Source: http://lawdelta.org/world/Law:Division_3._The_Insurance_Commissioner_(California)
Timestamp: 2013-05-24 19:11:15
Document Index: 661004927

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 1', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 1', 'in fine', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2']

Law:Division 3. The Insurance Commissioner (California) - Law Delta
Law:Division 3. The Insurance Commissioner (California)
1 Chapter 1. Appointment, Qualification, And Offices
2 Chapter 2. Powers And Duties
2.1 Article 1. Generally
2.2 Article 1.1. The California Community Development Financial Institution Tax Credit Program
2.3 Article 2. Review Of Commissioner's Acts
2.4 Article 3. Procuring Information On Policies
2.5 Article 3.5. Reporting
2.6 Article 4. Fees
2.7 Article 5. Fee Oversight
2.8 Article 7. Suspension Of Privilege Of Appearing Or Practicing Before The Commissioner
3 Chapter 3. Conciliation
4 Chapter 4. Holocaust Era Insurance Registry
5 Chapter 5. Slavery Era Insurance Policies
Chapter 1. Appointment, Qualification, And Offices
Ca Codes (ins:12900-12907) Insurance Code Section 12900-12907 12900. (a) The commissioner shall be elected by the people in the same time, place, and manner as the Governor not to exceed two four-year terms. (b) Should a vacancy occur during the term of office, legislative confirmation shall be required for the position of commissioner in the same manner and procedure as that required by Section 5 of Article V of the California Constitution. 12901. The commissioner shall be a person competent and fully qualified to perform the duties of the office. Neither the commissioner nor any deputy or employee shall during his or their tenure of office be an officer, agent or employee of an insurer or directly or indirectly interested in any insurer or licensee under this code, except (a) as a policyholder, or, (b) by virtue of relationship by blood or marriage to any person interested in any insurer or licensee. If the commissioner or any deputy or employee holds any license or permit issued under this code, he shall surrender it for cancellation within 10 days after appointment and qualification. Upon termination of his office or employment such license or permit shall be reissued for the balance of the then current license or permit year without fee or penalty. 12902. The annual salary of the commissioner is provided for by Chapter 6 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. 12903. The commissioner may employ such actuarial, technical, and administrative assistants and clerks, as he may need to discharge in proper manner the duties imposed upon him by law. He may also employ stenographic reporters to take and transcribe the testimony in any formal hearing or investigation before the commissioner, deputy or person authorized by him. Such persons so employed shall perform such duties as the commissioner assigns to them, subject to the provisions of the civil service laws. The commissioner may incur such traveling and other expenses as are necessary, convenient, or advisable for the performance of his duties. The provisions of this section shall not be deemed to affect or modify positions or seniority of officers or employees existing and held in the office of the commissioner immediately prior to the date this section takes effect, and all such persons then serving in any capacity therein shall continue and remain in such capacity without change of position or seniority, subject to the provisions of the law regulating civil service in the same manner and to the same extent as prior to the date this section takes effect. 12903.1. (a) The commissioner may not accept, use, or in any manner benefit from payments or reimbursements made to the department for travel from any of the following: (1) A single source that is subject to regulation by the commissioner. (2) A private attorney or law firm that is under contract or is bidding on or under consideration for a contract to represent either the department or the commissioner in his or her official capacity. (3) A private attorney or law firm that seeks to be awarded, or has been awarded, advocacy fees under subdivision (b) of Section 1861.10. (4) A private attorney or law firm that has a client subject to regulation by the commissioner. (b) For purposes of this section, any payment or reimbursement provided by a representative of a person or entity subject to regulation by the commissioner shall be deemed to be provided by the regulated person or entity. (c) (1) The Attorney General or any other person within this state may bring a civil action for the violation of this section. The court may assess a civil penalty in the amount of three times the amount of the unlawful benefit or payment received by the commissioner. (2) An action under this subdivision shall be filed within five years of the date on which the violation occurred. If the commissioner engages in fraudulent concealment, the five-year period shall be tolled for the period of the concealment. For the purposes of this paragraph, "fraudulent concealment" means the commissioner knowingly concealed facts related to his or her travel expenditures or reimbursements. 12903.5. On the recommendation of the commissioner the Personnel Board may establish rates of compensation for insurance examiners engaged in examinations out of this State which are in excess of the rates based on the regular monthly salary ranges established for such examiners. 12904. In the administration of the provisions of this code and other insurance laws, the commissioner may purchase reports of financial and character reporting services, and such other books and reports as in his opinion will aid in such administration. 12905. The commissioner shall keep his office in the cities of San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Diego. 12906. The governmental agency unit heretofore known as the Department of Insurance in the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency is hereby made an independent department. The Department of Insurance is under the control of the Insurance Commissioner. The removal from the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency of the Department of Insurance, effected by this section, shall not affect in any manner the deputies or employees of such governmental agency unit, except as otherwise provided by the act enacted in the 1990 portion of the 1989-90 Regular Session that amended this section, and, except as so provided, their employments and positions are hereby expressly continued in existence. The Insurance Commissioner is not a head of a department within the meaning of Sections 1061 and 11151 of the Government Code. 12907. The following existing positions in the Department of Insurance shall be appointed by the Governor and are exempt from the state civil service system: (a) Chief executive officer. (b) Deputy commissioner for the office of the ombudsman. (c) Career executive assignment IV, in the administration and licensing services division. Chapter 2. Powers And Duties
Ca Codes (ins:12919-12938) Insurance Code Section 12919-12938 12919. Communications to the commissioner or any person in his office in respect to any fact concerning the holder of, or applicant for, any certificate or license issued under this code are made to him in official confidence within the meaning of Sections 1040 and 1041 of the Evidence Code. Liability shall not exist and no action or proceeding shall lie for or on account of any such communication or the making thereof, but the existence of such communication shall not be deemed to dispense with or nullify any requirement of notice, hearing or production of evidence before the commissioner as otherwise required by law. 12920. The commissioner shall determine the sufficiency and validity of all securities required to be given by persons engaged, or to be engaged, in insurance business, and shall cause such security to be supplemented or renewed in case of the insufficiency or invalidity thereof. 12920.5. In addition to and independent of any and all other proper causes for refusal by the commissioner to approve or accept any bond filed or presented for filing with him under any provision of this code or other laws, the commissioner shall decline to approve, accept or file any such bond, if in his opinion, the principal and the surety are affiliated in any manner whereby insolvency of the one party would affect the solvency of the other or whereby it is made uncertain whether or not such result might occur. 12921. (a) The commissioner shall perform all duties imposed upon him or her by the provisions of this code and other laws regulating the business of insurance in this state, and shall enforce the execution of those provisions and laws. (b) In an administrative action to enforce the provisions of this code and other laws regulating the business of insurance in this state, any settlement is subject to all of the following: (1) The commissioner may delegate the power to negotiate the terms and conditions of a settlement but the commissioner may not delegate the power to approve the settlement. (2) Unless specifically provided for in a provision of this code, the commissioner may not agree to any of the following: (A) That the respondent contribute, deposit, or transfer any moneys or other resources to a nonprofit entity. (B) That a respondent contribute, deposit, or transfer any fine, penalty, assessment, cost, or fee except to the commissioner for deposit in the appropriate state fund pursuant to Section 12975.7. (C) That the commissioner may or shall direct the transfer, distribution, or payment to another person or entity of any fine, penalty, assessment, cost, or fee. (D) The use of the commissioner's name, likeness, or voice in any printed material or audio or visual medium, either for general distribution or for distribution to specific recipients. (3) The commissioner may only agree to payment to those persons or entities to whom payment may be due because of the respondent's violation of a provision of this code or other law regulating the business of insurance in this state. (4) A settlement may only include the sanctions provided by this code or other laws regulating the business of insurance in this state, except that the settlement may include attorney's fees, costs of the department in bringing the enforcement action, and future costs of the department to ensure compliance with the settlement agreement. (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the commissioner may accept documents submitted for filing or approval, process transactions, and maintain records in electronic form or as paper documents, and may adopt regulations to further this subdivision. 12921.1. (a) The commissioner shall establish a program on or before July 1, 1991, to investigate complaints and respond to inquiries received pursuant to Section 12921.3, to comply with Section 12921.4, and, when warranted, to bring enforcement actions against insurers or production agencies, as those terms are defined in subdivision (a) of Section 1748.5. The program shall include, but not be limited to, the following: (1) A toll-free telephone number published in telephone books throughout the state, dedicated to the handling of complaints and inquiries. (2) Public service announcements to inform consumers of the toll-free telephone number and how to register a complaint or make an inquiry to the department. (3) A simple, standardized complaint form designed to assure that complaints will be properly registered and tracked. (4) Retention of records on complaints for at least three years after the complaint has been closed. (5) Guidelines to disseminate complaint and enforcement information on individual insurers to the public, that shall include, but not be limited to, the following: (A) License status. (B) Number and type of complaints closed within the last full calendar year, with analogous statistics from the prior two years for comparison. The proportion of those complaints determined by the department to require that corrective action be taken against the insurer, or leading to insurer compromise, or other remedy for the complainant, as compared to those that are found to be without merit. This information shall be disseminated in a fashion that will facilitate identification of meritless complaints and discourage their consideration by consumers and others interested in the records of insurers. (C) Number and type of violations found, by reference to the line of insurance and the law violated. For the purposes of this subparagraph, the department shall separately report this information for health insurers. (D) Number and type of enforcement actions taken. (E) Ratio of complaints received to total policies in force, or premium dollars paid in a given line, or both. Private passenger automobile insurance ratios shall be calculated as the number of complaints received to total car years earned in the period studied. (F) Any other information the department deems is appropriate public information regarding the complaint record of the insurer that will assist the public in selecting an insurer. However, nothing in this section shall be construed to permit disclosure of information or documents in the possession of the department to the extent that the information and those documents are protected from disclosure under any other provision of law. (6) Procedures and average processing times for each step of complaint mediation, investigation, and enforcement. These procedures shall be consistent with those in Article 6.5 (commencing with Section 790) of Chapter 1 of Part 2 of Division 1 for complaints within the purview of that article, consistent with those in Article 7 (commencing with Section 1858) of Chapter 9 of Part 2 of Division 1 for complaints within the purview of that article, and consistent with any other provisions of law requiring certain procedures to be followed by the department in investigating or prosecuting complaints against insurers or production agencies. (7) A list of criteria to determine which violations should be pursued through enforcement action, and enforcement guidelines that set forth appropriate penalties for violations based on the nature, severity, and frequency of the violations. (8) Referral of complaints not within the department's jurisdiction to appropriate public and private agencies. (9) Complaint handling goals that can be tested against surveys carried out pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 12921.4. (10) Inclusion in its annual report to the Governor, required by Section 12922, detailed information regarding the program required by this section, that shall include, but not be limited to: a description of the operation of the complaint handling process, listing civil, criminal, and administrative actions taken pursuant to complaints received; the percentage of the department's personnel years devoted to the handling and resolution of complaints; and suggestions for legislation to improve the complaint handling apparatus and to increase the amount of enforcement action undertaken by the department pursuant to complaints if further enforcement is deemed necessary to ensure proper compliance by insurers or production agencies with the law. (b) The commissioner shall promulgate a regulation that sets forth the criteria that the department shall apply to determine if a complaint is deemed to be justified prior to the public release of a complaint against a specifically named insurer or production agency. (c) The commissioner shall provide to the insurer or production agency a description of any complaint against the insurer or production agency that the commissioner has received and has deemed to be justified at least 30 days prior to public release of a report summarizing the information required by this section. This description shall include all of the following: (1) The name of the complainant. (2) The date the complaint was filed. (3) A succinct description of the facts of the complaint. (4) A statement of the department's rationale for determining that the complaint was justified that applies the department's criteria to the facts of the complaint. (d) An insurer shall provide to the department the name, mailing address, telephone number, and facsimile number of a person whom the insurer designates as the recipient of all notices, correspondence, and other contacts from the department concerning complaints described in this section. The insurer may change the designation at any time by providing written notice to the Consumer Services Division of the department. (e) For the purposes of this section, notices, correspondence, and other contacts with the designated person shall be deemed contact with the insurer. 