(a) General. In addition to the eligibility standards set forth in the CO-OP program Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), to be eligible to apply for and receive a loan under the CO-OP program, an organization must intend to become a CO-OP and be a nonprofit member organization.

(b) Exclusions from eligibility.

(1) Subject to paragraph (b)(2) of this section, an organization is not eligible to apply for a loan if:

(i) The organization or a sponsor of the organization is a pre-existing issuer, a holding company (an organization that exists primarily to hold stock in other companies) that controls a pre-existing issuer, a trade association comprised of pre-existing issuers and whose purpose is to represent the interests of the health insurance industry, a foundation established by a pre-existing issuer, a related entity, or a predecessor of either a pre-existing issuer or related entity;

(ii) The organization receives 25 percent or more of its total funding (excluding any loans received from the CO-OP Program) from pre-existing issuers, holding companies (organizations that exists primarily to hold stock in other companies) that control pre-existing issuers, trade associations comprised of pre-existing issuers and whose purpose is to represent the interests of the health insurance industry, foundations established by a pre-existing issuer, a related entity, or a predecessor of either a pre-existing issuer or related entity; or

(iii) A State or local government, any political subdivision thereof, or any instrumentality of such government or political subdivision is a sponsor of the organization. The organization receives 40 percent or more of its total funding (excluding any loans received from the CO-OP Program) from a State or local government, any political subdivision thereof, or any instrumentality of such a government or political subdivision.

(2) The exclusions in paragraphs (b)(1)(i) and (b)(1)(ii) of this section do not exclude from eligibility an applicant that:

(i) Has as a sponsor a nonprofit, not-for-profit, public benefit, or similarly organized entity that is also a sponsor for a pre-existing issuer but is not an issuer, a foundation established by a pre-existing issuer, a holding company that controls a pre-existing issuer, or a trade association comprised of pre-existing issuers and whose purpose is to represent the interests of the health insurance industry, provided that the pre-existing issuer sponsored by the nonprofit organization does not share any of its board or the same chief executive with the applicant; or

(ii) Has purchased assets from a preexisting issuer provided that it is an arm's-length transaction where each party acts independently and has no other relationship with the other party.

(3) The exclusion of any instrumentality of a State or local government in paragraph (b)(1)(iii) of this section does not exclude from eligibility or sponsorship an organization that:

(i) Is not a government organization under State law;

(ii) Has no employee of a State or local government serving in his or her official capacity as a senior executive (for example, President, Chief Executive Officer, or Chief Financial Officer) for the organization; and

(iii) Has a board of directors on which fewer than half of its directors are employees of a State or local government serving in their official capacities.

[76 FR 77411, Dec. 13, 2011, as amended at 77 FR 18474, Mar. 27, 2012]