SB0466 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB094 07126 LJB 37278 b

94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2005 and 2006
SB0466

Introduced 2/16/2005, by Sen. William R. Haine

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

215 ILCS 5/445

from Ch. 73, par. 1057

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Reduces the tax paid by surplus line producers on policies effective prior to July 1, 2003. Requires that the tax rate in effect at the time of the policy effective date shall be the tax rate on all subsequent endorsements for that policy. Requires surplus line producers to file with the Director of Insurance (now, the Secretary of Financial and Professional Regulation) certain information pertaining to submissions made by the producer to the Surplus Line Association of Illinois and at the time of the filing to pay to the Director the required surplus line taxes. Requires surplus line producers to file with the Director certain information pertaining to submissions made by the producer to the Surplus Line Association of Illinois concerning fire insurance policies and at the time of the filing to pay to the Director the taxes required by the Fire Investigation Act. 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 Section 445 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.

For each policy or contract of insurance issued under his or her license, and any subsequent endorsements thereto, a surplus line producer shall compute a surplus line tax based on the gross premium less returned premium according to the following table:

The tax rate in effect on the policy effective date shall apply to the policy and to all subsequent endorsements for that policy.

A surplus line producer shall file with the Director on or before February 1 and August 1 of each year a report in the form prescribed by the Director on all surplus line insurance policies and endorsements filed with the Surplus Line Association of Illinois pursuant to subsection (5) of this Section procured from unauthorized insurers during the preceding 6 month period ending December 31 or June 30 respectively, and on the filing of such report shall pay to the Director for the use and benefit of the State the surplus line taxes for the reported policies and endorsements. At no time shall a surplus line producer pay surplus line tax that is different than the tax computed at the rate that was in effect at the time of that policy's inception. a sum equal to 3.5% of the gross premiums less returned premiums upon all surplus line insurance procured or cancelled during the preceding 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 policies and endorsements filed with the Surplus Line Association of Illinois pursuant to subsection (5) of this Section during the preceding calendar year and 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 for the reported policies and endorsements. At no time shall a surplus line producer pay fire marshal tax relating to a surplus line insurance policy or endorsement that is different than the tax computed at the rate that was in effect at the time of that policy's inception.

(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.

(4) 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) 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.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.