(a) The commissioner shall not issue or permit to exist a certificate of authority as to any insurer, other than an alien insurer, unless it has deposited and maintains deposited in trust with the Treasurer of this state cash or securities eligible under Section 27-6-3 and having a value at all times of not less than $100,000.00 or the minimum paid-in capital stock, if a stock insurer, or surplus, if a mutual or reciprocal insurer, required to be maintained by the insurer under this title for authority to transact the kinds of insurance to be transacted, whichever is the smaller amount.

(b) The deposit shall be for the general benefit and protection of the insurer's policyholders or its policyholders and creditors.

(c) In lieu of such deposit, or part thereof, in this state of a foreign insurer, the commissioner shall, subject to the retaliatory law, Section 27-3-29, accept the current certificate in proper form of the public official having supervision over insurers in any other state to the effect that a like deposit, or part thereof, of such insurer, comprised of cash or securities of substantially the same character as required under subsection (a) of this section, of similar deposits in this state, is being maintained under law in public custody or control in such state in trust for the purpose, among other reasonable purposes of protection of policyholders or policyholders and creditors, of the protection of all the insurer's policyholders or of its policyholders and creditors in this state.

(d) All such deposits in this state shall be subject to the applicable provisions of Chapter 6 of this title.

(e) Any insurance company, with respect to its general account or separate accounts, is authorized to deposit or arrange for the deposit of securities which it may own in a clearing corporation, as defined in Section 7-8-102(3), or in a federal reserve bank under the book-entry system. When such securities are so deposited, certificates representing securities of the same class of the same insurer may be merged and held in bulk in the name of the nominee of such clearing corporation with any other securities deposited in such clearing corporation by any person, regardless of the ownership of such securities, and securities of small denominations may be merged into one or more certificates of larger denominations. Title to such securities may be transferred by bookkeeping entry on the books of such clearing corporation or federal reserve bank without physical delivery of certificates representing such securities. Any company making deposits by means of such securities shall provide to the commissioner evidence customarily issued by federal reserve banks and clearing corporations establishing that the securities are actually recorded in a book-entry account or actually held in safekeeping by a clearing corporation. Securities deposited in a clearing corporation or in a book-entry account and used to meet the deposit requirements under the insurance laws of this state shall be under the control of the commissioner and shall not be withdrawn by the insurance company without the approval of the commissioner.