PERMANENT RULES
INSURANCE COMMISSIONER
Effective Date of Rule: Thirty-one days after filing.
Purpose: This new rule will prevent the issuance of certificates of insurance that purport to alter the terms of a policy or endorsement of insurance.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 48.02.060.
Adopted under notice filed as WSR 12-05-070 on February 16, 2012.
Changes Other than Editing from Proposed to Adopted Version: WAC 284-30-355 (1)(a), the word "group" was added for clarification.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 1, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 1, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Date Adopted: April 16, 2012.
Mike Kreidler
Insurance Commissioner
OTS-4608.3
NEW SECTION
WAC 284-30-355
Certificates of insurance.
(1) The
following definitions apply to this section.
(a) "Certificate" or "certificate of insurance" means any document, without regard to title or description, that is issued by an insurer, insurance producer, or surplus line broker as evidence of property or casualty insurance coverage. Certificate or certificate of insurance as used in this section does not include an insurance policy, insurance binder, an automobile insurance identification or information card, or a certificate issued to a person or entity that has purchased coverage under a group master policy.
(b) "Certificate holder" means any person, other than a policyholder, that requests, obtains, or possesses a certificate.
(c) "Property" means the insurance coverages described in RCW 48.11.040.
(d) "Casualty" means the insurance coverages described in RCW 48.11.070.
(e) "Insurance binder" means a temporary document that serves as evidence of insurance until the insurance policy is issued.
(f) "Insurance policy" means the executed insurance policy issued to the named insured as part of an insurance transaction as defined in RCW 48.01.060.
(2) This section applies to all:
(a) Certificate holders, policyholders, insurers, insurance producers, surplus line brokers; and
(b) Certificates issued as evidence of insurance coverage for risks located in this state without regard to where a certificate holder, policyholder, insurer, insurance producer, or surplus line broker is located.
(3)(a) If a certificate holder is named within the policy or endorsement and the policy or endorsement requires notice to be provided to the certificate holder, a certificate holder only possesses a right to notice of:
(i) Cancellation;
(ii) Nonrenewal; or
(iii) A material change, or any similar notice concerning the insurance policy.
(b) The insurance policy governs the terms and conditions of the notice, including the timing of the notice.
(4) No person may knowingly demand or require an insurer, insurance producer, surplus line broker, or policyholder to issue a certificate that contains any false or misleading information or that purports to alter, amend, or extend the coverage provided by the insurance policy.
(5) No person may knowingly issue or circulate a certificate that contains any false or misleading information or that purports to alter, amend, or extend the coverage provided by the insurance policy.
(6) No person may issue, demand, or require, either in addition to or in lieu of a certificate, a document that contains any false or misleading information or that purports to alter, amend, or extend the coverage provided by the insurance policy.
(7)(a) Nothing in this section affects or excuses a person's obligation to obtain an insurance policy for the benefit of a third party that conforms to specific contractual or legal requirements.
(b) Notwithstanding any requirement, term, or condition of any contract, the insurance coverage provided by the referenced policy of insurance is subject to all the terms, exclusions, and conditions of the policy. A certificate of insurance does not confer new or additional rights beyond what the referenced policy of insurance provides.
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