" title="Peter H. Bickford Legal & Dispute Resolution Services"> Peter H. Bickford Legal & Dispute Resolution Services

The courts in most jurisdictions – including New York — have consistently held that a receiver “stands in the shoes” of the insolvent company and does not get to change the contractual or legal obligations of the insolvent company simply because an order of rehabilitation or liquidation has been issue. It is not clear, however, if the current management of the New York Liquidation Bureau accepts that they are private managers of insurance entities and are not imbued with the super powers of a governmental agency. The courts continue to do their part to remind the Bureau of its role, but judging from the number of times they need to do so, it does not seem that the message is getting through.

Last October the New York Court of Appeals confirmed that the Bureau was not a state agency (Dinallo v. DiNapoli, October 11, 2007, Decision 111). Although this was a position espoused by the Bureau itself, the Bureau’s motive was not to restrict its powers but to avoid scrutiny by the state comptroller (See my web entry for October 12, 2007). In finding that the Bureau was not a state agency, the Court also restated the broadly accepted principle that the receiver “for all practical purposes takes the place of the insolvent insurer.” (Decision at p.3). It is this limiting role that the Bureau seems to have a problem accepting.

Granted, the receiver has certain necessary powers to assist in the marshalling of estate assets and court protection from unwarranted assaults, but these powers are not intended to alter contractual relationships or create obligations that did not exist pre-receivership. For instance, in Matter of Midland Ins. Co., 79 NY2d 253, 265 (1992), the New York Court of Appeals stated that “liquidation cannot place the liquidator in a better position than the insolvent company he takes over, authorizing him to demand that which the company would not have been entitled to prior to liquidation. . . . Those rights were not altered merely because a liquidation order was entered.” Notwithstanding this clear pronouncement, the Bureau frequently attempts – even in the Midland Insurance Company estate — to alter contractual rights of others under the guise of acting as a “fiduciary” or under some implied or threatened super authority.

In January 2008 the Midland liquidation court (Justice Stallman) issued a lengthy decision that, while supporting the primary claim handling authority of the liquidator, also took the Bureau to task for not adequately protecting the interposition rights of reinsurers, and requiring the Bureau to revise the claims protocol in this regard (See my February 21, 2008 web entry on this decision). Now Justice Stallman has again reminded the Bureau of the limitations of its authority and power to define the rights of others – this time regarding the Bureau’s attempt to apply New York law across the board to all Midland creditors.

In a recent 24-page decision (In the Matter of the Liquidation of Midland Insurance Company, Motion Seq. No. 69, April 15, 2008), Justice Stallman has directed that the law applicable to each policy is not New York law in all cases; rather the applicable law is to be determined following the ‘grouping of contacts’ approach of the Restatement (Second) of Conflicts of Laws. The decision rejects the Bureau’s interpretation of the Appellate Division finding in the Lac d’Amiante du Quebec claim in Midland (269 AD2d 50 [1st Dept 2000]) that all creditors are to be treated equally requires that New York law must apply to all Midland contracts. Instead the Court turns to the Foster Wheeler Corp. holding (36AD3d 17 [1st Dept 2006]) that the “grouping of contacts” principle of the Restatement (Second) of Conflicts of Law applies in New York and is consistent with the principles of the Uniform Insurers Liquidation Act (Insurance law Section 7048 et seq.) for the equitable administration of estates. Furthermore, the court found that the establishment of nine statutory classes of claimants in the 1999 amendment to the priority of distribution scheme under Article 74 eliminates any basis for applying the equal treatment reading of the Lac d’Amiante decision.

The decision is an interesting read, but the bottom line is that the court rejected equating equal treatment with equitable treatment, and again confirmed that “standing in the shoes” does not mean trampling the contractual rights of others.

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Because of the recent interest in reviving the insurance exchange in New York, and the numerous requests I have received for materials on the old New York Insurance Exchange, I have posted a new section of articles, studies and publications relating to the old Exchange to my website. these materials can be accessed at www.pbnylaw.com/publications.html.

One of the articles at this site is my 2004 article presented at a Practicing Law Institute seminar on run-offs and commutations, “What Ever happened to the New York Insurance Exchange (and why do we care?).” In that article I stated that the Exchange’s Security Fund’s plan for the distribution of about $81.8 million against obligations of $112.5 million had been approved by the Court in February 2004, but that no distribution had been made under the plan as of the date of the article in November 2004. Several people have asked whether a distrbution was ever made. the answer is yes, but it required some pressure to accomplish.