12921.15. (a) On or before July 1, 1999, the commissioner shall prepare a written report, to be made available by the department to interested individuals upon written request, that details complaint and enforcement information on individual insurers in accordance with guidelines established under paragraph (5) of subdivision (a) of Section 12921.1. The report shall be made available by mail through the department's consumer toll-free telephone number and through the department's Internet website and transmitted via electronic mail if the individual has the ability to obtain the report in this manner. No complaint information shall be included in the report required by this section that has not been provided to the insurer in accordance with subdivision (c) of Section 12921.1 (b) The commissioner may also, if deemed appropriate, publish the record of complaints against the production agency that have been determined by the department to be justified and that will assist the public in selecting a production agency. No complaint data shall be published that has not been provided to the production agency in accordance with subdivision (c) of Section 12921.1. 12921.2. All public records of the department and the commissioner subject to disclosure under Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 6250) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code shall be available for inspection and copying pursuant to those provisions at the offices of the department in the City and County of San Francisco, in the City of Los Angeles, and in the City of Sacramento. Adequate copy facilities for this purpose shall be made available. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person requesting copies of these records shall receive the copies from employees of the department and the fee charged for the copies shall not exceed the actual cost of producing the copies. Notwithstanding Section 6256 of the Government Code, any public record submitted to the department as computer data on an electronic medium shall, in addition to any other formats, be made available to the public pursuant to this section through an electronic medium. 12921.3. (a) The commissioner, in person or through employees of the department, shall receive complaints and inquiries, investigate complaints, prosecute insurers or production agencies when appropriate and according to guidelines determined pursuant to Section 12921.1, and respond to complaints and inquiries by members of the public concerning the handling of insurance claims, including, but not limited to, violations of Article 10 (commencing with Section 1861) of Chapter 9 of Part 2 of Division 1, by insurers or production agencies, or alleged misconduct by insurers or production agencies. (b) The commissioner shall not decline to investigate complaints for any of the following reasons: (1) The insured is represented by an attorney in a dispute with an insurer, or is in mediation or arbitration. (2) The insured has a civil action against an insurer. (3) The complaint is from an attorney, if the complaint is based upon evidence or reasonable beliefs about violations of law known to an attorney because of a civil action. (c) The commissioner may defer the investigation until the finality of a dispute, mediation, arbitration, or civil action involving the claim is known. (d) The commissioner, as he or she deems appropriate, and pursuant to Section 12921.1, shall provide for the education of, and dissemination of information to, members of the general public or licensees of the department concerning insurance matters. 12921.4. (a) The commissioner shall, upon receipt of a written complaint with respect to the handling of an insurance claim or other obligation under a policy by an insurer or production agency, or alleged misconduct by an insurer or production agency, notify the complainant of the receipt of the complaint within 10 working days of receipt. Thereafter, the commissioner shall notify the complainant of the final action taken on his or her complaint within 30 days of the final action. The department shall include, with each notification of final action, or, at a minimum, with a number of randomly selected notifications of final action sufficient to assure the validity of results, a complaint handling evaluation form. This form shall clearly and concisely seek an evaluation of the department's performance in handling the complainant's grievance. The areas of evaluation shall include, but not be limited to: whether the complaint was handled in a fair and reasonable manner, evaluated thoroughly and without bias; the time required for resolution of the complaint; whether the complaint was referred and, if so, whether it was referred within a satisfactory time; whether the staff involved in handling the complaint demonstrated an adequate knowledge of the issues involved in the complaint; whether the complainant was satisfied with the result of the department's intervention; and whether the complainant would recommend the department's complaint handling services to others. The commissioner shall, if deemed appropriate, notify insurers or production agencies against whom the complaint is made of the nature of the complaint, may request appropriate relief for the complainant, and may meet and confer with the complainant and the insurer in order to mediate the complaint. This section shall not be construed to give the commissioner power to adjudicate claims. (b) The commissioner shall ascertain patterns of complaints by insurer, geographic area, insurance line, type of violation, and any other valid basis the commissioner may deem appropriate for further investigation, and periodically evaluate the complaint patterns to determine additional audit, investigative, or enforcement actions which may be taken by the commissioner, and report on all actions taken with respect to those patterns of complaints in his or her annual report to the Governor pursuant to Section 12922, and to the public. For the purposes of this subdivision, complaints mean those written complaints received by the commissioner under subdivision (a), and written complaints received by the commissioner from any other sources, alleging misconduct or unlawful acts by insurers or production agencies. 12921.5. The commissioner may in person or through employees of the division meet with persons, organizations and associations interested in insurance for the purpose of securing cooperation in the enforcement of the insurance laws of this State and may disseminate information concerning the insurance laws of this State for the assistance and information of the public. 12921.6. (a) (1) If no fee is designated in this code for the review of filings required to be made pursuant to this code, the commissioner may establish a fee to permit the department to recover the actual cost of review of those filings. The fee so established shall not be increased by more than twenty-five dollars ($25), unless the increase is made by law. (2) If this code designates a fee for any required filing, which fee the commissioner determines to be inadequate to cover the actual cost of review, the commissioner may assess an additional fee pursuant to this section not to exceed 25 percent of the fee designated by the code for the filing. (3) Any person assessed a fee under this section shall be entitled, upon request, to receive reasonable substantiation from the department for the fee assessed, based upon the cost records of the department. (4) As used in this section, "filings" means those items which the insurers are required to file with the department or commissioner pursuant to this code. (b) The fee provided for by this section shall be assessed without regard to the requirements of Section 12978 as to uniformity of increase, but shall be based upon the actual cost to the department for the review of the filing. (c) As used in this section, "person" means any person or entity subject to examination by the commissioner, or purporting to do insurance business in this state, or in the process of organization with intent to do insurance business in this state, or from whom the commissioner's certificate of authority is required for the transaction of business, or whose certificate of authority is revoked or suspended. 12921.7. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the following shall apply to the adoption by the commissioner of any regulation as an emergency regulation pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 11346.1 of the Government Code. (a) At least 5 working days prior to submission of the emergency regulation to the Office of Administrative Law, the commissioner shall mail a notice of proposed emergency action to every person, group, or association who had previously filed a request for notice of regulatory actions with the commissioner. (b) The notice of proposed emergency action shall include the following: (1) A description of the problem and the necessity for the regulation. (2) A description of the justification for adoption of the regulation as an emergency regulation. (3) A copy of the text of the proposed emergency regulation. 12921.8. (a) The commissioner may do the following: (1) Issue a cease and desist order to a person who has acted in a capacity for which a license, registration, or certificate of authority from the commissioner was required but not possessed. (2) Issue a cease and desist order to a person who has aided or abetted a person described in paragraph (1). (3) Impose a monetary penalty, pursuant to an order to show cause, on a person described in paragraph (1) or (2). The monetary penalty shall be the greater of the following: (A) Five times the amount of money received by the person for acting in the capacity for which the license, registration, or certificate of authority was required but not possessed. (B) Five thousand dollars ($5,000) for each day the person acted in the capacity for which the license, registration, or certificate of authority was required but not possessed. In the absence of contrary evidence, it shall be presumed that a person continuously acted in a capacity for which a license, registration, or certificate of authority was required on each day from the date of the earliest such act until the date those acts were discontinued, as proven by the person at a hearing. (b) Notwithstanding paragraph (3) of subdivision (a), the commissioner shall not impose a monetary penalty under this section on a person who has held a license or registration within the prior five years pursuant to Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 1621), Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 1760), Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 1800), or Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 1831) of Part 2 of Division 1. (c) A person to whom a cease and desist order or order to show cause has been issued, may, within seven days after service of the order, if a hearing has not already been scheduled by the commissioner, request a hearing by filing a request for the hearing with the commissioner. The hearing shall be conducted in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340), Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 11370), Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 11400), and Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 11500) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), and the commissioner shall have all the powers granted therein. (d) A person who has a hearing pursuant to subdivision (c) shall be entitled to have the proceedings and the order of the commissioner reviewed by means of any remedy provided by the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340), Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 11370), Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 11400), and Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 11500) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code). 12921.9. (a) A letter or legal opinion signed by the Commissioner or the Chief Counsel of the Department of Insurance that was prepared in response to an inquiry from an insured or other person or entity and that discusses either generally or in connection with a specific fact situation the application of the Insurance Code or regulations promulgated by the commissioner shall be made public. The department may redact the name, address, policy number, and other identifying information regarding a particular insured or other person or entity from the letter or legal opinion when it is made public. (b) A letter or legal opinion made public pursuant to this section shall not be construed as establishing an agency guideline, criterion, bulletin, manual, instruction, order, standard of general application, rule, or regulation, as those terms are described in Sections 11340.5 and 11342.600 of the Government Code. 12922. The commissioner shall, on or before the first day of August in each year, make a report to the Governor, the Legislature, and to the committees of the Senate and Assembly having jurisdiction over insurance containing a tabular statement and synopsis of the reports which have been filed in his or her office and showing, generally, the condition of the insurance business and interests in this state, and other matters concerning insurance. The report shall also contain a detailed verified statement, of the moneys and fees of office received by him or her, and for what purpose. 