Insurance commissioner
An insurance commissioner (or commissioner of insurance) is a public official in the executive branch of a state or territory in the United States who, along with their office, regulate the insurance industry. The powers granted to the office of an insurance commissioner differ in each state. The office of an insurance commissioner is established either by the state constitution or by statute. While most insurance commissioners are appointed, in some jurisdictions they are elected.[1] The office of the insurance commissioner may be part of a larger regulatory agency, or an autonomous department.
Insurance law and regulation is established individually by each state. In order to better coordinate insurance regulation among the states and territories, insurance commissioners are members of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).[2]
Duties and powers of insurance commissioners
The purpose of insurance commissioners is to maintain fair pricing for insurance products, protect the solvency of insurance companies, prevent unfair practices by insurance companies, and ensure availability of insurance coverage.[3] In order to accomplish these goals, each state grants several powers to insurance commissioners and their offices, including:[4]
- Approval of insurance rates
- Periodical financial examinations of insurers
- Licensing of companies, agencies, agents, and brokers
- Monitoring and regulating claims handling
List of current insurance commissioners
As of January 8, 2024[update], the various insurance commissioners are:[5]
State/territory | Name | Title | Name of Office | Elected/Appointed |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alabama | Jim L. Ridling | Commissioner | Alabama Department of Insurance | Appointed |
Alaska | Lori K. Wing-Heier | Director | Alaska Division of Insurance | Appointed |
American Samoa | Peni 'Ben' Itula Sapini Teo | Commissioner | Office of the Governor | Appointed |
Arizona | Evan Daniels | Interim Director | Arizona Department of Insurance | Appointed |
Arkansas | Alan McClain | Commissioner | Arkansas Insurance Department | Appointed |
California | Ricardo Lara | Commissioner | California Department of Insurance | Elected |
Colorado | Michael Conway | Commissioner | Colorado Division of Insurance | Appointed |
Connecticut | Andrew N. Mais | Commissioner | Connecticut Insurance Department | Appointed |
Delaware | Trinidad Navarro | Commissioner | Delaware Department of Insurance | Elected |
District of Columbia | Karima Woods | Commissioner | District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking | Appointed |
Florida | David Altmaier | Commissioner | Florida Office of Insurance Regulation | Appointed |
Georgia | John F. King | Commissioner | Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner | Elected |
Guam | Michelle Santos | Commissioner | Guam Department of Revenue and Taxation | Appointed |
Hawaii | Colin M. Hayashida | Commissioner | Hawaii Insurance Division | Appointed |
Idaho | Dean Cameron | Director | Idaho Department of Insurance | Appointed |
Illinois | Dana Popish Severinghaus | Director | Illinois Department of Insurance | Appointed |
Indiana | Amy L. Beard | Commissioner | Indiana Department of Insurance | Appointed |
Iowa | Doug Ommen | Commissioner | Iowa Insurance Division | Appointed |
Kansas | Vicki Schmidt | Commissioner | Kansas Insurance Department | Elected |
Kentucky | Sharon Clark | Commissioner | Kentucky Department of Insurance | Appointed |
Louisiana | Tim Temple | Commissioner | Louisiana Department of Insurance | Elected |
Maine | Eric A. Cioppa | Superintendent | Maine Bureau of Insurance | Appointed |
Maryland | Kathleen Birrane | Commissioner | Maryland Insurance Administration | Appointed |
Massachusetts | Gary D. Anderson | Commissioner | Massachusetts Division of Insurance | Appointed |
Michigan | Anita G. Fox | Director | Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services | Appointed |
Minnesota | Grace Arnold | Commissioner | Minnesota Department of Commerce | Appointed |
Mississippi | Mike Chaney | Commissioner | Mississippi Insurance Department | Elected |
Missouri | Chlora Lindley-Myers | Director | Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration | Appointed |
Montana | Troy Downing | Commissioner | Montana Office of the Commissioner of Securities and Insurance | Elected |
Nebraska | Bruce R. Ramge | Director | Nebraska Department of Insurance | Appointed |
Nevada | Barbara D. Richardson | Commissioner | Nevada Division of Insurance | Appointed |
New Hampshire | Chris Nicolopoulos | Commissioner | New Hampshire Insurance Department | Appointed |
New Jersey | Marlene Caride | Commissioner | New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance | Appointed |
New Mexico | Russell Toal | Superintendent | New Mexico Office of Superintendent of Insurance | Appointed |
New York | Linda A. Lacewell | Acting Superintendent | New York State Department of Financial Services | Appointed |
North Carolina | Mike Causey | Commissioner | Commissioner of Insurance | Elected |
North Dakota | Jon Godfread | Commissioner | North Dakota Insurance Department | Elected |
Northern Mariana Islands | Mark O. Rabauliman | Commissioner | Office of the Insurance Commissioner | Appointed |
Ohio | Judith L. French | Director | Ohio Department of Insurance | Appointed |
Oklahoma | Glen Mulready | Commissioner | Oklahoma Insurance Department | Elected |
Oregon | Andrew Stolfi | Commissioner | Oregon Insurance Division | Appointed |
Pennsylvania | Jessica Altman | Commissioner | Pennsylvania Insurance Department | Appointed |
Puerto Rico | Mariano Mier Romeu | Commissioner | Office of the Commissioner of Insurance | Appointed |
Rhode Island | Elizabeth Kelleher Dwyer | Superintendent | Rhode Island Division of Insurance | Appointed |
South Carolina | Raymond G. Farmer | Director | South Carolina Department of Insurance | Appointed |
South Dakota | Larry Deiter | Director | South Dakota Division of Insurance | Appointed |
Tennessee | Carter Lawrence | Commissioner | Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance | Appointed |
Texas | Doug Slape | Commissioner | Texas Department of Insurance | Appointed |
Utah | Joanathan Pike | Commissioner | Utah Insurance Department | Appointed |
U.S. Virgin Islands | Tregenza Roach | Lt. Governor/ Commissioner | Division of Banking and Insurance | Elected |
Vermont | Kevin Gaffney | Commissioner | Vermont Department of Financial Regulation | Appointed |
Virginia | Scott A. White | Commissioner | Virginia Bureau of Insurance | Appointed |
Washington | Mike Kreidler | Commissioner | Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner | Elected |
West Virginia | James A. Dodrill | Commissioner | West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner | Appointed |
Wisconsin | Nathan Houdek | Commissioner | Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance | Appointed |
Wyoming | Jeff Rude | Commissioner | Wyoming Insurance Department | Appointed |
References
- ^ "State Commissioners - 2014" (PDF). naic.org. NAIC. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
- ^ "About the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC)". www.naic.org. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
- ^ Kimball, Spencer (1961). "The Purpose of Insurance Regulation: A Preliminary Inquiry in the Theory of Insurance Law". heinonline.org. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
- ^ Randall, Susan (1999). "Insurance Regulation in the United States: Regulatory Federalism and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners" (PDF). Florida State University Law Review. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 11, 2015.
- ^ "National Association of Insurance Commissioners Membership List" (PDF). www.naic.org. NAIC. March 23, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
- v
- t
- e