Connecticut:

The Connecticut Insurance Department and Prometric are cosponsoring a webinar on Thursday, May 17th beginning at 1:00 PM (Eastern). Representatives from both the Insurance Department and Prometric will be participating to review the results of the Pre-Licensing Exam Review Workshop, to provide updates on the program, and to address any questions individuals may have about the pre-licensing and continuing education programs. If you plan to participate, please email the webinar organizer, Kathy Gruber, at kathleen.gruber@prometric.com no later than May 11th. An invitation will be sent to you the week of May 14th including the dial-in number, the link to the webinar, and instructions.. Please include “Connecticut Provider Information Meeting” in the subject line of your email.

Florida:

Over the course of the next few weeks, the Florida Surplus Lines Service Office will distribute various electronic communications to provide surplus lines agents and brokers writing multi-state policies information regarding the newly established Surplus Lines Clearinghouse. This information will include a Clearinghouse implementation timeline, filing instructions and requirements, a tax/fee/assessment calculator, and additional educational and training opportunities. As such, the Office is collecting contact information from surplus lines agents, brokers, agencies, and insureds who procure insurance directly (IPC filers) to form an email distribution and registration list for the Clearinghouse. A Clearinghouse Registration Form that contains contact information needed from agents, brokers, agencies, and IPC filers who will be utilizing the Clearinghouse filing platform to report multi-state policies. This form will enable the Clearinghouse staff to contact Clearinghouse system users directly to keep them abreast of the implementation schedule, training programs, filing information and more. This registration information will be utilized by the Clearinghouse for informational purposes only and will not be solicited or provided to any other organization. For more information, you may visit the Clearinghouse website at www.slclearinghouse.com

South Dakota:

A licensee may not receive more than one-half of the required Continuing Education Credit (CEC) hours during any two-year period from courses sponsored by any one insurance company. This section does not apply to the CEC hours applicable to crop insurance.

A free three-hour Oregon Law course, for which continuing education (CE) credit is available, is being offered by representatives from the Oregon Insurance Division, NAIC and NIPR. A training session on the new State Based Systems (SBS) online tools as well as those offered by NIPR available to Oregon licensees will teach participants to: verify their license status, print licenses, print education transcripts, submit renewal applications, submit address changes, and submit required application attachments. Sessions will be held in two locations: in Salem at the Oregon Insurance Division (on Tuesday, May 22, 2012 and Wednesday, May 23, 2012) at 350 Winter St NE and in Portland at the Embassy Suites Downtown (on Thursday, May 24, 2012) at 319 SW Pine Street. Contact the SBS Help Desk with any questions: sbshelp@naic.org or 816-783-8990.

Washington:

Pearson VUE, in cooperation with the Washington Insurance Department, has announced substantial changes to the insurance pre-licensing education curriculum outlines that are effective on July 15, 2012. The announced revisions will be reflected on insurance licensing examinations offered on and after July 15th. 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.

Nebraska:

Legislative Bill 887 introduced the following changes to Section 44-8107 Sec. 28…Effective 1/1/13, a producer licensed prior to 1/1/13 must complete a one-time, four hour (4) credit training course approved by the Insurance Department before 7/1/13 to sell annuity products; producers licensed after 1/1/13 must complete the training prior to selling annuities. This requirement, which is applicable to resident and non-resident producers, may also be satisfied by completing equivalent training in any state.

The Connecticut Insurance Department (the “Department”), in conjunction with the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (the “DESPP”) is developing a Catastrophe Adjuster Credential Access and Coordination Plan (the “Plan”) that would identify insurance company emergency claims adjusters and, when necessary, allow them access into certain damaged areas after catastrophic events with vehicle placards issued by the Insurance Department. In accordance with this Plan, the Department hereby requires all Property and Casualty Insurers (including surplus lines and workers’ compensation insurers) licensed or approved to do business in this state to provide the Department no later than June 1st of each year with their company’s catastrophe contacts. The Department’s liaison for catastrophic events in Connecticut is George Bradner, Director Property Casualty Division and may be reached at george.bradner@ct.gov or (860) 297-3866 (work) or (860) 367-1023 (cell).

