(205 ILCS 657/50)

Sec. 50. Permissible investments.

(a) A licensee shall maintain at all times permissible investments that have an aggregate market value computed in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles of not less than the aggregate amount of all its outstanding payment instruments and other transfers, except to the extent the amount is reduced from permissible investments under its method of accounting. The permissible investments may be owned by the licensee and, the investments, in an amount equal to the outstanding payment instruments issued and sold in this State, even if commingled with other assets of the licensee, shall be deemed by operation of law to be held in trust for the benefit of the purchasers of the licensee's outstanding payment instruments in Illinois in the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of the licensee. Permissible investments include, but are not limited to, all of the following unencumbered items:

(1) Cash on hand or on deposit in the name of the licensee.

(2) Certificates of deposit of a bank, savings and loan association, or credit union.

(3) Bills of exchange or time drafts that are drawn on and accepted by a bank, otherwise known as banker's acceptances, and that are eligible for purchase by member banks of the Federal Reserve System.

(4) Commercial paper bearing a rating of one of the 3 highest grades as defined by a nationally recognized organization that rates these securities.

(5) Securities, obligations, or other instruments, whose payment is guaranteed by the general taxing authority of the issuer, of the United States or any state or of any other governmental entity or political subdivision or instrumentality of a governmental entity that bear a rating of one of the 3 highest grades by Moody's Investor's Service, Inc. or Standard and Poor's Corporation.

(6) Bonds or other obligations of a corporation organized in a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or the several territories organized by Congress that bear a rating of one of the 3 highest grades by Moody's Investor's Service, Inc. or Standard and Poor's Corporation.

(7) Investment securities that are obligations of the United States or its agencies or instrumentalities or obligations that are guaranteed fully as to principal and interest by the United States.

(8) Receivables that are due a licensee from its authorized sellers pursuant to contract described in Section 75 that are not past due or doubtful of collection.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the Director, with respect to any particular licensee or all licensees, may approve other permissible investments or limit the extent to which any class of permissible investments, except for money and certificates of deposit, may be considered a permissible investment.

(Source: P.A. 88-643, eff. 1-1-95.)