SB1244 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB097 06760 RPM 46849 b

97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
SB1244

Introduced 2/8/2011, by Sen. William R. Haine

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

215 ILCS 5/445	from Ch. 73, par. 1057
215 ILCS 5/445.1	from Ch. 73, par. 1057.1

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Deletes certain provisions concerning licensure requirements for surplus line producers. Makes changes to the provision concerning surplus line taxes and penalties for late payment. Sets forth provisions concerning multi-state agreements. Deletes provisions concerning surety bonds and application of the Illinois Surplus Line law. Makes changes to a provision concerning the Surplus Line Association of Illinois. Effective immediately.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning insurance.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Insurance Code is amended by changing Sections 445 and 445.1 as follows:

(215 ILCS 5/445) (from Ch. 73, par. 1057)

Sec. 445. Surplus line.

(1) Surplus line defined; surplus line insurer requirements. "Surplus line insurance" means insurance on an Illinois risk of the kinds specified in Classes 2 and 3 of Section 4 of this Code procured from an unauthorized insurer after the insurance producer representing the insured or the surplus line producer is unable, after diligent effort, to procure said insurance from authorized insurers.

"Authorized insurer" means an insurer that holds a certificate of authority issued by the Director but, for the purposes of this Section, does not include a domestic surplus line insurer as defined in Section 445a or any residual market mechanism.

"Residual market mechanism" means an association, organization, or other entity described in Article XXXIII of this Code or Section 7-501 of the Illinois Vehicle Code or any similar association, organization, or other entity.

"Unauthorized insurer" means an insurer that does not hold a valid certificate of authority issued by the Director but, for the purposes of this Section, shall also include a domestic surplus line insurer as defined in Section 445a.

Insurance producers may procure surplus line insurance only if licensed as a surplus line producer under this Section and may procure that insurance only from an unauthorized insurer:

(a) that based upon information available to the surplus line producer has a policyholders surplus of not less than $15,000,000 determined in accordance with accounting rules that are applicable to authorized insurers; and

(b) that has standards of solvency and management that are adequate for the protection of policyholders; and

(c) where an unauthorized insurer does not meet the standards set forth in (a) and (b) above, a surplus line producer may, if necessary, procure insurance from that insurer only if prior written warning of such fact or condition is given to the insured by the insurance producer or surplus line producer.

Insurance producers shall not procure from an unauthorized insurer an insurance policy:

(i) that is designed to satisfy the proof of financial responsibility and insurance requirements in any Illinois law where the law requires that the proof of insurance is issued by an authorized insurer or residual market mechanism;

(ii) that covers the risk of accidental injury to employees arising out of and in the course of employment according to the provisions of the Workers' Compensation Act; or

(iii) that insures any Illinois personal lines risk, as defined in subsection (a), (b), or (c) of Section 143.13 of this Code, that is eligible for residual market mechanism coverage, unless the insured or prospective insured requests limits of liability greater than the limits provided by the residual market mechanism. In the course of making a diligent effort to procure insurance from authorized insurers, an insurance producer shall not be required to submit a risk to a residual market mechanism when the risk is not eligible for coverage or exceeds the limits available in the residual market mechanism.

Where there is an insurance policy issued by an authorized insurer or residual market mechanism insuring a risk described in item (i), (ii), or (iii) above, nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to prohibit a surplus line producer from procuring from an unauthorized insurer a policy insuring the risk on an excess or umbrella basis where the excess or umbrella policy is written over one or more underlying policies.

(2) Surplus line producer; license. Any licensed producer who is a resident of this State, or any nonresident who qualifies under Section 500-40, may be licensed as a surplus line producer upon: (a) completing a prelicensing course of study. The course provided for by this Section shall be conducted under rules and regulations prescribed by the Director. The Director may administer the course or may make arrangements, including contracting with an outside educational service, for administering the course and collecting the non-refundable application fee provided for in this subsection. Any charges assessed by the Director or the educational service for administering the course shall be paid directly by the individual applicants. Each applicant required to take the course shall enclose with the application a non-refundable $20 application fee payable to the Director plus a separate course administration fee. An applicant who fails to appear for the course as scheduled, or appears but fails to complete the course, shall not be entitled to any refund, and shall be required to submit a new request to attend the course together with all the requisite fees before being rescheduled for another course at a later date; and (b) payment of an annual license fee of $400; and (c) procurement of the surety bond required in subsection (4) of this Section.

A surplus line producer so licensed shall keep a separate account of the business transacted thereunder which shall be open at all times to the inspection of the Director or his representative.

