Wyo. Code R. 044-0002-57
Effective Date: 10/17/2007 to UNKNOWN
Rule Type: Superceded Rules & Regulations
Reference Number: 044.0002.57.10172007
This regulation is issued pursuant to the authority vested in the Wyoming Insurance Commissioner under Wyo. Stat. § 26-2-110 and Wyo. Stat. § 26-8-202(b) of the Wyoming Insurance Code and Wyo. Stat. § 16-3-101, et seq. of the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act.
The purpose of this regulation is to establish guidelines for the custody of securities owned by an insurer and for the custodial agreement between the insurer and the custodian, to establish requirements for deposits with affiliated insurers and to provide forms for a custodian affidavit in three scenarios.
This regulation applies to Wyoming domestic insurers and any other licensed insurers holding securities in the custody of a custodian pursuant to Wyo. Stat. § 26-3-111 and Wyo. Stat. § 26-8-101.
When used in this regulation, the term:
(a) 'Agent' means a national bank, state bank or trust company that maintains an account in its name in a clearing corporation or that is a member of the Federal Reserve System and through which a custodian participates in a clearing corporation, or the Federal Reserve book-entry system including the Treasury/Reserve Automated Debt Entry Securities System (TRADES) or Treasury Direct systems, except that with respect to securities issued by institutions organized or existing under the laws of a foreign country or securities used to meet the deposit requirements pursuant to the laws of a foreign country as a condition of doing business therein, 'agent' may include a corporation that is organized or existing under the laws of a foreign country and that is legally qualified under those laws to accept custody of securities.
(b) 'Clearing corporation' means a corporation as defined in Wyo. Stat. § 34.1-8-102(a)(v) that is organized for the purpose of effecting transactions in securities by computerized book-entry, except that with respect to securities issued by institutions organized or existing under the laws of a foreign country or securities used to meet the deposit requirements pursuant to the laws of a foreign country as a condition of doing business therein, “clearing corporation” may include a corporation that is organized or existing under the laws of a foreign country and which is legally qualified under those laws to effect transactions in securities by computerized book-entry. Clearing corporation also includes “Treasury/Reserve Automated Debt Entry Securities System” and “Treasury Direct” book-entry securities systems established pursuant to 31 U.S.C. § 3100 et seq., 12 U.S.C. pt. 391 and 5 U.S.C. pt. 301.
(c) “Custodian” means a national bank, state bank or trust company that shall at all times during which it acts as a custodian pursuant to this regulation be no less than adequately capitalized as determined by the standards adopted by United States banking regulators and that is regulated by either state banking laws or is a member of the Federal Reserve System and that is legally qualified to accept custody of securities in accordance with the standards set forth below, except that with respect to securities issued by institutions organized or existing under the laws of a foreign country, or securities used to meet the deposit requirements pursuant to the laws of a foreign country as a condition of doing business therein, “custodian” may include a bank or trust company incorporated or organized under the laws of a country other than the United States that is regulated as such by that country’s government or an agency thereof that shall at all times during which it acts as a custodian pursuant to this regulation be no less than adequately capitalized as determined by the standards adopted by international banking authorities and that is legally qualified to accept custody of securities; or
(d) “Custodied securities” means securities held by the custodian or its agent or in a clearing corporation, including the Treasury/Reserve Automated Debt Equity Securities System (TRADES) or Treasury Direct systems.
(e) “Federal Reserve book-entry system” means the computerized systems sponsored by the United States Department of the Treasury and certain agencies and instrumentalities of the United States for holding and transferring securities of the United States government and the agencies and instrumentalities, respectively, in Federal Reserve banks through banks which are members of the Federal Reserve System or which otherwise have access to such computerized systems.
(f) “Treasury/Reserve Automated Debt Entry Securities System” (“TRADES”) and “Treasury Direct” mean the book entry securities systems established pursuant to 31 U.S.C. § 3100 et seq., 12 U.S.C. pt. 391 and 5 U.S.C. pt. 301. The operation of TRADES and Treasury Direct are subject to 31 C.F.R. pt. 357, et seq.
(g) “Security” has the same meaning as that defined in Wyo. Stat. § 34.1-8-102(a)(xv).
(h) “Securities’ certificate” has the same meaning as that defined in Wyo. Stat. § 34.1-8-102(a)(xvi).
(a) An insurance company may, by written agreement with a custodian, provide for the custody of its securities with that custodian. The securities that are the subject of the agreement may be held by the custodian or its agent or in a clearing corporation or in the Federal Reserve book-entry system.
(b) The agreement shall be in writing and shall be authorized by a resolution of the board of directors of the insurance company or of an authorized committee of the board. The terms of the agreement shall comply with the following:
(i) Securities' certificates held by the custodian shall be held separate from the securities' certificates of the custodian and of all of its other customers.
(ii) Securities held indirectly by the custodian and securities in a clearing corporation or in the Federal Reserve book-entry system shall be separately identified on the custodian's official records as being owned by the insurance company. The records shall identify which securities are held by the custodian or by its agent and which securities are in a clearing corporation or in the Federal Reserve book-entry system. If the securities are in a clearing corporation or in the Federal Reserve book-entry system, the records shall also identify where the securities are and if in a clearing corporation, the name of the clearing corporation and if through an agent, the name of the agent.
