August 19, 2004 

Dear Ms. D: 

 Thank you for your letter requesting an interpretation of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act 

(TRIA)1

 with regard to the status of ABC Aircraft Insurance Group (ABC Group) as an insurer under 

Section 102(6). After reviewing the material you provided, we conclude that ABC Group qualifies as an 

admitted or licensed insurer under TRIA Section 102(6) and Treasury’s implementing regulations at 31 

C.F.R. § 50.11(f). 

Background 

 According to your letter and accompanying background material, ABC Group is a state licensed 

voluntary joint underwriting association2

 that issues policies of aviation insurance.3 ABC Group was 

established in 1928 and is managed by XYZ Underwriters, Inc. (XYZ), a New York licensed insurance 

agent. The insurer members of ABC Group authorize XYZ to underwrite, manage and administer the 

aviation, aerospace and aviation-related insurance and reinsurance assumed by ABC. XYZ acts as 

manager for ABC Group insurance operations and in that capacity issues policies in the name of ABC. 

Through XYZ, ABC Group conducts business throughout the 50 states and must satisfy all applicable 

requirements to conduct business as an insurer in those states. 

Status as Insurer 

 To be an insurer under TRIA section 102(6), an entity must satisfy the requirements of 

subsections (A), (B) and (C) of that section. There are five distinct categories of insurer under TRIA 

Section 102(6) (A), the first being a state “licensed or admitted” insurer in subsection (i). In response to 

comments, the final Regulation provides additional clarification about what is necessary for a joint 

underwriting association, pooling arrangement, or other similar entity to be considered state “licensed or 

admitted” insurers. 68 FR 41250, 41261 (July 11, 2003). The final Regulation required that such entities 

must: 

(1) Have gone through a process of being licensed or admitted to engage in the business 

of providing primary or excess insurance that is administered by the State’s insurance 

regulator, which process generally applies to insurance companies or is similar in scope 

and content to the process applicable to insurance companies; 

(2) Be generally subject to State insurance regulation, including financial reporting 

 requirements, applicable to insurance companies within the State; and 

(3) Be managed independently from other insurers participating in the Program.4

 

 

1

 Public Law 107-297, 116 Stat. 2322, 15 USCS § 6701. 

2

 For a discussion of the distinction between voluntary, involuntary and intercompany underwriting associations, see 

NAIC, REGULATION OF VOLUNTARY UNDERWRITING AND REINSURANCE POOLS WHITE PAPER 

(Adopted December 10, 2002). 

3

 ABC functions through three separate pools: Hull & Casualty, Satellite, and Workers Compensation. A number of 

recognized, national insurers were ABC member companies for the 2002-2003 policy year and participated in at 

least one of these pools. As permitted by the terms of its Member Agreements, the number, identity and 

participation levels of member insurers vary from year to year. 4

 31 C.F.R. § 50.5 (f) (1) (i) (A) (1)-(3). 
Because ABC Group is an entity that operates as a voluntary joint underwriting association or 

pooling arrangement, it must meet the three criteria listed above for state licensed or admitted insurers. 

Based on available information described below, Treasury is satisfied that ABC Group satisfies those 

criteria. 

 First, ABC Group has obtained a license to provide primary aviation, aerospace, and aviationrelated insurance and reinsurance in a least 13 states.5

 As examples, ABC Group provided copies of the 

certificates of authority authorizing it to operate as a joint underwriting or joint reinsurance organization 

in the states of North Carolina and Texas. To obtain these state licenses, ABC Group followed a process 

that included filing a written application for licensure, providing the names of officers and directors, filing 

copies of its articles of incorporation and by-laws, submitting the names of all its members, providing the 

name and address of an agent for receipt of service of process and submitting such other information as 

required by the commissioner of insurance6

- requirements applicable to all insurance companies seeking 

authority to conduct the business of insurance in the state. Treasury concludes that the state licensing 

process ABC Group pursued in North Carolina, Texas and other states to obtain its certificate of authority 

from the insurance commissioners in those states was “similar in scope and content to the process 

applicable to insurance companies.” 

