Topic: Excess and Surplus Lines

On June 10, 2019, Governor Phil Scott of Vermont signed Senate Bill 131 (the “Bill”) into law, permitting domestic surplus line insurers to offer and sell surplus lines insurance under a surplus lines certificate of authority in the state.  Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and as mentioned in our previous post found here, Nevada passed similar legislation earlier this month.

Add Nevada to the growing list of states that have adopted domestic surplus lines legislation. Senate Bill 86 (the “Bill”) was signed into law on June 1, 2019, with most provisions effective October 1, 2019. Of perhaps most significance Is that Nevada will now allow for insurance companies to domesticate in Nevada for the exclusive purpose of writing surplus lines insurance coverage within the state and potentially elsewhere.

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.