| 12/30/2002 |
Landmark Credit Scoring Law Takes Effect January 1, 2003 |
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Beginning Jan.1, 2003, Washington consumers no longer will face cancellation or non-renewal of their insurance policies because of their credit history. Also, they cannot be denied insurance because they lack a credit history or have too many inquiries into their credit history. |
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| 12/23/2002 |
Kreidler Signs Order Affirming Priority of Public Interest in Premera Conversion |
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Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler today issued a ruling declaring that Premera Blue Cross' application for conversion to a for-profit company is still not complete. |
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| 12/20/2002 |
Conseco Life Insurance Information |
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The Office of the Insurance Commissioner continues to monitor Conseco, Inc., as it has over the past year. None of the seven Conseco insurance companies operating in Washington state are included in the bankruptcy filings. Conseco Life Insurance Company of Texas is the parent of most of the insurance companies. The Texas Insurance Department's Consumer Protection Hotline (1/800/252-3439) is available to help policyholders with further questions. Also, see Statement of Texas Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor re Conseco Bankruptcy |
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| 12/1/2002 |
Steps Insurers Must Take Regarding Terrorism Risk Insurance |
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To assist insurers in complying with the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002, the Insurance Commissioner's office will provide ongoing information regarding what steps insurers must take for Washington filings. This information will be updated regularly as new information becomes available and as the U.S. Treasury Department adopts the necessary rules to implement the new act. |
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| 11/23/2002 |
New Contact Telephone Numbers for Office of Insurance Commissioner |
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The recent move by several divisions of the Insurance Commissioner's Office into consolidated office space in Tumwater included the assignment of new telephone numbers. The following list of general information numbers will provide access to most programs and divisions in the office.
Office of Insurance Commissioner agency on-line directory. |
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| 11/22/2002 |
Insurance Commissioner to Hold Hearing On Objection By Premera Blue Cross |
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Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler will hold a hearing Tuesday on Premera Blue Cross' objection to his Oct. 24 Case Management Order. The order established procedures and deadlines concerning Premera's request to convert to a publicly-held company. |
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| 11/8/2002 |
Insurance Commissioner Announces New Developments in the Holocaust Insurance Issue |
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Commissioner Kreidler announces new developments in the Holocaust insurance issue in a letter to Washington claimants. |
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| 10/24/2002 |
Kreidler Signs Order Governing Proposed Premera Conversion |
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Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler today issued a Case Management Order establishing procedures and deadlines concerning Premera Blue Cross' request to convert to a publicly-held company. |
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| 10/21/2002 |
Insurance Commissioner to Hear Public Comment On Predatory Lending Rule |
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Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler will hear public testimony this Thursday evening, Oct. 24 on a proposed rule that would severely limit the sale of single-premium credit mortgage insurance. |
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| 10/11/2002 |
States Settle With Household Finance |
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Thousands of Washington homeowners who were overcharged for home loans issued by Household International will share millions of dollars in one of the largest direct consumer restitution cases in U.S. history. Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler joined Attorney General Chris Gregoire and Department of Financial Institutions Director Helen Howell in an Oct. 11 news conference announcing the settlement. |
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| 10/7/2002 |
Telephone Contact Numbers Changed for the Office of Insurance Commissioner |
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The telephone system in the Insurance Commissioner's Office (Insurance 5000 Building in Tumwater) was upgraded over the past weekend, including the assignment of new telephone numbers. The following list of general information numbers will provide access to most programs and divisions in the office. A link to the agency's on-line directory can be found at the end of this message. |
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| 9/25/2002 |
Washington Joins Estimated $140 Million METLIFE Race-Based Class Action Settlement |
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Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler signed a consent order today joining a national class action settlement against Metropolitan Life Insurance Company for race-based underwriting practices. More than 67,000 policies are known to have been sold in Washington state with a potential settlement value of almost $800,000. |
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| 9/6/2002 |
Credit Scoring Rule Signed - Law Takes Effect January 1, 2003 |
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After more than a year of growing consumer outrage, Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler has signed the credit scoring rule, laying the final groundwork of Washington state's tough new consumer protection law. Washington was one of the first of eight states this year to enact tough restrictions on the use of a consumer's credit history in personal insurance. |
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| 9/5/2002 |
Insurance Commissioner Approves Travel Guard and Insurance Company of North America Products |
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The Office of the Insurance Commissioner today approved the filings for travel insurance products offered by Travel Guard Group, International of Wisconsin and its Philadelphia-based insurance carrier, Insurance Company of North America. |
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| 9/5/2002 |
Predatory Lending Rule Proposed – Hearing Date Set |
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Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler filed official language today outlining strong new restrictions on the sale of single-premium credit mortgage insurance in Washington state, calling it inherently predatory. |
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| 9/4/2002 |
Insurance Commissioner to Hold Public Forums on Proposed Premera Blue Cross Conversion |