Florida:

An important feature the Florida Department of Financial Services has implemented after feedback from the industry is an improved ability to review continuing education compliance status. The new CE Compliance area is easier to read and understand while giving more options to find future approved courses. A tutorial that shows how to read, understand, and navigate through the CE Compliance evaluation page to monitor CE requirements is located at: www.MyFloridaCFO.com/Agents/Licensure/myProfileHelp/checkCEstatus/index.htm Also, a tutorial that shows how to perform simple and advanced searches for future approved CE courses that apply to a license(s) is located at: www.MyFloridaCFO.com/Agents/Licensure/myProfileHelp/findAcourse/index.htm

North Carolina:

NC Emergency Management staff will not allow any adjuster access to a declared disaster area unless the adjuster is carrying proper identification. The Department is requiring that your company provide each catastrophic adjuster with an identification badge. The North Carolina Department of Insurance (NCDOI) will permit individuals who satisfy all of the requirements (including licensure in another state if that state requires a license) to adjust claims in North Carolina for the time required to complete handling of the event’s catastrophic claims without obtaining a North Carolina adjusters license. Such permission will only be in effect and valid so long as companies and adjusters comply with the identification procedures set out in the regulation. Companies are requested to email the required notification to CATAdjusterRequest@ncdoi.gov. Although e-mail notification is strongly preferred, companies may also fax the required notification to (919) 715-3794, Attention: NC Catastrophic Adjuster Approval.

Utah:

Effective May 8, 2012, an insurance producer with a Variable Contracts LOA must be licensed as a Broker-Dealer, or as a Broker-Dealer Agent with a current registration with a Broker-Dealer. Also an insurance consultant with a Variable Contracts LOA must be licensed as an Investment Adviser, or as an Investment Adviser Representative with a current association with an Investment Adviser. As a reminder, under UCA Section 31A-23a-206, a Producer’s or Consultant’s Variable Contracts LOA is revoked the date the securities related license is no longer valid.

North Carolina:

Appointment renewal fees were due on April 1, 2012 and the Department appreciates the many companies that paid their invoices by the due date. Any unpaid company invoices are now past due. Invoices will not be available for payment on NIPR’s website after May 16, 2012. All company appointments will be canceled if the outstanding invoice is not paid by May 16, 2012 and companies will be restricted from processing any new appointments until the invoice is paid pursuant to 11 NCAC 6A.0501(f). If there are any questions regarding this information, please contact the Agent Services Division at (919)807 6800.

Virginia:

Quarterly appointment invoices were mailed on or about April 2, 2012. As a courtesy reminder, invoice remittances are due May 10, 2012. Payments received after May 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.

Florida:

NIMA member state representatives met via conference call on Friday, March30, 2012 and approved both a Premium Tax Clearinghouse services agreement and license agreement. Through these agreements, NIMA, Inc. will contract with the Florida Surplus Lines Service Office (FSLSO) to serve as its central clearinghouse provider for the collection and allocation of surplus lines premium tax payments for multi “state surplus lines policies. The FSLSO will serve as the technology platform provider and will also provide all clearinghouse administrative duties. The clearinghouse will begin receiving filings for policies issued or renewed on or after July1, 2012. The FSLSO formally signed and effectuated the agreements on April 16,2012.

Ohio recently began regulating a new license authority of Portable Electronics Insurance. Any vendor who sells or leases portable electronic devices, such as cell phones or electronic tablets, must obtain a Limited Line Portable Electronics Business Entity License from the Ohio Department of Insurance before selling or offering portable electronics insurance coverage to customers in Ohio. The licensing structure will allow for the licensed entity (such as large retailers) to maintain the license. Individual sales staff will not be required to obtain individual licenses. Any vendor offering or selling portable electronics insurance on or before March 22, 2012 must apply for a Limited Line Portable Electronic Business Entity license no later than June 30, 2012.

