MCA Chapter 59

MCA Chapter 59
in effect

Miss. Code Ann. § 83-59-1 Short title.

This chapter may be cited as the “Business Transacted with Producer Controlled Insurer Act.”

Miss. Code Ann. § 83-59-3 Definitions.

As used in this chapter: “Accredited state” means a state in which the insurance department or regulatory agency has qualified as meeting the minimum financial regulatory standards promulgated and established from time to time by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Insurance. “Control” or “controlled” has the meaning ascribed in Section 83-6-1. “Controlled insurer” means a licensed insurer which is controlled, directly or indirectly, by a producer. “Controlling producer” means a producer who, directly or indirectly, controls an insurer. “Licensed insurer” or “insurer” means any person, firm, association or corporation duly licensed to transact a property/casualty insurance business in this state. The following, inter alia, are not licensed insurers for the purposes of this chapter: All risk retention groups as defined in the Superfund Amendments Reauthorization Act of 1986, Public Law No. 99-499, 100 Stat. 1613 (1986) and the Risk Retention Act, 15 U.S.C.S. Section 3901 et seq. (1982 & Supp. 1986) and the State Risk Retention Act in Section 83-55-1 et seq.; All residual market pools and joint underwriting authorities or associations; All captive insurers that are insurance companies owned by another organization whose exclusive purpose is to insure risks of the parent organization and affiliated companies or, in the case of groups and associations, insurance organizations owned by the insureds whose exclusive purpose is to insure risks to member organizations and/or group members and their affiliates; and All insurers that are insurance companies owned by another organization whose property or casualty insurance policies are written only in conjunction with consumer loan contracts. “Producer” means an insurance broker or brokers or any other person, firm, association or corporation when, for any compensation, commission or other thing of value, such person, firm, association or corporation acts or aids in any manner in soliciting, negotiating or procuring the making of any insurance contract on behalf of an insured other than the person, firm, association or corporation.

Miss. Code Ann. § 83-59-5 Applicability to licensed insurers; effect of, and upon, other laws governing insurance holding companies.

This chapter shall apply to licensed insurers as defined in Section 83-59-3, either domiciled in this state or domiciled in a state that is not an accredited state having in effect a substantially similar law. All laws governing insurance holding companies to the extent they are not superseded by this chapter shall continue to apply to all parties within holding company systems subject to this chapter.

Miss. Code Ann. § 83-59-7 When applicable; minimum requirements for contracts between controlled insurer and controlling producer; audits and reports.

