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
Rate applied when two or more separate buildings are insured under one policy, and/or when two or more separate contents are insured under one policy. ...
Modest life insurance coverage to pay burial expenses upon the death of an insured. ...
Combination policy plan of fidelity insurance and crime insurance under five standard agreements: Insuring Agreement dishonesty of employees on either a COMMERCIAL BLANKET BOND or ...
In some states, principle of tort law providing that in the event of an accident each party's negligence is based on that party's contribution to the accident. For example, if in an auto ...
Additions or subtractions of a mortality table to reflect changing levels of mortality due to advancement in medicine, geriatrics, and sanitation. These adjustments make a mortality table ...
Utilization of source (s) of funds to pay for losses. Source (s) of funds can be classified as: internal a RETENTION program is established to use funds from within the organization to pay ...
Surrender of rights by an insured against the third party to an insurance company that has paid a claim. ...
Provision in automobile insurance, such as the personal automobile policy (pap), stating that a particular policy furnishes adequate coverage, the minimum of which is at least equal to that ...
Coverage for all kinds of personal property whether inside or outside an insured's (home) to include jewelry, musical instruments, cameras, fine arts, and precious stones. The insurance ...
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