Hawaii:

Effective immediately, a life insurance appointment is no longer required for producers selling variable products. In the past, producers who sold variables were required to be appointed to sell life insurance. This requirement has been changed to require producers who sell variables to be appointed to sell variables, and they are no longer required to be appointed to sell life insurance. When the appointer signs the Form APPT for a Variables appointment, the appointer certifies that the producer meets the annuity training requirement.

Utah:

Effective February 8, 2012, a producer who solicits or sells a defined contribution plan shall complete a minimum of two hours of defined contribution continuing education, that includes training on use of the Utah Health Exchange and premium assistance programs, prior to soliciting or selling a defined contribution plan and during each subsequent two-year licensing period that the producer solicits or sells a defined contribution plan.

Alabama:

Effective February 16, 2012 Alabama is no longer requiring SSN to be entered on Appointment and Termination transactions for individuals. NPN will be required in place of SSN. FEIN is still required for Business Entities. The Insurer must submit a Notice of Producer Appointment through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR).

Maryland:

The Maryland Insurance Administration recently became aware of a website offering licensing renewal services. This site, which tells users to run an executable file (.exe) to renew their licenses, is not in any way affiliated with the Maryland Insurance Administration. Running the file may cause severe damage to a computer. The correct website for the Maryland Insurance Administration is www.mdinsurance.state.md.us. At this site, companies and producers can conduct all business.

Michigan:

The State of Michigan changed examination vendors from Prometric to PSI effective January 1, 2012. In the fall of 2011, to prepare for the change of vendors, PSI, in conjunction with OFIR, conducted extensive item review workshops on every line of insurance for which OFIR requires a licensing examination. OFIR and its partner, PSI, have closely monitored the performance of all of our exams. Upon review of the Property & Casualty examinations, it was determined that further scrutiny was necessary as a limited number of items were not performing as anticipated. These items were reviewed by our subject matter experts and some of them were removed from the scoring matrix for various reasons. In order to be fair to the candidates who had already taken the examination, all failed tests results were reviewed and re-scored without the questions that were removed. This re-scoring resulted in a few candidates receiving a passing result, when they had initially received a failing result. PSI has notified all affected candidates and updated their examination records accordingly. PSI is also working with candidates that may have re-taken their examination while the review and re-scoring was taking place. Examination fees will be refunded by PSI where warranted.

The Pennsylvania Insurance Department in conjunction with Prometric will hold a public meeting to discuss the testing program for insurance licenses. The meeting will he held on Wednesday, February 8th from 1:00 to 3:30 PA at the Courtyard by Marriott Harrisburg/Hershey, 725 Eisenhower Blvd. in Harrisburg. The agenda will include an overview of the exam review workshop that was recently completed, course outline changes, current exam pass rate statistics, and a review of other operational matters of interest. Representatives from the Pennsylvania Insurance Department and Prometric will be available to answer your questions.

New Mexico:

Currently “adjusting firms” have been required to register with the Insurance Division, but only individual adjusters have been licensed. Henceforth, any entity performing adjusting services will be required to obtain and maintain a valid license with the Insurance Division. This will apply to business entities as well as individuals. All adjuster firm registrations and adjuster licenses are renewable on March 1st of each calendar year. Effective March 1, 2012, the Division of Insurance will ensure compliance by all adjusting firms and adjusters employed by the adjusting firm.

Louisiana:

2012-2013 company appointment renewal invoices are now available on the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) web site. This invoice is for producers appointed with your company as of and including January 17, 2012. Payment is due on or before March 1, 2012. A $10.00 penalty fine per producer will be charged for all renewal invoices paid after March 1, 2012. The Department requires electronic appointment renewal processing with the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR). Producers newly appointed with a company between January 18, 2012 and April 15, 2012 must have their
appointments renewed for the new appointment year which begins May 1, 2012.

Indiana:

After careful consideration that included the Department’s goal to achieve reciprocity and uniformity with other states, input from several producer and adjuster associations as well as individual producers, the Indiana Department of Insurance has determined that a conversion of license renewal dates from the current method to birth month renewals would be in the best interest of licensed producers and adjusters. The conversion to birth month renewals will begin with producers and adjusters renewing in May 2012. As of May 2012, when license renewals and reinstatements are processed, the new license renewal date will be based on birth month The process should be completed by the end of May 2015.

Georgia:

In accordance with O.C.G.A. § 50-36-1, the Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner is required to verify the lawful presence of all new and renewal applicants. Therefore, the following documents must be included with every application submitted to this Office: A signed and notarized copy of the attached Citizenship Affidavit Form; and A copy of the front AND back of one secure and verifiable identification document.

