Such an insurer shall be subject to all the provisions of this code and all the applicable rules and regulations of the commissioner. Such code provisions and such rules and regulations, when applied to such insurers, shall be construed in accordance with the fundamental nature of a mutual insurer. In the event of any direct conflicts between such code provisions and the provisions of this chapter, the latter shall prevail. Such other code provisions may, however, be used to supplement or explain the provisions of this chapter.