Texas § IN.443.301 - PRIORITY OF DISTRIBUTION

§ IN.443.301. PRIORITY OF DISTRIBUTION

PRIORITY OF DISTRIBUTION. The priority of payment of distributions on unsecured claims must be in accordance with the order in which each class of claims is set forth in this section. Every claim in each class shall be paid in full, or adequate funds retained for their payment, before the members of the next class receive payment, and all claims within a class must be paid substantially the same percentage of the amount of the claim. Except as provided by Subsections (a)(2), (a)(3), (i), and (k), subclasses may not be established within a class. No claim by a shareholder, policyholder, or other creditor shall be permitted to circumvent the priority classes through the use of equitable remedies. The order of distribution of claims shall be: (a) Class 1. (1) The costs and expenses of administration expressly approved or ratified by the liquidator, including the following: (A) the actual and necessary costs of preserving or recovering the property of the insurer; (B) reasonable compensation for all services rendered on behalf of the administrative supervisor or receiver; (C) any necessary filing fees; (D) the fees and mileage payable to witnesses; (E) unsecured loans obtained by the receiver; and (F) expenses, if any, approved by the rehabilitator of the insurer and incurred in the course of the rehabilitation that are unpaid at the time of the entry of the order of liquidation. (2) The reasonable expenses of a guaranty association, including overhead, salaries and other general administrative expenses allocable to the receivership to include administrative and claims handling expenses and expenses in connection with arrangements for ongoing coverage, other than expenses incurred in the performance of duties under Section 462.002(3), 463.108, 463.111, 463.113, 463.353, or 2602.113 or similar duties under the statute governing a similar organization in another state. In the case of the Texas Property and Casualty Insurance Guaranty Association and other property and casualty guaranty associations, the expenses shall include loss adjustment expenses, including adjusting and other expenses and defense and cost containment expenses. In the event that there are insufficient assets to pay all of the costs and expenses of administration under Subsection (a)(1) and the expenses of a guaranty association, the costs and expenses under Subsection (a)(1) shall have priority over the expenses of a guaranty association. In this event, the expenses of a guaranty association shall be paid on a pro rata basis after the payment of costs and expenses under Subsection (a)(1) in full. (3) For purposes of Subsection (a)(1)(E), any unsecured loan obtained by the receiver, unless by its terms it otherwise provides, has priority over all other costs of administration. Absent agreement to the contrary, all claims in this subclass share pro rata. (4) Except as expressly approved by the receiver, any expenses arising from a duty to indemnify the directors, officers, or employees of the insurer are excluded from this class and, if allowed, are Class 5 claims. (b) Class 2. (1) All claims under policies of insurance, including third-party claims; claims under annuity contracts, including funding agreements, guaranteed investment contracts, and synthetic guaranteed investment contracts; claims under nonassessable policies for unearned premium; claims of obligees and, subject to the discretion of the receiver, completion contractors, under surety bonds and surety undertakings other than bail bonds, mortgage or financial guaranties, or other forms of insurance offering protection against investment risk; claims by principals under surety bonds and surety undertakings for wrongful dissipation of collateral by the insurer or its agents; and claims incurred during the extension of coverage provided for in