Oklahoma:

To clarify, Oklahoma Administrative Code establishes a training requirement for licensed resident and non-resident producers, who desire to sell, solicit or negotiate the sale of annuities. Resident and non-resident producers may rely on insurer-provided, product-specific standards and materials to comply with the four (4) hour training requirement but Oklahoma does not require insurer provided, product specific training in addition to the four (4) hour annuity training requirement. The requirement is a training requirement and not a continuing education requirement. Therefore, continuing education credits are not required, only completion of the course.

Tennessee:

Due to legislation, the December 31, 2011 expiration date on active surplus lines agent licenses will be moved forward to match the licensee’s insurance producer license expiration date. Effective January 1, 2012, surplus lines agent licenses will be renewed for a 2 year period ($120.00–plus any applicable retaliatory fee for nonresidents). Individuals will be mailed renewal notices for each license type (producer and surplus) as both licenses will expire on the same date. Licenses will be eligible for renewal in 2 separate online transactions at www.nipr.com 45 days prior to expiration date.

Virginia:

Quarterly appointment invoices were mailed on or about January 3, 2012. Please note that invoice remittances are due February 10, 2012. Payments received after February 10, 2012 will be assessed the statutory prescribed penalties. Underpayments/overpayments will not be accepted. Payments must match invoice amount. Payments will not be processed without the voucher attached to the invoice. Sections 38.2-1833 and 38.2-1834 of the Code of Virginia address appointments of agents and penalty fees imposed for payments received after the prescribed due date.

Rhode Island:

Pearson VUE, in cooperation with the Rhode Island Insurance Department, has announced substantial changes to the insurance pre-licensing education curriculum outlines that are effective on February 24, 2012. The announced revisions will be reflected on insurance licensing examinations offered on and after February 24th. Individuals preparing for an insurance licensing exam that will be administered from the effective date forward are urged to ensure that their study materials reflect the most recent curriculum revisions. The new Licensing Information Bulletins will be available from Pearson VUE online at www.pearsonvue.com.

Virginia:

Pearson VUE, in cooperation with the Virginia Insurance Department, has announced changes to the insurance pre-licensing education curriculum outlines that are effective on February 10, 2012. The announced revisions will be reflected on insurance licensing examinations offered on and after February10th. Individuals preparing for an insurance licensing exam that will be administered from the effective date forward are urged to ensure that their study materials reflect the most recent curriculum revisions. The new Licensing Information Bulletins will be available from Pearson VUE online at www.pearsonvue.com.

Oregon:

By mid-2012, insurance agencies operating in Oregon will be able to complete licensing applications and renewals online. That is just one of the benefits the producer community will see as the Insurance Division transitions to the State Based Systems (SBS) operating system. The division will have its new operating system by early May, and various features will come online after that. This electronic system, owned by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), is used in partnership with state insurance departments to simplify insurance regulation. Once SBS is in place in Oregon, agencies will seek and renew licenses and change addresses electronically. With this transition, all individual license numbers will be converted to National Producer Number (NPN). The NPN is a unique number of up to 10 digits that identifies you in the Producer Database (PDB). The NAIC created it to avoid privacy issues surrounding the use of the Social Security number. This number will take the place of existing license numbers and will allow producers to complete online transactions through the NIPR or the SBS Online Licensee Services (OLS).

Kentucky:

Effective January 6, 2012, Kentucky Administrative Regulation, 806 KAR 9:070, removes the limit for the number of times an applicant may retake an examination. The insurance application remains valid for 120 days, and upon payment of an examination retake fee, the applicant may reschedule and complete an examination an unlimited number of times within the 120‐day period.

West Virginia:

The West Virginia Insurance Department and Pearson VUE have jointly announced extensive changes to the insurance pre-licensing education curriculum outline. The announced revisions will be reflected on licensing examinations offered on and after February 29, 2012. Individuals preparing for an insurance licensing exam that will be administered on or after the announced implementation date are urged to ensure that their study materials reflect the most recent curriculum revisions. The new Licensing Information Bulletins will be available from Pearson VUE online at www.pearsonvue.com.

Washington:

Pearson VUE, in cooperation with the Washington State Insurance Department, has announced changes to the insurance pre-licensing education curriculum outlines that are effective on February 15, 2012. The announced revisions will be reflected on insurance licensing examinations offered on and after February15th. Individuals preparing for an insurance licensing exam that will be administered from the effective date forward are urged to ensure that their study materials reflect the most recent curriculum revisions. The new Licensing Information Bulletins will be available from Pearson VUE online at www.pearsonvue.com.

Arkansas:

The Arkansas Insurance Department and Pearson VUE have jointly announced extensive changes to the insurance pre-licensing education curriculum outline. The announced revisions will be reflected on licensing examinations offered on and after March 9, 2012. Individuals preparing for an insurance licensing exam that will be administered on or after the announced implementation date are urged to ensure that their study materials reflect the most recent curriculum revisions. The new Licensing Information Bulletins will be available from Pearson VUE online at www.pearsonvue.com.