(iii) All custodied securities that are registered shall be registered in the name of the company or in the name of a nominee of the company or in the name of the custodian or its nominee or, if in a clearing corporation, in the name of the clearing corporation or its nominee.
(iv) Custodied securities shall be held subject to the instructions of the insurance company and shall be withdrawable upon the demand of the insurance company, except that custodied securities used to meet the deposit requirements set forth in Wyo. Stat. § 26-3-111 shall, to the extent required by that section, be under the control of the insurance commissioner and shall not be withdrawn by the insurance company without the approval of the insurance commissioner.
(v) The custodian shall be required to send or cause to be sent to the insurance company a confirmation of all transfers of custodied securities to or from the account of the insurance company. In addition, the custodian shall be required to furnish no less than monthly the insurance company with reports of holdings of custodied securities at times and containing information reasonably requested by the insurance company. The custodian's trust committee's annual reports of its review of the insurer's trust accounts shall also be provided to the insurer. Reports and verifications may be transmitted in electronic or paper form.
(vi) During the course of the custodian's regular business hours, an officer or employee of the insurance company, an independent accountant selected by the insurance company and a representative of an appropriate regulatory body shall be entitled to examine, on the premises of the custodian, the custodian's records relating to custodied securities, but only upon furnishing the custodian with written instructions to that effect from an appropriate officer of the insurance company.
(c) The custodian and its agents shall be required to send to the insurance company:
(i) All reports which they receive from a clearing corporation or the Federal Reserve book-entry system on their respective systems of internal accounting control, and
(ii) Reports prepared by outside auditors on the custodians or its agent's internal accounting control of custodied securities that the insurance company may reasonably request.
(d) The custodian shall maintain records sufficient to determine and verify information relating to custodied securities that may be reported in the insurance company's annual statement and supporting schedules and information required in an audit of the financial statements of the insurance company.
(e) The custodian shall provide, upon written request from an appropriate officer of the insurance company, the appropriate affidavits, substantially in the form attached to this regulation, with respect to custodied securities.
(f) A national bank, state bank or trust company shall secure and maintain insurance protection in an adequate amount covering the bank's or trust company's duties and activities as custodian for the insurer's assets, and shall state in the custody agreement that protection is in compliance with the requirements of the custodian's banking regulator. The commissioner may determine whether the type of insurance is appropriate and the amount of coverage is adequate.
(g) The custodian shall be obligated to indemnify the insurance company for any loss of custodied securities, except that the custodian shall not be so obligated to the extent that the loss was caused by other than the negligence or dishonesty of the custodian.
(h) In the event that there is a loss of custodied securities for which the custodian shall be obligated to indemnify the insurance company as provided in Paragraph (g) above, the custodian shall promptly replace the securities or the value thereof and the value of any loss of rights or privileges resulting from the loss of securities.
(i) The agreement may provide that the custodian will not be liable for a failure to take an action required under the agreement in the event and to the extent that the taking of the action is prevented or delayed by war (whether declared or not and including existing wars), revolution, insurrection, riot, civil commotion, act of God, accident, fire, explosion, stoppage of labor, strikes or other differences with employees, laws, regulations, orders or other acts of any governmental authority, or any other cause whatever beyond its reasonable control.
(j) In the event that the custodian gains entry in a clearing corporation or in the Federal Reserve book-entry system through an agent, there shall be an agreement between the custodian and the agent under which the agent shall be subject to the same liability for loss of custodied securities as the custodian. However, if the agent shall be subject to regulation under the laws of a jurisdiction that is different from the jurisdiction the laws of which regulate the custodian, the Commissioner of Insurance of the state of domicile of the insurance company may accept a standard of liability applicable to the agent that is different from the standard of liability applicable to the custodian.
(k) The custodian shall provide written notification to the insurer's domiciliary commissioner if the custodial agreement with the insurer has been terminated or if 100 percent (100%) of the account assets in any one custody account have been withdrawn. This notification shall be remitted to the insurance commissioner within three (3) business days of the receipt by the custodian of the insurer's written notice of termination or within three (3) business days of the withdrawal of 100 percent (100%) of the account assets.
(a) Nothing in this regulation shall prevent an insurance company from depositing securities with another insurance company with which the depositing insurance company is affiliated, provided that the securities are deposited pursuant to a written agreement authorized by the board of directors of the depositing insurance company or an authorized committee thereof and that the receiving insurance company is organized under the laws of one of the states of the United States of America or of the District of Columbia. If the respective states of domicile of the depositing and receiving insurance companies are not the same, the depositing insurance company shall have given notice of the deposit to the insurance commissioner in the state of its domicile and the insurance commissioner shall not have objected to it within thirty (30) days of the receipt of the notice.
(b) The terms of the agreement shall comply with the following:
(i) The insurance company receiving the deposit shall maintain records adequate to identify and verify the securities belonging to the depositing insurance company.
(ii) The receiving insurance company shall allow representatives of an appropriate regulatory body to examine records relating to securities held subject to the agreement.
