508B.3  Conversion plans to be fair and equitable — alternative procedures and requirements.
  A plan of conversion shall be fair and equitable to policyholders. A plan of conversion is fair and equitable if it satisfies the conditions of subsection 1, 2, or 3. The commissioner may determine whether any other plan proposed by a mutual company is fair and equitable to its policyholders.
  1.  Subject to paragraph “b”, a plan of conversion under this subsection shall provide all of the following:
  a.  The policyholders’ membership interest shall be exchanged, in a manner which takes into account the estimated proportionate contribution of surplus of each class of participating policies and contracts, for all of the common shares of the reorganized company or its parent company, if any, or for either or a combination of the common shares of the reorganized company or its parent company, if any, and consideration equal to the proceeds of the sale of the common shares by the issuer or by a trust or other entity existing for the exclusive benefit of policyholders and established solely for the purpose of effecting the conversion, to which trust or other entity the common shares, or the options to acquire or securities convertible into the common shares, shall be issued by the issuer on the effective date of the conversion. The consideration shall be distributed to policyholders during a process of conversion specified in the plan which shall not last more than ten years after the effective date of conversion or until the death of the policyholder, whichever occurs first.
  b.  Unless the anticipated issuance within a shorter period is disclosed, the issuer of common shares shall not, within two years after the effective date of reorganization, issue either of the following:
  (1)  Any of its common shares or any securities convertible with or without consideration into the common shares or carrying any warrant to subscribe to or purchase common shares.
  (2)  Any warrant, right or option to subscribe to or purchase the common shares or other securities described in subparagraph (1), except for the issue of common shares to or for the benefit of policyholders pursuant to the plan of conversion and the issue of stock in anticipation of options for the purchase of common shares being granted to officers or employees of the reorganized company or its parent company, if any, pursuant to this chapter.
  c.  Unless the common shares have a public market when issued, the issuer shall use its best efforts to encourage and assist in the establishment of a public market for the common shares within two years of the effective date of the conversion or a longer period as disclosed in the plan of conversion. Within one year after the offering of stock other than the initial distribution, but no later than six years after the effective date of the conversion, the reorganized company shall offer to make available to policyholders who received and retained shares of stock with minimal values on conversion, a procedure to dispose of those shares of stock at market value without brokerage commissions or similar fees.
  2.  A plan of conversion under this subsection shall provide all of the following:
  a.  The mutual company’s participating business, comprised of its participating policies and contracts in force on the effective date of the conversion, shall be operated by the reorganized insurer as a closed block of participating business. However, at the option of the mutual company, group policies and group contracts may be omitted from the closed block.
  b.  Assets of the mutual company shall be allocated to the closed block of participating business in an amount equal to the reserves and liabilities for the mutual life insurer’s participating policies and contracts in force on the effective date of the conversion.
  c.  The consideration to be given in exchange for the policyholders’ membership interest consists of aggregate consideration in a form or forms selected by the mutual company having a value equal to the amount of the statutory surplus of the mutual life insurer.
  d.  The consideration is allocated among the policyholders in a manner which is fair and equitable to the policyholders.
  e.  The reorganized company or its parent corporation shall issue and sell shares of one or more classes having a total price equal to the estimated value in the market on the initial offering date of the shares.
  f.  The estimated value shall take into account all of the following:
  (1)  The consideration to be given to policyholders pursuant to paragraph “c”.
  (2)  The proceeds of the sale of the shares.
  (3)  Any additional value attributable to the shares as a result of a purchaser or a group of purchasers who acted in concert to obtain shares in the initial offering, attaining, through such purchase, control of the reorganized company or its parent corporation.
  g.  If a purchaser or a group of purchasers acting in concert is to attain such control in the initial offering, the mutual company shall not, directly or indirectly, pay for any of the costs or expenses of conversion of the mutual company, whether or not the conversion is effected.
  h.  The reorganized company may share in the profits of the closed block of participating business for the benefit of stockholders.