Oklahoma:

Effective immediately, the Oklahoma Insurance Department is requesting that earthquake coverage information be added to all agency management, property, and E&O insurance continuing education courses due to the recent outbreak of earthquakes in Oklahoma. For already approved courses, please add a supplement to cover this topic in order to ensure that all licensed individuals are receiving adequate information regarding earthquake coverage in the State of Oklahoma.

The Office of Insurance Commissioner is required to verify the lawful presence of all license, permit, registration and certification applicants. Therefore, the following documents must be included with every application submitted to the Commissioner’s Office: (a) a signed and notarized copy of the attached Citizenship Affidavit Form; and (b) a copy of one secure and verifiable identification document. A list of All secure and verifiable documents that this Office can accept in order to satisfy this requirement is available at www.oci.ga.gov. The Commissioner cannot accept any documents that are not included in the published list. These documents may be submitted to the Commissioner’s Office electronically. All applicants are required to submit these two (2) documents before an application can be processed.

Hawaii:

The Hawaii Insurance Department and Pearson VUE have jointly announced extensive changes to the insurance pre-licensing education curriculum outline. The announced revisions will be reflected on licensing examinations offered on and after February 1, 2012. Individuals preparing for an insurance licensing exam that will be administered on or after the announced implementation date are urged to ensure that their study materials reflect the most recent curriculum revisions. The new Licensing Information Bulletins will be available from Pearson VUE online at www.pearsonvue.com.

Washington:

Washington will soon be implementing the NAIC model rule for annuity suitability training. The training requirement will be a one-time course of four hours. Washington will be reciprocal with other states that have certified courses based on the NAIC model for annuity suitability training. Producers that completed the NAIC annuity suitability course in another state prior to the effective date of this regulation in Washington will be considered to have met the requirement for Washington. No current CE courses in Washington will meet the requirement. The proposed regulation will become effective on March 29, 2012. Producers with a life insurance line of authority who wish to continue to transact annuity products in Washington must complete the 4 hour annuity suitability course within 6 months. All new producers must complete the course before transacting annuity products in Washington.

South Carolina:

The Office of Licensing and Education Services with the South Carolina Department of Insurance has announced that, effective 1-1-12, non-residents will no longer be required to pay the continuing education (CE) fee to Prometric. Note that there is nothing in writing as it was written out of the law.

West Virginia:

Pearson VUE, in cooperation with the West Virginia Insurance Department, has announced changes to the insurance pre-licensing education curriculum outlines that are effective on January 20, 2012. The announced revisions will be reflected on insurance licensing examinations offered on and after January 20th. Individuals preparing for an insurance licensing exam that will be administered from the effective date forward are urged to ensure that their study materials reflect the most recent curriculum revisions. The new Licensing Information Bulletins will be available from Pearson VUE online at www.pearsonvue.com

Wyoming:

The Wyoming Insurance Department will process all 2012 appointment renewals electronically through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR). Payment for Wyoming Appointment Renewals must be received by NIPR through the electronic payment options only. On February 1, 2012, the NIPR website will display the invoice and a list of appointments due for renewal. The NIPR website is: ww.nipr.com. Termination notices for appointments that you do not wish to renew must be transacted no later than January 24, 2012, to allow sufficient time for processing and posting to PDB before the renewal billings are created. Appointment renewal fees are due by March 31, 2012, for all insurance producers and entities listed on the invoice.

New Hampshire:

Effective January 1, 2012, any adjuster with a state to state residence change is no longer required to complete a new application and submit the amendment fee of $50. The Department does require the paper address change form and a $10 address change fee. The form can be found on the Department’s website on the PRODUCER/ADJUSTER page. State to State changes are not allowed through the online address change options with NIPR or SBS. In addition, Licensed Non Resident Adjusters changing residence to NH are required to pass the NH Laws and Regulations portion of the adjuster exam and relinquish their “resident license” in their former state. A Clearance letter is not required if license information can be verified on the national database.

Utah:

A producer who solicits or sells a defined contribution plan in accordance with Section 31A-30-209 shall complete a minimum of two hours of defined contribution continuing education that includes training on use of the Utah Health Exchange and premium assistance programs: (a) prior to soliciting or selling a defined contribution plan; and (b) during each subsequent two-year licensing period that the producer solicits or sells a defined contribution plan.