12923. (a) With respect to all classes of insurance (1) to (20), inclusive, as defined in Sections 101 to 120, inclusive, "actuary," for the purposes of this section, means either of the following: (1) A member of the American Academy of Actuaries. (2) An individual who has demonstrated by training and experience actuarial competence to the satisfaction of the Insurance Commissioner. (b) The commissioner shall, after notice and hearing, pursuant to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, promulgate reasonable rules and regulations which do all of the following: (1) Describe the documents which must be signed by an actuary when the documents are filed with the commissioner. (2) Implement paragraph (2) of subdivision (a). 12923.5. (a) The Department of Managed Health Care and the Department of Insurance shall maintain a joint senior level working group to ensure clarity for health care consumers about who enforces their patient rights and consistency in the regulations of these departments. (b) The joint working group shall undertake a review and examination of the Health and Safety Code, the Insurance Code, and the Welfare and Institutions Code as they apply to the Department of Managed Health Care and the Department of Insurance to ensure consistency in consumer protection. (c) The joint working group shall review and examine all of the following processes in each department: (1) Grievance and consumer complaint processes, including, but not limited to, outreach, standard complaints, including coverage and medical necessity complaints, independent medical review, and information developed for consumer use. (2) The processes used to ensure enforcement of the law, including, but not limited to, the medical survey and audit process in the Health and Safety Code and market conduct exams in the Insurance Code. (3) The processes for regulating the timely payment of claims. (d) The joint working group shall report its findings to the Insurance Commissioner and the Director of the Department of Managed Health Care for review and approval. The commissioner and the director shall submit the approved final report under signature to the Legislature by January 1 of every year for five years. 12924. (a) The commissioner may issue subpoenas and subpoenas duces tecum for witnesses to attend, testify and produce documents before him, on any subject touching insurance business, or in aid of his duties. Such process may be served, obeyed, and enforced as provided in the Code of Civil Procedure for civil cases. A defaulting witness may, upon application by the commissioner to the superior court, be required by order of such court to appear before the commissioner to testify as the court may order. The court may punish disobedience of its order as a contempt of court. All the provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure relating to means of production of evidence shall be applicable to any hearing or investigation under this section. The provisions of this subdivision shall not apply to proceedings required by other provisions of this code to be conducted in accordance with Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 11500), Part 1, Division 3, Title 2 of the Government Code. (b) A person shall not be excused from testifying or from producing any book, document, or other thing under his control upon any such hearing or investigation on the ground that his testimony, or the book, document, or other thing required of him, may tend to incriminate him, or may have a tendency to subject him to punishment for a felony or misdemeanor; but no individual shall be prosecuted or be subjected to punishment for a felony or misdemeanor for or on account of any act, transaction, matter or thing concerning which he is so compelled, after validly claiming his privilege against self-incrimination, to testify or produce, except for perjury or contempt committed in such testimony. 12925. The commissioner shall keep and preserve in a permanent form a full record of his proceedings, including a concise statement of the condition of each insurer, surplus line broker or motor club examined as to condition and affairs by by him. 12926. The commissioner shall require from every insurer a full compliance with all the provisions of this code. 12926.1. (a) In any matter involving compliance with or enforcement of any of the provisions of this code or the other laws of this state involving any entity subject to the jurisdiction or authority of the commissioner, whether the matter is a formal administrative accusation or adjudication, a formal or potential judicial action, or other enforcement tool, and whether or not the matter is settled or prosecuted to resolution, the use of any funds that are imposed as fines or penalties of any sort, or collected by means of settlement, or paid or reserved in any manner as a result of the action, shall be subject to the limitations of this section. (b) Fines, penalties, fees, and costs shall be deposited in the appropriate fund as provided by law. (c) Any funds ordered, or allocated by a settlement, to be used for public outreach of any sort, shall be subject to all of the following limitations: (1) The commissioner's name, likeness, or voice shall not be used in any printed, audio, or visual material that is released either for general distribution or to specific recipients unless a court finds good cause to do so. (2) The message shall be limited to information relevant to the enforcement action or compliance issues that generated the funds. (3) The primary focus of any public outreach where the purpose is to advise members of the public of rights affecting pecuniary or property interests shall be to provide specific information needed by the affected persons to obtain or protect those rights. (4) No funds subject to this subdivision shall be used for general education of the public about insurance issues, except to the extent that the education relates to the type of violations that caused the enforcement or compliance action, and otherwise complies with the limitations of this section. (5) No funds subject to this subdivision shall be spent or otherwise disposed of unless the expenditure or disposal has been approved by a court of competent jurisdiction. (d) (1) This section may be enforced by an affected individual with an interest in the matter or a policyholder of an insurer that is a party to a settlement with the department, a city attorney, a district attorney, or the Attorney General, who may bring an action against the commissioner in the superior court in any county where a violation of this section has occurred. (2) A court may issue injunctions or provide other equitable remedies as appear to the court to be appropriate, and shall order payment by the commissioner from nonpublic funds to a prevailing party who has brought an action under this section of an amount sufficient to compensate the party for all attorneys' fees, costs of litigation, and expenses incurred in bringing and prosecuting the action. For the purposes of this section, "nonpublic funds" does not include assets of an insurer or other party to a settlement that are not part of a valid and voluntary settlement with the department or commissioner. (e) The commissioner may not increase fees or assessments against insurers in order to comply with this section. 12926.2. (a) As used in this section, "extraordinary circumstances" means circumstances outside of the control of a licensee that severely and materially affect the licensee's ability to conduct normal business operations. (b) In determining noncompliance with this code and regulations adopted pursuant to this code, and appropriate penalties, if any, the commissioner may consider evidence concerning the existence of extraordinary circumstances. (c) A settlement agreement between the commissioner and an insurer may not contain a provision referencing the existence of extraordinary circumstances relative to the subject matter at issue, unless the agreement specifies the precise period of time during which extraordinary circumstances were in existence. Except as provided in subdivision (d), extraordinary circumstances may not be stated to exist for a duration of more than six months. (d) A settlement agreement may concede the existence of extraordinary circumstances for a period of time exceeding six months if all of the following conditions are met: (1) The commissioner makes a finding in the agreement that extraordinary circumstances existed for more than six months, and documents in that finding facts supporting that conclusion. (2) The finding identifies the public purpose justifying the extension of extraordinary circumstances beyond the six-month period. (3) The beginning and ending date, by month and year, of the commencement and termination of the extraordinary circumstances are identified. 12927. All statements, estimates, percentages, payments, and calculations, required by this code to be made, either by the commissioner or insurers, shall be made on the basis of lawful money of the United States. 12928. Whenever the commissioner ascertains that any insurer or any of its agents, officers or employees or any other person is guilty of violating any of the penal provisions of this code or of other laws he shall certify the facts of the violation to the district attorney of the county in which such offense was committed. 12928.5. Whenever facts exist by reason of which, under any provision of this code, or other laws the commissioner may suspend, revoke, or deny any license or certificate of authority granted under any provision of this code, if the making or maintenance in force of a contract of insurance is one of the circumstances out of which such facts arise, or if, by reason of the existence of such facts, or in connection therewith a contract of insurance is made or maintained in force, the commissioner may, in lieu of or in addition to, such suspension, revocation or denial of license or certificate, by order require the immediate cancellation of such contract, unless such contract, by its terms, is not subject to cancellation by the insurer and the insured did not knowingly participate in such wrongful acts. The commissioner may also, in any such case, notify the insured, stating the reason why such cancellation was required. In any such case, whether or not the particular contract is thus required to be canceled or is subject to such cancellation, the commissioner may order the insurer, insurance agent, broker, solicitor, surplus line broker, or life agent soliciting, negotiating, or effecting such insurance to refrain from effecting insurance upon the property, risk, or insured under such contract for not exceeding five years from the date of the order. The commissioner may suspend or revoke, or deny an application for, any license or certificate of authority granted under any provision of this code to any applicant or licensee violating any order issued by him pursuant to this section. 12928.6. Whenever the commissioner believes, from evidence satisfactory to him, that any person is violating or about to violate any provisions of this code or any order or requirement of the commissioner issued or promulgated pursuant to authority expressly granted the commissioner by any provision of this code or by law, the commissioner may bring an action in the name of the people of the State of California in the superior court of the State of California against such person to enjoin such person from continuing such violation or engaging therein or doing any act in furtherance thereof. In such action an order or judgment may be entered awarding such preliminary or final injunction as is proper. 12929. Irrespective of any provision in any law of this state the commissioner, pursuant to this code, has been and is authorized to correct: by amendment, by partial deletion or by partial addition, any record, finding, determination, order, rule or regulation made by him upon becoming satisfied that it is fair, just and equitable to make the correction and that any such record, finding, determination, order, rule or regulation would have included such correction except for mistake, clerical error, inadvertence, surprise or excusable neglect. Such correction shall only be made within a period of six months following the original action. When the facts are within the knowledge of the commissioner personally he may, upon his own motion and ex parte, enter an order making any such correction. Otherwise he shall enter such an order of correction only after receipt and consideration of a written petition of a person described in Section 12923 or an employee of the Department of Insurance, accompanied in either case by a sworn affidavit of the facts constituting the mistake, clerical error, inadvertence, surprise or excusable neglect relied upon to justify the correction requested. In such case the order may be made ex parte. In either case the order shall recite the grounds and bases for the correction and shall be promptly given the same distribution, publicity, and circulation as was given the matter being corrected. If, within 60 days following the making of the order of correction anyone objects thereto in writing, the commissioner shall set the matter for hearing, giving the same notice thereof, if any, as was given to the proceeding which gave rise to the original record, finding, determination, order, rule or regulation. 12930. Offenses under this code, or under other laws relating to insurers, shall be prosecuted and tried in all respects as provided in the Penal Code for public offenses. For the purpose of evidence the commissioner shall furnish to any district attorney, without cost to the county, certified copies of any papers or records of the office of the commissioner. 