New York:

The superintendent, in order to facilitate the settlement of claims under insurance contracts involving widespread property losses arising out of a conflagration or catastrophe common to all such losses, may issue a temporary permit for a term not exceeding one hundred twenty days to any person whether he be a resident of this state or a non-resident, to act as an independent adjuster on behalf of an authorized insurer, provided any insurer shall execute and file in the office of the superintendent a written application for the permit in the form prescribed by the superintendent, which application shall contain information as he may require and shall certify that the person named therein to be designated in the temporary permit is qualified by experience and training to adjust claims arising under insurance contracts issued by the insurer. The superintendent may in his discretion renew such permit for an additional term or terms as may be necessary to adjust such claims.

Connecticut:

The Connecticut Department of Insurance will provide electronic appointment renewal processing with the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR). All terminations must be posted to the NIPR’s PDB by Sunday April 15, 2012. On May 1, 2012 the NIPR website will display the invoices and a list of appointments due for the renewal. The NIPR website is: www.nipr.com Invoices will no longer be displayed on the NIPR website after June 30, 2012. Companies may utilize NIPR’s Company Appointment Reconciliation Report (CARR) to terminate appointments of insurance producers who no longer represent the company.

Utah:

Effective May 8, 2012, Surplus Lines Producer (SL Producer) will now be a separate license type, rather than a Line of Authority (LOA) under a Producer license. The Department will convert all Producer licenses with a surplus LOA to a new separate SL Producer license with a unique license number, resulting in two licenses. The expiration date of the new SL Producer license will be the same date as the expiration date of the existing Producer license. No action will be needed on the producer’s part for this conversion to take place. As a result, both licenses will need to be renewed at the same time with a separate renewal fee paid for each license.

North Dakota:

North Dakota reminds all Third Party Administrators, Consultants, and Surplus Lines producers that their licenses will expire if not renewed by 4/30/2012. Also a reminder is sent to all appointing companies that if their appointment renewal invoice is not paid by 4/30/2012 all of their appointments will cancel.

South Dakota:

SB 32 updates the South Dakota annuity suitability requirements by adopting the most recent changes to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Model Law. One of the important changes in this bill is the shifting of the primary oversight of ensuring suitability from the agency level to insurance companies. An insurance producer selling annuity products is required to complete a onetime four hour training course that is approved by the Director. Only those courses which have been approved in South Dakota for continuing education (CE) will meet the training requirements, except for courses taken in states with substantially similar requirements. An annuity producer who has a life insurance license on or before July 1, 2012, must complete the requirements by December 31, 2012. Any person who obtains a life insurance license after July 1, 2012, may not engage in the sale of annuities until the required annuity training course has been completed.

Washington:

Washington State has adjuster legislation which has been recently signed by the Governor. This legislation, which will become effective June 7, 2012, allows adjusters to designate a home state and eliminates the submission of fingerprints for non-resident adjusters. To review the changes to the adjuster laws as adopted, please review Sections 4 and 12 of HB 2523 (http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=2523&year=2011).

North Carolina:

The Agent Services Division (ASD) has announced that it has entered into a contractual agreement with Pearson VUE to provide backshop licensing administrative services to all of the license types for which ASD provides service, including agents and adjusters. Backshop licensing services provided by Pearson VUE will include initial review of new/renewal license applications, follow-up on required supporting documentation, customer service to respond to licensing questions, development of electronic applications for non-insurance entities, and other miscellaneous support transactions. Pearson VUE will charge a processing fee for their licensing administrative services that will be included in new, renewal, and reinstatement applications for all license types in addition to the current applicable state license fees. In mid-April, Pearson VUE will begin providing license renewal administrative services for all NIPR insurance renewal transactions. In mid-May, ASD will be making changes to the resident licensing process in a joint effort with Pearson VUE and NIPR which will include resident applicants submitting their license application via NIPR prior to completing any state required examinations.

