23-63-218. Change of domicile.

23-63-218. Change of domicile. (a) Any insurer which is organized under the laws of any other state and is admitted to do business in this state for the purpose of writing insurance may become a domestic insurer by complying with all of the requirements of law relative to the organization and licensing of a domestic insurer of the same type and by designating its principal place of business at a place in this state. The domestic insurer will be entitled to like certificates and licenses to transact business in this state and shall be subject to the authority and jurisdiction of this state. An insurer which changes its status from foreign to domestic shall have all the rights, titles, and interests in the assets of the original corporation, as well as all of its liabilities and obligations. The insurer shall be recognized as an insurer formed under the laws of this state as of the date of its incorporation in its original domiciliary state. (b)(1) Any domestic insurer may, upon the approval of the Insurance Commissioner, transfer its domicile to any other state in which it is admitted to transact the business of insurance. Upon the transfer, the insurer shall cease to be a domestic insurer and shall be admitted to this state if qualified as a foreign insurer. (2) The commissioner shall approve any proposed transfer unless he or she shall determine that the transfer is not in the interest of the policyholders of this state. (c)(1) The certificate of authority, agents, appointments and licenses, rates, and other items which the commissioner allows, in his or her discretion, which are in existence at the time any insurer licensed to transact the business of insurance in this state transfers its corporate domicile to this or any other state by merger, consolidation, or any other lawful method shall continue in full force and effect upon the transfer if the insurer remains qualified to transact the business of insurance in this state. (2) All outstanding policies of any transferring insurer shall remain in full force and effect and need not be endorsed as to the new name of the company or its new location unless so ordered by the commissioner. (3) Every transferring insurer shall file new policy forms with the commissioner on or before the effective date of the transfer but may use existing policy forms with appropriate endorsements if allowed by, and under such conditions as approved by, the commissioner. (4) However, every transferring insurer shall notify the commissioner of the details of the proposed transfer and shall file promptly the resulting amendments to corporate documents filed or required to be filed with the commissioner. (d) The commissioner may promulgate rules to carry out the purposes of this section.