Section 33-36-6. Plan to govern members; rules; requirements for plan; assignment of claims or judgments against insolvent insurers; claimants of assets of insolvent insurers; jurisdiction; venue

   (a) The Georgia Insurers Insolvency Pool is a nonprofit legal entity with the right to bring and defend actions and such right to bring and defend actions includes the power and right to intervene as a party before any court in this state that has jurisdiction over an insolvent insurer as defined in this chapter. The pool shall adopt, and the Commissioner shall approve, a reasonable plan which is not inconsistent with this chapter and which is fair to insurers and equitable to their policyholders, pursuant to which all admitted insurers shall become members of the pool. All members of the pool shall adhere to the rules of the plan. The plan may be amended by an affirmative vote of a majority of the Insurers Solvency Board.

(b) If, for any reason, the pool fails to adopt a suitable plan within six months following July 1, 1970, or if at any time after July 1, 1970, the pool fails to adopt necessary amendments to the plan, the Commissioner shall adopt and promulgate, after a hearing, such reasonable rules as are necessary to effectuate this chapter. The rules shall continue in force until modified by the Commissioner or superseded by a plan of operation adopted by the pool and approved by the Commissioner.

(c) The plan as provided for in subsection (a) of this Code section shall:

   (1) Establish the procedures whereby all the powers and duties of the pool under this chapter will be performed;

   (2) Establish procedures for handling assets of the pool;

   (3) Mandate that procedures be established for the disposition of liquidating dividends or other moneys received from the estate of the insolvent insurer;

   (4) Mandate that procedures be established to designate the amount and method of reimbursing members of the board of trustees under Code Section 33-36-4;

   (5) Establish procedures by which claims may be filed with the pool and establish acceptable forms of proof of covered claims. Notice of claims to the receiver or liquidator of the insolvent insurer shall be deemed notice to the pool or its agent and a list of claims shall be periodically submitted to the pool or insolvency fund or its equivalent in another state by the receiver or liquidator;

   (6) Establish regular places and times for meetings of the board of trustees;

   (7) Mandate that procedures be established for records to be kept of all financial transactions of the pool, its agents, and the board of trustees;

   (8) Establish the procedures whereby selections for the board of trustees will be submitted to the Commissioner; and

   (9) Contain additional provisions necessary or proper for the execution of the powers and duties of the pool.

(d) In accordance with the plan, the pool may designate insurers to act on behalf of the pool to carry out the purposes of this chapter, but a member may decline such designation. The Commissioner may disapprove such designation. The plan may provide a procedure under which pending claims or judgments against the insolvent insurer or its insureds are assigned to the member companies designated to act for the pool. The assignee-insurer is authorized to appear and defend a claim in a court of competent jurisdiction or otherwise and to investigate, adjust, compromise, and settle a covered claim or to investigate, handle, and deny a noncovered claim, and to do so on behalf of and in the name of the pool. If an assignee-insurer pays the covered claim, it shall be reimbursed by the pool or be entitled to set off said payment against future assessments. The unreimbursed claim of such an insurer against the pool shall be an admitted asset of the insurer. Insureds entitled to protection of this chapter shall cooperate with the pool and the assignee-insurer.

(e) The pool as a legal entity and any of its individual members shall have no cause of action against the insured of the insolvent insurer for any sums it has paid out except such causes of action as the insolvent insurer would have had if such sums had been paid by the insolvent insurer and except as otherwise provided in this chapter. The pool shall be subrogated to the rights of any insured or claimant, to the extent of a covered claim, to participate in the distribution of assets of the insolvent insurer to the extent that the pool has made payment. Any claimant or insured entitled to the benefits of this chapter shall be deemed to have assigned to the pool, to the extent of any payment received, his or her rights against the estate of the insolvent insurer. After determination of insolvency of any insurer, the pool shall be a party in interest in all proceedings involving policies insured or assumed by the pool with the same rights to receive notice and defend, appeal, and review as the insolvent insurer would have had if solvent. All moneys recovered under this Code section or any other Code section shall be added to the assessments collected under Code Section 33-36-7.

(f) Except for actions by member insurers aggrieved by final actions or decisions of the pool pursuant to Code Section 33-36-18, all actions relating to or arising out of this chapter against the pool must be brought in the courts in this state. Such courts shall have exclusive jurisdiction over all actions relating to or arising out of this chapter against the pool.

(g) Exclusive venue in any action by or against the pool is in the Superior Court of DeKalb County. The pool may, at the option of the pool, waive such venue as to specific actions.

Ga. L. 1970, p. 700, § 7; Ga. L. 1989, p. 74, § 5; Ga. L. 2005, p. 563, § 14/HB 407.