IIB
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2571
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 10, 2009
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
AN ACT
To streamline the regulation of nonadmitted insurance and reinsurance, and for other purposes.
Short title and table of contents
Short title
This Act may be cited as the
Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act
of 2009
.
Table of contents
The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents.
Sec. 2. Effective date.
Title I—Nonadmitted insurance
Sec. 101. Reporting, payment, and allocation of premium taxes.
Sec. 102. Regulation of nonadmitted insurance by insured’s home State.
Sec. 103. Participation in national producer database.
Sec. 104. Uniform standards for surplus lines eligibility.
Sec. 105. Streamlined application for commercial purchasers.
Sec. 106. GAO study of nonadmitted insurance market.
Sec. 107. Definitions.
Title II—Reinsurance
Sec. 201. Regulation of credit for reinsurance and reinsurance agreements.
Sec. 202. Regulation of reinsurer solvency.
Sec. 203. Definitions.
Title III—Rule of construction
Sec. 301. Rule of construction.
Sec. 302. Severability.
Effective date
Except as otherwise specifically provided in this Act, this Act shall take effect upon the expiration of the 12-month period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act.
Nonadmitted insurance
Reporting, payment, and allocation of premium taxes
Home State’s exclusive authority
No State other than the home State of an insured may require any premium tax payment for nonadmitted insurance.
Allocation of nonadmitted premium taxes
In general
The States may enter into a compact or otherwise establish procedures to allocate among the States the premium taxes paid to an insured’s home State described in subsection (a).
Effective date
Except as expressly otherwise provided in such compact or other procedures, any such compact or other procedures—
if adopted on or before the expiration of the 330-day period that begins on the date of the enactment of this Act, shall apply to any premium taxes that, on or after such date of enactment, are required to be paid to any State that is subject to such compact or procedures; and
if adopted after the expiration of such 330-day period, shall apply to any premium taxes that, on or after January 1 of the first calendar year that begins after the expiration of such 330-day period, are required to be paid to any State that is subject to such compact or procedures.
Report
Upon the expiration of the 330-day period referred to in paragraph (2), the NAIC may submit a report to the Committee on Financial Services and Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate identifying and describing any compact or other procedures for allocation among the States of premium taxes that have been adopted during such period by any States.
Nationwide system
The Congress intends that each State adopt nationwide uniform requirements, forms, and procedures, such as an interstate compact, that provides for the reporting, payment, collection, and allocation of premium taxes for nonadmitted insurance consistent with this section.
Allocation based on tax allocation report
To facilitate the payment of premium taxes among the States, an insured’s home State may require surplus lines brokers and insureds who have independently procured insurance to annually file tax allocation reports with the insured’s home State detailing the portion of the nonadmitted insurance policy premium or premiums attributable to properties, risks or exposures located in each State. The filing of a nonadmitted insurance tax allocation report and the payment of tax may be made by a person authorized by the insured to act as its agent.
Regulation of nonadmitted insurance by insured’s home State
Home State authority
Except as otherwise provided in this section, the placement of nonadmitted insurance shall be subject to the statutory and regulatory requirements solely of the insured’s home State.
Broker licensing
No State other than an insured’s home State may require a surplus lines broker to be licensed in order to sell, solicit, or negotiate nonadmitted insurance with respect to such insured.
Enforcement provision
With respect to section 101 and subsections (a) and (b) of this section, any law, regulation, provision, or action of any State that applies or purports to apply to nonadmitted insurance sold to, solicited by, or negotiated with an insured whose home State is another State shall be preempted with respect to such application.
Workers’ compensation exception
This section may not be construed to preempt any State law, rule, or regulation that restricts the placement of workers’ compensation insurance or excess insurance for self-funded workers’ compensation plans with a nonadmitted insurer.