North Carolina:

Effective January 1, 2012, the North Carolina Department of Insurance offers the following two new business entity license types through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) electronic initial and renewal application process: Portable Electronics Limited Lines license and Surplus Lines Business Entity license. Additional information and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS) for both these new licenses are posted on the Department’s website www.ncdoi.com in the following location: http://www.ncdoi.com/ASD/ASD_Agents_Adj_Legislation.aspx

California:

The California Department of Insurance (CDI) held a Life Agent Examination Workshop in October 2011 that was facilitated by PSI Services, CDI’s examination vendor. The Curriculum Board approved most of the suggested edits as well as the subcommittee’s recommendations. The updated Life Agent Educational Objectives are now available at the following link that is on CDI’s Web site: http://www.insurance.ca.gov/0200-industry/0030-seek-pre-lic/0100-requirements/prelicensing-educational-objectivies.cfm Please note that the updated Life Agent Educational Objectives will take effect on February 1, 2012 and both the life agent examination and the life and accident/health license examination will be updated to reflect these changes.

Florida:

Starting after 5 p.m. EST on January 18, 2012, if a licensee/appointee has an invalid address on file with the Department, then no appointing entity will be able to renew the licensee’s appointment. The Division will also begin assessing appointing entities the statutory $250 late fee in addition to the statutory $60 appointment fee for each initial/original appointment submitted late. A late original appointment is any initial/original appointment that has a requested effective date more than 45 days before the submittal date.

Arizona:

Prometric and the Arizona Department of Insurance are co-sponsoring a continuing education sponsor information meeting on Thursday, January 12th from 2:00 to 5:00 PM at the Hilton Garden Inn – Phoenix Airport. This meeting will focus on introducing the upcoming Arizona continuing education system enhancements. Representatives from the Department, Prometric, and Sircon will be in attendance to provide a demonstration of the new system and to answer any questions.

The federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 are the principal health care reform laws. As a result of the new legislation, the Curriculum Board convened a subcommittee to review and amend the Accident and Health Agent Educational Objectives (AH EOs) to include material covering both PPACA and the California Health Benefit Exchange which was implemented to partially address the provisions of PPACA. In addition, the AH EOs were amended to also include curriculum on the Medical Loss Ratio; Major Risk Medical Insurance Program, California public coverage programs, and healthy families programs. Please note that the updated EOs will take effect on January 1, 2012 and the license examinations will also be updated to reflect these changes.

Illinois:

The Illinois Insurance Department and Pearson VUE have jointly announced extensive changes to the insurance pre-licensing education curriculum outline. The announced revisions will be reflected on licensing examinations offered on and after January 1, 2012. Individuals preparing for an insurance licensing exam that will be administered on or after the announced implementation date are urged to ensure that their study materials reflect the most recent curriculum revisions. The new Licensing Information Bulletins will be available from Pearson VUE online at www.pearsonvue.com.

Wisconsin:

Invoices for filing the required annual initial and renewal appointment fee will be mailed shortly after January 1, 2012. All payments must be submitted by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) on the Department’s web site at oci.wi.gov. No other form of payment is acceptable and will be returned unprocessed. Each invoice will have the amount calculated and no reconciliation is permitted. Companies may not take credit for terminating an agent at that time. If there are any questions, contact the agent licensing department at 608-266-8699.

Puerto Rico:

The Office of the Commissioner of Insurance of Puerto Rico will begin using State Based Systems (SBS) effective January 23, 2012. With the SBS implementation we will take the opportunity to implement several NAIC uniformity initiatives as well as the opportunity to streamline many of our processes. SBS also provides a wide array of online tools that allow producers to submit, view and print license information on a 24/7 basis.

Utah:

Beginning with licenses that expire February 29, 2012, the Utah Insurance Department will email courtesy renewal notices to licensees at their business email address. No longer will renewal notices be mailed. Correspondence sent by the department to the business email address on file with the department will be considered received by the licensee. All licensees are required to maintain with the department a valid email address where the licensee can receive renewal notices, billing invoices, etc as required by Rule R590-258 effective September 8, 2010. Each licensee is also required to confirm that the spam filter for this email address will accept email correspondence from the department. Submitting and maintaining a current email address is critical and can be done electronically at www.sircon.com/utah or www.nipr.com.

Virginia:

The Bureau of Insurance (Bureau) will mail appointment invoices on or about January 3, 2012, for producer appointments added during the quarter ending December 31, 2011. Payment is due no later than February 10, 2012, for the exact amount billed. Checks must be made payable to: State Corporation Commission/LAP. Do not submit the payment to the Bureau. Payments must be submitted to the Lockbox address on the invoice and the bottom portion of the invoice must be included with the remittance. Failure to include the bottom portion of the invoice or payment of the incorrect amount will reject and could cause a late penalty fee to be imposed. It is the company’s responsibility to maintain its current appointment billing address and contact person on Bureau records. Appointment billing address/contact person changes must be submitted to apptbillinginquiry@scc.virginia.gov.