State Supervision And Regulation
Primary responsibility for overseeing the insurance industry that has rested with individual states since 1945, after Congress passed the MCCARRAN-FERGUSON ACT (PUBLIC LAW 15). In addition to supervision and regulation, states receive taxes and fees paid by the industry that amount to several billion dollars a year. State insurance laws are administered by state insurance departments that are responsible for making certain that (1) rates are adequate, not unfairly discriminatory, and not unreasonably high, and (2) insurance companies in the state are financially sound and able to pay future claims. To this end, states set requirements for company reserves, require annual financial statements, and examine company books. Each state has an insurance commissioner or superintendent who is either elected or appointed by the governor, with responsibility for investigating company practices, approving rates and policy forms, and ordering liquidation of insolvent insurers. The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INSURANCE COMMISSIONERS (NAIC) has drafted model legislation and worked for policy uniformity, but regulations vary widely from state to state.
Whether insurers should be regulated by the states or the federal government remains at issue, but so far insurers and the NAIC lobbying have been effective in resisting federal regulation. Nevertheless, the federal government has a profound effect on the insurance industry through its taxes and a variety of regulations.
Popular Insurance Terms
Decision in the absence of a plaintiff or defendant at the specified court time. ...
Sum received by an insurance company at the sale of its stock. This capital represents the interest of the stockholders in the company. ...
What is SSDI? It is a form of financial aid for people living with a disability that impacts their quality of life. As one of the largest Federal programs designed to provide assistance to ...
Disciplined approach to managing an insurance company's bond portfolio duration. When interest rates rise, the average maturity and duration of the bond portfolio is lengthened, resulting ...
Salaries plus commissions plus overhead expenses plus office rent plus fees charged for memberships in industry associations and bureaus plus guaranty association assessments plus taxes ...
Coverage to protect employers from losses due to labor disruptions. The ocean marine policy exempts losses caused by strikes, riots, and civil commotion. Special coverage is necessary. ...
Authorization to borrow from the U.S. Treasury by the issuance of notes to the Treasury. The Secretary of the Treasury must approve the notes and their interest rates. The PBGC must be self ...
Modifications of the single premium deffered annuity, which usually guarantees at a minimum a return of a stipulated amount (usually at least 90% of the single premium accumulated at the ...
Type of court bond filed on behalf of the defendant and used to release assets to him or her that have been attached pending a court decision. ...
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