Florida § 625.161 - Valuation of property.

§ 625.161. Valuation of property.

(1) Real property owned by an insurer which is reported in financial statements filed with the office shall be valued at the lower of depreciated cost or fair market value. (2) Real property acquired pursuant to a mortgage loan or contract for sale, in the absence of a recent appraisal deemed by the office to be reliable, shall not be valued at an amount greater than the unpaid principal and accrued interest of the defaulted loan or contract at the date of such acquisition, together with any taxes and expenses paid or incurred in connection with such acquisition, and the cost of improvements thereafter made by the insurer and any amounts thereafter paid by the insurer on assessments levied for improvements in connection with the property. (3) Other real property held by an insurer shall not be valued at an amount in excess of fair value as determined by recent appraisal. If the valuation of real property is based on an appraisal more than 5 years old, the office may, at its discretion, call for and require a new appraisal in order to determine fair market value. (4) Personal property acquired pursuant to chattel mortgages made in accordance with s. 625.329 shall not be valued at an amount greater than the unpaid balance of principal and accrued interest on the defaulted loan at the date of acquisition, together with taxes and expenses incurred in connection with such acquisition, or the fair value of such property, whichever amount is the lesser. (5) In carrying out its responsibilities under this section, in the event that the office and the insurer do not agree on the value of real or personal property of such insurer, the office may retain the services of a qualified real or personal property appraiser. In the event it is subsequently determined that the insurer has overvalued assets, the office shall be reimbursed for the costs of the services of any such appraiser incurred with respect to its responsibilities under this section regarding an insurer by said insurer and any reimbursement shall be deposited in the Insurance Regulatory Trust Fund. (6) Any insurer that reported real estate with a value in excess of that allowed by subsection (1) shall comply with the requirements of that subsection.