The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) held its annual International ‎Insurance Forum this week in Washington, D.C., May 13 and 14. Alan Levin and Robert ‎Kasinow attended on behalf of Locke Lord LLP. The conference gathers U.S. and international ‎regulators and industry stakeholders to discuss and share ideas and viewpoints on insurance ‎matters with global implications.‎…
Read More Global Regulatory Cooperation and Innovation Highlight NAIC International Gathering

As an early stage or startup InsurTech, you’re highly focused on all the right things: identifying a ‎challenge for the insurance industry, developing an innovative technical solution, making it ‎practical and scalable, getting it funded, and implementing it. The industry for which InsurTech ‎seeks to develop and deliver solutions is awash, however, in requirements and restrictions related ‎to the collection, use, sharing, and protection of data.‎…
Read More What Every InsurTech Should Know About Privacy and Cybersecurity

In a very favorable ruling for insurance companies, a federal district court on May 6 held that ‎Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company had not misclassified as an independent contractor (IC) ‎a life insurance agent who alleged that he was an “employee” under the New Jersey Wage Payment ‎Law. ‎…
Read More Insurance Agent for Northwestern Mutual Found to be Independent Contractor, Not Employee

Ted Augustinos, a member of the steering committee of Locke Lord’s Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice Group, authored an article detailing the stifling effect of privacy and cybersecurity regulations on innovative data usage at insurance companies.
Read More Locke Lord Privacy Lawyer Authors Article in Best’s Review on Regulations Impacting InsurTechs

Cancellation and nonrenewal requirements applicable to insurance policies exist in every state in the nation. These laws and regulations are founded on the principle that insurance customers should be protected against losing insurance coverage without proper notice and without good reason. As such, many states require that mid-term cancellation of an insurance policy only be effectuated for specific statutorily-defined reasons, and that sufficient advance notice must be given to the insured prior to the cancellation or nonrenewal of an insurance policy.
Read More LL Surplus Lines Series (Entry 7): Applicability of Cancellation and Nonrenewal Requirements to Surplus Lines Insurers and recent updates (Attorney Analysis)

Texas’ legislature is considering bills that would amend Texas’ insurance code to clarify that eligible surplus lines insurers may offer windstorm and hail insurance in areas already served by the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (“TWIA”).
Read More LL Surplus Lines Series (Entry 6): Texas Legislature Considers Bills Clarifying Availability of Wind/Hail Cover from Surplus Lines Carriers