12931. (a) Service of legal process, notices or other papers described in or referred to by Section 1452, 1605, 1610, 1612, 1659, 1660, 11104 or 11105 may be made upon the commissioner in the instances enumerated in this section and under the circumstances prescribed in this section by delivering to the commissioner or his deputy two copies thereof for each person or party defendant so served accompanied by payment of twelve dollars ($12) for each such person or party, and by complying with the other provisions of this section. (b) The situations under which such service may be so made and the circumstances under which these provisions apply are: (1) Where for any reason the person desiring to have service so made elects to serve the commissioner instead of the attorney in fact, as stipulated pursuant to Section 1323, of a reciprocal or interinsurance exchange, domestic, foreign, admitted or nonadmitted. (2) Where service is to be made on an admitted foreign or alien insurer, when service cannot be made on the principal statutory agent of such insurer duly appointed pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 1600) of Chapter 4 of Part 2 of Division 1 for reasons specified in Section 1604 or otherwise recognized by law. (3) In actions against nonadmitted insurers, including nonadmitted fraternal benefit societies and reciprocals, under the circumstances described in Article 4 (commencing with Section 1610) of Chapter 4 of Part 2 of Division 1. This provision shall not apply to actions brought under insurance policies or certificates issued by nonadmitted insurers placed by surplus line brokers or special lines surplus line brokers where such insurance contract names a resident of this state as agent for service of process. (4) In the instances described by Section 1659 relating to nonresident California-licensed insurance agents, brokers and life agents. (5) In actions involving admitted and formerly admitted fraternal benefit societies as described in Section 11104. (c) Upon receipt of two copies of the process, notice or papers to be served and the fee above prescribed, the commissioner shall promptly mail one of the copies by certified mail (or by registered mail if it is addressed to an area outside of the United States where certified mail service is not available) to the defendant or person to be served at his last principal place of business known to the commissioner by his official records in the case of a licensee; otherwise, in the case of a nonadmitted insurer, to its last principal place of business known to the commissioner from national directories or reference books or other reliable information available in the commissioner's office. He shall keep a record of all services made upon him pursuant to this section. The other copy of such process, notice or papers shall be retained among his official public records for a period not to exceed two years, absent special circumstances which in his judgment compel longer retention. (d) Such service made in the manner provided for in this section is valid and sufficient and gives jurisdiction over the person of a nonadmitted or unauthorized defendant, provided notice of such service and a copy of the process, notice or papers being served are sent within 10 days thereafter by certified mail (or by registered mail if it is addressed to an area outside of the United States where certified mail service is not available) by plaintiff or plaintiff's attorney to the defendant at its last known principal place of business, and the receipt or the receipt of defendant's agent for such copy, showing the name of the sender and the name and address of the addressee-defendant thereon, and the affidavit of plaintiff or plaintiff's attorney showing compliance with this section, are filed with the clerk of the court in which such action is pending on or before the date the defendant is required to appear, or within such further time as the court may allow. In case of service made pursuant to this section upon a licensee of the commissioner required by law to keep his or its current business address or that of its agent for service of process on file with the commissioner, such service shall be valid if the commissioner mailed, postage prepaid, a copy of the process, notice or papers to the defendant or licensee intended to be served to his current address as shown by the commissioner's records, or in the case of an insurer, to its manager, president or secretary, and an affidavit of compliance by plaintiff or plaintiff's attorney at law is made and filed at the place and within the time mentioned in this subdivision. (e) No plaintiff or complainant shall be entitled to a judgment by default in any such action, suit or proceeding in which service of process is effected in the manner provided in this section until the expiration of 30 days from the date on which the affidavit of compliance is filed. (f) Nothing in this section shall limit or abridge the right to serve any process, notice, papers or demand upon any insurer in any other manner now or hereafter permitted by law. 12935. (a) The commissioner, by January 1, 1997, shall develop and make available to the general public, in the two most common non-English languages spoken in the state, which are Spanish and Vietnamese, informational sheets that provide a general explanation in those languages, of the terms most commonly used in passenger automobile and pickup truck liability insurance policies. (b) These informational sheets are intended to provide only the general explanation of these insurance terms, and in the case of a dispute between an insurer and an insured, the policy as written in English will prevail. The development of informational sheets or the use of these informational sheets by insureds, insurers, agents, brokers, or the state shall not be interpreted as creating a duty or obligation to provide additional information or insurance policies in a non-English language. (c) An informational sheet developed by the commissioner shall include a disclaimer, prominently displayed in 24-point type print at the beginning of the informational sheet, in the non-English language, that contains all of the following information: (1) The informational sheet is for informational purposes only. (2) The actual terms of an insurance policy prevail over the information provided in the informational sheet. (3) In the case of a dispute, the insurance policy is controlling and a court will rely on the policy as it is written in English to resolve the dispute. (4) The policy is the sole source of rights and obligations of the insurer and the insured. (5) The information contained in the informational sheets does not create rights or obligations on the part of the insured, the insurer, the agent, the broker, or the state. (6) The informational sheet is not intended to be a substitute for the actual policy written in English. (d) The commissioner may develop informational sheets regarding other forms of insurance. (e) The commissioner may develop informational sheets in foreign languages, other than Spanish and Vietnamese, as needed. (f) Once developed by the commissioner, he or she may produce public service announcements concerning the availability of these informational sheets, to be utilized in those communities that the commissioner deems would benefit from the information. (g) This section does not prevent an insurer or licensee from advertising an insurance policy, or the availability of a foreign language informational sheet, or the availability of a translation of an insurance policy, in a language other than English if the advertisement clearly states that the insurance policy is only available in English. However, in the case of a dispute, the insurance policy is controlling and any of those advertisements for insurance policies, informational sheets, or translations shall not be construed to modify or change the insurance policy. 12936. (a) (1) Escheated funds deposited in the Insurance Fund pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 1523 of the Code of Civil Procedure shall be transferred to the General Fund on June 30, 1998, to repay the principal and interest on the General Fund loan provided pursuant to Item 0845-001-0001 of the Budget Act of 1996, and such funds are hereby continuously appropriated for that purpose. (2) If the Director of Finance determines that funds subject to escheat for the 1997-98 fiscal year are insufficient to repay the General Fund loan plus the interest owed, funds subject to escheat in the 1998-99 fiscal year, up to the amount necessary to repay the General Fund loan plus the interest owed, shall be available for expenditure by the commissioner to repay the principal and interest on the General Fund loan. Notwithstanding the loan repayment date specified in Item 0845-001-0001 of the Budget Act of 1996, such a determination by the Director of Finance shall trigger an extension of the loan repayment date to June 30, 1999. (b) A policyholder who was entitled to a rebate pursuant to settlement or order of the commissioner and who has not received the escheated rebate may submit a claim to the Controller. The Controller shall pay the claim from among the Proposition 103 refunds that have escheated to the state and been deposited in the Unclaimed Property Fund upon verification that the claim is valid. 12937. (a) Escheated funds deposited in the Insurance Fund pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 1517 of the Code of Civil Procedure shall be available for expenditure by the commissioner to fund proceedings and to pay expenses on nonasseted estates for which liabilities have been or will be incurred. (b) A policyholder who was entitled to funds described in subdivision (a) pursuant to an order of distribution and who has not previously received an appropriate distribution may submit a claim to the commissioner. The commissioner shall pay the claim from the escheated funds deposited in the Insurance Fund pursuant to subdivision (a) upon verification that the claim is valid. (c) The department shall not be required to conduct outreach programs to attempt to locate policyholders described in subdivision (b). 12938. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the department shall make available for public inspection and publish on its website all of the information described in subdivisions (a) and (b). This information shall be maintained in a current, up-to-date condition. All identifying and privileged information regarding individual policyholders shall be redacted from documents available for public inspection and on the website. (a) All fully executed stipulations, orders, decisions, settlements, or other forms of agreement resolving market conduct examinations, whether the examinations were finalized, terminated, or suspended, that pertain to unfair or deceptive practices in the business of insurance as defined in Section 790.03. (b) (1) Every adopted report of an examination of unfair or deceptive practices in the business of insurance as defined in Section 790.03 that is adopted as filed, or as modified or corrected, by the commissioner pursuant to Section 734.1. (2) The commissioner upon adopting the report shall by certified United States mail transmit a copy of the report to the examined insurer's designated agent for service of process. Within 10 business days after the transmittal, the examined insurer may submit comments to the commissioner relating to the adopted report. The comments shall be in a form and length as provided by regulation. (3) Ten business days after the transmittal the commissioner shall publish on the department's website the adopted report and any comments submitted by the examined insurer unless a court of competent jurisdiction has stayed the publication of the report. (c) This section may not be construed to require the disclosure of company workpapers or other company documents discovered during the course of an examination or any preliminary report of the examination, except as otherwise permitted by law. Article 1.1. The California Community Development Financial Institution Tax Credit Program
Ca Codes (ins:12939-12939.1) Insurance Code Section 12939-12939.1 12939. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) There are specialized financial institutions in California that are specifically dedicated to, and whose core purpose is to, provide financial products and services to people and communities underserved by traditional financial markets and to support renewable energy projects, energy efficiency improvements, economic development, and affordable housing in these communities. These community development financial institutions or CDFIs seek to bridge the growing gap that exists between the financial products and services, renewable energy generation, energy efficiency improvements, economic development, and affordable housing available to the economic mainstream and those offered to low-income people and communities, as well as the nonprofit institutions that serve them. In addition, they serve a critical role in addressing issues of poverty and access to credit in economically disadvantaged communities by providing services, including, but not limited to, credit counseling to consumers, financial literacy training, home ownership counseling, entrepreneurial education, and technical assistance to small business owners. (b) These mission-driven financial institutions require additional capital in order to expand their ability to provide financial products and services, and to promote needed renewable energy generation projects, energy efficiency improvements, economic development, and affordable housing for low-income individuals and communities, and the businesses and nonprofit agencies that serve them. For example, some offer responsible alternatives to high-cost check-cashing services and payday lenders that have moved into low-income communities. Others help finance small businesses, affordable housing, and community services and facilities that, in turn, help stabilize low-income neighborhoods and alleviate poverty. (c) In carrying out their mission, funding community development is given priority over providing high returns to investors. (d) It is the intent of the Legislature to provide an incentive in the form of California tax credits to attract much needed additional private capital investments that would not otherwise be available to CDFIs without the benefit of such incentive. It is the expectation of the Legislature that CDFIs will leverage these new investment dollars for the direct benefit of economically disadvantaged communities and low-income people in California. 12939.1. (a) The department, California Organized Investment Network (COIN), or any successor thereof, shall require the CDFIs receiving tax credit investments pursuant to Sections 12209, 17053.57, and 23657 of the Revenue and Taxation Code to submit reports to the department, COIN, or any successor thereof, on their use of the program and may specify by notice to those CDFIs the form, content, and manner of the reports. (b) Biennially the department, COIN, or any successor thereof, shall include in the report required by Section 12922, information on the CDFI tax credit program based on the reports submitted by the CDFIs pursuant to subdivision (a). (c) On or before December 31, 2010, the Legislative Analyst shall prepare an analysis, based upon data provided by the Franchise Tax Board, the Department of Insurance, and COIN, to the Legislative Analyst on or before September 30, 2010, of the tax credit investments provided for in Sections 12209, 17053.57, and 23657 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, including, but not limited to, the credits' fiscal impact, what programs, projects, and other uses were funded or carried out by the CDFIs that were supported in whole or in part by the tax credit investments, and the resulting benefits to economically disadvantaged communities and low income people in California. Article 2. Review Of Commissioner's Acts