(iii) The depositing insurance company may authorize the receiving insurance company:
(A) To hold the securities of the depositing insurance company in bulk, in certificates issued in the name of the receiving insurance company or its nominee, and to commingle them with securities owned by other affiliates of the receiving insurance company, and
(B) To provide for the securities to be held by a custodian, including the custodian of securities of the receiving insurance company or in a clearing corporation or the Federal Reserve book-entry system.
If any section or portion of a section of this regulation or its applicability to any person or circumstance is held invalid by a court, the remainder of the regulation or the applicability of the provision to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected.
This regulation becomes effective immediately upon filing with the Secretary of State.
CUSTODIAN AFFIDAVIT
[For use by a custodian bank where securities entrusted to its care have not been redeposited elsewhere.]
STATE OF _______ )
COUNTY OF _______ )
____, being duly sworn deposes and says that he or she is ___ of ____, a banking corporation organized under and pursuant to the laws of the ___ with the principal place of business at _______ (hereinafter called the “bank”):
That his or her duties involve supervision of activities of the bank as custodian and records relating thereto;
That the bank is custodian for certain securities of ____ having a place of business at ____ (hereinafter called the “insurance company”) pursuant to an agreement between the bank and the insurance company;
That the schedule attached hereto is a true and complete statement of securities (other than those caused to be deposited with The Depository Trust Company or like entity or a Federal Reserve Bank under the Federal Reserve book-entry procedure or TRADES or Treasury Direct systems) which were in the custody of the bank for the account of the insurance company as of the close of business on _______; that, unless otherwise indicated on the schedule, the next maturing and all subsequent coupons were then either attached to coupon bonds or in the process of collection; and that, unless otherwise shown on the schedule, all such securities were in bearer form or in registered form in the name of the insurance company or its nominee or of the bank or its nominee, or were in the process of being registered in such form;
That the bank as custodian has the responsibility for the safekeeping of such securities as that responsibility is specifically set forth in the agreement between the bank as custodian and the insurance company; and
That, to the best of his or her knowledge and belief, unless otherwise shown on the schedule, the securities were the property of the insurance company and were free of all liens, claims or encumbrances whatsoever.
Subscribed and sworn to
before me this ______ day
of ____, 20___
_______ (L.S.)
Vice President [or other authorized officer]
CUSTODIAN AFFIDAVIT
(For use in instances where a custodian bank maintains securities on deposit with The Depository Trust Company or like entity.)
STATE OF ______ )
) ss.
COUNTY OF ______ )
___, being duly sworn deposes and says that he or she is ___ of ___, a banking corporation organized under and pursuant to the laws of the ___ with the principal place of business at ______ (hereinafter called the "bank"):
That his or her duties involve supervision of activities of the bank as custodian and records relating thereto;
That the bank is custodian for certain securities of ___ having a place of business at ___ (hereinafter called the "insurance company") pursuant to an agreement between the bank and the insurance company;
That the bank has caused certain of such securities to be deposited with ___ and that the schedule attached hereto is a true and complete statement of the securities of the insurance company of which the bank was custodian as of the close of business on ___, and which were so deposited on such date;
That the bank as custodian has the responsibility for the safekeeping of the securities both in the possession of the bank or deposited with ______ as is specifically set forth in the agreement between the bank as custodian and the insurance company; and
That, to the best of his or her knowledge and belief, unless otherwise shown on the schedule, the securities were the property of the insurance company and were free of all liens, claims or encumbrances whatsoever.
Subscribed and sworn to
before me this ______ day
of __, 20____
______ (L.S.)
Vice President [or other authorized officer]
CUSTODIAN AFFIDAVIT
(For use where ownership is evidenced by book entry at a Federal Reserve Bank.)
STATE OF ______ )
) ss.
COUNTY OF ______ )
___, being duly sworn deposes and says that he or she is ___ of ___, a banking corporation organized under and pursuant to the laws of the ___ with the principal place of business at ______ (hereinafter called the “bank”):
That his or her duties involve supervision of activities of the bank as custodian and records relating thereto;
That the bank is custodian for certain securities of ___ with a place of business at ___ (hereinafter called the “insurance company”) pursuant to an agreement between the bank and the insurance company;
That it has caused certain securities to be credited to its book entry account with the Federal Reserve Bank of ___ under the Federal Reserve book entry procedure or TRADES or Treasury Direct systems; and that the schedule attached hereto is a true and complete statement of the securities of the insurance company of which the bank was custodian as of the close of business on ___, which were in a “general” book entry account maintained in the name of the bank on the books and records of the Federal Reserve Bank of ______ at such date;
That the bank has the responsibility for the safekeeping of such securities both in the possession of the bank or in the “general” book entry account as is specifically set forth in the agreement between the bank as custodian and the insurance company; and
That, to the best of his or her knowledge and belief, unless otherwise shown on the schedule, the securities were the property of the insurance company and were free of all liens, claims or encumbrances whatsoever.
Subscribed and sworn to
before me this ______ day
of __, 20____
______ (L.S.)
Vice President [or other authorized officer]