In December 2004, I brought a further motion before the Court to force the Security Fund to comply with its own plan and distribute the funds available for distribution immediately. As a result of this motion, in early January 2005 the Security Fund made a distribution of $81.6 million, or 72.05% of approved claims. this was followed in June 2005 with a second and final distribution of an additional $4.1 million, or 5.29%, to the same claimants. Following these distributions, which constituted substantially all of the assets of the Security Fund less administrative and closing expenses and reserves, the Security Fund filed a final report with the Court. the Court approved the final report and discharged the Security Fund from any further obligations to claimants in May 2006.

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Like an old prospector, it is always a thrill to find a small but valuable nugget in a large pile of rocks. In this case, the large pile of rocks is the 27 page decision of New York Supreme Court Justice Michael D. Stallman in a January 14, 2008 decision In the Matter of the Liquidation of Midland Insurance Company (printed in the New York Law Journal on February 14, 2008).

The case centered around motions by a reinsurer of Midland, Everest Reinsurance Company, seeking to lift the standard injunction barring suits against the Liquidator alleging that “the procedures of the New York Liquidation Bureau in handling, determining, and settling insurance claims violates provisions of the reinsurance contracts between Midland and Everest.” (Decision at p.1) The provisions Everest alleged were violated by the Liquidator’s agents included “(1) notice of a claim to Everest; (2) an opportunity to associate with Midland and to cooperate in the defense and control of any claim which may involve Everest’s reinsurance; (3) access to Midland’s books and records; (4) a right to investigate; and (5) a right to interpose defenses in the Midland liquidation (interposition rights).” (Decision at p.11)

Most of this very thorough decision was consumed by a point by point rejection of each of Everest’s claims, either because Everest failed to show any substantive evidence of error by the Liquidator’s agents, the remedy for any shortcomings existed within the framework of the existing liquidation process, or the issue had not risen to the point of a breach. The decision also strongly supported the Liquidator’s “clear, exclusive fiduciary powers over handling claims” (Decision at p. 20) and the exclusivity of the liquidation court in denying Everest’s motion for leave to sue. It seemed like a substantial sweep for the Liquidator and a complete loss for Everest. Then came the nugget!

Although the Court strongly supported the Liquidator’s control over the handling of claims, it did not dismiss the interposition rights of reinsurers. In seeking a balance between the control of the claim process by the Liquidator and the exercise of the interposition rights of reinsurers, the Court stated: “Thus, the only logical approach is to permit Everest and other reinsurers to exercise their contractual interposition rights after the Liquidator has allowed a claim, but prior to the Court’s approval of a claim.” (Decision at p. 22). The problem was that there was an earlier Court order on claims allowance procedures for Court approval that, in Justice Stallman’s view, conflicted with the reinsurers’ interposition rights.

“To give effect to the contractual interposition rights of Everest (and of other similarly situated reinsurers), this Court is constrained to modify the procedures for judicial approval of allowed claims, to permit reinsurers to assert defenses available to Midland or to the Liquidator to any claim allowed by the Liquidator which is either partially or wholly reinsured, and to establish a process in which those defenses can be adjudicated as part of the judicial approval process, involving a hearing before a referee equivalent to that provided where an objection is filed to the Liquidator’s disallowance of a claim. Otherwise, the Liquidator is placed in a position where compliance with [the prior] order could result in a violation of Midland’s reinsurance
contracts, jeopardizing reinsurance recovery.” (Decision at p. 24)

Therefore Justice Stallman, on his own volition, ordered a revision of the prior claim allowance procedures invoking his broad supervisory powers under the liquidation Article of the New York Insurance law!

“Thus, pursuant to its supervisory powers under Insurance Law § 7419(b), the Court directs the Liquidator to review the claims allowance procedures and to formulate changes to the claims allowance procedures and protocols of the Liquidation Bureau. The Liquidator shall report to the Court within 120 days with proposed changes.” (Decision at p. 24)

After more than twenty years of involvement in insurance receivership proceedings in New York, I can confirm the rarity indeed for a liquidation court to actually exercise its supervisory powers on its own volition. Others can dissect the holdings of the decision on the motions by Everest, the authority of the Liquidator, the rights of the reinsurers and policyholders; and others can speculate on the prospects for appeals by the Liquidator or Everest. I will enjoy the moment of a judge actually taking the time to consider the process beyond the four corners of the motions before him to exercise his authority for the benefit of the process as a whole.

(If you cannot find a copy of Justice Stallman’s decision and would like one, e-mail me at pbickford@pbnylaw.com)

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This is an update to last week’s posting (see December 5, 2007 posting below) about Executive Life Insurance Company of New York (ELNY). I expect to continue issuing postings on this topic to raise questions about the premises behind the New York Liquidation Bureau’s bail out plan for ELNY so long as the Bureau continues to publicly tout its plan using justifications that are contrary to the facts.

