Cal. INS § 481.5 — California Code / Code ins / Division 1 / Part 1 / Chapter 5 / Section 481.5
Section 481.5
Status: in_force

(a) Whenever a policy of personal lines insurance terminates for any reason, or there is a reduction in coverage, the insurer shall tender the gross unearned premium resulting from the termination, or the amount of the unearned premium generated by the reduction in coverage, to the insured or, pursuant to Section 673, to the insured’s premium finance company. The gross unearned premium shall be tendered within 25 business days after the insurer either receives notice of the event that generated the gross unearned premium, or receives notice from a premium finance company of a cancellation.

(b) (1) Whenever a policy other than a policy of personal lines insurance terminates for any reason, or there is a reduction in coverage, the gross unearned premium shall be tendered to the insured or, pursuant to Section 673, to the insured’s premium finance company. If the policy is not auditable, the gross unearned premium shall be tendered within 80 business days after the insurer either receives notice of the event that generated the gross unearned premium, or receives notice from a premium finance company of a cancellation. If the policy is auditable, the gross unearned premium shall be tendered within 80 business days after the insured provides all requested audit information to the insurer or the insurer’s designee.

(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), an insurer shall not be required to tender the unearned premium within 80 business days if the final unearned premium amount cannot be determined due to the insured’s failure, in breach of a policy requirement, to cooperate with the insurer in a premium audit, or if the amount of the unearned premium determined by a premium audit remains in dispute.

(c) An insurer may tender gross or net unearned premium to an agent or broker, or net unearned premium to a finance company, but shall remain liable to the insured or finance company for payment of any portion of the gross unearned premium that the agent or broker fails to remit to the insured or premium finance company.

(d) Any unearned premium that an insurer fails to tender within the time periods specified in subdivisions (a) and (b) shall bear interest at the rate of 10 percent per annum from and after the date on which the unearned premium was required to be tendered. For the purposes of this section, the tender of any unearned premium to the insured or premium finance company shall be deemed complete upon the deposit of the unearned premium in the United States mail, prepaid, addressed to the named insured or premium finance company at the last known address, or to an agent or broker with an assignment pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (g).

(e) For the purpose of this section, the following definitions apply:

(1) “Gross unearned premium” means the unearned portion of the full amount of the premium charged to the insured, including the unearned portion of any amount of the premium the insurer allocated to an agent or broker as commission.

(2) “Net unearned premium” means the gross unearned premium minus the unearned commission.

(3) “Policy of personal lines insurance” means an insurance policy that is designed for and bought by individuals, and includes, but is not limited to, homeowners’ and automobile policies.

(f) The interest penalty required by this section shall not apply to any insurer in conservatorship or liquidation, nor shall this insurer be subject to any other penalty for failure to remit unearned premium in accordance with the time periods required by this section.

(g) (1) An assignment by an insured to an agent or broker of the insured’s right to receive unearned premium shall be valid only for the purpose set forth in Section 1735.5.

(2) If the insured notifies the insurer, 25 or more days after the insurer’s tender of unearned premium to an agent or broker with an assignment pursuant to paragraph (1), that the agent or broker has failed to issue to the insured an accounting of an offset permitted by Section 1735.5, the insurer shall, within an additional 15 days, either tender the unearned premium directly to the insured or provide the insured with the agent’s or broker’s accounting of the offset permitted by Section 1735.5.

(3) Whenever an insurer tenders the net rather than gross unearned premium to an agent or broker or premium finance company, the insurer shall contemporaneously notify the agent or broker of the amount of the unearned commission.

(4) If an insurer elects to tender the net rather than the gross unearned premium to a premium finance company, the insurer shall document that the agent or broker tendered unearned commission to the premium finance company within the period required under subdivision (a) or (b) after the insurer either receives notice of the event that generated the unearned premium, or receives notice from a premium finance company of a cancellation.

(h) Whenever an agent or broker receives a refund from a premium finance company, the agent or broker shall tender that money to the insured within 25 days. Whenever an agent or broker with an assignment from the insured receives unearned premium from an insurer, the agent or broker shall account to the insured for any offset permitted by Section 1735.5 within 25 days. If the agent or broker fails to tender payment of any remaining unearned premium after the offset within 25 days, the agent or broker shall pay the insured interest at the rate of 10 percent per annum from and after the 26th day after the agent or broker receives the refund.

(i) In addition to the required unearned premium refund, an insurer shall provide both the insured and the agent or broker, upon the request of either, with an accounting and explanation of how the amount of the refund was calculated. The explanation shall be clear, concise, and easy to comprehend. The commissioner may adopt regulations setting forth standards to govern this subdivision.

(j) For purposes of subdivisions (a) to (c), inclusive, if the unearned premium is not assigned as security to a premium finance agency pursuant to a premium finance agreement and the amount of unearned premium is less than twenty-five dollars ($25), tender of unearned premium shall include applying the amount of unearned premium either to the renewal premium at the next renewal date or to other premiums due, provided written notice of either application is given to the insured within 30 days after the endorsement, rejection, declination, cancellation, or surrender of a policy of insurance. At the time of endorsement or surrender of a policy of insurance or, within 15 days after the mailing of the written notice required by this subdivision, the insured may request in writing that the unearned premium be tendered as provided in subdivisions (a) to (c), inclusive. Whenever the amount of unearned premium is less than five dollars ($5), tender shall be effective and the written notice required by this subdivision shall not be required if the unearned premium is applied either to the renewal premium at the next renewal date or to other premiums due.

(k) Notwithstanding subdivisions (a) to (c), inclusive, an insurer may at any time solicit the insured’s consent, or may in its policy reserve the right, to apply the unearned premium generated by an amendment or endorsement removing or reducing coverage for an insured person or property to the balance owed on the policy as a whole, rather than tendering a refund of the unearned premium. This subdivision shall not apply if the unearned premium is assigned as security to a premium finance company.

(l) The amount of unearned premium required to be refunded by an insurer pursuant to this section shall not exceed the amount paid to the insurer by the insured or by a premium finance company.