31A-15-202. Definitions.
As used in this part:
(1) "Completed operations liability" means liability, including liability for activities which
are completed or abandoned before the date of the occurrence giving rise to the liability, arising
out of the installation, maintenance, or repair of any product at a site which is not owned or
controlled by:
(a) any person who performs that work; or
(b) any person who hires an independent contractor to perform that work.
(2) "Domicile," for purposes of determining the state in which a purchasing group is
domiciled, means:
(a) for a corporation, the state in which the purchasing group is incorporated; and
(b) for an unincorporated entity, the state of its principal place of business.
(3) "Hazardous financial condition" means that a risk retention group, based on its present
or reasonably anticipated financial condition, although not yet financially impaired or insolvent, is
unlikely to be able:
(a) to meet obligations to policyholders with respect to known claims and reasonably
anticipated claims; or
(b) to pay other obligations in the normal course of business.
(4) "Insurance" means primary insurance, excess insurance, reinsurance, surplus lines
insurance, and any other arrangement for shifting and distributing risk which is determined to be
insurance under the laws of this state.
(5) (a) "Liability" means legal liability for damages, including costs of defense, legal
costs and fees, and other claims expenses because of injuries to other persons, damage to their
property, or other damage or loss to other persons, resulting from or arising out of:
(i) any profit or nonprofit business, trade, product, professional or other services,
premises, or operations; or
(ii) any activity of any state or local government or any agency or political subdivision of
any state or local government.
(b) "Liability" does not include personal risk liability and an employer's liability with
respect to its employees other than legal liability under the federal Employers' Liability Act.
(6) "NAIC" means the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
(7) "Personal risk liability" means liability for damages because of injury to any person,
damage to property, or other loss or damage resulting from any personal, familial, or household
responsibilities or activities rather than from responsibilities or activities referred to in Subsection
(5).
(8) "Plan of operation or a feasibility study" means an analysis which presents the
expected activities and results of a risk retention group, including:
(a) information sufficient to verify that its members are engaged in businesses or activities
similar or related with respect to the liability to which members are exposed by virtue of any
related, similar or common business, trade, product, services, premises or operations;
(b) for each state in which it intends to operate, the coverages, deductibles, coverage
limits, rates, and rating classification systems for each line of insurance the group intends to offer;
(c) historical and expected loss experience of the proposed members and national
experience of similar exposures to the extent that this experience is reasonably available;
(d) pro forma financial statements and projections;
(e) appropriate opinions by a qualified, independent casualty actuary, including a
determination of minimum premium or participation levels required to commence operations and
to prevent a hazardous financial condition;
(f) identification of management, underwriting and claims procedures, marketing
methods, managerial oversight methods, investment policies, and reinsurance agreements;
(g) identification of each state in which the risk retention group has obtained, or sought to
obtain, a charter and license, and a description of its status in each such state; and
(h) any other matters required by the commissioner of the state in which the risk retention
group is chartered for liability insurance companies authorized by the insurance laws of that state.
(9) (a) "Product liability" means liability for damages because of any personal injury,
death, emotional harm, consequential economic damage, or property damage, including damages
resulting from the loss of use of property, if the liability arises out of the manufacture, design,
importation, distribution, packaging, labeling, lease, or sale of a product.
(b) "Product liability" does not include the liability of any person for those damages
described in Subsection (a) if the product involved was in the possession of the person when the
incident giving rise to the claim occurred.
(10) "Purchasing group" means any group which:
(a) has as one of its purposes the purchase of liability insurance on a group basis;
(b) purchases liability insurance only for its group members and only to cover their
similar or related liability exposure, as described in Subsection (c);
(c) is composed of members whose businesses or activities are similar or related with
respect to the liability to which members are exposed by virtue of any related, similar, or common
business, trade, products, services, premises, or operations; and
(d) is domiciled in any state.
(11) "Risk retention group" means any corporation or other limited liability association:
(a) whose primary activity consists of assuming and spreading all, or any portion of, the
liability exposure of its group members;
(b) which is organized for the primary purpose of conducting the activity described under
Subsection (a);
(c) which:
(i) is chartered and licensed as a liability insurance company and authorized to engage in
the business of insurance under the laws of any state; or
(ii) (A) before January 1, 1985, was chartered or licensed and authorized to engage in the
business of insurance under the laws of Bermuda or the Cayman Islands and, before January 1,
1985, had certified to the insurance commissioner of at least one state that it satisfied the
capitalization requirements of that state;
(B) however, any such group as described in Subsection (ii)(A) shall be considered to be
a risk retention group only if it has been engaged in business continuously since January 1, 1985,
and only for the purpose of continuing to provide insurance to cover product liability or
completed operations liability, as these terms were defined in the Product Liability Risk Retention
Act of 1981 before the date of the enactment of the Liability Risk Retention Act of 1986;
(d) which does not exclude any person from membership in the group solely to provide
for members of the group a competitive advantage over the excluded person;
(e) which:
(i) has as its owners only persons who comprise the membership of the risk retention
group and who are provided insurance by the group; or
(ii) has as its sole owner an organization which:
(A) has as its members only persons who comprise the membership of the risk retention
group; and
(B) has as its owners only persons who comprise the membership of the risk retention
group and who are provided insurance by the group;
(f) whose members are engaged in businesses or activities similar or related with respect
to the liability to which the members are exposed by virtue of any related, similar, or common
business trade, products, services, premises or operations;
(g) whose activities do not include providing insurance other than:
(i) liability insurance for assuming and spreading all or any portion of the liability of its
group members; and
(ii) reinsurance with respect to the liability of any other risk retention group, or any
members of the other group, which is engaged in businesses or activities so that the group or
member meets the requirement described in Subsection (f) for membership in the risk retention
group which provides the reinsurance; and
(h) the name of which includes the phrase "risk retention group."
Enacted by Chapter 258, 1992 General Session
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Last revised: Thursday, May 28, 2009