Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

non-participating; and ala0 policies or izduatrlal life insurahoe ulder irrtiole 4764b. provldlng for no participafio~ privileges. The ordinary 1iPe busineeia is profitable but the industrial llfa buefness plhoffsa loss, and 'tha Coqxu&e whole operatfona (inoWIing Ufg, haalth and aocident) show A0 prQfit* *%?I;.CompaAy dO&%6OnUuot ita'ltie, health and aoeidant bosiness fa separate departznants. 'PBS Usaim yaux opznfan a6 t0 whether in these eircmw atanaeo the Company oan 1awPully py dividend8 to the holdem of ordinarypartlolpating Lffe polleLes." titicrle 4729; Vernon's Awotatm¶ Civki: Btatutee grovidaar z 8, WQ lml tiewee coiapany organfied una+ _ the lam ot thts State shall heelage orgay-say dlvidendis to its poUoy holders, exekpt Pro;a~th> proPllwmde by auoh wxqmny. 'ilxls&LOU izot prohibit the isauame of polioies gmranteeing a U~sf$uLte payment or reduatioa l.ri precsim ~aot exce6dfag.the ~oxpenae'~oading on said prtiuiss. %hera said reduatiOA exceeds said ex-perme XoCrd- ir~g.,t&e propar reserve therefor mst be held by the oonpany to prdvide for the dsc'fciemy oo arisirg l.n the' net preniusl, abut thiq skll not apply to gayseats t6 holders ot speotil or bosrd oontraots hezretofoxs isswd. fro sach life ia- surauge oompauy shall dealare or pey an3 dIvI& dends to it& stookholders, except P,roznprofits -3ade~ buy 9UOh OOf!@~, AOt iAOlUdiQ3 8UQ;lUs asising ‘from sale oP.sto&.m Axtiale l+753, Verconls Annotated Ci0I.L rjtstutas, reads as PolSower *It shall not be lawful ror my insurantle cmqaany orga:anizedunder~tbo laws of tbia State to z.ske any tiuidende, ~exeept rm= surplue gr0- fits arising frara its businsrss, In ‘ssthatiag .. stioh profits, there s&all be zeaeirred "U~erefrorathe lawful reserve on all wJ8rpired risk& and al&o the smurit oP all unpsLd l~sa88, whether adjusted of uri- etljusted, and all other debts due and payable, ere to beoone due and payable, by the comganye &y dIViaSAaU Bad% OoAtIXWy t0 Amy PrOYfsiOA Or ?ihIS hrtiale %&all aubjeot th6'oonjmxy zmkiag than to a i0rr8ft0x0 or its ohartez; and me CotPmiasiixer shaU.:forth'%ith revoke its &mirioate Or authorfty. iia shaall give suah capany at least ten daya notice iA WrlWlg of-rhia iAtent&oA to 'reVOk se14 c&k- iioate, atatiha apeoifioaX3.y the reationa why he intend8 to revoke the 88m~+~ &ticle 503tS1 V+Aon*s Annotated Civil Statutes ?roviaa#: TTo life, health, l!ire, ~~?ine or inI.a~& in&r- anw ooRtpRy, orga?llzsu maf3r the laws .o::et,is. State,-~ : ahall. sake any dioiaenas emept frvla the surpm3 prorits aria- rrom its busioasa. In esfinsting suoh prorits, there &all be reserved t&m#rcm a sib eqgLt to forty per csnt of the azouat received on uAexpirsd fire risks rind pOllCieOj aa pre~+&uzn.s and one hundred per ebnti oi the pr&ma reoeived on -expirea lise, ~bealth, slarine oil Inlend tlrans- portation riSk3 eAd po~oisa, wLi.oh afSXAt 80 XT%- served Ian hereby dedlared to bs unearned premluza. There ahalL alao be ra%erVed tha amuAt of all WI- paid loaaes, whether adjusted or unadjueted; all suma due the co@aAy 8A bon,nbS,mti@i@t3, atooks and book accounts, of wbi&i ~0 part ot the prinai- pal or tie faterest ther5oA has been paid~durlslg the gear: preceding suoh sstiolate of profits-, and upon whloh suit for foreo.losare or coflection has not been mxmeAoed or which after judmt has been obtained thereor ehan'@iQe reJained rcole than two year% unsatisfied, and upon whioh SAterest shall not haye been paid. IA case Of Amy such judgment, the interestdue or aoorued thereon and rsmaiulng unpaid shall alao be reserved. .uls dividends f&a&e CoAtmr~ tO'tbe,protisiOrrs 02 t&is _. l . I T&a. osdlnasy lire business .“., ie pm-+ iitable but the fndustr~al Ufe buetieoa shows a -lo ss, 8r&d the GOnpiiIy'a whole Operation% (iItoli&- ing life, health and accident)'sh~~ no .prgfit.* Af%er a.oareful se&oh we hsve PafleU to find crny ciaae wharo the ap~oU.ate oourba of tt-is &ate have pmmi upon e gueetlon like or &ai.lar to the one uader consideration. However, to cossestlg answer gow ;iues- 'uionas stated @owe, we tbiak that it ia aeceasary to dei;er&e wðer the coiagaqf as a whole mst 2m.v~ s;lr- &ui prof&.ts aria&g Itro:a Its ‘Jus.Lneas from atic& it oiw logafly pag UivLdoada UnllcG the abom =8&ioood statutes 3~ %ðer each OS any oT such separate sss: dfstinot _. . tionorable 3. P. Lookhart, page 5. department8 oan legal- par dividends to the poliay holders in eucth6epartmnt or dopmtmentr wnere ana when no potits arS bvall8bls in other deprrtmnts of the ooqany to py dividundo. Cardully oonsldarlng thm sbon mentioned statute8 together, it 18 our opinion, that the oom;tany a8 II whole nirat are surplus profits from whioh it aan legally pay divldehd8 and that mrplss profits in one or more de- partmJlts aiha not all of the depsrtzaonts 0r the aolupany will not suthorlse the payme,nt of diriderxle to the poll07 holder8 in those depgertments harti& wplus profitr while other departmenta of the canpany shvw loaaae or tha oom- pany a8 a rhoI. show8 no profita. It ie apparent that it was the intention uid purpoar of tha Lagialatus to pro- tect the coqany 8na the policy holdrrr u;a that the above pl4ntimva rtatutvo 0114 rutharia the gayimit or diviaana8 to palloy holdero whvri the osqsny a(1 e whole ha6 euoh surplus pmrits fren uhieh it oan le&ly _nay dividenda. There is no authorim%ion for the gaynent of Ulvlaanda to poliop holders by eoprmste 6nd dis~lnat departuente of the oompany. The com~eny as a whole n&ust have suoh aur- plus profit6 from wbish it aen legally pay dlVldends be- fore any dlvidaadu oa~l be paid. Therefore, we rrspeob fully anmer the above atatod ciuc&iiOa in the negatiV8. Truati~ that the r0~sOine fully aneWer ycur iqul.ry we are