Participation in national producer database
After the expiration of the 2-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, a State may not collect any fees relating to licensing of an individual or entity as a surplus lines broker in the State unless the State has in effect at such time laws or regulations that provide for participation by the State in the national insurance producer database of the NAIC, or any other equivalent uniform national database, for the licensure of surplus lines brokers and the renewal of such licenses.
Uniform standards for surplus lines eligibility
A State may not—
impose eligibility requirements on, or otherwise establish eligibility criteria for, nonadmitted insurers domiciled in a United States jurisdiction, except in conformance with such requirements and criteria in sections 5A(2) and 5C(2)(a) of the Non-Admitted Insurance Model Act, unless the State has adopted nationwide uniform requirements, forms, and procedures developed in accordance with section 101(b) of this Act that include alternative nationwide uniform eligibility requirements; and
prohibit a surplus lines broker from placing nonadmitted insurance with, or procuring nonadmitted insurance from, a nonadmitted insurer domiciled outside the United States that is listed on the Quarterly Listing of Alien Insurers maintained by the International Insurers Department of the NAIC.
Streamlined application for commercial purchasers
A surplus lines broker seeking to procure or place nonadmitted insurance in a State for an exempt commercial purchaser shall not be required to satisfy any State requirement to make a due diligence search to determine whether the full amount or type of insurance sought by such exempt commercial purchaser can be obtained from admitted insurers if—
the broker procuring or placing the surplus lines insurance has disclosed to the exempt commercial purchaser that such insurance may or may not be available from the admitted market that may provide greater protection with more regulatory oversight; and
the exempt commercial purchaser has subsequently requested in writing the broker to procure or place such insurance from a nonadmitted insurer.
GAO study of nonadmitted insurance market
In general
The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study of the nonadmitted insurance market to determine the effect of the enactment of this title on the size and market share of the nonadmitted insurance market for providing coverage typically provided by the admitted insurance market.
Contents
The study shall determine and analyze—
the change in the size and market share of the nonadmitted insurance market and in the number of insurance companies and insurance holding companies providing such business in the 18-month period that begins upon the effective date of this Act;
the extent to which insurance coverage typically provided by the admitted insurance market has shifted to the nonadmitted insurance market;
the consequences of any change in the size and market share of the nonadmitted insurance market, including differences in the price and availability of coverage available in both the admitted and nonadmitted insurance markets;
the extent to which insurance companies and insurance holding companies that provide both admitted and nonadmitted insurance have experienced shifts in the volume of business between admitted and nonadmitted insurance; and
the extent to which there has been a change in the number of individuals who have nonadmitted insurance policies, the type of coverage provided under such policies, and whether such coverage is available in the admitted insurance market.
Consultation with NAIC
In conducting the study under this section, the Comptroller General shall consult with the NAIC.
Report
The Comptroller General shall complete the study under this section and submit a report to the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate regarding the findings of the study not later than 30 months after the effective date of this Act.
Definitions
For purposes of this title, the following definitions shall apply:
Admitted insurer
The term admitted insurer
means, with respect to a State, an insurer licensed to engage in the business
of insurance in such State.
Affiliate
The term affiliate
means,
with respect to an insured, any entity that controls, is controlled by, or is
under common control with the insured.
Affiliated group
The term affiliated group
means any group of entities that are all affiliated.
Control
An entity has control
over
another entity if—
the entity directly or indirectly or acting through one or more other persons owns, controls or has the power to vote 25 percent or more of any class of voting securities of the other entity; or
the entity controls in any manner the election of a majority of the directors or trustees of the other entity.
Exempt commercial purchaser
The term exempt commercial
purchaser
means any person purchasing commercial insurance that, at the
time of placement, meets the following requirements:
The person employs or retains a qualified risk manager to negotiate insurance coverage.
The person has paid aggregate nationwide commercial property and casualty insurance premiums in excess of $100,000 in the immediately preceding 12 months.
The person meets at least one of the following criteria:
The person possesses a net worth in excess of $20,000,000, as such amount is adjusted pursuant to clause (ii).
