Examination of associations.

(1) Service warranty associations licensed under this part may be subject to periodic examination by the office, in the same manner and subject to the same terms and conditions that apply to insurers under part II of chapter 624. The office is not required to conduct periodic examinations pursuant to this section, but may examine a service warranty company at its discretion. An examination conducted pursuant to this section may cover a period of only the most recent 5 years. The costs of examinations conducted pursuant to ss. 624.316(2)(e) and 624.3161(3) may not exceed 10 percent of the companies’ reported net income for the prior year.

(2) On or before May 1 of each year, an association may submit to the office the Form 10-K, as filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Upon receipt and review of the most current Form 10-K, the office may waive the examination requirement; if the office determines not to waive the examination, such examination will be limited to that examination necessary to ensure compliance with this part. The Form 10-K shall be accompanied by a filing fee of $2,000 to be deposited into the Insurance Regulatory Trust Fund.

(3) If the office examines an association that has less than $20,000 in gross written premiums, the examination fee may not exceed 5 percent of the gross written premiums of the association.