability for policies written or title

25  liability assumed in reinsurance on or after July 1, 1999,

26  with such reserve being subsequently released as provided in

27  subsection (2). For the purpose of calculating this reserve,

28  the total of the net retained liability for all simultaneous

29  issue policies covering a single risk shall be equal to the

30  liability for the policy with the highest limit covering that

31  single risk, net of any liability ceded in reinsurance.

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. SB 1982

    Amendment No.    





 1         (c)  An additional amount, if deemed necessary by a

 2  qualified actuary, which shall be subsequently released as

 3  provided in subsection (2). Using financial results as of

 4  December 31 of each year, all domestic title insurers shall

 5  obtain a Statement of Actuarial Opinion from a qualified

 6  actuary regarding the insurer's loss and loss adjustment

 7  expense reserves, including reserves for known claims, adverse

 8  development on known claims, incurred but not reported claims,

 9  and unallocated loss adjustment expenses. The actuarial

10  opinion shall conform to the annual statement instructions for

11  title insurers adopted by the National Association of

12  Insurance Commissioners and shall include the actuary's

13  professional opinion of the insurer's reserves as of the date

14  of the annual statement. If the amount of the reserve stated

15  in the opinion and displayed in Schedule P of the annual

16  statement for that reporting date is greater than the sum of

17  the known claim reserve and unearned premium reserve as

18  calculated under this section, as of the same reporting date

19  and including any previous actuarial provisions added at

20  earlier dates, the insurer shall add to the insurer's unearned

21  premium reserve an actuarial amount equal to the reserve shown

22  in the actuarial opinion, minus the known claim reserve and

23  the unearned premium reserve, as of the current reporting date

24  and calculated in accordance with this section, but in no

25  event calculated as of any date prior to December 31, 1999.

26  The comparison shall be made using that line on Schedule P

27  displaying the Total Net Loss and Loss Adjustment Expense

28  which is comprised of the Known Claim Reserve, and any

29  associated Adverse Development Reserve, the reserve for

30  Incurred But Not Reported Losses, and Unallocated Loss

31  Adjustment Expenses.

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. SB 1982

    Amendment No.    





 1         (2)(a)  With respect to the reserve established in

 2  accordance with paragraph (1)(a), the domestic title insurer

 3  shall release the reserve over a period of 20 subsequent years

 4  as provided in this paragraph. The insurer shall release 30

 5  percent of the initial aggregate sum during 1999, with one

 6  quarter of that amount being released on March 31, June 30,

 7  September 30, and December 31, 1999, with the March 31 and

 8  June 30 releases to be retroactive and reflected on the

 9  September 30 financial statements. Thereafter, the insurer

10  shall release, on the same quarterly basis as specified for

11  reserves released during 1999, a percentage of the initial

12  aggregate sum as follows: 15 percent during calendar year

13  2000, 10 percent during each of calendar years 2001 and 2002,

14  5 percent during each of calendar years 2003 and 2004, 3

15  percent during each of calendar years 2005 and 2006, 2 percent

16  during each of calendar years 2007-2013, and 1 percent during

17  each of calendar years 2014-2018.

18         (b)  With respect to reserves established in accordance

19  with paragraph (1)(b), the unearned premium for policies

20  written or title liability assumed during a particular

21  calendar year shall be earned, and released from reserve, over

22  a period of 20 subsequent years as provided in this paragraph.

23  The insurer shall release 30 percent of the initial sum during

24  the year next succeeding the year the premium was written or

25  assumed, with one quarter of that amount being released on

26  March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31 of such year.

27  Thereafter, the insurer shall release, on the same quarterly

28  basis as specified for reserves released during the year first

29  succeeding the year the premium was written or assumed, a

30  percentage of the initial sum as follows: 15 percent during

31  the next succeeding year, 10 percent during each of the next

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. SB 1982

    Amendment No.    





 1  succeeding 2 years, 5 percent during each of the next

 2  succeeding 2 years, 3 percent during each of the next

 3  succeeding 2 years, 2 percent during each of the next

 4  succeeding 7 years, and 1 percent during each of the next

 5  succeeding 5 years.

 6         (c)  With respect to reserves established in accordance

 7  with paragraph (1)(c), the actuarial provision established in

 8  any calendar year shall be released in the years subsequent to

 9  its establishment as provided in paragraph (b), with the

10  timing and percentage of releases being in all respects

11  identical to those of unearned premium reserves that are

12  calculated as provided in paragraph (b) and established with

13  regard to premiums written or liability assumed in reinsurance

14  in the same year as the year in which the actuarial provision

15  was originally established.

16         (3)  At any reporting date, the amount of the required

17  releases or existing unearned premium reserves under

18  subsection (2) shall be calculated and deducted from the total

19  unearned premium reserve before the actuarial provision is

20  established for the current calendar year in accordance with

21  the provisions of paragraph (1)(c).

22         (4)  As used in this section:

23         (a)  "Net retained liability" means the total liability

24  retained by a title insurer for a single risk, after taking

25  into account the deduction for ceded liability, if any.

26         (b)  "Qualified actuary" means a person who is, as

27  detailed in the the National Association of Insurance

28  Commissioners' Annual Statement Instructions:

29         1.  A member in good standing of the Casualty Actuarial

30  Society;

31         2.  A member in good standing of the American Academy

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. SB 1982

    Amendment No.    





 1  of Actuaries who has been approved as qualified for signing

 2  casualty loss reserve opinions by the Casualty Practice

 3  Counsel of the American Academy of Actuaries; or

 4         3.  A person who otherwise has competency in loss

 5  reserve evaluation as demonstrated to the satisfaction of the

 6  insurance regulatory official of the domiciliary state. In

 7  such case, at least 90 days prior to the filing of its annual

 8  statement, the insurer must request approval that the person

 9  be deemed qualified and that request must be approved or

10  denied. The request must include the National Association of

11  Insurance Commissioners' Biographical Form and a list of all

12  loss reserve opinions issued in the last 3 years by this

13  person.

14         (c)  "Single risk" means the insured amount of any

15  title insurance policy, except that where two or more title

16  insurance policies are issued simultaneously covering

17  different estates in the same real property, "single risk"

18  means the sum of the insured amounts of all such title

19  insurance policies. Any title insurance policy insuring a

20  mortgage interest a claim payment under which reduces the

21  insured amount of a fee or leasehold title insurance policy

22  shall be excluded in computing the amount of a single risk to

23  the extent that the insured amount of the mortgage title

24  insurance policy does not exceed the insured amount of the fee

25  or leasehold title insurance policy.

26         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.

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29  ================ T I T L E   A M E N D M E N T ===============

30  And the title is amended as follows:

31         Delete everything before the enacting clause

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. SB 1982

    Amendment No.    





 1  and insert:

 2                      A bill to be entitled

 3         An act relating to title insurance reserve;

 4         amending s. 625.111, F.S.; specifying the

 5         components of unearned premium reserve for

 6         certain financial statements; providing a

 7         formula for releasing unearned premium reserve

 8         over a period of years; providing definitions;

 9         providing an effective date.

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