On February 9, 2026, the House of Representatives, in a bipartisan vote, approved H.R. 3682. This bill would place additional guardrails on the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) in designating insurance companies as systemically important financial institutions (SIFI). The FSOC was established in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, to identify risks to financial stability, promote market discipline, and respond to emerging threats to financial stability. A key authority of the FSOC is its ability to designate nonbank financial institutions as SIFIs.Read More Bill to Limit Classification of Insurers as ‘Systemically Important’ Receives Bipartisan Approval by the House
Join Us for Our Next InsurTech Legal Academy Webinar: Captive Insurance Companies for InsurTechs
We are pleased to invite you to our next edition of the InsurTech Legal Academy to address the use of captive insurance and reinsurance companies by InsurTechs. We are pleased to have Brady Young, Chief Executive Officer, Strategic Risk Solutions, the world’s largest independent captive manager with offices in multiple countries, joining us on this panel discussion. Captive insurance financing is important yet involves complex issues and careful consideration of those.
We hope you can join us.Read More Join Us for Our Next InsurTech Legal Academy Webinar: Captive Insurance Companies for InsurTechs
Direct Procurement
In the fifth episode of our Surplus Lines 360 series, John Emmanuel and Zachary Lerner explore the complexities of direct procurement, including key compliance considerations, home-state taxation, the attorney-in-fact model, and coverage restrictions that vary by jurisdiction.Read More Direct Procurement
Amanda Crawford was appointed as the new Commissioner of Insurance for the Texas Department of Insurance
Amanda Crawford was appointed by Governor Greg Abbott in January 2026 to serve as the new commissioner of insurance for the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI), officially stepping into the role on February 3. She succeeds Cassie Brown, who retired after leading TDI for four years.Read More Amanda Crawford was appointed as the new Commissioner of Insurance for the Texas Department of Insurance
House Passes HR 7148, Advancing New PBM Transparency and Compensation Rules
On January 22, the U.S. House of Representatives passed on a bipartisan basis HR 7148, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (HR 7148). If it also wins passage in the Senate, the bill would, among other Trump administration priorities, impose new rules and requirements for pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and pharmacy benefit administration more generally. As with prior federal legislative proposals, HR 7148 attempts to bring more transparency to the administration of pharmacy benefits for both fully insured and self-funded groups and would impose enhanced transparency requirements for PBMs contracting with Medicare Part D prescription drug plans PDP sponsors. Specifically, among other requirements, HR 7148 proposes the following new rules and regulations impacting PBM arrangements:Read More House Passes HR 7148, Advancing New PBM Transparency and Compensation Rules
Now Available: Surplus Lines Update Portal – Weekly Subscription
We’re pleased to announce the launch of our Weekly Surplus Lines Update Portal, a comprehensive subscription service designed to help surplus lines carriers and brokers stay ahead of regulatory developments across all 50 states and U.S. territories. Navigating the surplus lines marketplace requires constant vigilance, and this portal delivers…
Read More Now Available: Surplus Lines Update Portal – Weekly SubscriptionNinth Circuit Holds that Texts Are “Calls” Under the TCPA But Embedded Videos Are Not Recorded Messages
On January 13, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a decision in Howard v. Republican National Committee (RNC) offering two important interpretations of the applicability of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) to certain text message communications:Read More Ninth Circuit Holds that Texts Are “Calls” Under the TCPA But Embedded Videos Are Not Recorded Messages
Financial Responsibility in the Surplus Lines Market
In the fourth episode of our Surplus Lines 360 series, John Emmanuel and Zachary Lerner discuss why using surplus lines insurance to satisfy state financial responsibility requirements can be problematic and varies by state, and why newer rideshare laws provide clarity that traditional commercial auto insurance lacks.Read More Financial Responsibility in the Surplus Lines Market
Texas Will Have a New Insurance Commissioner
Current Texas Insurance Commissioner Cassie Brown announced this week that she will be retiring on February 2. Brown has led the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) for the past four years, and her tenure with TDI has spanned many more. Before serving as commissioner, Brown was the commissioner of TDI’s…
Read More Texas Will Have a New Insurance CommissionerUK, Bermuda and EU Markets: For US Business, Ditch Direct Procurement, Go Surplus Lines
This article was originally published on Insurance Business UK and is republished here with permission as it originally appeared on December 23, 2025.
It’s a tale as old as time: A U.S. insurance broker wants to place bespoke coverage for its U.S. client. Sometimes, it’s a layer within a commercial tower. Perhaps there are some participating admitted (licensed) U.S. carriers, mixed in with an array of eligible surplus lines insurers. But alas, satisfying all layers through the admitted and surplus lines markets proves allusive, so the broker approaches an unauthorized carrier in Bermuda, a European country, or another non-U.S. jurisdiction. It makes sense, right? The broker tried its best to find coverage another way, and it wants to do right by its client.Read More UK, Bermuda and EU Markets: For US Business, Ditch Direct Procurement, Go Surplus Lines