Florida Statutes

Fla. Stat. § 631.271 (2025)

Priority of claims.

✓ 2025 Florida Statutes — current through the 2025 Regular Session

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631.271 Priority of claims.—

(1) The priority of distribution of claims from the insurer’s estate shall be in accordance with the order in which each class of claims is set forth in this subsection. Every claim in each class shall be paid in full or adequate funds shall be retained for such payment before the members of the next class may receive any payment. No subclasses may be established within any class. The order of distribution of claims shall be:

(a) Class 1.—

1. All of the receiver’s costs and expenses of administration.

2. All of the expenses of a guaranty association or foreign guaranty association in handling claims.

3. All of the deputy supervisor’s costs and expenses of administration incurred as a result of administrative supervision under part VI of chapter 624.

(b) Class 2.—All claims under policies for losses incurred, including third-party claims, all claims against the insurer for liability for bodily injury or for injury to or destruction of tangible property which claims are not under policies, all claims of a guaranty association or foreign guaranty association, and all claims related to a patient’s health care coverage by physicians, hospitals, and other providers of a health insurer or health maintenance organization. All claims under life insurance and annuity policies, whether for death proceeds, annuity proceeds, or investment values, shall be treated as loss claims. That portion of any loss, indemnification for which is provided by other benefits or advantages recovered by the claimant, may not be included in this class, other than benefits or advantages recovered or recoverable in discharge of familial obligations of support or by way of succession at death or as proceeds of life insurance, or as gratuities. No payment by an employer to her or his employee may be treated as a gratuity.

(d) Class 4.—Claims of the Federal Government.

(e) Class 5.—Debts due to employees for services performed, to the extent that the debts do not exceed $2,000 for each employee and represent payment for services performed within 6 months before the filing of the petition for liquidation. Officers and directors are not entitled to the benefit of this priority. This priority is in lieu of any other similar priority that is authorized by law as to wages or compensation of employees.

(f) Class 6.—Claims of general creditors.

(g) Class 7.—Claims of any state or local government. Claims, including those of any state or local government for a penalty or forfeiture, shall be allowed in this class, but only to the extent of the pecuniary loss sustained from the act, transaction, or proceeding out of which the penalty or forfeiture arose, with reasonable and actual costs occasioned thereby. The remainder of such claims shall be postponed to the class of claims under paragraph (k).

(h) Class 8.—Claims filed after the time specified in s. 631.181(3), except when ordered otherwise by the court to prevent manifest injustice, or any claims other than claims under paragraph (i) or under paragraph (k).

(i) Class 9.—Surplus or contribution notes, or similar obligations, and premium refunds on assessable policies. Payments to members of domestic mutual insurance companies shall be limited in accordance with law.

(j) Class 10.—Interest on allowed claims of Classes 1 through 9. The rate of interest payable on an allowed claim must accrue from the date the court enters the order of liquidation until such time as the receivership court approves the distribution. The interest rate must be calculated in accordance with s. 55.03.

(k) Class 11.—The claims of shareholders or other owners.

(2) In a liquidation proceeding involving one or more reciprocal states, the order of distribution of the domiciliary state shall control as to all claims of residents of this and reciprocal states. All claims of residents of reciprocal states shall be given equal priority of payment from general assets regardless of where such assets are located.

History.—s. 743, ch. 59-205; ss. 13, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 13, ch. 70-27; s. 1, ch. 70-439; s. 809(1st), ch. 82-243; s. 21, ch. 83-38; s. 7, ch. 85-63; s. 40, ch. 88-166; ss. 94, 187, 188, ch. 91-108; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 1, ch. 95-213; s. 405, ch. 97-102; s. 37, ch. 2012-151; s. 12, ch. 2017-143.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 8 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1982–2025 · leading case: Barnett Bank v. State, Dept. of Ins., 507 So. 2d 142 (Fla. 1st DCA 1987).

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Barnett Bank v. State, Dept. of Ins., 507 So. 2d 142 (Fla. 1st DCA 1987). · cites it 7× “The court also reasoned that allowing the offset would create an unlawful preference for Barnett over Midland's other creditors, and stated that neither section 631.271 nor section 631.281, Florida Statutes (1985), permits the creation of a preference for a creditor who claims…”

Florida Dep't of Ins. v. Chase Bank of Texas Nat'l Ass'n, 274 F.3d 924 (5th Cir. 2001). “All claims in one class must be paid before any claims lower in the priority line. If insufficient funds exist to pay a class in full, a pro rata distribution is made.”

First Am. Bank v. Int'l Med. Centers, Inc., 565 So. 2d 1369 (Fla. 1st DCA 1990). · cites it 4× “29 million claim would be limited to a class 8 priority, pursuant to Section 631.271(l)(h), Florida Statutes, as the ‘claim of a shareholder’.”

Sunset Com. Bk. v. Fla. Dept. of Ins., 509 So. 2d 366 (Fla. 1st DCA 1987). · cites it 2× “Although Sunset Commercial Bank was thus not entitled to a self-executing offset, upon presentment of its claim to the receivership court the offset should have been allowed as a specie of preference before the general distribution of claims classified under section 631.271,…”

In re the Receivership of Syndicate Two, Inc., 538 So. 2d 945 (Fla. 1st DCA 1989). “181, requiring it to file a proof of claim in the delinquency proceedings, and authorizing the circuit court, which has exclusive original jurisdiction over such matters, to adjudicate the validity of the claim and its priority under section 631.271. AFFIRMED. SMITH, C.J., and…”

Ins. Comm'r v. State ex rel. Dep't of Ins., 411 So. 2d 269 (Fla. 1st DCA 1982). “§§ 631.271 and 631.397, Florida Statutes (1979).”

Lidsky v. Florida Dep't of Ins., 643 So. 2d 631 (Fla. 1st DCA 1994). “See § 631.271. To achieve this obviously legitimate purpose, the legislature imposed a stop-gap measure in the critical period of time between the filing of the petition and the entry of an order by deeming or presuming that a transferee “with knowledge” of the fifing of the…”

In the Matter of the Liquidation of Scottish RE (U.S.) Inc. (Del. Ch. 2025). “7 Fla. Stat. § 631.271 (priority scheme La.”

— 631.271(l)(h) — 1 case

First Am. Bank v. Int'l Med. Centers, Inc., 565 So. 2d 1369 (Fla. 1st DCA 1990). “29 million claim would be limited to a class 8 priority, pursuant to Section 631.271(l)(h), Florida Statutes, as the ‘claim of a shareholder’.”

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