Frontier Ins. Serv. v. STATE, COM'R INS.

849 P.2d 328
CourtNevada Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 24, 1993
Docket22674
StatusPublished

This text of 849 P.2d 328 (Frontier Ins. Serv. v. STATE, COM'R INS.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nevada Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Frontier Ins. Serv. v. STATE, COM'R INS., 849 P.2d 328 (Neb. 1993).

Opinion

849 P.2d 328 (1993)

FRONTIER INSURANCE SERVICE, INC., and Billy Wayne Thomason, Appellants,
v.
The STATE of Nevada, ex rel. David A. GATES, Commissioner of Insurance, and Allied Fidelity Insurance Company, Respondents.

No. 22674.

Supreme Court of Nevada.

March 24, 1993.

*329 Hamilton & Lynch, Reno, for appellants.

Frankie Sue Del Papa, Atty. Gen., James C. Smith, Deputy Atty. Gen., Carson City; Vargas & Bartlett and Phillip W. Bartlett, Reno, for respondents.

OPINION

PER CURIAM:

This appeal arises from an order of the district court releasing over $148,000 in premiums collected by appellant Frontier Insurance Service, Inc., as agent for Allied Fidelity Insurance Company, to the Nevada Insurance Commissioner in connection with the liquidation of Allied. Discerning no error in the proceedings below, we affirm.

FACTS

Appellant Frontier Insurance Service, Inc. ("Frontier") is an insurance agency which was engaged by respondent Allied Fidelity Insurance Company ("Allied") to sell civil surety bonds and other insurance products in Nevada. Appellant Billy Wayne Thomason is Frontier's president and sole stockholder. Allied is an Indiana insurance company in liquidation which was authorized to transact insurance business in Nevada.

Frontier began selling civil surety bonds for Allied in 1976 under what is termed a "retro agreement." Generally, under a retro agreement the agent who writes the *330 bond shoulders the risk on the bond up to a certain amount, which in this case was $50,000. In exchange, the insurance company gives the agent a greater portion of the premium out of which the agent must pay the losses, if any, up to the negotiated limit. In order to protect itself and ensure that the agent pays the loss, the insurance company establishes a "retro reserve" account. The retro reserve account consists of a portion of the premiums held by the company to guarantee the payment of any losses.

Here, the retro agreement provided that Frontier would write civil surety bonds and collect the premiums therefor. The agreement required Frontier to deposit sixty-two and one-half percent of the collected premiums into a trust account for Allied's benefit. Frontier retained a thirty percent provisional commission for operating expenses and deposited the remaining seven and one-half percent in a collateral build-up fund[1] in Nevada. Within forty-five days after the close of the month in which the business was written, Frontier was required to remit the trust funds (sixty-two and one-half percent of collected bond premiums) to Allied in Indiana. Allied retained unconditionally twenty-two and one-half percent of the remitted funds as its share of the premiums. Allied was to place the remaining forty percent of the funds into Frontier's retro reserve account for, among other things, the payment of claims against bonds written by Frontier. The agreement required Allied to render quarterly accountings of the reserve account to Frontier. If, after deduction of losses and expenses, a positive balance remained in the reserve account, the balance would be paid to Frontier as additional, retroactive commission. In the event of an account deficit, Frontier was required to satisfy the deficit from its retained commissions.

Allied experienced financial difficulties that resulted in the institution of rehabilitation proceedings in Indiana in March, 1986. Pursuant to the order of rehabilitation, the Indiana Insurance Commissioner was authorized to take possession of Allied's assets, wherever located, and administer them under court supervision. Because Allied had assets in Nevada, the Nevada Insurance Commissioner petitioned the district court for appointment as ancillary receiver pursuant to NRS 696B.230(2).[2] On April 9, 1986, the district court granted the petition and authorized the Commissioner to collect Allied's Nevada assets including, but not limited to, bank accounts and build-up funds. The Nevada Insurance Commissioner established a receivership account in Reno, Nevada, for this purpose.

As of March, 1986, Frontier ceased sending Allied the premiums Frontier had collected. According to a final accounting by Frontier of its retro surety bond business, Frontier held $148,270 in premiums due Allied for surety bonds written in January, February and March of 1986. Thomason deposited this amount into the ancillary receivership account as directed by the Commissioner. The Frontier accounting also reflected a balance in Frontier's retro reserve account of $327,969. Offsetting the $148,270 due Allied, the accounting concluded that Allied owed Frontier $179,699 in commissions.

On July 15, 1986, the Indiana court adjudged Allied insolvent. The Indiana Insurance Commissioner was appointed liquidator pursuant to Indiana law. With the approval of the district court, the Indiana and Nevada Commissioners entered into an agreement for the transmission of the premiums held in Nevada and the administration of Nevada-based claims. The agreement sought to ensure that claimants in all states could share equally in the distribution of Allied's assets. To effectuate the agreement and comply with NRS *331 696B.300,[3] the Nevada Commissioner moved for permission to forward the premiums to the liquidator. Frontier objected to the release of the funds, claiming entitlement thereto by virtue of a setoff against commissions owed to Frontier.

Following a bench trial, the district court found that the premiums held by Frontier were not subject to set off under the Indiana set off provision of the Uniform Insurers Liquidation Act ("UILA"). The district court further found that Frontier had failed to demonstrate any right in law or in fact to retain the subject premiums. Consequently, the district court ordered the $148,270 in premiums released to the ancillary receiver for use in the liquidation proceedings. The judgment was certified as final pursuant to NRCP 54(b). Shortly thereafter, upon motion by Allied, the district court corrected its judgment to include accrued interest. This appeal ensued.

DISCUSSION

1. Applicable Law

The first issue we must address is whether the Indiana UILA applies to this controversy. Frontier and Thomason (collectively, Frontier) urge the application of Nevada common law. Relying on Contrail Leasing Co. v. Executive Service Corp., 100 Nev. 545, 688 P.2d 765, 767 (1984), Frontier argues that, as a solvent debtor, it is entitled to set off claims due from an insolvent creditor's trustee or receiver against debts due to the insolvent creditor, Allied. Thus, Frontier contends that under Nevada law, it is entitled to set off the $148,270 in premiums against commissions owed to it by Allied. We disagree.

The right to a setoff in the context of an insurance company liquidation proceeding is controlled by the UILA, interpreted in conjunction with other pertinent provisions of the insurance code. Balzano v. Bluewater Ins. Ltd, 801 P.2d 1, 2 (Colo. Ct.App.1990), aff'd, 823 P.2d 1365 (Colo. 1992). Nevada has adopted the Uniform Insurers Liquidation Act.

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Frontier Insurance Service, Inc. v. State ex rel. Gates
849 P.2d 328 (Nevada Supreme Court, 1993)

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