The prelicensing course of study requirement in (a) above shall not apply to insurance producers who were licensed under the Illinois surplus line law on or before January 1, 2002.

(3) Taxes and reports.

(a) Surplus line tax and penalty for late payment.

A surplus line producer shall file with the Director or the Director's clearinghouse designee on or before February 15 for the quarter ending the preceding December 31, May 15 for the quarter ending the preceding March 31, 1 and August 15 for the quarter ending the preceding June 30, and November 15 for the quarter ending the preceding September 30 1 of each year a report in the form prescribed by the Director on all surplus line insurance procured from unauthorized insurers during the preceding quarter 6 month period ending December 31 or June 30 respectively, and on the filing of such report shall pay to the Director or the Director's clearinghouse designee for the use and benefit of the State a sum equal to 3.5% of the gross premiums less returned premiums upon all surplus line insurance procured or cancelled during the preceding quarter 6 months.

Any surplus line producer who fails to pay the full amount due under this subsection is liable, in addition to the amount due, for such penalty and interest charges as are provided for under Section 412 of this Code. The Director, through the Attorney General, may institute an action in the name of the People of the State of Illinois, in any court of competent jurisdiction, for the recovery of the amount of such taxes and penalties due, and prosecute the same to final judgment, and take such steps as are necessary to collect the same.

(b) Fire Marshal Tax.

Each surplus line producer shall file with the Director on or before March 31 of each year a report in the form prescribed by the Director on all fire insurance procured from unauthorized insurers subject to tax under Section 12 of the Fire Investigation Act and shall pay to the Director the fire marshal tax required thereunder.

(c) Taxes and fees charged to insured. The taxes imposed under this subsection and the countersigning fees charged by the Surplus Line Association of Illinois may be charged to and collected from surplus line insureds.

(d) Multi-state agreements. Each surplus line producer shall comply with the provisions of any cooperative agreement or compact that the Director is hereby authorized to enter into with other states for provision of a clearinghouse, nationwide uniform requirements, forms, and procedures that facilitate the reporting, payment, collection, and allocation of taxes imposed by this State and the other states on premiums for surplus line insurance. The Director may contract with a non-governmental entity, including the National Association of Insurance commissioners (NAIC), or any of its affiliates or subsidiaries that the NAIC oversees, to perform any ministerial functions that the Director deems appropriate relating to the reporting, payment, collection, and allocation of such taxes.

(4) (Blank). Bond. Each surplus line producer, as a condition to receiving a surplus line producer's license, shall execute and deliver to the Director a surety bond to the People of the State in the penal sum of $20,000, with a surety which is authorized to transact business in this State, conditioned that the surplus line producer will pay to the Director the tax, interest and penalties levied under subsection (3) of this Section.

(5) Submission of documents to Surplus Line Association of Illinois. A surplus line producer shall submit every insurance contract issued under his or her license to the Surplus Line Association of Illinois for recording and countersignature. The submission and countersignature may be effected through electronic means. The submission shall set forth:

(a) the name of the insured;

(b) the description and location of the insured property or risk;

(c) the amount insured;

(d) the gross premiums charged or returned;

(e) the name of the unauthorized insurer from whom coverage has been procured;

(f) the kind or kinds of insurance procured; and

(g) amount of premium subject to tax required by Section 12 of the Fire Investigation Act.

Proposals, endorsements, and other documents which are incidental to the insurance but which do not affect the premium charged are exempted from filing and countersignature.

The submission of insuring contracts to the Surplus Line Association of Illinois constitutes a certification by the surplus line producer or by the insurance producer who presented the risk to the surplus line producer for placement as a surplus line risk that after diligent effort the required insurance could not be procured from authorized insurers and that such procurement was otherwise in accordance with the surplus line law.

(6) Countersignature required. It shall be unlawful for an insurance producer to deliver any unauthorized insurer contract unless such insurance contract is countersigned by the Surplus Line Association of Illinois.

(7) Inspection of records. A surplus line producer shall maintain separate records of the business transacted under his or her license, including complete copies of surplus line insurance contracts maintained on paper or by electronic means, which records shall be open at all times for inspection by the Director and by the Surplus Line Association of Illinois.

(8) Violations and penalties. The Director may suspend or revoke or refuse to renew a surplus line producer license for any violation of this Code. In addition to or in lieu of suspension or revocation, the Director may subject a surplus line producer to a civil penalty of up to $2,000 for each cause for suspension or revocation. Such penalty is enforceable under subsection (5) of Section 403A of this Code.