  3.  A plan of conversion under this subsection shall satisfy all of paragraphs “a” through “j” and may add or substitute, as applicable, the options provided in paragraphs “k” and “l”.
  a.  The reorganized company or its parent corporation shall issue and sell shares of one or more classes having a total price equal to the estimated market value on the initial offering taking into account the value to be given to participating policyholders pursuant to paragraph “b” and the proceeds of the sale.
  b.  The participating policyholders’ consideration shall be based on the latest annual statement, updated to the effective date of the conversion plan, and filed prior to the effective date of the adoption by the board of directors of the plan of conversion. The policyholders’ consideration shall be equal to the sum of the total amount of assets allocated to the participating business and an amount equal to reserves and other liabilities attributable to any group participating policies and contracts not included in the closed block of participating business.
  c.  The consideration to be given in exchange for the policyholders’ membership interest shall consist of the participating policyholders’ consideration and nontransferable preemptive subscription rights to purchase all of the common shares of the issuer and the establishment of a liquidation account for the benefit of the policyholders in the event of a subsequent complete liquidation of the reorganized company having the terms described in paragraph “j”.
  d.  The consideration and the preemptive subscription rights to purchase the common shares shall be allocated among the participating policyholders in a manner determined by the reorganized company which takes into account the estimated contribution of each class of participating policies and contracts to the total amount of the policyholders’ consideration.
  e.  The number of the common shares which any person, together with any affiliates or group of persons acting in concert, may subscribe for or purchase in the reorganization shall be limited to not more than five percent of the common shares. For this purpose, neither the members of the board of directors of the reorganized company nor of its parent corporation, if any, shall be deemed to be affiliates or a group of persons acting in concert solely by reason of their board membership.
  f.  Unless the common shares have a public market when issued, officers and directors of the issuer and their affiliates shall not, for at least ninety days after the date of conversion, purchase common shares of the issuer, except in negotiated transactions involving more than ten percent of the outstanding common shares.
  g.  Unless the common shares have a public market when issued, the issuer shall use its best efforts to encourage and assist in the establishment of a public market for the common shares.
  h.  The issuer shall not, for at least three years following the conversion, repurchase any of its common shares except pursuant to a pro rata tender offer to all shareholders.
  i.  Until the liquidation account has been reduced to zero, the issuer shall not declare or pay a cash dividend on, or repurchase any of, its common shares in an amount in excess of its cumulative earned surplus generated after the conversion determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, if the effect would be to cause the amount of the statutory surplus of the reorganized company to be reduced below the then amount of the liquidation account.
  j.  The liquidation account referred to in paragraph “c” must be equal to the excess of the total amount of the assets of the mutual company as of the effective date of the conversion over the sum of the total amount of assets allocated to the closed block of participating business and the policyholders’ consideration and other reserves and liabilities attributed to policies and contracts not included in the amount attributable to policies and contracts in force on that effective date. The determinations shall be based on the latest annual statement of the mutual company, updated to the effective date, and filed before the effective date of the conversion plan. The function of the liquidation account is solely to establish a priority on liquidation and its existence does not restrict the use or application of the surplus of the reorganized company except as specified in paragraph “i”. The liquidation account shall be allocated equally as of the effective date of conversion among the then participating policyholders. The amount allocated to a policy or contract shall not increase and shall be reduced to zero when the policy or contract terminates. In the event of a complete liquidation of the reorganized company, the policyholders among which the liquidation account is allocated are entitled to receive a liquidation distribution in the then amount of the liquidation account before any liquidation distribution is made with respect to shares.
  k.  At the option of the mutual company, the consideration to be given in exchange for the policyholders’ membership interests may consist of cash, securities of the reorganized company, securities of another institution, a certificate of contribution, additional life insurance, annuity benefits, increased dividends, or other consideration or any combination of forms of consideration. The consideration, if any, given to a class or category of policyholders may differ from the consideration given to another class or category of policyholders. The certificate of contribution shall be repayable in ten years, equal to one hundred percent of the value of the policyholders’ membership interest, and bear interest at the highest rate charged by the reorganized company for policy loans on the effective date of the conversion.
  l.  At the option of the mutual company, a plan may provide that any shares of the stock of the reorganized company or its parent corporation included in the policyholders’ consideration shall be placed on the effective date of the conversion in a trust or other entity existing for the exclusive benefit of the participating policyholders and established solely for the purpose of effecting the reorganization. Under this option, the shares placed in trust shall be sold over a period of not more than ten years and the proceeds of the shares shall be distributed using the distribution priorities prescribed in the plan.
85 Acts, ch 127, §3; 90 Acts, ch 1234, §9 – 14; 2000 Acts, ch 1023, §8, 60
Referred to in §508B.1, 508B.5, 508B.13