This week’s issue of Business Insurance (http://www.bi.com/) published a follow-up article on the ELNY deal reporting on statements by the head of the Liquidation Bureau, Mark Peters. According to the article, “ELNY would receive roughly $650 million to $750 million in cash contributions” from both state life guarantee associations and from certain p/c companies “that bought ELNY annuities to fund structured settlements of liability claims.” The p/c companies include Allianz, Fireman’s Fund, Allstate, State Farm and Travelers.

The article goes on to state: “The contributions will be enough to offset the $2 billion deficit that ELNY is predicted to face in 12 to 15 years, regulators say. The deficit results largely from an overly optimistic assumption in ELNY’s 1992 rehabilitation plan that the estate would earn 10% annually on its invested assets, Mr. Peters said. The actual return was between 7% and 8%. The Liquidation Bureau is now assuming a future annual return of just over 6%, he said. Most of ELNY’s contracts will run off within 35 years, with the last contract expiring in about 70 years, he said.”

Let’s see what’s wrong with the foregoing statements:

Inadequate interest rate assumptions cannot begin to account for the purported deficit. The assets simply have not decreased substantially in the past 16 years. In fact, prior to 2002, there was NO reduction in reported assets – all policy claims were being paid from current earnings.

The 1992 plan of rehabilitation does not include interest rate assumptions. It discussed an investment strategy summarized as follows: “. . . principal and interest realized upon maturity or recovery of ELNY’s bonds [none of which defaulted, by the way], as well as other cash flows derived from investments contained in ELNY’s portfolio, will be reinvested in long-term (thirty (30) year) investment grade corporate bonds and in Standard and Poor’s 500 common stocks. The reinvestment in common stocks will be limited.”

The 1992 plan of rehabilitation specifically stated that that the cash flows from investments “are projected to be sufficient to cover current [covered annuity] payouts for at least ten (10) years.” That is what happened. So how was the strategy wrong?

By the beginning of 2002 the number of outstanding contracts had already declined by over 40% (now over 50%), yet the asset base remained constant. Over-stated interest assumptions simply cannot explain the Bureau’s publicly announced conclusions.

So if it is not the interest rate assumptions causing the purported deficit, what is causing it? Potential investors have made proposals to the Liquidation Bureau over the past several years supported by pro forma statements using interest rate assumptions at or below the Bureau’s current assumption without showing any significant deterioration based on known liabilities. These investment proposals all failed to obtain the Bureau’s “approval” because of continual increases in liabilities – not because of a decline in the assets. This precipitous increase in liabilities – which is not mentioned at all in the Bureau’s statements about ELNY — is counter-intuitive to the conservative actuarial assumptions in place for the life of the estate, the nature of the business, and the decline by half in the number of active policies.

A couple of other points are also worthy of note. It is interesting that this publicly touted agreement with the industry is not publicly available, and all the participants are unable to discuss the agreement because they were each required to enter into a confidentiality agreement with the Bureau. If the bail out plan is so beneficial for everyone, why does the Bureau feel compelled to keep it hidden?

In the Business Insurance article, Mr. Peters also stated that the bail-out plan “would be cheaper for the insurers [how this is so is not explained] and avoids the ‘chaos’ that would come with a liquidation.” One thing that liquidation accomplishes is to remove the company from the hands of the people that caused it to become insolvent. Because ELNY was solvent when it was placed in rehabilitation, if it is now insolvent it became insolvent under the Liquidation Bureau’s watch. Can anyone imagine the industry voluntarily contributing $750 million to bail out a company’s management so that it could avoid liquidation and remain in charge?

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New York’s Governor Spitzer issued a press release on Monday (December 3) followed by a widely reported press conference announcing an agreement in principle “that will protect nearly 11,000 accident victims and other individuals receiving annual payments from structured settlements and pensions.” The release goes on to praise the Superintendent of Insurance and the head of the Liquidation Bureau for aggressively pursuing an agreement with the life and property/casualty companies and the guarantee funds that “resolved a significant deficit from a defunct insurance company.” (The press release can be found on the Insurance Department’s web site at http://ins.state.ny.us/press/2007/)

Before jumping on the bandwagon of kudos to the Governor, the Superintendent of Insurance and the Liquidation Bureau, however, there are a number of factual issues that one might want to consider.

