Virginia Law

Article 1. General Provisions.

This chapter applies to all reciprocals and reciprocal insurance as defined in § 38.2-1201.

1952, c. 317, § 38.1-688; 1986, c. 562.

A. As used in this title:

"Reciprocal" means the aggregation of subscribers under a common name.

"Reciprocal insurance" means insurance resulting from the mutual exchange of insurance contracts among persons in an unincorporated association under a common name through an attorney-in-fact having authority to obligate each person both as insured and insurer.

B. As used in this chapter:

"Attorney" means the person designated and authorized by subscribers as the attorney-in-fact having authority to obligate them on reciprocal insurance contracts.

"Subscriber" means a person obligated under a reciprocal insurance agreement.

1952, c. 317, § 38.1-689; 1986, c. 562.

A reciprocal licensed to transact the business of insurance in this Commonwealth may write the classes of insurance enumerated in Article 2 (§ 38.2-101 et seq.) of Chapter 1 of this title, except life insurance, annuities, and title insurance.

Code 1950, § 38-543; 1952, c. 317, § 38.1-690; 1986, c. 562.

A. Except as otherwise provided, all the provisions of this title relating to insurers generally, and those relating to insurers writing the same classes of insurance that reciprocals are permitted to write, are applicable to reciprocals.

B. A reciprocal shall be deemed to have complied with § 38.2-208 if:

1. It issues policies containing a contingent assessment liability as provided for in § 38.2-1212; and

2. It has and maintains reinsurance in an amount that the Commission considers adequate to reasonably limit the reciprocal's aggregate losses to the lesser of:

a. Ten percent of the surplus to policyholders of the reciprocal multiplied by the number of subscribers;

b. The surplus to policyholders of the reciprocal multiplied by three; or

c. Five million dollars.

Code 1950, § 38-543; 1952, c. 317, § 38.1-691; 1977, c. 58; 1986, c. 562.

A. Persons of this Commonwealth may enter into reciprocal insurance contracts with each other and with persons of other states and countries. For the purposes of this chapter, the definition of "person" shall also include any county, city, or town, school board, Transportation District Commission, or any other local governmental authority or local agency or public service corporation owned, operated or controlled by a locality or local government authority, with power to enter into contractual undertakings within or without the Commonwealth.

B. For any corporation now existing or hereafter organized under the laws of this Commonwealth, the power and authority to enter into reciprocal insurance contracts shall be in addition to the powers conferred upon it in its certificate of incorporation, and shall be incidental to the purposes for which the corporation is organized.

Code 1950, §§ 38-543, 38-550; 1952, c. 317, §§ 38.1-692, 38.1-693; 1986, c. 562.

Every reciprocal shall have and use a business name that includes the word "reciprocal," "interinsurer," "interinsurance," "exchange," "underwriters," or "underwriting."

Code 1950, § 38-546; 1952, c. 317, § 38.1-694; 1986, c. 562.

A. No reciprocal shall engage in any insurance transaction in this Commonwealth until it has obtained a license to do so in accordance with the applicable provisions of Articles 5 (§ 38.2-1024 et seq.) and 7 (§ 38.2-1045 et seq.) of Chapter 10 of this title.

B. No domestic or foreign reciprocal shall be licensed to transact the business of insurance in this Commonwealth unless it has a surplus to policyholders of at least $1,600,000, and no alien reciprocal shall be so licensed unless it has a trusteed surplus, as defined in § 38.2-1031, of at least $1,600,000.

Code 1950, § 38-549; 1952, c. 317, § 38.1-695; 1977, c. 322; 1986, c. 562; 1991, c. 261.

A. Notwithstanding other provisions of this chapter regarding minimum required surplus, any reciprocal that was licensed to write and was writing any class of insurance in this Commonwealth on June 30, 1991, may continue to write that class of insurance under the appropriate license from the Commission until July 1, 1994. The reciprocal shall maintain at all times the minimum surplus, and the minimum trusteed surplus if an alien reciprocal, required on June 30, 1991.

B. Before any reciprocal obtains a license to write in this Commonwealth any class of insurance that it was not writing and licensed to write in this Commonwealth on June 30, 1991, it shall comply with all the requirements of this article regarding surplus.