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Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler today announced dates and locations of statewide meetings to obtain public comment on Premera Blue Cross' request to convert to a publicly-held company. |
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| 8/12/2002 |
Contraceptive Rule to Reach More Washington Women |
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A formal Attorney General opinion requested by Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler has affirmed that prescription contraceptives cannot be withheld from state-regulated plans because of an employer’s religious or conscientious objection. |
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| 8/8/2002 |
Insurance Commissioner Orders Company to Stop Unlawfully Selling Travel Insurance |
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Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler today ordered one of the nation’s largest sellers of travel insurance and its insurance carrier to immediately stop selling their products in Washington state. |
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| 8/7/2002 |
OIC Seeking Proposals from Consultants |
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The OIC is seeking proposals from consultants in the areas of investment banking, actuarial, accounting and tax, and legal services to assist the Insurance Commissioner in his review of a proposed conversion from non-profit to for-profit status by Premera Blue Cross and some of its affiliates. |
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| 7/30/2002 |
Rule Hearing Set for Implementing Credit Scoring Law |
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The strongest consumer protection measure passed by the Legislature this year enters its final implementation phase with a formal rule hearing set for Wednesday, Aug. 7 in Olympia. Washington's groundbreaking credit scoring bill severely restricts what credit information an insurance company is allowed to use. This rule hearing will determine the standards insurance companies must follow to comply with the new credit scoring law. |
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| 7/22/2002 |
Office of Insurance Commissioner Enters Formal Agreement with Department of Financial Institutions |
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Setting a new level of consumer protection, the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) and the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) signed a formal agreement enabling these two enforcement agencies to share information, consumer complaints and inquiries, and enforcement actions and orders. |
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| 7/18/2002 |
Medical Liability Market Assistance Plan has Initial Success |
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Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler today said the Washington Medical Liability Insurance Market Assistance Program has had early success and now is fully operational through the Office of the Insurance Commissioner Web site. |
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| 7/17/2002 |
Settlement Agreement Reached with Employer’s Health |
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Employer's Health Insurance Company and the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) have signed a $500,000 Consent Agreement. |
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| 7/16/2002 |
Court Upholds Holocaust Victims Insurance Relief Act |
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In a wide-reaching decision issued yesterday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld California’s Holocaust Victims Insurance Relief Act of 1999 (HVIRA) requiring insurance companies doing business in their state to release the names of all Holocaust-era policyholders. Washington state also implemented a Holocaust Victims Insurance Relief Act in 1999 that is very similar to California’s law. |
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| 6/17/2002 |
Washington Joins $27 Million Racial Discrimination Settlement |
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The Office of the Insurance Commissioner has joined 44 states in a national settlement of $27 million over charges of racially discriminatory rating practices in the sale of life insurance by Unitrin Insurance Group. |
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| 5/31/2002 |
Kreidler Responds to Premera Blue Cross Reorganization |
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Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler today said financial stability and consumer protection are his primary interests in reviewing a request from Premera Blue Cross to convert to a publicly held company. Premera Blue Cross officials informed Kreidler yesterday of their intent, but have not yet submitted a formal request. |
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| 4/2/2002 |
Insurance Commissioner Kreidler Acts on Growing Medical Liability Insurance Crisis |
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Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler today filed official notice indicating his intent to begin a state rule-making process to help healthcare providers secure medical liability insurance. At the same time, he is asking the insurance industry to voluntarily take action that would eliminate the need for such a rule. |
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| 3/6/2002 |
State Legislature Passes Strongest Credit Scoring Protection Bill in the Nation |
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What began with a groundswell of consumer support and was voted out by the House last month with a 93 to 4 vote, emerged late last night with a definitive vote of 36 to 11, as the Washington state Senate passed the country’s most expansive consumer protection legislation against the practice of credit scoring. |
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| 2/15/2002 |
Washington State Files AMICUS Brief in SupportT of California's Holocaust Victims Insurance Relief Act |
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In a show of solidarity with the California Department of Insurance, the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner has filed an amicus brief in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in support of California’s legally besieged 1999 Holocaust Victims Insurance Relief Act (HVIRA). Washington is one of several states with a similar law providing protection for the rights of Holocaust-era insurance policyholders. |
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| 2/8/2002 |
Holocaust-Era Insurance Claims Deadline Extended |
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The International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims (ICHEIC) has extended the deadline from Feb. 15, 2002 to Sept. 20, 2002 for filing all Holocaust-era insurance claims. This provides ICHEIC the necessary additional time to publish policyholder names and effectively gives survivors and their heirs seven more months to research potential claims. |
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| 1/4/2002 |
Homeowner and Auto Insurance Rates on the Rise |
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Both homeowner and auto insurance rates are on the rise nationally, and here in Washington state. Consumers need to be aware that while the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) will continue to closely scrutinize all rate increase requests, Washington state is not immune from the national trend. |
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