The “defunct” company in question is Executive Life Insurance Company of New York (“ELNY”), which was placed into rehabilitation in 1991. According to the 1992 court approved Plan of Rehabilitation, ELNY was placed in rehabilitation because of the New York Insurance Department’s concerns that the adverse publicity regarding the seizure of its parent company, Executive Life Insurance Company of California, could result in an excessive number of cash surrenders. It was NOT placed in rehabilitation because it was insolvent! In fact, ELNY has never been determined to be insolvent. Consider also the following:

• At year-end 1994 (the first year the Liquidation Bureau was required to publish financials for the estates under its control), ELNY had almost 24,000 annuity contracts in force and reported assets of $1.65 billion.
• At year-end 2006, there were only 11,300 policies in force and reported assets of $1.37 billion – a 53% decline in outstanding policies and only a 17% decline in assets.
• In that 13 year period 1994 through 2006, ELNY continuously met all outstanding policy obligations to the tune of almost $2 billion.
• Throughout that same period, ELNY had the same major life insurer as administrator, the same nationally known actuarial firm as its actuarial consultant, and the same prominent financial firm as investment advisor.
• Over 90% of the outstanding obligations are fixed obligations under structured settlement agreements. There are no potential “long tail” obligations to cause a sudden and precipitous inflation of ultimate liabilities.

Notwithstanding these facts, the current administration has apparently “sold” the industry and the life guarantee funds on the premise that “ELNY would have a $2 billion deficit,” that continued payments to policyholders is at risk, and that an industry bail out is necessary and appropriate (Announcing a $2 billion deficit at this time is also curious in view of the fact that the Liquidation Bureau has engaged an audit of ELNY that is not expected to be completed until the middle or end of January 2008).

If there is in fact a $2 billion shortfall the big question is: How did it happen? It cannot be blamed on the former management of ELNY because the company was solvent when it was placed in rehabilitation. It has been under the Liquidation Bureau’s watch with the same prestigious advisors for over 16 years – through both Democratic and Republican administrations — paying all obligations on a timely basis, and has received a number of investment suitors that have all been rejected by the Bureau.

Now we are being told that there is a $2 billion shortfall that can only be resolved on the backs of the industry. If true, someone needs to explain how that happened and hold those responsible accountable. Given the prosecutorial background of the Governor, his Superintendent of Insurance and the head of the Liquidation Bureau, can we assume that as bright a light will be aimed at the causes of this development as is being shined on the bailout agreement?

(In the interest of full disclosure, I have represented various investor groups over the past ten years interested in restoring ELNY to the marketplace. I do not represent any such group at this time, however, although I am aware of continued investor interest based primarily on the belief that any significant deficit defies fact and logic.)

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One of my pet peeves about the New York Liquidation Bureau over the years has been its inability (or refusal) to acknowledge in practice the difference between liquidation and rehabilitation under Article 74 of the Insurance Law. Unfortunately the Bureau’s Mission Statement as posted on its web site perpetuates the problem (www.nylb.org/mission.htm).

The Mission Statement avers that the Liquidation Bureau acts for the Superintendent of Insurance to “. . . return rehabilitated companies to the marketplace or distribute the proceeds of the company in a timely manner to creditors.” Under §7403 the rehabilitator’s statutory function is to “conduct the business” of the company in rehabilitation, and to take steps “toward the removal of the causes and conditions” that made the rehabilitation necessary. There is no statutory authority for the rehabilitator to “distribute the proceeds of the company in a timely manner to creditors.” That can only be done in liquidation, which is a separate proceeding with different statutory rules.

If the New York Liquidation Bureau wants the insurance community to believe it has a new attitude about its role in rehabilitations, it might want to consider revising its Mission Statement to reflect the law.

For a more extensive review of the receivership process, particularly in New York, see my article, “Who Protects us from the Reciever?” at https://www.pbnylaw.com/articles/whoprotectsusfromthereciever-11-04.pdf.

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The lead article in today’s New York Law Journal reports that because of “newly discovered assets” of an insurance company that has been in liquidation since 1997, $18 million has been added to the strapped Public Motor Vehicle Security Fund (PMV Fund), which will allow the PMV Fund to pay approved claims that have been unpaid for many years because of a lack of funds, and to allow the Bureau to address the backlog of unprocessed claims.

The company is New York Merchant Bakers Insurance Company (“Merchant Bakers”). According to public records and other data obtained from the Insurance Department under the Freedom of Information Law, Merchant Bakers has not just been the largest drain on the PMV Fund; it has been the monster drain. For the five years from 2002 through 2006, the PMV Fund paid out over $131 million in claims, of which almost $95 million were paid to claimants of Merchant Bakers – more than 72% of the total. In fact, Merchant Bakers and one other company, Capital Mutual Insurance Company, which has been in liquidation since 2000, account for over 90% of the total payments from the PMV Fund.

