Agent lookup tool and federal reinsurance bill: Regulation news

Blurred people sitting around a table while two people stand.
Adobe Stock
Complimentary Access Pill
Enjoy complimentary access to top ideas and insights — selected by our editors.

Insights around how states are preparing for FEMA cuts. Also, news from the recent NAIC's Market Regulation and Consumer Affairs Committee meeting and a federal reinsurance bill stalled in the U.S. Senate. 

The following stories are related to insurance regulation

Delaware regulator pushes for agent lookup tool

In a meeting of the NAIC's Market Regulation and Consumer Affairs Committee on August 13, Trinidad Navarro, insurance commissioner of Delaware, said, "I'm appreciative of the product that was produced. It falls well short of what we were hoping for." 

Read more

Federal reinsurance bill stalls under fire

A reintroduced proposal for a federal catastrophic reinsurance program is stalled in the U.S. Senate, as it attracts industry criticism.

The Incorporating National Support for Unprecedented Risks and Emergencies (INSURE) Act introduced by Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on July 17 is a new version of H.R. 6944, a bill of the same name introduced by Schiff on Jan. 10, 2024, when he was a representative in the House in the previous term. That bill never went beyond the House Financial Services Committee.

Read more

Regulator starts task force to address denials of LA fire smoke claims

Following a June 24 LA Superior Court ruling against the California FAIR Plan for illegally denying wildfire smoke damage claims, the state's insurance commissioner has created a Smoke Claims and Remediation Task Force.

The advocacy group Consumer Watchdog also responded to the ruling, issuing a guide to getting smoke damage claims paid, with advice from survivors of the January 7 Eaton fire. The Eaton Fire Survivors Network sent the insurance commissioner 51 testimonials about State Farm failing to meet claims obligations for smoke damage. According to Eaton Fire Residents United, all 165 homes tested for smoke damage showed elevated levels requiring remediation.

Read more

States bracing for FEMA changes

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Review Council is scheduled to deliver recommendations in November on the agency's future direction, according to an official at NAIC, the association of state insurance regulators.

The Review Council's Federal-State Coordination Subcommittee, chaired by Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin, is mapping FEMA's core capabilities and looking for ways to send work currently done by the agency back to the states, stated Alexander Swindle, senior policy advisor at NAIC, at its summer meeting in Minneapolis on August 12.

Read more

California regulator orders FAIR Plan to justify claim denials

Fallout from California's January wildfires, and ongoing disputes between the state's insurance regulator and a consumer advocacy group continued this week. The state's insurer of last resort, the California FAIR Plan Association, now faces both a court case and regulatory action.

Read more