Ca Codes (ins:12940) Insurance Code Section 12940 12940. The acts and orders of the commissioner are subject to such review, or other action by a court of competent jurisdiction, as is permitted or authorized by law. Article 3. Procuring Information On Policies
Ca Codes (ins:12950-12959) Insurance Code Section 12950-12959 12950. Any person interested as owner, assignee, pledgee or payee, of any policy and desiring any information about such policy, may apply to the commissioner for a certificate of the facts or information desired. Such application, filed in duplicate, shall be accompanied by an affidavit, in duplicate, showing his interest in the policy. 12951. If the records of his office show the facts or information desired, the commissioner shall prepare his certificate reciting such facts or information. If his records do not show the facts or information desired, he may deliver or mail by certified mail an order to the insurer, directing it to state such information or facts in an affidavit and deliver such affidavit to him. If such insurer is a foreign insurer, the commissioner may deliver or mail by certified mail such order to its agent for service of process. 12952. In such affidavit the insurer shall make a full, true and correct statement of all the desired facts and information in its possession, regardless of the location of its record of such information. 12953. If such insurer neglects or refuses to make and deliver such affidavit to the commissioner within ninety days from the date of the delivery of the order by the commissioner to it or its agent for service of process, the commissioner shall revoke the certificate of authority of the insurer. 12954. Immediately after receiving such affidavit from an insurer the commissioner shall certify such affidavit to the applicant. Such affidavit so certified by the commissioner shall be delivered to the applicant personally or by depositing it in the United States post office, addressed to the applicant, with postage prepaid thereon. 12955. If a loss is sustained under a policy of insurance and such policy has been lost or destroyed, all rights of every kind and nature, the time for the presentation of notice of loss, and the time for the presentation of proof of loss are stayed from the date such applicant delivers to the commissioner the affidavit showing his interest until and after five days after the date of the delivery by the commissioner to the applicant of the affidavit furnished by the insurer. 12956. Forms of policies filed with the commissioner and writings in respect thereto shall be open to public inspection except where, in his judgment, the public welfare or the welfare of any insurer demands that any portion thereof be not made public. In such cases he may withhold such information from public inspection for such time as in his judgment is necessary or advisable. 12957. The commissioner shall not withdraw approval of a policy previously approved by him or her except upon those grounds as, in his or her opinion, would authorize disapproval upon original submission thereof. Any withdrawal of approval shall be in writing and shall specify the ground thereof. If the insurer demands a hearing on a withdrawal, the hearing shall be granted and commenced within 30 days of the filing of a written demand with the commissioner. Unless the hearing is commenced, the notice of withdrawal shall become ineffective upon the 31st day from and after the date of filing of the demand. This section shall not apply to policies subject to the provisions of subdivision (f) of Section 10291.5, or to policies, contracts, or agreements that were approved under an alternative filing and approval procedure as provided for in subdivision (f) of Section 10506.4 or subdivision (c) of Section 10507.5. 12959. (a) On January 1, 1990, and on every January 1, thereafter, the commissioner shall publish and distribute a comparison of insurance rates report for those lines of insurance which, in the comissioner's judgment, are of most interest to individual purchasers of personal lines of coverage. The report shall be available to consumers. The distribution shall be designed to make consumers throughout the state aware of the content of the report. This report shall be prepared by the commissioner in a manner designed to provide information useful to consumers so that they may make informed comparisons of coverages and rates. (b) The submission of any false rate information by any such insurer pursuant to a request of the commissioner for the purpose of compiling comparative data for the report to be published as required in subdivision (a), shall be punishable by a civil penalty not to exceed one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000). Any person subject to regulation by the commissioner pursuant to this code that fails to comply with a data call required by the department pursuant to this section shall be liable to the state for a civil penalty in an amount not exceeding five thousand dollars ($5,000) for each 30-day period that the person is not in compliance, unless the failure to comply is willful, in which case the civil penalty shall be in an amount not to exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for each 30-day period that the person is not in compliance, but not to exceed an aggregate amount of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000). In determining the level of the penalty, the commissioner shall consider the good faith of the insurer and any similar prior violations by the insurer under this code. Article 3.5. Reporting
Ca Codes (ins:12961-12969) Insurance Code Section 12961-12969 12961. (a) The commissioner shall provide to the Governor, the Legislature, and to the committees of the Senate and Assembly having jurisdiction over insurance an analysis of the following types of actions in the annual report submitted pursuant to Section 12922: (1) Medical malpractice actions. (2) Toxic substance tort actions. (3) Product and design liability actions. (4) Tort actions in which a public entity is a defendant. (5) Tort actions involving judgments or settlements of one million dollars ($1,000,000) or more. (6) Class action tort actions. (7) Defamation and invasion of privacy actions. (8) Other categories of tort actions involving commercial liability claims as the commissioner deems necessary. (b) The study may exclude actions in which the only defendant is an individual sued in his or her private capacity. The study may exclude limited civil cases. (c) If any of the information required to be provided by the parties is confidential under any other provision of law or pursuant to any court order, the commissioner shall keep that information confidential and shall limit its analysis of that information to aggregate data or other analyses which will not reveal the identity of the parties. 12962. The commissioner shall report to the Governor, the Legislature, and to the committees of the Senate and Assembly having jurisdiction over insurance all of the following in the annual report submitted pursuant to Section 12922: (a) An analysis of the information required by Sections 674.5, 1857.7, 1857.9, 1864, and 12963, including, but not limited to, all of the following: (1) An aggregate and an average for all insurers for each item of information required by these sections. (2) The number of insurers reporting policies written for each class during the calendar year. (3) For each class, the number of insurers reporting a combined loss ratio of 100 percent or more, and the number reporting a combined loss ratio of under 100 percent. (4) An analysis of adjustments made to loss reserves for prior years. (5) The change in any item required to be included by paragraphs (1) to (4), inclusive, from the immediately prior year. (b) An analysis of the activities of the Department of Insurance in implementing the provisions of Proposition 103 on the November 8, 1988, general election ballot, as set forth in Article 10 (commencing with Section 1861.01) of Chapter 9 of Part 2 of Division 1. (c) Recommendations and proposals, including suggested legislation, to protect consumers from arbitrary insurance rates and practices, to encourage a competitive insurance marketplace, to provide for an accountable Insurance Commissioner, and to ensure that insurance is fair, available, and affordable for all Californians. (d) The requirements of this section shall be satisfied if the analysis required by this section is included in the annual report to the Governor required by Section 12922, and a copy of that report is provided to the Legislature. 12963. Each insurer transacting insurance, as defined in Sections 108 and 116, covering liability for any public entity, as defined in Section 811.2 of the Government Code, where the public entity is the named insured, shall report specified data to the commissioner by type of claim, upon request of the commissioner, which may, for a specified period, include, but not be limited to, the following: (a) The total number of insureds. (b) The total amount of premiums received from insureds, both written and earned. (c) The number of claims reported to the insurer and the number of claims reported closed. (d) The total number of claims outstanding, together with the monetary amount reserved for loss and allocated loss expense. (e) The number of claims closed with payment to the claimant, the total monetary amount paid thereon, and the total allocated loss expense paid thereon. (f) The monetary amount paid on claims with allocated loss expense paid. (g) The number of claims closed without payment to the claimant and the allocated loss expense paid thereon. (h) The monetary amount reserved on claims incurred but not reported to the insurer. (i) The number of lawsuits filed against the insurers insureds. (j) A distribution by size of payment for those claims closed showing the number of claims and total amount paid for each monetary category, as determined by the commissioner. As used in this section, the type of claims to be reported shall include, but not be limited to, workers' compensation, liability, personal injury other than automobile, property damage other than automobile liability, liability based upon the dangerous condition of public property, and other general liability claims. 12965. The data and other information required to be filed or reported under this article may be transmitted by electronic media or data transmision to the receiver's electronic data processing system. 12967. (a) (1) The department shall develop and implement a coordinated approach to gather, review, and analyze the archives of insurers and other archives and records, using onsite teams and the oversight committee, to provide for research and investigation into insurance policies, unpaid insurance claims, and related matters of victims of the Holocaust or of the Nazi-controlled German government or its allies, and the beneficiaries and heirs of those victims, and for losses arising from the activities of the Nazi-controlled German government or its allies for insurance policies issued before and during World War II by insurers who have affiliates or subsidiaries authorized to do business in California. Information compiled shall be placed in a centralized database for the retention of policy and claimant data, and the data shall be used to implement this section and Section 790.15. (2) The department has an affirmative duty to play an independent role in representing the interests of Holocaust survivors where necessary, including the duty to carry out research, investigations, and advocacy. The department shall cooperate with, participate in, promote coordination with, and to the extent feasible and consistent with the purposes of this section, work jointly with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and the international commission on Holocaust survivor claims or any other entity involved in the documentation, resolution, settlement, or distribution of insurance claims, including the documentation of unpaid claims and the distribution of proceeds, and the establishment and maintenance of a database to contain information relevant to claimants and documents and historical information. The department shall work to recover information and records that will strengthen the claims of California residents. (3) The department shall employ insurance archaeologists, economists, attorneys, accountants, and other specialists, in this country and in Europe, to implement this section. The department shall work jointly with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and other organizations for this purpose. The department's cooperation with other states shall be for the purpose of advancing survivors' claims while avoiding duplication of efforts, and shall be dependent upon contributions by other states. (4) In order to assure that Holocaust survivors receive the most aggressive and independent representation possible in pursuit of their historic claims, in contracting with accounting firms, law firms, economists, or others to implement this section, the department shall, to the maximum extent possible, avoid any potential or actual conflict of interest by doing the following: (A) Seek and give preference to firms that are entirely free of any associations with firms representing insurers and nations from which Holocaust survivors are seeking just treatment of their claims. (B) If the department finds that it is necessary to contract with a firm or firms that have conflicts or potential conflicts of interest, those conflicts or potential conflicts of interest shall be disclosed to the commissioner, and the following requirements shall apply: (i) The contract shall contain a provision that expresses a formal commitment on the part of the firm to aggressively pursue a maximum just settlement for Holocaust survivors and their families without regard to any adverse impacts on insurers, affiliates of insurers, nations, or others that may have employed the firm or affiliates of the firm that is contracting with the