1977, c. 322, § 38.1-695.1; 1986, c. 562; 1991, c. 261.

No foreign reciprocal shall be licensed to transact the business of insurance in this Commonwealth unless it has filed with the Commission a certificate of the supervising insurance official of the state in which it is organized. The certificate shall show that the foreign reciprocal is licensed to write and is writing actively in that state or an affiliate of the foreign reciprocal is licensed to write and is writing actively in its state of domicile or at least two other states the class of insurance it proposes to write in this Commonwealth. No alien reciprocal shall be licensed to transact the business of insurance until it has filed with the Commission a certificate of the supervising insurance official of (i) the state through which it entered the United States or (ii) the alien reciprocal's domiciliary country. The certificate shall show that the alien reciprocal is licensed to write and is writing actively in that state or country the class of insurance it proposes to write in this Commonwealth.

1952, c. 317, § 38.1-696; 1986, c. 562; 2017, c. 655.

Nothing in this title regarding the admission and licensing of foreign and alien insurers requires that the attorney of a foreign or alien reciprocal be resident or domiciled in this Commonwealth, or that the principal office of the attorney be maintained in this Commonwealth. The office or offices of the attorney shall be determined by the subscribers through the power of attorney.

Code 1950, § 38-545; 1952, c. 317, § 38.1-698; 1986, c. 562.

Reciprocal insurance contracts shall be executed by the attorney of the reciprocal.

Code 1950, § 38-545; 1952, c. 317, § 38.1-699; 1986, c. 562.

No person shall act in this Commonwealth as an agent of a reciprocal in the selling, solicitation or negotiation of applications for insurance, subscriber's agreements and powers of attorney, or in the collection of premiums in connection with the reciprocal insurer, without first procuring a license from the Commission pursuant to the requirements in Chapter 18 of this title. An agent shall be appointed by each reciprocal the agent represents.

1977, c. 313, § 38.1-700.1; 1986, c. 562; 2001, c. 706.

A. Each subscriber insured under an assessable policy shall have a contingent assessment liability for payment of actual losses and expenses incurred while his policy was in force. This shall be in the amount provided for in the power of attorney or subscriber's agreement.

B. The contingent assessment liability on any one policy in any one calendar year shall equal the premiums earned, as defined in § 38.2-1226, on the policy for that year multiplied by not less than one nor more than ten.

C. The contingent assessment liability shall not be joint, but shall be individual and several.

D. Each assessable policy issued by the insurer shall plainly set forth a statement of the contingent assessment liability on the front of the policy in capital letters in no less than ten point type.

1952, c. 317, §§ 38.1-702, 38.1-716; 1986, c. 562.

A. The Commission may issue a certificate authorizing the reciprocal to reduce or extinguish the contingent assessment liability of subscribers under its policies then in force in this Commonwealth, and to omit provisions imposing contingent assessment liability in all policies delivered or issued for delivery in this Commonwealth for as long as all such surplus to policyholders remains unimpaired. The certificate may be issued if, in the case of a domestic or foreign reciprocal, the reciprocal has surplus to policyholders of at least four million dollars, or, if in the case of an alien reciprocal, the reciprocal has a trusteed surplus, as defined in § 38.2-1031, of at least four million dollars. No certificate may be issued until an application of the attorney has been approved by the subscribers' advisory committee.

However, any reciprocal that on June 30, 1991, was authorized to issue and was engaged in issuing policies without contingent liability may continue to do so until July 1, 1994, by maintaining at all times the minimum surplus to policyholders if a domestic or foreign reciprocal, and the minimum trusteed surplus if an alien reciprocal, required at the time of authorization.

