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
Same as term Associate in Automation Management: professional designation earned after the successful completion of three national examinations given by the insurance institute of America ...
Coverage for a group of individuals under one policy. Usually, members belong to a particular company, union, or trade association. In a contributory plan a lump sum premium is paid by the ...
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 ...
Endorsement to an automobile insurance policy that protects an insured in either or both of two circumstances when driving a non owned car: business endorsement if the insured's negligent ...
Same as term Coverage: protection under an insurance policy. In property insurance, coverage lists perils insured against, properties covered, locations covered, individuals insured, and ...
Funds set aside by an insurance company to pay incurred losses which have not yet been paid. ...
Trade association of surplus lines agents and insurers. ...
Portion of a property or liability loss retained by a policyholder. Most policyholders do not purchase insurance to cover their entire exposure. Rather, they elect to take a deductible, or ...
Same as term Agreed Amount Clause: in property insurance, a stipulated agreement between the insurance company and the insured that the amount of insurance coverage under the policy is ...
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