(9) Director may declare insurer ineligible. If the Director determines that the further assumption of risks might be hazardous to the policyholders of an unauthorized insurer, the Director may order the Surplus Line Association of Illinois not to countersign insurance contracts evidencing insurance in such insurer and order surplus line producers to cease procuring insurance from such insurer.

(10) Service of process upon Director. Insurance contracts delivered under this Section from unauthorized insurers, other than domestic surplus line insurers as defined in Section 445a, shall contain a provision designating the Director and his successors in office the true and lawful attorney of the insurer upon whom may be served all lawful process in any action, suit or proceeding arising out of such insurance. Service of process made upon the Director to be valid hereunder must state the name of the insured, the name of the unauthorized insurer and identify the contract of insurance. The Director at his option is authorized to forward a copy of the process to the Surplus Line Association of Illinois for delivery to the unauthorized insurer or the Director may deliver the process to the unauthorized insurer by other means which he considers to be reasonably prompt and certain.

(10.5) Insurance contracts delivered under this Section from unauthorized insurers, other than domestic surplus line insurers as defined in Section 445a, shall have stamped or imprinted on the first page thereof in not less than 12-pt. bold face type the following legend: "Notice to Policyholder: This contract is issued, pursuant to Section 445 of the Illinois Insurance Code, by a company not authorized and licensed to transact business in Illinois and as such is not covered by the Illinois Insurance Guaranty Fund." Insurance contracts delivered under this Section from domestic surplus line insurers as defined in Section 445a shall have stamped or imprinted on the first page thereof in not less than 12-pt. bold face type the following legend: "Notice to Policyholder: This contract is issued by a domestic surplus line insurer, as defined in Section 445a of the Illinois Insurance Code, pursuant to Section 445, and as such is not covered by the Illinois Insurance Guaranty Fund."

(11) (Blank). The Illinois Surplus Line law does not apply to insurance of property and operations of railroads or aircraft engaged in interstate or foreign commerce, insurance of vessels, crafts or hulls, cargoes, marine builder's risks, marine protection and indemnity, or other risks including strikes and war risks insured under ocean or wet marine forms of policies.

(12) Surplus line insurance procured under this Section, including insurance procured from a domestic surplus line insurer, is not subject to the provisions of the Illinois Insurance Code other than Sections 123, 123.1, 401, 401.1, 402, 403, 403A, 408, 412, 445, 445.1, 445.2, 445.3, 445.4, and all of the provisions of Article XXXI to the extent that the provisions of Article XXXI are not inconsistent with the terms of this Act.

(Source: P.A. 92-386, eff. 1-1-02; 93-29, eff. 6-20-03; 93-32, eff. 7-1-03; 93-876, eff. 8-6-04.)

(215 ILCS 5/445.1) (from Ch. 73, par. 1057.1)

Sec. 445.1. Surplus Line Association of Illinois. There is hereby created a non-profit association to be known as the Surplus Line Association of Illinois. All surplus line producers shall be and must remain individual members of the Association as a condition of their holding a license as a surplus line producer in this State. The Association must perform its functions under the plan of operation established and approved under Section 445.3 and must exercise its powers through a board of directors established under Section 445.2 of this Code. The Association shall be supervised by the Director and is subject to the applicable provisions of the Illinois Insurance Code. The Association shall be authorized and have the duty to:

(1) receive, record and countersign all surplus line insurance contracts which surplus line producers are required to file with the Association under subsection (5) of Section 445;

(2) prepare quarterly monthly reports for the Director on surplus line insurance procured by its members during the preceding quarter month in such form and providing such information as the Director may prescribe;

(3) prepare and deliver to each licensee and to the Director the reports of surplus line business prescribed in subsection (3) of Section 445;

(4) assess its members for costs of operations in accordance with a schedule adopted by the Board of Directors of the Association and approved by the Director;

(5) employ and retain such persons as are necessary to carry out the duties of the Association;

(6) borrow money as necessary to effect the purposes of the Association;

(7) enter contracts as necessary to effect the purposes of the Association;

(8) perform such other acts as will facilitate and encourage compliance by its members with the surplus line law of this State and rules promulgated thereunder; and

(9) provide such other services to its members as are incidental or related to the purposes of the Association. Nothing in this Act shall be construed as giving the Association any discretionary authority to enforce this Act or to withhold countersignature of insurance contracts which meet the requirements of subsection (5) of Section 445.

(Source: P.A. 83-1300.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 2012.