For the past 18 months, insurance companies have been holding their collective ‎breath to see if an appellate court would affirm or reverse an Ohio district court decision ‎concluding that thousands of current and former agents for American Family ‎Insurance Company were employees and not independent contractors under ERISA, ‎the federal law governing pensions and other employee benefits.‎…
Read More Insurance Agents Not Misclassified As Independent ‎Contractors; Sixth Circuit Rules in Favor of Insurance ‎Company in ERISA Class Action Seeking Pension, Life, ‎and Health Benefits

Having concluded an investigation into New York life insurers’ underwriting guidelines and practices, the New York Department of Financial Services has issued Insurance Circular Letter No. 1 (2019) to advise insurers of their statutory obligations regarding the use of external consumer data and information sources in underwriting for life insurance.
Read More New Guidance on Insurers’ Use of Big Data and Algorithms in New York

Locke Lord’s Insurance & Reinsurance Newsletter provides topical snapshots of recent developments in the fast-changing world of insurance. For further information on any of the subjects covered in the newsletter, please contact one of the members of our Insurance team.
Read More Insurance and Reinsurance Newsletter – January 2019

Locke Lord’s Privacy & Cybersecurity Newsletter provides topical snapshots of recent developments in the fast-changing world of privacy, data protection, and cyber risk management. For further information on any of the subjects covered in the newsletter, please contact one of the members of our privacy and cybersecurity team.
Read More Privacy & Cybersecurity Newsletter – January 2019

On January 10, 2019, Massachusetts Governor Baker signed “An Act relative to consumer protection from security breaches” (House Bill No. 4806), which added new requirements and obligations for companies that experience a data breach.
Read More Massachusetts Amendments Impose Additional Data Security Breach Requirements

Zachary Lerner, a Partner in Locke Lord’s New York office and member of the Regulatory and Transactional Insurance Practice Group, wrote a Law360 article “An FAQ on the State of Direct Procurement Insurance,” which outlines common questions people unfamiliar with direct procurement insurance might have and best practices in carrying out direct procurement transactions.
Read More An FAQ on the State of Direct Procurement Insurance

The Federal Reserve (FRB) has released new information on proposed capital rules for insurers that own a depository institution.
Read More The Federal Reserve (FRB) has released new information on proposed capital rules for insurers that own a depository institution

Colin M. Hayashida has been appointed the Hawaii Insurance Commissioner effective January 1, 2019.  He was appointed by Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) Director Catherine P. Awakuni Colón. …
Read More New Insurance Commissioner Appointed in Hawaii