In addition to investments excluded or prohibited pursuant to other provisions of this article, an insurer shall not, directly or indirectly:

(1) Engage on its own behalf or through one or more affiliates in a transaction or series of transactions designed to evade the prohibitions of this article; or

(2) Invest in or lend its funds upon the security of shares of its own stock, except that an insurer may acquire shares of its own stock for the following purposes, but the shares shall not be admitted assets of the insurer:

(A) Conversion of a stock insurer into a mutual or reciprocal insurer or a mutual or reciprocal insurer into a stock insurer;

(B) Issuance to the insurer's officers, employees, or agents in connection with a plan approved by the Commissioner for converting a publicly held insurer into a privately held insurer or in connection with other stock option and employee benefit plans; or

(C) In accordance with any other plan approved by the Commissioner.