commissioner to assist in carrying out the commissioner's responsibilities under this section. (ii) If any conflict or potential conflict exists between the firm, or an affiliate of the firm, and an insurer, an affiliate of an insurer, a nation or others directly or indirectly involving Holocaust claims, the firm shall disclose both the fact of the conflict or potential conflict, and all relevant information describing the nature of the conflict or potential conflict. (iii) If a conflict or potential conflict exists between the firm, or an affiliate of the firm, and an insurer, an affiliate of an insurer, a nation, or others that does not directly or indirectly involve Holocaust claims, the firm shall disclose the fact of the conflict or potential conflict and identify the source of the conflict or potential conflict, but need not describe the particular circumstances or facts that create the conflict or potential conflict. (C) The department may take whatever special measures it deems necessary to avoid either the appearance or the reality of conflicts that may undermine public confidence in the integrity of the effort to secure justice for Holocaust survivors. (b) The funding of the activities provided for by this section for the 1998-99 fiscal year shall be from funds transferred pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 1523 of the Code of Civil Procedure, which funds are hereby appropriated to the commissioner for that purpose. The commissioner shall seek reimbursement of those funds as provided in subdivision (c). Funding for subsequent fiscal years shall be subject to the Budget Act and based on a plan submitted by the commissioner to the Legislature outlining the plan for reimbursement of expenses of the department by affected insurers. Funds made available to implement this section shall be used to develop and implement a coordinated approach to gather, review, and analyze the archives of affected insurance groups, and other archives and records, using onsite teams and the oversight committee. These funds shall also be used to fund the necessary expenses of the Holocaust Era Insurance Claims Oversight Committee established in subdivision (d). The information compiled shall be placed in a centralized database for the retention of policy and claimant data, and that data shall be used by the department to implement this section. (c) (1) Any funds recovered by the department for the purpose of reimbursing the state for costs associated with investigation and enforcement actions under this section shall not be deposited in the Insurance Fund, but instead shall be delivered to the Controller for deposit into the General Fund. (2) To the maximum extent possible, the department shall seek reimbursement for its costs incurred in implementing this section, including funds transferred pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 1523 of the Code of Civil Procedure, from any settlements reached with affected insurers. (d) (1) There is established a seven-member Holocaust Era Insurance Claims Oversight Committee, that shall be known as the oversight committee, and whose members shall be appointed as follows: (A) Four members shall be appointed by the Governor. (B) One member shall be appointed by the President pro Tempore of the Senate. (C) One member shall be appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly. (D) One member shall be appointed by the Commissioner of Insurance. (2) The Governor shall designate one of his or her appointees as the chairperson of the committee. (3) Each member of the committee shall serve at the pleasure of the authority that appointed him or her to serve on the committee. (4) The oversight committee shall be composed of qualified individuals with experience in Holocaust claims cases, similar investigations, archival research, and international law. The oversight committee shall also include Holocaust survivors. No member of the oversight committee shall have a potential or actual conflict of interest, or shall be employed by a person who has a potential or actual conflict of interest. (5) The appointments shall be expedited because of the urgency due to survivors' needs. (6) The oversight committee shall have the following authority and shall do all of the following: (A) Review and make recommendations concerning any insurance settlement negotiation or offer relating to a Holocaust era insurance claim in which the department is involved. (B) Review and make recommendations to the commissioner on the priorities for expenditure of funds and use of resources by the department for Holocaust era insurance claims related activities. (C) Recommend whether a proposed settlement of a Holocaust era insurance claim submitted to the committee pursuant to paragraph (7) is equitable before the department finalizes the settlement agreement. (7) The commissioner, in the event of a proposed settlement of any policy or group of policies relating to Holocaust era insurance claims, shall confer with the committee prior to the department finalizing the settlement agreement. The department may not finalize a proposed settlement of a Holocaust era insurance claim unless the committee, pursuant to subparagraph (C) of paragraph (6), recommends that the proposed settlement is equitable. (e) The department shall report its progress in implementing this section and its participation in the identification and resolution of insurance claims of Holocaust survivors and their beneficiaries and heirs. The report shall also include an overview of current and anticipated expenditures in implementing this section. The department shall report this information to the Governor, the Legislature, and the insurance and budget committees of the Legislature in the annual report submitted pursuant to Section 12922. 12968. (a) Every pleading issued by the commissioner to initiate a formal enforcement action against a licensee under this code, and every order issued by the commissioner or a court of competent jurisdiction or other document that resolves a formal enforcement action, shall be displayed on the department's internet web site, if the document is a public record that is not exempt from disclosure to the public pursuant to the California Public Records Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 6250) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code). (b) Notwithstanding Section 12969, if an enforcement action against a licensee is withdrawn, then each pleading, document, or order against that licensee shall be removed from the department's Internet Web site within 30 days of the withdrawal of the action. If a pleading, document, or order contains allegations against multiple licensees, and the department withdraws all allegations against any one or more of the licensees, then the department shall post, on its Internet Web site, a statement in the previously posted pleading, document, or order that clarifies that the enforcement action against that specific licensee has been withdrawn. 12969. Any order or pleading posted on the department's Internet Web site that is related to a disciplinary proceeding or enforcement action against a person licensed pursuant to Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 1621) or 7 (commencing with Section 1800) of Part 2 of Division 1, or that is related to a restricted license, shall be removed from the site 10 years from the date the disciplinary or enforcement action becomes final or the date the restriction on the license is removed, whichever is later, unless other disciplinary proceedings, enforcement actions, or restrictions are active or pending, or have been finalized within the previous 10 years, against the licensee. This section does not apply to any order or pleading related to an enforcement action resulting in a suspended or revoked license. This section is intended to apply solely to the department's Internet Web site and shall not be construed to require the department to permanently remove any information from its public record. Article 4. Fees
Ca Codes (ins:12970-12980) Insurance Code Section 12970-12980 12970. The commissioner shall require the payment in advance of a fee for copying microfilm records in the amount of thirty cents ($0.30) per page. 12970.1. In addition to all other fees required for furnishing copies of instruments or documents filed in his office, the commissioner shall require the payment, in lawful money of the United States, of an amount approximately equal to the postage or other delivery charges he must pay for delivery of the copies so furnished if at the request of the person ordering them they are delivered by any more expensive means than ordinary first-class United States mail. 12972. The commissioner shall require in advance, in lawful money of the United States as a fee for attaching his seal of office to any paper or document not specified in this code, one dollar. 12973. The commissioner shall require in advance, in lawful money of the United States as a fee for issuing certificates when the fee is not otherwise specified, sums as follows: (a) where there is sufficient demand so that the commissioner in his discretion has prepared a form of the certificate in advance, which requires only the filling in of blanks for completion, nine dollars ($9); and (b) for issuing any other certificate, the reasonable cost of preparing and issuing such certificate, but not to exceed twenty-three dollars ($23) for the first copy of such certificate and nine dollars ($9) for each additional copy thereof. 12973.5. The commissioner shall charge and collect in advance the following fees: (a) For filing any application for a license, permit, or certificate of authority when a fee for either filing the application or issuing the license, permit, or certificate is not elsewhere specified in this code, twenty dollars ($20). (b) For filing any application to take any qualifying examination required by this code to be taken by a licensee other than an insurer, or to be taken by any applicant for a license other than a certificate of authority when a fee for filing such application or giving such examination is not elsewhere specified in this code, twenty-nine dollars ($29). 12973.6. If a check in payment of a tax, fee or penalty is not paid by the bank on which it is drawn on its first presentation, the commissioner shall charge and collect an additional fee sufficient to reimburse him for incurred costs. 12973.7. Where provision for fees or charges for documents, transcripts, or other materials which may be furnished by the commissioner is not specifically made in this code, the commissioner may fix and collect fees therefor not in excess of reasonable cost. All publications and other printed matter shall be distributed and sold by the Department of General Services. 12973.9. Whenever by the provisions of this code a form of policy or certificate and any endorsement, rider, application, amendment, fill-in material, classification of rates, certificate or premium to be used therewith, is required to be filed with, submitted to, or approved by the commissioner, fees as provided for by this section shall be paid to the commissioner to cover the expenses of processing and indexing the same and maintaining copies of the same. The required fee shall be prescribed by the commissioner for each type document submitted, depending on its nature and the kind of processing required. The commissioner may prescribe different fees for different types of documents, and in the case of documents submitted for approval or authorization of use, shall prescribe a fee only for the final approval or authorization for use, if any. The commissioner shall determine the fee, or fees, by estimating in advance the commissioner's total costs of performing these services for all types of documents for a specified period of time, estimating the total number of documents of various kinds which will be submitted for processing during such time and equitably distributing the total cost on a per document basis. The commissioner shall, after notice and hearing, promulgate such reasonable rules and regulations as are necessary to establish the standard or standards by which the commissioner shall determine the original fee schedule or any amended fee schedule. Any rule or regulation shall be promulgated in accordance with the procedure provided in Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code and shall be effective 90 days after adoption by the commissioner, except the first fee schedule adopted by the commissioner under such regulation may be retroactive to the effective date of this section. All fees received by the commissioner under this section shall be remitted to the credit of the Insurance Fund pursuant to the provisions of Section 12975.7. Without in any manner affecting the applicability of this section to any other provisions of this code, it is expressly provided herein that the provisions of this section apply to the forms required to be filed, submitted, or approved under the following sections of this code: 779.8, 795.5, 1320, 9080.1, 10205, 10225, 10270, 10270.1, 10270.5, 10270.57, 10270.9, 10270.93, 10290, 10292, 10506, 11027, 11029, 11066, 11069, 11513, 11522, 11658, 12250, and 12640.18. 12975. Whenever, by the provisions of this code a duty, right, privilege or power is imposed or conferred upon the commissioner, but it is provided that the expense of performance of such duty or exercise of such right, privilege or power is to be paid in advance or otherwise out of sources other than the Insurance Fund, the commissioner may defray such expense or any portion thereof out of the appropriation for the support of the Department of Insurance without regard to prospect of repayment. The repayment of such moneys, not to exceed seven hundred fifty dollars ($750) shall be a debt of and a lien against the assets of every person otherwise chargeable with such payment and shall constitute a preferred claim in all proceedings in bankruptcy or insolvency to the same extent as claims for compensation due employees for wages and salaries and claims for expenses of conservatorship or liquidation in proceedings under Article 14 (commencing with Section 1010), Chapter 1, Part 2, Division 1 of this code. 12975.1. All examination expense moneys collected by the Department of Insurance under the provisions of Sections 736, 1061, and 1857.4 are hereby appropriated to the department and shall be deposited in the Insurance Fund to the credit of the support appropriation for the department current at the time of the deposit. 