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I. Senate Bill 26-155 – The Enterprise

    On June 4, 2026, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed Senate Bill 26-155, “Concerning Increasing the Availability of Homeowner’s Insurance in the State.” (the Bill). The Bill adds a new Part 20 to Article 4 of Title 10 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, creating the “Strengthen Colorado Homes Enterprise” (the Enterprise) within the Colorado Division of Insurance. The Enterprise is structured as a “government-owned business” designed to assist homeowners in retrofitting residential property against extreme weather events, principally hail and windstorms. Importantly for carriers writing homeowner’s policies in Colorado, the Bill authorizes the Enterprise to administer and collect a new annual fee, effective beginning in calendar year 2027, equal to 0.5% of the total premium collected by the insurer on multiperil homeowner’s insurance policies issued in Colorado for the preceding calendar year.

    Read More No Pain, No Gain For Homeowners’ Insurers: Colorado Senate Bill 26-155

    On May 19, 2026, the Connecticut General Assembly passed Substitute House Bill No. 5373, “An Act Concerning the Insurance Department’s Recommendations for Revisions to the Insurance Statutes” (the Act), which became Public Act No. 26-69. The Act represents a broad amendment to the Connecticut Insurance Code including amending, among others, statutes regulating service of process, license suspension, and premium tax assessments. The most consequential change for the surplus lines market is the amendment of Conn. Gen. Stat. § 38a-741(b) effective October 1, 2026, which repeals Connecticut’s longstanding diligent-effort (also referred to as “diligent search”) requirement for surplus lines placements and replaces it with an annual reporting regime administered by the insurance commissioner.

    Read More Connecticut Moves Beyond Diligent Effort: HB 5373

    On May 21, a panel of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals heard argument in Steidinger v. Blackstone Medical Services on whether text messages are covered as “telephone calls” in § 227(c)(5) of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). While questions asked by judges during oral arguments are no guarantee of how the court will ultimately rule, Judge Thomas K. Kirsch II and Judge Doris L. Pryor appeared skeptical of the plaintiff’s position that Congress intended “telephone call” to include text messaging in 1991. Judge Nancy L. Maldonado did not ask any questions. While we will need to wait for the decision, there is an excellent chance that the panel will hold that plaintiffs cannot sue over marketing text messages under § 227(c)(5), creating a potential circuit split with the Ninth Circuit’s opinion in Howard v. Republican National Committee that will need to be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.

    Read More Reading the Tea Leaves: Text Messages May Not Be TCPA Calls in the Seventh Circuit

    On April 20, 2026, the California Department of Insurance (CDI) announced that it has submitted its Intervenor and Administrative Hearing Bureau Fairness and Accountability rulemaking package to the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) for final review. CDI describes this package as the most significant modernization of California’s intervenor system since Proposition 103 was enacted in 1988.

    Read More California Intervenor Reforms Move to Final Review as CDI Submits Proposition 103 Rulemaking

    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

    On August 1, 2025, Governor JB Pritzker approved Senate Bill No. 1289, amending the definition of “home state” as it relates to more than one unaffiliated insured from a group and named as insureds on a single surplus lines insurance contract. Prior to the enactment of the bill, if…

    Read More Illinois Amends the Definition of “Home State” for Unaffiliated Groups Under Its Surplus Lines Laws

    On June 10, 2025, Governor Lamont signed Senate Bill No. 9 into law. In light of the passage of the bill, on July 8, 2025, the Connecticut Insurance Department (Department) issued Bulletin PC-93-25, addressed to “all companies licensed to write homeowners and renters insurance.” The bulletin “provides guidance to…

    Read More New Connecticut Flood Insurance Disclosure Requirements

    On July 2, 2025, the Connecticut Insurance Department (Department) issued Bulletin PC-92-25 (Bulletin), addressed to “all companies licensed to write property and casualty insurance.” The Bulletin rescinds and replaces Bulletin PC-92, dated July 23, 2021, concerning flex-rate filings and provides additional guidance to insurers for rate filings submitted on and after June 30, 2025. The Bulletin provides that Public Act No. 25-86 extended the flex-rating provisions under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 38a-688a until July 1, 2030.

    Read More Connecticut Extends Flex-Rate Filing Provisions Until July 1, 2030

    On June 23, the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) issued an industry letter to all regulated entities — banks, insurers, money transmitters, virtual currency companies, and others — cautioning that escalating global conflicts are intensifying threats to the U.S. financial system. The letter highlights increased risk from destructive cyberattacks, sanctions evasion, and illicit activity involving virtual assets. NYDFS urges institutions to take immediate, proactive steps to strengthen operational resilience, ensure compliance, and protect the financial sector from geopolitical spillover.

    Read More NYDFS Warns of Heightened Risk From Global Conflicts: What Regulated Entities Must Do Now