B. The Commission shall issue this certificate if it determines that the reciprocal's surplus to policyholders is reasonable in relation to the reciprocal's outstanding liabilities and adequate to meet its financial needs. In making that determination the following factors, among others, shall be considered:

1. The size of the reciprocal as measured by its assets, capital and surplus, reserves, premium writings, insurance in force and other appropriate criteria;

2. The extent to which the reciprocal's business is diversified among different classes of insurance;

3. The number and size of risks insured in each class of insurance;

4. The extent of the geographical dispersion of the reciprocal's insured risks;

5. The nature and extent of the reciprocal's reinsurance program;

6. The quality, diversification, and liquidity of the reciprocal's investment portfolio;

7. The recent past and trend in the size of the reciprocal's surplus to policyholders;

8. The surplus to policyholders maintained by other comparable insurers; and

9. The adequacy of the reciprocal's reserves.

C. Upon impairment of the surplus to policyholders, the Commission shall revoke the certificate. After revocation, the reciprocal shall not issue or renew any policy without providing for the contingent assessment liability of subscribers.

D. The Commission shall not authorize a domestic reciprocal to extinguish the contingent assessment liability of any of its subscribers or in any of its policies to be issued, unless it has the required surplus to policyholders and extinguishes the contingent assessment liability of all of its subscribers and in all policies to be issued for all classes of insurance written by it. However, if required by the laws of another state in which the domestic reciprocal is transacting the business of insurance as a licensed insurer, it may issue policies providing for the contingent assessment liability of its subscribers acquiring policies in that state and need not extinguish the contingent assessment liability applicable to policies already in force in that state.

1952, c. 317, § 38.1-703; 1977, cc. 58, 322; 1986, c. 562; 1991, c. 261.

A reciprocal may return to its subscribers any savings or credits accruing to their accounts. Any such distribution shall not unfairly discriminate between classes of risks or policies, or between subscribers. However, the distribution may vary for classes of subscribers based upon the experience of those classes.

1952, c. 317, § 38.1-704; 1986, c. 562.

Each reciprocal shall maintain the same unearned premium and loss or claim reserves required for stock and mutual companies writing the same classes of insurance.

Code 1950, §§ 38-558, 38-559; 1952, c. 317, § 38.1-705; 1986, c. 562.

A. Each attorney of a domestic reciprocal who files the declaration required by § 38.2-1219, and each attorney of a foreign or alien reciprocal who applies for a license to transact the business of insurance in this Commonwealth shall file with the Commission a written power of attorney executed in duplicate by the attorney appointing the clerk of the Commission as agent of the reciprocal. Upon the appointment, the clerk of the Commission (i) may be served all lawful process against or notice to such reciprocal, and (ii) shall be authorized to enter an appearance in behalf of the reciprocal. A copy of the power of attorney, duly certified by the Commission, shall be received in evidence in all courts of this Commonwealth. Any domestic, foreign or alien reciprocal that, on July 1, 1986, has appointed the Secretary of the Commonwealth as its agent for service of process shall comply with the requirements of this section within six months of July 1, 1986.

B. Whenever any such process or notice is served upon the clerk of the Commission, a copy of the process or notice shall be mailed to the attorney at the address shown on the power of attorney. Nothing in this section shall limit the right to serve any process or notice upon any reciprocal in any other manner permitted by law.

Code 1950, § 38-547; 1952, c. 317, § 38.1-706; 1968, c. 125; 1976, c. 559; 1986, c. 562.

A. Any reciprocal doing business in this Commonwealth may sue or be sued in the name or designation under which its insurance contracts are effected.

B. Any action or suit against a reciprocal may be brought in any county or city (i) where its principal office is located, or (ii) where the cause of action or any part of the cause of action arose. If the action or suit is to recover a loss under a policy of insurance, it may also be brought in the county or city where the property insured was situated at the date of the policy. Any action or suit against a foreign or alien reciprocal may also be brought in any county or city of this Commonwealth in which it has any debts owed to it.

C. In an action or suit against a reciprocal, process against or notice to the reciprocal may be served upon the clerk of the Commission. If the defendant in the action or suit is a domestic reciprocal, process against or notice to that domestic reciprocal shall be served upon the attorney for that domestic reciprocal unless service upon that attorney is not feasible.

Code 1950, § 38-547; 1952, c. 317, § 38.1-707; 1986, c. 562.

Any judgment against a reciprocal based upon legal process duly served as provided in this chapter shall be binding upon the reciprocal and upon each of the reciprocal's subscribers as their respective interests may appear, in an amount not exceeding their respective contingent assessment liabilities.

1952, c. 317, § 38.1-708; 1986, c. 562.