§ 23-102-114 - Notice and declination.
23-102-114. Notice and declination.
(a) Existing Policyholders. (1) (A) Insurers writing homeowner, farmowner, fire and allied lines, excluding commercial policies and crop hail, shall notify policyholders who do not maintain residential earthquake insurance or who maintain residential earthquake insurance at amounts less than one hundred percent (100%) of the insured value of the dwelling, of their potential eligibility for residential earthquake insurance through the Market Assistance Program or the Arkansas Earthquake Authority.
(B) The notice shall be on a form adopted by the Board of the Arkansas Earthquake Authority and approved by the Insurance Commissioner, and insurers shall verify to the board compliance with this provision.
(C) The notice shall be provided at such intervals and frequency to be determined by the board, but notice shall be given at a minimum of three (3) different times over a four-year interval.
(2) This notice from insurers shall not be deemed to provide earthquake coverage to existing policyholders who do not maintain a policy of residential earthquake insurance, nor shall the notice be deemed to increase the amounts of earthquake insurance for those policyholders who maintain coverage at less than one hundred percent (100%) of the insured value of the dwelling.
(b) New Policyholders. Insurers writing homeowner, farmowner, fire and allied lines, excluding commercial policies and crop hail, shall advise new applicants for these types of coverage of the availability of residential earthquake insurance through the program or the authority, if coverage is unavailable from the insurer. If an applicant chooses not to purchase residential earthquake coverage through an insurer, including program participants or the authority, the applicant shall reject this coverage in writing on the application or any addendum thereto. Insurers shall maintain the application containing the rejection as part of their files.