12975.5. The commissioner may in any investigation or hearing conducted by him take or cause to be taken the deposition of any witness residing within or without this state and may pay the expense thereof out of the current support appropriation of the department. He may pay out of such appropriation to any witness subpoenaed by him the necessary and reasonable traveling expenses of any such witness, to the place of hearing or investigation and return and a per diem of twelve dollars ($12) for each day that such witness is in attendance at or en route to and from such place of hearing or investigation in obedience to such subpoena. The provisions of this section shall not apply to proceedings conducted in accordance with Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 11500) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, such proceedings to be governed solely by said chapter. 12975.7. (a) All moneys received by the commissioner in payment of lawful fees or reimbursements pursuant to this code shall be transmitted to the Treasurer to be deposited in the State Treasury to the credit of the Insurance Fund. Unless specified in this code to be deposited in a different fund, all moneys received by the commissioner in fines, penalties, assessments, costs, or other sanctions shall be transmitted to the State Treasury for deposit in the General Fund. (b) The money in the Insurance Fund received from the commissioner pursuant to this section is hereby appropriated to pay the refunds authorized by this code. (c) The balance of the money in the Insurance Fund shall be used for the purposes specified in Section 12975.9, for the support of the Department of Insurance as authorized by the Budget Act, and for related cashflow needs. 12975.8. (a) The Insurance Fund shall, in addition to the funds specified in Section 12975.7, consist of all of the following: (1) All moneys appropriated to the fund in accordance with law. (2) All moneys deposited into the State Treasury from any source whatever in payment of lawful fees or reimbursements collected by the Department of Insurance. (3) The balance remaining in the Insurance Fund at the end of the fiscal year, whether the moneys received are from an appropriation, fees, or from reimbursements for services rendered. (b) (1) All moneys in the Insurance Fund credited to the Seismic Safety Account shall be subject to an annual appropriation each fiscal year for the purposes specified in Section 12975.9. (2) All other moneys in the Insurance Fund shall be subject to an annual appropriation each fiscal year for the support of the Department of Insurance. (3) If the current cash balance in the Seismic Safety Account is not adequate to fund the amount appropriated from it in the annual Budget Act, the Insurance Fund, upon enactment of the Budget Act, shall loan to the account the amount of the appropriation, and one half of this amount shall be transferred to the Seismic Safety Commission. The second half of the appropriated amount shall be transferred to the Seismic Safety Commission from the Seismic Safety Account on or before December 31 of each year. This loan shall be repaid by revenues collected pursuant to Section 12975.9. (c) Any balance remaining in the Insurance Fund at the end of the fiscal year may be carried forward to the next succeeding fiscal year. (d) Whenever the balance in the Insurance Fund is not sufficient to cover cashflow in the payment of authorized expenditures, the department may borrow funds as may be necessary from whatever source and under terms and conditions as may be determined by the Director of Finance. Repayment shall be made from revenues received by the department for the same fiscal year for which the loan is made. 12975.9. (a) The Seismic Safety Account is hereby created as a special account within the Insurance Fund. Money in the account may be appropriated by the Legislature for the purposes of this section to fund the department and the Seismic Safety Commission. Assessments imposed on insurers as a prorated percentage of premiums earned on property exposures for both commercial and residential insurance policies relative to the aggregate premiums earned on those exposures by all insurers shall be deposited in the account. The premiums earned for property exposures shall be as stated on lines 4 and 5.1 of the annual statement filed by each insurer pursuant to Section 900. The assessments shall be set annually based on earned premiums reported for the next preceding year by the department and calculated so that the funds in the account shall be sufficient to fund appropriations for support of the Seismic Safety Commission, for the actual collection and administrative costs of the department, and for the maintenance of an adequate reserve. The department shall submit the proposed assessments to the Seismic Safety Commission for its review at a regularly scheduled meeting of the commission. (b) No assessment shall be levied on insurers with less than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) of annual direct premiums earned on property exposures for both commercial and residential insurance policies. The department may adjust this amount as necessary to minimize costs by excluding assessment amounts that are too small to justify the cost of assessment and collection or if assessment or collection is impractical. (c) An insurer, in its discretion, may recover this assessment in an equitable fashion from the insured. The insurer, upon receipt of an invoice, shall transmit payment to the department for deposit in the Seismic Safety Account. Any deficiency or excess in the amount collected in relation to the appropriation authority for the commission and the department shall be accounted for in the subsequent annual fee calculation. Any balance remaining in the Seismic Safety Account at the end of the fiscal year shall be retained in the account and carried forward to the next fiscal year. (d) Funds in the Seismic Safety Account shall be distributed, upon appropriation, to the Seismic Safety Commission for the support of the commission and to the department for the actual administrative costs incurred in collecting the assessments. (e) The department shall report annually to the Legislature, the Seismic Safety Commission, and the Department of Finance on the assessment calculation methodology employed.(f) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2012, and, as of January 1, 2013, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2013, deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed. 12976. All fines, forfeitures, taxes, assessments, and penalties provided for in this code shall be due and payable on the demand of the commissioner. If payment is not made within ten days after such demand, then the commissioner shall institute an action in the name of the people of the State of California for the purpose of recovering such moneys due. All such actions shall be subject to all the provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure which may be applicable thereto. 12976.5. (a) On and after January 1, 1994, and before January 1, 1995, every insurer whose annual taxes exceed fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) shall make payment by electronic funds transfer. On and after January 1, 1995, every insurer whose annual taxes exceed twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) shall make payment by electronic funds transfer. The insurer shall choose one of the acceptable methods described in Section 45 for completing the electronic funds transfer. (b) Payment is deemed complete on the date the electronic funds transfer is initiated, if settlement to the state's demand account occurs on or before the banking day following the date the transfer is initiated. If settlement to the state's demand account does not occur on or before the banking day following the date the transfer is initiated, payment is deemed to occur on the date settlement occurs. (c) (1) Any insurer required to remit taxes by electronic funds transfer pursuant to this section who remits those taxes by means other than an appropriate electronic funds transfer, shall be assessed a penalty in an amount equal to 10 percent of the taxes due at the time of the payment. (2) If the department finds that an insurer's failure to make payment by an appropriate electronic funds transfer in accordance with subdivision (a) is due to reasonable cause or circumstances beyond the insurer's control, and occurred notwithstanding the exercise of ordinary care and in the absence of willful neglect, that insurer shall be relieved of the penalty provided in paragraph (1). (3) Any insurer seeking to be relieved of the penalty provided in paragraph (1) shall file with the department a statement under penalty of perjury setting forth the facts upon which the claim for relief is based. 12977. The commissioner may authorize the refund of money received or collected by the department in payment for the filing of applications for licenses, permits or certificates, or for the rendering of other services: (a) Where the receipt or collection has resulted in an overpayment or duplicate payment. (b) In cases where no payment is required for filing the application for the license, permit or certificate sought, or for rendering the other service. (c) Where an insufficient fee is paid and for which reason the application for the license, permit or certificate cannot be filed or the other service cannot be rendered. (d) The penalty fee required by subdivision (b) of Section 1718 upon a written showing, filed within sixty (60) days after the delinquency date, with particularity as to facts that late payment resulted from mistake, inadvertence or excusable neglect. This section does not exclude the making of refunds under other appropriate provisions of law requiring the approval of the Director of General Services before such refunds may be made. 12978. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the commissioner may increase or decrease the fees set forth in this code as necessary to allow the department to meet the appropriation authorized by the annual Budget Act. However, any increase or decrease so made shall be made only in accordance with this section, and a fee increase shall not exceed 10 percent without the prior approval of the Legislature. A single annual increase or decrease in fees, on a fiscal year basis, may be made by the department at any time during the year provided it is announced by bulletin issued at least 90 days prior to the effective date of that increase or decrease. The bulletin shall be sent to all affected parties and to both houses of the Legislature. That fee increase or decrease may be rescinded by a majority vote of both houses of the Legislature not later than 60 days after the issuance of the bulletin announcing the increase or decrease. In the event the bulletin is issued during the period between August 1 and December 1 of any year, the department shall provide notice in writing of the necessity of any fee increase or decrease as proposed in the bulletin upon issuance of the bulletin to the chairperson of the committee in each house which considers appropriations and the Chairperson of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. If written notice is provided to the commissioner within 60 days of the issuance of the bulletin announcing the increase or decrease by any of the chairpersons that there is an objection to the fee increase or decrease, the increase or decrease shall take effect February 1 of the following year unless rescinded by a majority vote of both houses of the Legislature by that date, rather than 60 days after issuance of the bulletin. The department shall annually project forward its workload for the subsequent three years in order to project appropriate fee levels, and shall annually make adjustments to those fees, if necessary, based on actual workload experience. The limit on the cumulative amount that the fees may be increased or decreased shall be the amount necessary to provide sufficient moneys to carry out the projected workload within the appropriations contained in the Governor's Budget for the next succeeding fiscal year, or, to the extent that moneys received or projected to be received by the department are insufficient to carry out the projected workload within the appropriation authorized by the annual Budget Act during the then current fiscal year, an amount necessary to meet that appropriation and consistent with that projected workload. 12979. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 12978, the commissioner shall establish a schedule of filing fees to be paid by insurers to cover any administrative or operational costs arising from the provisions of Article 10 (commencing with Section 1861.01) of Chapter 9 of Part 2 of Division 1. 12980. The Financial Responsibility Penalty Account is hereby created in the General Fund. Moneys in the account shall be expended, upon appropriation therefor, for matters including, but not limited to, automobile insurance and financial responsibility of vehicle owners and operators. Article 5. Fee Oversight