The provisions of this section shall apply if, in any calendar year, the aggregate amount of gross written premium on business placed with a controlled insurer by a controlling producer is equal to or greater than five percent (5%) of the admitted assets of the controlled insurer, as reported in the controlled insurers’ quarterly statement filed as of September 30 of the prior year. Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section, this section shall not apply if: The controlling producer: Places insurance only with the controlled insurer, or only with the controlled insurer and a member or members of the controlled insurer’s holding company system, or the controlled insurer’s parent, affiliate or subsidiary and receives no compensation based upon the amount of premiums written in connection with such insurance; and Accepts insurance placements only from nonaffiliated subproducers and not directly from insureds; and The controlled insurer, except for insurance business written through a residual market facility, accepts insurance business only from a controlling producer, a producer controlled by the controlled insurer or a producer that is a subsidiary of the controlled insurer. A controlled insurer shall not accept business from a controlling producer and a controlling producer shall not place business with a controlled insurer unless there is a written contract between the controlling producer and the insurer specifying the responsibilities of each party, and the contract has been approved by the board of directors of the insurer and contains the following minimum provisions: The controlled insurer may terminate the contract for cause, upon written notice to the controlling producer. The controlled insurer shall suspend the authority of the controlling producer to write business during the pendency of any dispute regarding the cause for the termination; The controlling producer shall render accounts to the controlled insurer detailing all material transactions, including information necessary to support all commissions, charges and other fees received by, or owing to, the controlling producer; The controlling producer shall remit all funds due under the terms of the contract to the controlled insurer on at least a monthly basis. The due date shall be fixed so that premiums or installments thereof collected shall be remitted no later than ninety (90) days after the effective date of any policy placed with the controlled insurer under this contract; All funds collected for the controlled insurer’s account shall be held by the controlling producer in a fiduciary capacity, in one or more appropriately identified bank accounts in banks that are members of the Federal Reserve System, in accordance with the provisions of the insurance law as applicable. However, funds of a controlling producer not required to be licensed in this state shall be maintained in compliance with the requirements of the controlling producer’s domiciliary jurisdiction; The controlling producer shall maintain separately identifiable records of business written for the controlled insurer; The contract shall not be assigned in whole or in part by the controlling producer; The controlled insurer shall provide the controlling producer with its underwriting standards, rules and procedures, manuals setting forth the rates to be charged, and the conditions for the acceptance or rejection of risks. The controlling producer shall adhere to the standards, rules, procedures, rates and conditions. The standards, rules, procedures, rates and conditions shall be the same as those applicable to comparable business placed with the controlled insurer by a producer other than the controlling producer; The rates and terms of the controlling producer’s commissions, charges or other fees and the purposes for those charges or fees. The rates of the commissions, charges and other fees shall be no greater than those applicable to comparable business placed with the controlled insurer by producers other than controlling producers. For purposes of this paragraph and paragraph (g) of this subsection, examples of “comparable business” include the same lines of insurance, same kinds of insurance, same kinds of risks, similar policy limits and similar quality of business; If the contract provides that the controlling producer, on insurance business placed with the insurer, is to be compensated contingent upon the insurer’s profits on that business, then such compensation shall not be determined and paid until at least five (5) years after the premiums on liability insurance are earned and at least one (1) year after the premiums are earned on any other insurance. In no event shall the commissions be paid until the adequacy of the controlled insurer’s reserves on remaining claims has been independently verified in accordance with subsection (4) of this section; A limit on the controlling producer’s writings in relation to the controlled insurer’s surplus and total writings. The insurer may establish a different limit for each line or subline of business. The controlled insurer shall notify the controlling producer when the applicable limit is approached and shall not accept business from the controlling producer if the limit is reached. The controlling producer shall not place business with the controlled insurer if it has been notified by the controlled insurer that the limit has been reached; and The controlling producer may negotiate but shall not bind reinsurance on behalf of the controlled insurer on business the controlling producer places with the controlled insurer, except that the controlling producer may bind facultative reinsurance contracts in accordance with obligatory facultative agreements if the contract with the controlled insurer contains underwriting guidelines including, for both reinsurance assumed and ceded, a list of reinsurers with which such automatic agreements are in effect, the coverages and amounts or percentages that may be reinsured and commission schedules. Every controlled insurer shall have an Audit Committee of the Board of Directors composed of independent directors. The Audit Committee shall annually meet with management, the insurer’s independent certified public accountants and an independent casualty actuary or other independent loss reserve specialist acceptable to the commissioner to review the adequacy of the insurer’s loss reserves. In addition to any other required loss reserve certification, the controlled insurer shall annually, on April 1 of each year, file with the commissioner an opinion of an independent casualty actuary, or such other independent loss reserve specialist acceptable to the commissioner, reporting loss ratios for each line of business written and attesting to the adequacy of loss reserves established for losses incurred and outstanding as of year-end (including incurred but not reported) on business placed by the producer; and The controlled insurer shall annually report to the commissioner the amount of commissions paid to the producer, the percentage such amount represents of the net premiums written and comparable amounts and percentage paid to noncontrolling producers for placements of the same kinds of insurance.

Miss. Code Ann. § 83-59-9 Notification to insured of control relationship.

The producer, before the effective date of the policy, shall deliver written notice to the prospective insured disclosing the relationship between the producer and the controller insurer; except that, if the business is placed through a subproducer who is not a controlling producer, the controlling producer shall retain in his records a signed commitment from the subproducer that the subproducer is aware of the relationship between the insurer and the producer and that the subproducer has or will notify the insured.

Miss. Code Ann. § 83-59-11 Enforcement; noncompliance; penalties.

If the commissioner believes that the controlling producer or any other person has not materially complied with this chapter, or any regulation or order promulgated hereunder, after notice and opportunity to be heard, the commissioner may order the controlling producer to cease placing business with the controlled insurer; and If it was found that because of such material noncompliance that the controlled insurer or any policyholder thereof has suffered any loss or damage, the commissioner may maintain a civil action or intervene in an action brought by or on behalf of the insurer or policyholder for recovery of compensatory damages for the benefit of the insurer or policyholder or other appropriate relief. If an order for liquidation or rehabilitation of the controlled insurer has been entered in accordance with the Insurers Rehabilitation and Liquidation Act in Section 83-24-1 et seq. and the receiver appointed under that order believes that the controlling producer or any other person has not materially complied with this chapter, or any regulation or order promulgated hereunder, and the insurer suffered any loss or damage therefrom, the receiver may maintain a civil action for recovery of damages or other appropriate sanctions for the benefit of the insurer. Nothing contained in this section shall affect the right of the commissioner to impose any other penalties provided for in the insurance laws. Nothing contained in this section is intended to or shall in any manner alter or affect the rights of policyholders, claimants, creditors or other third parties.