The person generates annual revenues in excess of $50,000,000, as such amount is adjusted pursuant to clause (ii).
The person employs more than 500 full time or full time equivalent employees per individual insured or is a member of an affiliated group employing more than 1,000 employees in the aggregate.
The person is a not-for-profit organization or public entity generating annual budgeted expenditures of at least $30,000,000, as such amount is adjusted pursuant to clause (ii).
The person is a municipality with a population in excess of 50,000 persons.
Effective on the fifth January 1 occurring after the date of the enactment of this Act and each fifth January 1 occurring thereafter, the amounts in subclauses (I), (II), and (IV) of clause (i) shall be adjusted to reflect the percentage change for such five-year period in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor.
Home State
In general
Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the
term home State
means, with respect to an insured—
the State in which an insured maintains its principal place of business or, in the case of an individual, the individual’s principal residence; or
if 100 percent of the insured risk is located out of the State referred to in subparagraph (A), the State to which the greatest percentage of the insured’s taxable premium for that insurance contract is allocated.
Affiliated groups
If more than one insured from an affiliated
group are named insureds on a single nonadmitted insurance contract, the term
home State
means the home State, as determined pursuant to
subparagraph (A), of the member of the affiliated group that has the largest
percentage of premium attributed to it under such insurance contract.
Independently procured insurance
The term
independently procured insurance
means insurance procured
directly by an insured from a nonadmitted insurer.
NAIC
The term NAIC
means the
National Association of Insurance Commissioners or any successor entity.
Nonadmitted insurance
The term nonadmitted
insurance
means any property and casualty insurance permitted to be
placed directly or through a surplus lines broker with a nonadmitted insurer
eligible to accept such insurance.
Non-admitted insurance model act
The term
Non-Admitted Insurance Model Act
means the provisions of the
Non-Admitted Insurance Model Act, as adopted by the NAIC on August 3, 1994, and
amended on September 30, 1996, December 6, 1997, October 2, 1999, and June 8,
2002.
Nonadmitted insurer
The term nonadmitted insurer
means, with respect to a State, an insurer not licensed to engage in the
business of insurance in such State.
Qualified risk manager
The term qualified risk
manager
means, with respect to a policyholder of commercial insurance,
a person who meets all of the following requirements:
The person is an employee of, or third party consultant retained by, the commercial policyholder.
The person provides skilled services in loss prevention, loss reduction, or risk and insurance coverage analysis, and purchase of insurance.
The person—
has a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university in risk management, business administration, finance, economics, or any other field determined by a State insurance commissioner or other State regulatory official or entity to demonstrate minimum competence in risk management; and
has three years of experience in risk financing, claims administration, loss prevention, risk and insurance analysis, or purchasing commercial lines of insurance; or
has one of the following designations:
a
designation as a Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (in this
subparagraph referred to as CPCU
) issued by the American
Institute for CPCU/Insurance Institute of America;
a designation as an Associate in Risk Management (ARM) issued by the American Institute for CPCU/Insurance Institute of America;
a designation as Certified Risk Manager (CRM) issued by the National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research;
a designation as a RIMS Fellow (RF) issued by the Global Risk Management Institute; or
any other designation, certification, or license determined by a State insurance commissioner or other State insurance regulatory official or entity to demonstrate minimum competency in risk management;
has at least seven years of experience in risk financing, claims administration, loss prevention, risk and insurance coverage analysis, or purchasing commercial lines of insurance; and
has any one of the designations specified in subitems (AA) through (EE) of clause (i)(II)(bb);
has at least 10 years of experience in risk financing, claims administration, loss prevention, risk and insurance coverage analysis, or purchasing commercial lines of insurance; or
has a graduate degree from an accredited college or university in risk management, business administration, finance, economics, or any other field determined by a State insurance commissioner or other State regulatory official or entity to demonstrate minimum competence in risk management.