New York:

The purpose of the New York Prelicensing Education Program is to serve the interests of the insurance buying public by assuring that prospective licensees of the Department of Financial Services become knowledgeable of the insurance market place and related New York State laws and regulations. The Education Unit of the Licensing Services Bureau is tasked with approving competent providers and instructors to offer appropriate and meaningful courses that will enable potential licensees to become familiar with the requirements prescribed by insurance law. For those parties interested in applying to become providers of pre-licensing education, it is necessary to complete and forward the appropriate, updated applications. The updated applications and prelicensing documents – in PDF format – may be downloaded, at the following address: http://www.dfs.ny.gov/insurance/prelcdoc.htm

Oregon:

The Oregon Insurance Division will begin using the NAIC’s State Based Systems (SBS) as their internal operating system on May 7, 2012. To implement this new system, they will not be able to process ANY license applications or renewal transactions from 10 a.m. PDT on Thursday, April 26 until Monday, May 7. Licensing staff will be available to answer questions but will not be able to access any license information during this period. If a license expires on April 30, it is strongly recommended that the renewal information be submitted well in advance of April 26. Any renewal applications that are submitted prior to the expiration date but while they are offline will be considered timely, but will not be processed until after May 7. Normal processing for limited areas is expected to resume on May 7. Transactions submitted through NIPR will be processed on May 14, when the system has been fully converted.

Illinois:

Effective August 1, 2012, the Department will process all new and renewal producer license applications electronically and will no longer mail applications. Paper applications postmarked after August 1, 2012 will not be accepted. Insurance producers renewing their licenses are required to complete their CE requirement no later than one month prior to the license expiration date to allow time for the course provider to submit proof of completion. Late submission will result in the payment of the penalty fee.

Virginia:

The Bureau of Insurance (Bureau) will mail appointment invoices on or about April 2, 2012, for producer appointments added during the quarter ending March 31, 2012. Remittances are due no later than May 10, 2012, and checks must be made payable to State Corporation Commission/LAP for the exact amount billed. Do not submit the payments to the Bureau. Payments must be submitted to the Lockbox address on the invoice, Insurance 1, P.O. Box 758964, Baltimore MD 21275-8964 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 assessed. The Company’s NAIC number and Invoice ID must be included on any correspondence.

The rule governing Suitability in the Sale of Annuities becomes effective March 29, 2012. This rule clarifies the requirements which producers must use to confirm that an annuity product is suitable for a consumer. The rule also requires a one-time, 4-hour training course for any producer selling annuities in this state. You may find additional information on the Commissioner’s website. Go to the web site at http://www.insurance.wa.gov and select the Agents/Brokers tab.

Kentucky:

Following the storms that hit Kentucky in late February and early March, the Commissioner has issued an Advisory Opinion intended to offer guidance with respect to several issues including those that specifically impact producers. The Department has extended a 90-day grace period relating to license renewal and continuing education requirements beginning with the date of the Commissioner’s Advisory Opinion (March 9, 2012). This grace period applies to all producers in those areas severely impacted by the storms. During this grace period, the Department will not cancel or otherwise terminate as producer’s license due to their failure to renew, pay renewal fees, or comply with continuing education requirements.

Nebraska:

The Nebraska Department of Insurance will begin using State Based Systems (SBS) effective July 16, 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 you to submit, view and print license information on a 24/7 basis. For more information on changes affecting individual and business entity licensing, see http://www.statebasedsystems.com/NEAnnouncement.pdf.

Arkansas:

On June 12, 2012 the Department will generate and mail each insurance company an invoice for the annual renewal fees for all the company’s active appointments as of May 31, 2012. This fee will renew the appointments until June 1, 2013. The company must return a copy of the invoice and the payment no later than thirty (30) days from the date of the invoice. The company’s check must be made payable to the “Arkansas Insurance Department.”

Oregon:

The Oregon Insurance Division will begin using the NAIC’s State Based Systems as our internal operating system on May 7. In order to implement this new system, we will be unable to process ANY license application or renewal transactions from Thursday, April 26 until Monday, May 7. However, licensing staff will be available to answer questions, but we will be unable to access any of your information. We expect to resume normal processing on May 7.

Indiana:

Due to the recent tornadoes and severe storms occurring on March 2, 2012 that have resulted in several Indiana counties being designated a disaster areas by State Executive Order or by Presidential declaration, the Indiana Department of Insurance is calling on all insurance companies to implement extensions and/or grace periods in the administration of insurance policies including all lines. A 60-day moratorium for cancellation of any insurance policy in effect for any policyholder directly affected by the disaster Events residing within the Impacted areas, and a suspension of any penalty attached to late payment therein. This moratorium is not a waiver; it is only an extension of the grace period in which to pay the premium.