I applaud the Liquidation Bureau for addressing long overdue claims against the PMV Fund. However, the impact of Merchant Bakers on the financially challenged PMV Fund over past decade underscores the need to separate the security fund function from the Liquidation Bureau. New York is the only state where the insurance security or guaranty funds are not separate entities from the receiver – usually with their own boards of directors or trustees including industry representation (after all, it is their money in these funds). In New York, however, the funds are basically bank accounts with the receiver as the authorized signatory (for a discussion of the liquidation process in the US, including the operation of guaranty funds see my article “Who Protects Us from the Receiver?” at www.pbnylaw.com/publications).

Perhaps if the PMV Fund had been a separate entity, it would have questioned the overly concentrated drain on the Fund by one or two companies, which could have led to solutions to the PMV Fund crisis. Perhaps, too, pressure from a separate entity could have helped the Liquidation Bureau “find” the $18 million in assets a lot sooner. The law Journal article does not explain where or how the $18 million was “newly discovered.” That could well be the real story here!

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The New York Court of Appeals unanimously decided yesterday that in his capacity as liquidator of insurance companies the superintendent of insurance is not a state officer, and that the New York Liquidation Bureau acting as the liquidator’s agent is not a state agency. Furthermore, the Court determined that the assets of the estates under the control of the liquidator are private not state funds, nor are these assets funds held by a state officer or agency. Therefore, the State Comptroller has no authority to audit the Bureau or subpoena its personnel. A copy of the decision can be obtained from the Liquidation Bureau’s website at http://www.nylb.org/ or by sending a request to me at pbickford@pbnylaw.com.

Although the case seems to put to bed the Comptroller’s ability to force an audit of the Liquidation Bureau, there is an interesting footnote in the decision that reads as follows:

“This holding is not meant to imply that the Superintendent may not be subject to an independent audit. Although the Legislature does not have the authority under our holding in Blue Cross and Blue Shield to assign to the Comptroller the task of auditing the Bureau, it does have the authority to require the Bureau to retain independent auditors.”

This footnote seems to leave the door open for the Legislature to provide for forced, independent audits of the Liquidation Bureau, a move the Superintendent may have anticipated in the Liquidation Bureau’s press release on the decision where the Superintendent states:

“Although this case was about far more than transparency and outside oversight, transparency and accountability are nonetheless critical elements in successfully fulfilling the Bureau’s legal responsibilities.”

The Superintendent then goes on to talk about all the actions, including a “top to bottom” audit of the Bureau and each of the estates under its control. I will be commenting more fully on these “transparency” and “audit” issue in future postings. For my earlier comments on this case, made following the Appellate Division ruling, see my entry for March 22, 2007.

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A recent Appellate Division decision has again raised the question of what exactly is the New York Liquidation Bureau — a state agency, subject to all the oversight imposed on any other state agency, a private employees of the Superintendent of Insurance in his fiduciary role as receiver of insolvent insurers, or some other kind of hybrid?

As early as 1988 the lower courts of New York had held that the Liquidation Bureau was not a state agency and therefore not subject to the Freedom of Information Act. See Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. v. The Insurance Department of the State of New York, 532 NY Supp.2d, 140 Misc.2d 969 (Sup.Ct., NY County, 1988). Thus when the State Comptroller sought to audit the activities of the Liquidation Bureau and issue subpoenas to Liquidation Bureau personnel, the lower court quashed the subpoenas under the Con Ed line of cases. The Appellate Division, First Department, however, has overturned this decision and reinstated the subpoenas concluding in a 3 to 2 decision that the Superintendent of Insurance is a State Officer, and the Liquidation Bureau is therefore carrying out the functions of a State Officer. Hence it is a State Agency subject to audit by the Comptroller. Serio v. Hevesi, 2007 NY Slip Op 01820 (App. Div., 1st Dept., March 6, 2007). The decision can be obtained from the New York Unified Court System web site at www.nycourts.gov/decisions, or by contacting me at pbickford@pbnylaw.com.

The core of the majority opinion is that as a State Officer, the handling of any funds under the Superintendent’s control are subject to audit by the Comptroller. The dissent disagrees, however, stating that the funds of insolvent insurers are private funds “owned” by the creditors and policyholders of the estates, and are not State funds. In this capacity, the Superintendent is a fiduciary subject to the oversight of the Courts, not the Comptroller. The reach of the majority decision, however, could extend far beyond this one issue, and it is quite likely that the decision will be appealed to the Court of Appeals. Stay tuned!

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