NAIC Updates State Producer-Licensing Assessment

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) released an update of its 2008 assessment of state producer-licensing laws, practices and processes.The 2008 report — which provided a comprehensive national assessment of state producer-licensing regulation — identified areas where the states’ reciprocity and uniformity initiatives need improvement, along with areas where such efforts have been successful.“The updates demonstrate that the NAIC’s producer-licensing reform strategy is working, showing significant progress in the past year,” said Alaska Insurance Director Linda Hall, who is chair of the NAIC Producer Licensing Task Force. “The 2008 assessment report outlined where we stood last year in terms of compliance with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act’s reciprocity requirements and uniform resident-licensing standards. It also provided an independent legal review and on-site peer assessment of our licensing laws, regulations, practices and processes.”Outreach efforts were conducted in teams consisting of volunteer regulators and industry members of the NAIC/Industry Producer Licensing Coalition. These teams held meetings with state commissioners, directors, superintendents, senior regulatory staff and licensing directors who were actively engaged in the 2008 assessment process. The teams then provided updates on each state’s compliance with NAIC reciprocity and uniform resident-licensing standards.The outreach effort afforded industry members with the opportunity to engage in the assessment and discussions of key reforms. It was also an opportunity for the regulators to hear directly from the national and local trade associations regarding issues that matter most to insurance producers.“This process continues to arm us with a wealth of valuable and comprehensive information,” said Tennessee Insurance Commissioner Leslie Newman, who is chair of the NAIC/Industry Producer Licensing Coalition. “I am most pleased with the 98 instances of states achieving compliance with NAIC uniform resident licensing standards since February 2008 — reaching 84% compliance overall — which means the process is working as designed.”