 Second, based on available information, we conclude that ABC Group is “generally subject to 

State insurance regulation...applicable to insurance companies” in North Carolina, Texas and the other 

states where ABC is licensed as a joint underwriting association. In these states, ABC Group is generally 

subject to the jurisdiction and oversight of the insurance commissioner who has authority to review its 

activities and operation to make sure they are not “unfair, unreasonable, or otherwise inconsistent” with 

the provisions of the state’s insurance code.7

 ABC Group must also allow the commissioner access to its 

books and records and is subject to examination like any other insurer.8

 ABC Group also files audited 

financial statements pursuant to financial reporting requirements for voluntary underwriting associations 

doing an insurance business in Texas9

 and New York.10 These audited financial statements are generally 

the type of “financial reporting requirements” applicable to insurance companies in those states11 and 

provide Treasury the mechanism to verify ABC’s direct earned premium and insured losses under the 

Program.12

 

5

 State laws governing joint underwriting associations such as ABC differ from state to state. However, at least 

13 states specifically require voluntary joint underwriting associations operating within the state to obtain a license 

as an admitted insurer. These states include: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Georgia, Kentucky, 

Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota and Texas. 

6

 See TEX. INS. CODE Art. 21.49-3b; N.C. STAT. LAWS 58-40-60. 

7

 N.C. STAT. LAWS § 58-50-60(c). 

8 Id at § 58-50-90; TEX. INS. CODE Art. 21.49-3b § 10. 9

 TEX. INS. CODE Art. 21.49-3b § 10. 

10TEX. INS. CODE Art. 1.15A section 6 allows the Texas Insurance Commissioner to accept the audited financial 

report of another state if the Commissioner determines that the other state’s requirements for audited financial 

reports “are substantially similar” to TEX INS CODE Art. 1.15A. ABC representatives explained this is the 

reason that ABC files and submits its audited financial statements to New York. As state of domicile for XYZ, 

manager for ABC, the New York Insurance Department requires the annual submission of audited financial 

statements for ABC. Texas accepts the New York financial report as satisfying TEX INS CODE Art. 1.15A. 11 TEX INS CODE Art. 21.49-3b section 10 requires all joint underwriting associations to be audited annually “as 

provided by TEX INS CODE Art. 1.15A “ TEX INS CODE Art. 1.15A is the governing law in Texas for insurer 

audited financial reports. Section 10 of that Article specifies the contents of the audited financial report to be filed 

by all insurers. The contents are quite extensive and must reconcile with NAIC Annual Statement entries. 12 ABC’s audited financial statements are prepared in conformity with accounting practices prescribed by the New 

York Insurance Department. Those accounting practices are consistent with the NAIC Accounting Practices and 

Procedures Manual. All premium and loss amounts reported in the financial statements represent insurance that 
 Third, ABC Group appears to be managed independently from the insurers who comprise its 

membership. ABC Group has long been treated in the marketplace as an independently managed insurer, 

separate and distinct from its member insurers. Your letter indicated “XYZ, a New York licensed agent, 

has managed ABC Group since both organizations were created in 1928.” Through the Member 

Agreements, individual member insurers authorize XYZ to underwrite risks, issue policies, pay claims, 

place reinsurance and recover reinsurance on their behalf. 

 To be considered an “insurer” under TRIA, the entity also must receive direct earned premium for 

commercial property and casualty insurance coverage including aviation, aerospace and workers’ 

compensation. ABC Group satisfies this requirement because its agent, XYZ, issues policies and accepts 

premiums for those policies on behalf of ABC. By maintaining operating funds at the pool level, 

premiums deposited into ABC Group accounts are “received” by ABC. Audited financial statements 

confirm receipt of premium by ABC. Even though net distributions are periodically made to individual 

ABC members as specified in the Membership Agreement, premiums for ABC coverage are received by 

ABC separately. 

* * * * 

 This response addresses the application of the Act and regulations to the specific situation set 

forth in your request, as you have represented the facts to Treasury. If there is a change in any of the facts 

or assumptions presented, and such facts or assumptions are material to a conclusion presented in this 

response, then you may not rely on that conclusion generally or as support for any proposed or 

subsequent activity. This response is provided by the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program as a means of 

stating its current interpretation of the Act and regulations. The program may revise or revoke this 

interpretation upon its own initiative or upon the enactment of amendments to the Act or regulations. 

Sincerely, 

Jeffrey S. Bragg 

Executive Director 

Terrorism Risk Insurance Program 

 meets the TRIA definition of “commercial and casualty insurance.”