Ca Codes (ins:12990-12995) Insurance Code Section 12990-12995 12990. The department shall adopt an accounting system, as recommended by the State Auditor in Report No. 93030, that will allow the department to accurately identify costs by the regulatory activities and to link the costs to fees collected for those regulatory activities. 12991. On and after October 1, 1995, the department may not levy any fee or fees under Section 736 or 12979 unless the fees are created in compliance with Sections 12992 and 12993. 12992. (a) The department shall determine the actual cost of providing each examination as authorized under Section 730 and following. The department shall then set each fee levied under Section 736 to be based on the actual cost of providing the examination. (b) The department shall determine the actual administrative and operational costs arising from the provisions of Article 10 (commencing with Section 1861.01) of Chapter 9 of Part 2 of Division 1. The department shall then set the fees assessed under Section 12979 to be based on the actual administrative and operational costs arising from the provisions of Article 10 (commencing with Section 1861.01) of Chapter 9 of Part 2 of Division 1. 12993. The department shall provide the schedule of fees created under Section 12992, as well as the justification that the fees are based on the actual cost of the regulatory activity, to the Department of Finance, the Legislative Analyst, and the insurance committees in each house of the Legislature. 12994. On or before October 1, 1995, the department shall publish a schedule of all fees levied under Sections 736 and 12979. The fees shall be calculated in accordance with Sections 12992 and 12993. On or before January 15, 1996, the Bureau of State Audits shall complete an audit of the schedule of fees created by this section. The audit shall determine if the fees are in compliance with Section 12992. 12995. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this code, all uncontested departmental billings for services or assessments authorized herein, which are not paid within 45 days of the invoice date, shall be subject to a late charge, unless waived or modified by the department. The late charge shall be 1 1/2 percent per month of the balance due. This late charge shall be compounded monthly. (b) Billings from the department shall be postmarked within five working days of the invoice date. If the billing is postmarked more than five working days after the invoice date, the insurer shall be given 45 days from the date of the postmark to pay the amount due. In those instances where a billing is postmarked more than five working days after the invoice date, the insurer is required to submit the postmarked envelope with payment to avoid a late charge. (c) Payments shall be postmarked by the due date to avoid a late charge. Except as provided in subdivision (d), contested billings for which the original amount is paid to the department after the 45 day period shall be subject to the late charge, unless waived or modified by the department. The insurer shall provide written notice of the contested billing and shall set forth the basis for the contestability in writing to the department prior to the due date. (d) Late charges shall be tolled for the portion of the billing that is contested by an insurer. The commissioner shall consider the material submitted by the insurer and reach a decision on the contested billing within 30 days of receiving written notification that a billing is being contested. The commissioner's written decision on contested amounts shall be final and written notification, including a revised amount, if any, shall be provided indicating the basis for the decision. This written notification shall also include an invoice date from which an insurer shall be given 30 days to remit payment. This section shall not preclude an insurer from filing a petition for writ of mandate in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure. (e) All late charges collected pursuant to this section shall be deposited into the General Fund. (f) This section shall not apply to the Insurance Department Schedule of Fees and Charges pursuant to Section 12978. Article 7. Suspension Of Privilege Of Appearing Or Practicing Before The Commissioner
Ca Codes (ins:13500-13505) Insurance Code Section 13500-13505 13500. The commissioner may deny, temporarily or permanently, the privilege of appearing or practicing before the department in any way to any person, other than an attorney acting in that capacity, who is found by the commissioner, after notice of and opportunity for hearing, to be subject to any of the following: (a) The person does not possess the requisite qualifications to represent others. (b) The person is lacking in character or integrity or has engaged in unethical or improper professional conduct. (c) The person has willfully violated, or willfully aided and abetted the violation of any provision of this code, or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. 13501. Any person whose license to practice as an accountant, actuary, or other expert has been revoked or suspended in any state, territory, district, commonwealth, or possession, or any person who has been convicted of a felony, or of a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, shall be forthwith suspended from appearing or practicing before the commissioner. A suspension, revocation, or conviction within the meaning of this article shall be deemed to have occurred when the suspending, revoking, or convicting agency or tribunal enters its judgment or order, regardless of whether appeal is pending or could be taken, and includes a judgment or order on a plea of nolo contendere. 13502. (a) An application for reinstatement of a person permanently suspended or disqualified under Section 13500 may be made at any time, and the applicant may, in the commissioner's discretion, be afforded a hearing. However, the suspension or disqualification shall continue unless and until the applicant has been reinstated by the commissioner for good cause shown. (b) Any person suspended under Section 13501 shall be reinstated by the commissioner, upon appropriate application, if all the grounds for application of the provisions of Section 13501 are subsequently removed by a reversal of the conviction or termination of the suspension or revocation. An application for reinstatement on any other grounds by any person suspended under Section 13501 may be filed at any time and the applicant shall be afforded an opportunity for a hearing in the matter. However, the suspension shall continue unless and until the applicant has been reinstated by the commissioner for good cause shown. 13503. Any person appearing or practicing before the commissioner who has been the subject of an order, judgment, decree, or finding relevant to Section 13501 shall promptly file with the commissioner a copy thereof, together with any related opinion or statement of the agency or tribunal involved. Failure to make this filing shall not impair the operation of any other provision of this article. 13504. Any proceeding brought under any section of this article shall not preclude a proceeding under any other section. 13505. All hearings held under this article shall be closed to the public, unless the commissioner on his or her own motion, or at the request of a party, otherwise directs. Chapter 3. Conciliation
Ca Codes (ins:13600-13601) Insurance Code Section 13600-13601 13600. The department shall provide any person who files a complaint pursuant to Section 678.5, with the option of submitting any dispute involving cancellation or nonrenewal to conciliation pursuant to the following conciliation procedures: (a) (1) The complaint shall first be reviewed by the department. Each insurer shall designate a responsible staff member whom the department may contact to determine whether a complaint may be resolved through a conciliation process. (2) The complainant shall pay a filing fee of thirty-five dollars ($35), which shall be returned if the complainant prevails in whole or in part in conciliation. (b) The department staff shall attempt to resolve the dispute over the telephone. The insurer's representative shall have the authority to bind any insurer to any agreement reached over the telephone. (c) The insurer shall notify the department of the representative' s identity in writing and immediately notify the department of any change in the designation. (d) If the department cannot resolve the dispute by conciliation, the complaint shall be referred to the commissioner, who may, if he or she determines that there are reasonable grounds for believing that a violation of Section 678.5 has occurred, hold a hearing to determine whether a violation has occurred. In the event of a finding that a violation has occurred, the commissioner may order reinstatement of the policy. 13601. Nothing in this chapter shall preclude an insured or other aggrieved party from pursuing any available alternative remedy in lieu of conciliation or from pursuing that alternative remedy without first proceeding under this chapter, but the department shall have no jurisdiction to proceed under this chapter or resolve any dispute under this chapter during the pendency of any judicial action thereon initiated by an insured. Chapter 4. Holocaust Era Insurance Registry
Ca Codes (ins:13800-13807) Insurance Code Section 13800-13807 13800. This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the Holocaust Victim Insurance Relief Act of 1999. 13801. The Legislature finds and declares the following: (a) During World War II, untold millions of lives and property were destroyed. (b) In addition to the many atrocities that befell the victims of the Nazi regime, insurance claims that rightfully should have been paid out to the victims and their families, in many cases, were not. (c) In many instances, insurance company records are the only proof of insurance policies held. In some cases, recollection of those policies' very existence may have perished along with the Holocaust victims. (d) At least 5,600 documented Holocaust survivors are living in California today. Many of these survivors and their descendents have been fighting for over 50 years to persuade insurance companies to settle unpaid or wrongfully paid claims. Survivors are asking that insurance companies come forth with any information they possess that could show proof of insurance policies held by Holocaust victims and survivors, in order to ensure that closure on this issue is swiftly brought to pass. (e) Insurance companies doing business in the State of California have a responsibility to ensure that any involvement they or their related companies may have had with insurance policies of Holocaust victims are disclosed to the state and to ensure the rapid resolution of these questions, eliminating the further victimization of these policyholders and their families. (f) The international Jewish community is in active negotiations with responsible insurance companies through the International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims to resolve all outstanding insurance claims issues. This chapter is necessary to protect the claims and interests of California residents, as well as to encourage the development of a resolution to these issues through the international process or through direct action by the State of California, as necessary. 13802. For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply: (a) "Holocaust victim" means any person who was persecuted during the period of 1929 to 1945, inclusive, by Nazi Germany, its allies, or sympathizers. (b) "Related company" means any parent, subsidiary, reinsurer, successor in interest, managing general agent, or affiliate company of the insurer. (c) "Proceeds" means the face value or other payout value of insurance policies and annuities plus reasonable interest to date of payment without diminution for wartime or immediate postwar currency devaluation. 13803. The commissioner shall establish and maintain within the department a central registry containing records and information relating to insurance policies, as described in Section 13804, of Holocaust victims, living and deceased. The registry shall be known as the Holocaust Era Insurance Registry. The Attorney General, in coordination with the department, shall establish appropriate mechanisms to ensure public access to the registry. 13804. (a) Any insurer currently doing business in the state that sold life, property, liability, health, annuities, dowry, educational, or casualty insurance policies, directly or through a related company, to persons in Europe, which were in effect between 1920 and 1945, whether the sale occurred before or after the insurer and the related company became related, shall, within 180 days following enactment of this act, file or cause to be filed the following information with the commissioner to be entered into the registry: (1) The number of those insurance policies. (2) The holder, beneficiary, and current status of those policies. (3) The city of origin, domicile, or address for each policyholder listed in the policies. (b) In addition, each insurer subject to subdivision (a) shall certify to any of the following: (1) That the proceeds of the policies described in subdivision (a) have been paid to the designated beneficiaries or their heirs where that person or persons, after diligent search, could be located and identified. (2) That the proceeds of the policies where the beneficiaries or heirs could not, after diligent search, be located or identified, have been distributed to Holocaust survivors or to qualified charitable nonprofit organizations for the purpose of assisting Holocaust survivors. (3) That a court of law has certified in a legal proceeding resolving the rights of unpaid policyholders, their heirs, and beneficiaries, a plan for the distribution of the proceeds. (4) That the proceeds have not been distributed and the amount of those proceeds. An insurer who certifies as true any material matter pursuant to this subdivision, which the insurer knows to be false, is guilty of a misdemeanor. (c) An insurer currently doing business in the state that did not sell any insurance policies in Europe prior to 1945, shall not be subject to this section if a related company, whether or not authorized and currently doing business in the state, has made a filing under this section. 13805. Any insurer that knowingly files information about a policy required by this chapter that is false shall, with respect to that policy, be liable for a civil penalty not to exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000), which penalty is hereby appropriated to the department to be used by it to aid in the resolution of Holocaust insurance claims. 13806. The commissioner shall suspend the certificate of authority to conduct insurance business in the state of any insurer that fails to comply with the requirements of this chapter by the 210th day after this section becomes effective, until the time that the insurer complies with this chapter. 13807. The commissioner shall adopt rules to implement this chapter within 90 days of its effective date. The rules shall be adopted as emergency regulations in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of the Government Code, and for the purposes of that chapter, including Section 11349.6 of the Government Code, the adoption of the rules shall be considered by the Office of Administrative Law to be necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, and general welfare. Chapter 5. Slavery Era Insurance Policies
Ca Codes (ins:13810-13813) Insurance Code Section 13810-13813 13810. The commissioner shall request and obtain information from insurers licensed and doing business in this state regarding any records of slaveholder insurance policies issued by any predecessor corporation during the slavery era. 13811. The commissioner shall obtain the names of any slaveholders or slaves described in those insurance records, and shall make the information available to the public and the Legislature. 13812. Each insurer licensed and doing business in this state shall research and report to the commissioner with respect to any records within the insurer's possession or knowledge relating to insurance policies issued to slaveholders that provided coverage for damage to or death of their slaves. 13813. Descendants of slaves, whose ancestors were defined as private property, dehumanized, divided from their families, forced to perform labor without appropriate compensation or benefits, and whose ancestors' owners were compensated for damages by insurers, are entitled to full disclosure.
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