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
Life insurance: Bonds most state regulations permit life insurance company investments in debentures, mortgage bonds, and blue chip corporate bonds. Stocks(a) preferred stock investment ...
Payment by the insurance company to the insured for the actual expenses incurred by the insured, such as medical expenses. ...
Life insurance that stays in effect for only a specified, limited period. If an insured dies within that period, the beneficiary receives the death payments. If the insured survives, the ...
Broad excess protection for liability over the level of primary coverage or self insurance. Umbrella policies are written for both business and personal liability. For example, a personal ...
Securement of funds from outside sources such as by borrowing or by attracting equity control. Use of leverage to improve the profitability of a business. Achievement of an investment ...
Actual price paid for property when it was acquired. The original cost might apply to a piece of jewelry, to a piece of equipment, or to a building. For insurance purposes, original cost is ...
Ratio of the insurance company's investment in common stocks dividend to its adjusted surplus account. This ratio shows how vulnerable the company's surplus is to the stock market ...
1957 federal law setting a limit on the liability of operators of nuclear facilities. The law, an amendment to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, authorized establishment of private insurance ...
Professional designation earned after the successful completion of four national examinations given by the insurance institute of America (IIA). Covers such areas of expertise as insurance ...
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