S.C. Code Ann. § 38-90-40 – Capitalization requirements; security requirements for branch captive insurance companies; restriction on payment of dividends

(A)
1. (1) The director may not issue a license to a captive insurance company unless the company possesses and maintains unimpaired paid-in capital of:
  1. (a) in the case of a pure captive insurance company, not less than one hundred thousand dollars;
  2. (b) in the case of an association captive insurance company incorporated as a stock insurer or organized as a limited liability company, not less than four hundred thousand dollars;
  3. (c) in the case of an industrial insured captive insurance company incorporated as a stock insurer or organized as a limited liability company, not less than two hundred thousand dollars;
  4. (d) in the case of a sponsored captive insurance company, not less than five hundred thousand dollars; however, if the sponsored captive insurance company does not assume any risk, the risks insured by the protected cells are homogeneous and there are no more than ten cells, the director may reduce this amount to an amount not less than one hundred fifty thousand dollars;
  5. (e) in the case of a special purpose captive insurance company, an amount determined by the director after giving due consideration to the company's business plan, feasibility study, and pro-formas, including the nature of the risks to be insured.
2. (2)
  1. (a) Except for a sponsored captive insurance company that does not assume any risk, the capital must be in the form of cash, cash equivalent, or an irrevocable letter of credit issued by a bank chartered by this State or a member bank of the Federal Reserve System with a branch office in this State or as approved by the director.
  2. (b) For a sponsored captive insurance company that does not assume any risk, the capital also may be in the form of other high quality securities as approved by the director.
(B)
1. (1) The director may not issue a license to a captive insurance company incorporated as a nonprofit corporation unless the company possesses and maintains unrestricted net assets of:
  1. (a) in the case of a pure captive insurance company, not less than two hundred fifty thousand dollars; and
  2. (b) in the case of a special purpose captive insurance company, an amount determined by the director after giving due consideration to the company's business plan, feasibility study, and pro-formas, including the nature of the risks to be insured.
2. (2) Contributions to a captive insurance company incorporated as a nonprofit corporation must be in the form of cash, cash equivalent, or an irrevocable letter of credit issued by a bank chartered by this State or a member bank of the Federal Reserve System with a branch office in this State or as approved by the director.
(C) For purposes of subsections (A) and (B), the director may issue a license expressly conditioned upon the captive insurance company providing to the director satisfactory evidence of possession of the minimum required unimpaired paid-in capital. Until this evidence is provided, the captive insurance company may not issue any policy, assume any liability, or otherwise provide coverage. The director summarily may revoke the conditional license without legal recourse by the company if satisfactory evidence of the required capital is not provided within a maximum period of time, not to exceed one year, to be established by the director at the time the conditional license is issued.
(D) The director may prescribe additional capital or net assets based upon the type, volume, and nature of insurance business transacted. Contributions in connection with these prescribed additional net assets or capital must be in the form of:
1. (1) cash;
2. (2) cash equivalent;
3. (3) an irrevocable letter of credit issued by a bank chartered by this State or a member bank of the Federal Reserve System with a branch office in this State or as approved by the director; or
4. (4) securities invested as provided in Section 38-90-100.
(E) In the case of a branch captive insurance company, as security for the payment of liabilities attributable to branch operations, the director shall require that a trust fund, funded by an irrevocable letter of credit or other acceptable asset, be established and maintained in the United States for the benefit of United States policyholders and United States ceding insurers under insurance policies issued or reinsurance contracts issued or assumed, by the branch captive insurance company through its branch operations. The amount of the security may be no less than the capital and surplus required by this chapter and the reserves on these insurance policies or reinsurance contracts, including reserves for losses, allocated loss adjustment expenses, incurred but not reported losses and unearned premiums with regard to business written through branch operations; however, the director may permit a branch captive insurance company that is required to post security for loss reserves on branch business by its reinsurer or front company to reduce the funds in the trust account required by this section by the same amount so long as the security remains posted with the reinsurer or front company. If the form of security selected is a letter of credit, the letter of credit must be established by, or issued or confirmed by, a bank chartered in this State or a member bank of the Federal Reserve System.
(F)
1. (1) A captive insurance company may not pay a dividend out of, or other distribution with respect to, capital or surplus, in excess of the limitations set forth in Section 38-21-250 through Section 38-21-270, without the prior approval of the director. Approval of an ongoing plan for the payment of dividends or other distributions must be conditioned upon the retention, at the time of each payment, of capital or surplus in excess of amounts specified by, or determined in accordance with formulas approved by, the director.
2. (2) A captive insurance company incorporated as a nonprofit corporation may not make any distributions without the prior approval of the director.
(G) An irrevocable letter of credit, which is issued by a financial institution other than a bank chartered by this State or a member bank of the Federal Reserve System, shall meet the same standards as an irrevocable letter of credit which has been issued by either entity.