Premium tax
The term premium tax
means,
with respect to surplus lines or independently procured insurance coverage, any
tax, fee, assessment, or other charge imposed by a government entity directly
or indirectly based on any payment made as consideration for an insurance
contract for such insurance, including premium deposits, assessments,
registration fees, and any other compensation given in consideration for a
contract of insurance.
Surplus lines broker
The term surplus lines
broker
means an individual, firm, or corporation which is licensed in a
State to sell, solicit, or negotiate insurance on properties, risks, or
exposures located or to be performed in a State with nonadmitted
insurers.
State
The term State
includes any
State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, and
American Samoa.
Reinsurance
Regulation of credit for reinsurance and reinsurance agreements
Credit for reinsurance
If the State of domicile of a ceding insurer is an NAIC-accredited State, or has financial solvency requirements substantially similar to the requirements necessary for NAIC accreditation, and recognizes credit for reinsurance for the insurer’s ceded risk, then no other State may deny such credit for reinsurance.
Additional preemption of extraterritorial application of State law
In addition to the application of subsection (a), all laws, regulations, provisions, or other actions of a State that is not the domiciliary State of the ceding insurer, except those with respect to taxes and assessments on insurance companies or insurance income, are preempted to the extent that they—
restrict or eliminate the rights of the ceding insurer or the assuming insurer to resolve disputes pursuant to contractual arbitration to the extent such contractual provision is not inconsistent with the provisions of title 9, United States Code;
require that a certain State’s law shall govern the reinsurance contract, disputes arising from the reinsurance contract, or requirements of the reinsurance contract;
attempt to enforce a reinsurance contract on terms different than those set forth in the reinsurance contract, to the extent that the terms are not inconsistent with this title; or
otherwise apply the laws of the State to reinsurance agreements of ceding insurers not domiciled in that State.
Regulation of reinsurer solvency
Domiciliary state regulation
If the State of domicile of a reinsurer is an NAIC-accredited State or has financial solvency requirements substantially similar to the requirements necessary for NAIC accreditation, such State shall be solely responsible for regulating the financial solvency of the reinsurer.
Nondomiciliary states
Limitation on financial information requirements
If the State of domicile of a reinsurer is an NAIC-accredited State or has financial solvency requirements substantially similar to the requirements necessary for NAIC accreditation, no other State may require the reinsurer to provide any additional financial information other than the information the reinsurer is required to file with its domiciliary State.
Receipt of information
No provision of this section shall be construed as preventing or prohibiting a State that is not the State of domicile of a reinsurer from receiving a copy of any financial statement filed with its domiciliary State.
Definitions
For purposes of this title, the following definitions shall apply:
Ceding insurer
The term
ceding insurer
means an insurer that purchases
reinsurance.
Domiciliary State
The terms State of domicile
and domiciliary State
means, with respect to an insurer or
reinsurer, the State in which the insurer or reinsurer is incorporated or
entered through, and licensed.
Reinsurance
The term reinsurance
means
the assumption by an insurer of all or part of a risk undertaken originally by
another insurer.
Reinsurer
In general
The term “reinsurer” means an insurer to the extent that the insurer—
is principally engaged in the business of reinsurance;
does not conduct significant amounts of direct insurance as a percentage of its net premiums; and
is not engaged in an ongoing basis in the business of soliciting direct insurance.
Determination
A determination of whether an insurer is a reinsurer shall be made under the laws of the State of domicile in accordance with this paragraph.
State
The term State
includes any
State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, and
American Samoa.
Rule of construction
Rule of construction
Nothing in this Act or amendments to this Act shall be construed to modify, impair, or supersede the application of the antitrust laws. Any implied or actual conflict between this Act and any amendments to this Act and the antitrust laws shall be resolved in favor of the operation of the antitrust laws.
Severability
If any section or subsection of this Act, or any application of such provision to any person or circumstance, is held to be unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act, and the application of the provision to any other person or circumstance, shall not be affected.
Passed the House of Representatives September 9, 2009.
Lorraine C. Miller,
Clerk.