1. 1. A domestic title insurer shall establish and maintain an unearned premium reserve computed in accordance with this section, and all sums attributed to such reserve shall at all times and for all purposes be considered and constitute unearned portions of the original premiums. This reserve shall be reported as a liability of the title insurer in its financial statements.
2. 2. The unearned premium reserve shall be maintained by the title insurer for the protection of holders of title insurance policies. Except as provided in this section, assets equal in value to the reserve are not subject to distribution among creditors or stockholders of the title insurer until all claims of policyholders or claims under reinsurance contracts have been paid in full, and all liability on the policies or reinsurance contracts has been paid in full and discharged or lawfully reinsured.
3. 3. A foreign or alien title insurer licensed to transact title insurance business in this state shall maintain at least the same reserves on title insurance policies issued on properties located in this state as are required of domestic title insurers, unless the laws of the jurisdiction of domicile of the foreign or alien title insurer require a higher amount.

4. 4. The unearned premium reserve shall consist of:

   1. (1) The amount of the unearned premium reserve on September 28, 1987; and
   2. (2) A sum equal to fifteen cents for each one thousand dollars of net retained liability under each title insurance policy, excluding mortgagee's policies simultaneously issued with owner's policies or owner's leasehold policies of the same or greater amount, on a single risk written on properties located in this state and issued after September 28, 1987.
5. 5. Amounts placed in the unearned premium reserve in any year in accordance with subdivision (2) of subsection 4 of this section shall be deducted in determining the net profit of the title insurer for that year.
6. 6. A title insurer shall release from the unearned premium reserve a sum equal to ten percent of the amount added to the reserve during a calendar year on July first of each of the five years following the year in which the sum was added, and shall release from the unearned premium reserve a sum equal to three and one-third percent of the amount added to the reserve during that year on each succeeding July first until the entire amount for that year has been released. The amount of the unearned premium reserve or similar unearned premium reserve maintained before September 28, 1987, shall be released in accordance with the law in effect immediately before September 28, 1987.

(L. 1987 S.B. 251 § 10, Repealed L. 2000 S.B. 894)

(2002) Senate Bill 894 provision declared unconstitutional as a violation of the clear title requirement of Art. III, Section 23. Home Builders of Greater St. Louis v. State, 75 S.W.3d 267 (Mo.banc).