2023 Montana Code Annotated › Title 33. Insurance and Insurance Companies › Chapter 2. Regulation of Insurance Companies › Part 4. Standard Valuation › 33-2-406. Confidentiality -- definitions

33-2-406. Confidentiality -- definitions.
(1) Except as provided in subsection (9), a company's confidential information is confidential information as provided in 2-6-1002 and privileged, is not subject to subpoena or discovery, and is not admissible in evidence in any private civil action.
(2) The commissioner may use the confidential information to further any regulatory or legal action brought against the company as a part of the commissioner's official duties.
(3) Neither the commissioner nor any person who receives confidential information while acting under the authority of the commissioner may be required or permitted to testify in any private civil action concerning a company's confidential information.
(4) Subject to the conditions in subsection (4)(c), the commissioner may, to assist in the performance of the commissioner's duties, share:
(a) confidential information with other state, federal, and international regulatory agencies and with the NAIC and its affiliates and subsidiaries upon agreement that the confidential information will be kept confidential; and
(b) only confidential information as defined in subsections (10)(a)(i)(A) and (10)(a)(i)(D) with:
(i) the actuarial board for counseling and discipline or its successor upon a request that states the confidential information is required for use in professional disciplinary proceedings; and
(ii) state, federal, and international law enforcement officials; and
(c) the information under this subsection (4) only if the recipient of the information has the legal authority to agree, and the recipient has agreed, to maintain the confidentiality and privileged status of the documents, materials, data, and other information in the same manner and to the same extent as required for the commissioner.
(5) (a) The commissioner may receive documents, materials, data, and other information, including otherwise confidential and privileged documents, materials, data, and other information, from:
(i) the NAIC and its affiliates and subsidiaries;
(ii) regulatory or law enforcement officials of other foreign or domestic jurisdictions; and
(iii) the actuarial board for counseling and discipline or its successor.
(b) The commissioner shall maintain as confidential or privileged any documents, materials, data, or other information received from the entities listed in subsection (5)(a) with notice or the understanding that the documents, materials, data, or other information is confidential or privileged under the laws of the jurisdiction that is the source of the documents, materials, data, or other information.
(6) The commissioner may enter into agreements governing the sharing and use of confidential information consistent with this section.
(7) A disclosure to the commissioner under this section or a sharing of confidential information authorized in this section does not constitute a waiver of any applicable privilege or claim of confidentiality for the confidential information.
(8) A privilege established under the law of any state or jurisdiction that is substantially similar to the privilege established under this section must be recognized and enforced in any proceeding in this state, including any court proceedings.
(9) The confidential information defined in subsections (10)(a)(i)(A) and (10)(a)(i)(D) may:
(a) be subject to subpoena for the purpose of defending an action seeking damages from the appointed actuary submitting the related memorandum in support of an opinion submitted under 33-2-407 or a principle-based valuation report developed pursuant to 33-2-404(3)(c) by reason of an action required by this part;
(b) be otherwise released by the commissioner with the written consent of the company; or
(c) no longer be confidential for all portions after any portion of a memorandum in support of an opinion submitted under 33-2-407 or a principle-based valuation report developed under 33-2-404(3)(c) is cited by the company in its marketing or is publicly volunteered to or before a governmental agency other than a state insurance department or is released by the company to the news media.
(10) As used in this section, the following definitions apply:
(a) (i) "Confidential information" means:
(A) a memorandum in support of an opinion submitted under 33-2-407 and any other documents, materials, and other information, including but not limited to all working papers or copies of the working papers that were created, produced, or obtained by the commissioner or by any other person in connection with the memorandum or disclosed to the commissioner or to any other person in connection with the memorandum;
(B) subject to the provisions of subsection (10)(a)(ii)(A), all documents, materials, and other information in the course of an examination made under 33-2-403(7), including but not limited to all working papers and copies of the working papers that were created, produced, or obtained by the commissioner or by any other person in connection with the examination or disclosed to the commissioner or to any other person in connection with the examination;
(C) any reports, documents, materials, or other information developed by a company in support of or in connection with an annual certification by the company under 33-2-404(3)(b) evaluating the effectiveness of the company's internal controls with respect to a principle-based valuation and any other documents, materials, and other information, including but not limited to working papers and copies of the working papers created, produced, or obtained by the commissioner or by any other person in connection with the reports, documents, materials, and other information disclosed to the commissioner or to any other person in connection with those reports, documents, materials, and other information;
(D) any principle-based valuation report developed under 33-2-404(3)(c) and any other documents, materials, and other information, including but not limited to all working papers and copies of working papers created, produced, or obtained by the commissioner or any other person in connection with the principle-based valuation report or disclosed to the commissioner or to any other person in connection with the report; and
(E) any experience data and any other documents, materials, data, and other information, including but not limited to all working papers and copies of working papers created or produced in connection with the experience data. The information under this subsection (10)(a)(i)(E) includes any potential company-identifying or personally identifiable information that is provided to or obtained by the commissioner or any other person in connection with the documents, materials, data, and other information described in this subsection (10)(a)(i)(E), including but not limited to working papers and copies of working papers created, produced, or obtained by the commissioner or any other person or disclosed to the commissioner or to any other person.
(ii) The term does not include:
(A) an examination report or other material prepared in connection with an examination made under 33-2-403(7) to the extent that the examination report or other material prepared in connection with the examination would not have been held private and confidential if prepared under 33-1-401; or
(B) any portion of confidential information that has been cited by the insurer in its marketing, provided to any governmental agency other than a state insurance department, released by the insurer to the news media, or otherwise made public by the insurer in any way.
(b) "Experience data" means any documents, materials, data, and other information submitted by a company under 33-2-405.
(c) "NAIC" means the national association of insurance commissioners and its employees, agents, consultants, and contractors.
(d) "Regulatory agency" includes the agency's employees, agents, consultants, and contractors.
History: En. Sec. 15, Ch. 370, L. 2015; amd. Sec. 69, Ch. 348, L. 2015.