Effective August 1, 2015, Louisiana became the 9th state in the United States to adopt legislation permitting the establishment of a domestic surplus lines insurer (“DSLI”). Louisiana now joins Illinois, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Delaware, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota and Missouri as the states that permit a DSLI to write

Read More Louisiana Adopts Domestic Surplus Lines Legislation – More States On The Way

The Excess Line Association of New York (ELANY) has hired James Davis as financial director. Davis is responsible for the financial review and analysis of all eligible listed excess line insurers to verify their financial strength.

Davis recently retired from the New York State Department of Financial Services (“the Department”)

Read More ELANY Hires Former New York Regulator as Financial Director

Louisiana’s legislature recently enacted House Bill 259, which cuts the surplus lines tax rate from 5 percent to 4.85 percent. The law, which also eliminates the insurance commissioner’s authority to enter into the Nonadmitted Insurance Multi-State Agreement (NIMA) or other cooperative compacts or agreements with other states, was approved by
Read More Louisiana Cuts Surplus Lines Tax Rate

Wisconsin, which was an Associate Member of the Nonadmitted Insurance Multi-State Agreement, Inc. (“NIMA”) until June 30, 2015, announced this week that it will not become a full tax-sharing member of NIMA. As such, effective July 1, 2015, surplus lines agents, direct placement policyholders and risk retention groups should no
Read More Wisconsin Decides to Not Become Full NIMA Member

The global stock of insurance linked securities at the end of 2014 was approaching $25.2 billion.  Yesterday George Osborne unleashed the giant peach for the United Kingdom in a seemingly measured statement but one full of promises.

“2.228 Global reinsurance – the government announced at Autumn Statement 2014 that it
Read More George Unleashes the Giant Peach

On October 28, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts denied an insurer’s motion for summary judgment in a coverage action it had brought against its insured on a professional liability policy, an insurance broker who specialized in the placement of professional liability coverage for professionals including real estate agents and brokers.
Read More District of Massachusetts Finds Coverage Under A Professional Liability Policy In Underlying Case Centered On Unfair Competition

On March 31, 2014, the New York State Department of Financial Services (“DFS”) issued three separate Circular Letters pursuant to various laws, including Insurance Law Sections 308, 1109, 2130 and 7001, Articles 42, 44 through 47, 52 through 55 and 59, and Financial Services Law Sections 202 and 306, setting forth standards expected of the “addressees” (as defined below) in planning, preparing for and responding to disasters in New York State. 
Read More New York State Department of Financial Services Circular Letters Regarding Disaster Preparedness

The Federal Insurance Office (FIO) report, “How to Modernize and Improve the System of Insurance Regulation in the United States” (the “Report”), was released on December 12, 2013, nearly two years after it was due under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank).
Read More Highlights From the FIO Report: The Other Shoe Has Dropped