Maria T. Vullo announced today that she will be stepping down as Superintendent of the New York Department of Financial Services effective February 1, 2019.  Superintendent Vullo has served in the position since June 15, 2016.  A replacement has not been announced.

View the full press release.
Read More New York Department of Financial Services Superintendent to Step Down

The Texas Department of Insurance (“TDI”) has released its 2018 Biennial Report to the 86th Texas Legislature.  Every two years and pursuant to Texas Insurance Code section 32.022, TDI releases a report on insurance areas that the Department has identified for priority attention in the upcoming Texas legislative session.  The
Read More Texas Department of Insurance Announces New Legislative Priorities

Raymond G. Farmer will continue as the Director of the South Carolina Insurance Department as announced recently by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster. Mr. Farmer has served as the Director of Insurance in South Carolina since 2012 when he was appointed by then Governor Nikki Haley. He was previously the
Read More Raymond G. Farmer to Continue as Director of the South Carolina Insurance Department

Tennessee Governor-Elect Bill Lee has reappointed Julie Mix McPeak as the Tennessee Insurance Commissioner. Julie Mix McPeak has served as the Insurance Commissioner in Tennessee since 2011 and was previously the Executive Director of the Kentucky Office of Insurance.

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Read More Julie Mix McPeak Reappointed as Tennessee Insurance Commissioner by Governor-Elect Bill Lee

As we noted last week in our QuickStudy 2018 Statewide Elections: A Mixed Bag for Insurers?, elections for Governor of Florida and Georgia and Georgia Insurance Commissioner were too close to call. The outcomes of these races were important to insurers, reinsurers, consumers, policyholders and others involved in the
Read More Midterm Elections—Florida and Georgia Update

On August 31, 2018, the California Legislature passed a number of bills addressing various issues related to wildfires that have ravaged the state in recent years.  The following bills relate to insurance in connection with past and future wildfires:

SB-901 addresses a range of wildfire-related issues.  The bill will ease
Read More California Electric Utilities’ Problems are Above Smokey the Bear’s Pay Grade!

Maryland officials will formally announce Wednesday that the federal government has approved an ACA state innovation waiver intended to help shore up Maryland’s individual health insurance market, which has suffered from skyrocketing premiums and declining participation by healthier persons following the repeal of the ACA’s individual mandate. The plan will
Read More Maryland Obtains Waiver for Health Reinsurance Program

As reported here, the NAIC adopted a model law for the protection of the data and systems used by the insurance industry, and South Carolina became the first state to enact legislation based on the NAIC model.  In doing so, however, the South Carolina legislature created some uncertainty by
Read More South Carolina Department clarifies confusing change in its new Insurance Data Security Act

Rhode Island’s Insurance Business Transfer Act (“IBT”) (“Regulation 68”) permits the transfer and ‘novation’ of commercial ‘legacy business’ (subject to certain limitations) from one carrier to another, subject to court approval. It also permits the ultimate commutation of that business should the transferee, at some point in the future, determine
Read More Rhode Island Seeks to Clarify Original Intent of Reg. 68

Under Texas law, extended warranties or “service contracts” are potentially subject to regulatory oversight by four state agencies. The Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) oversees the licensing and regulation of home warranties—service contracts that cover a structural component, an appliance, or an electrical, plumbing, heating, cooling, or air-conditioning system of
Read More Locke Lord LLP Austin Attorneys Jon L. Gillum and Lauren Fincher Publish “Cross-Agency Regulation of Service Contracts in Texas” in Latest Issue of the Texas Tech Administrative Law Journal