(a) Except as provided in Subsections (b), (c), and (d), the fair market value of total gross assets at the time of a merger or consolidation increases annually at a rate equal to the sum of:
(1) the prime rate as listed in the first edition of the Wall Street Journal published for each calendar year since the merger or consolidation; and
(2) one percent.
(b) The rate in Subsection (a) is not compounded.
(c) The adjustment of fair market value of total gross assets continues as provided under Subsection (a) until the date the adjusted value is exceeded by the cumulative amounts of successor asbestos-related liabilities paid or committed to be paid by or on behalf of the corporation or a predecessor, or by or on behalf of a transferor, after the time of the merger or consolidation for which the fair market value of total gross assets is determined.
(d) No adjustment of the fair market value of total gross assets shall be applied to any liability insurance otherwise included in the definition of total gross assets by Section 149.004(c).