Section 500.1623 - Rebates or inducements; prohibitions.
THE INSURANCE CODE OF 1956 (EXCERPT)
Act 218 of 1956
500.1623 Rebates or inducements; prohibitions.
Sec. 1623.
(1) The entire amount of the premium due from a creditor shall be remitted to the insurer or its producer in accordance with the insurer's requirements. No commissions may be paid to, or retained by, a person or entity except a licensed and appointed producer.
(2) A creditor shall not retain unearned premiums upon cancellation of the insurance without crediting to the debtor's account the amount of unearned insurance charges.
(3) Rebates to the creditor of a portion of the premium charged to the debtor are prohibited as are other inducements provided to the creditor by an insurer or producer. All of the following activities are prohibited rebates or inducements:
(a) Allowing insurers or producers to purchase certificates of deposit from the creditor or to maintain accounts with the creditor at less than the market interest rates and charges that the creditor applies to other customers for deposit accounts of similar amounts and duration.
(b) Paying a commission to a person, including a creditor, who is not appropriately licensed as a producer in this state.
(c) Purchasing or offering to purchase certificates of deposit from, or maintaining or offering to maintain deposit accounts or investment accounts with a creditor as part of a creditor-placed insurance solicitation.
(d) Any other activity identified by the commissioner and prohibited by rule, regulation, or order.
(4) Prohibited rebates or inducements do not include any of the following:
(a) The paying of commissions and other compensation to a duly licensed and appointed producer, whether or not affiliated with the creditor.
(b) The paying to the creditor policyholder of group experience rated refunds or policy dividends.
(c) The providing of insurance tracking and other services incidental to the creditor-placed insurance program.
(d) The paying to the creditor of amounts intended to reimburse the creditor for its expenses incurred incidental to the creditor-placed insurance program, such as costs of data processing, mail processing, telephone service, insurance tracking, billing, collection, and related activities, provided that these payments are approved in a manner consistent with the procedures in section 1615 and are calculated in a manner that does not exceed an amount reasonably estimated to equal the expenses incurred by the creditor.
(5) An insurer that pays commissions to producers for creditor-placed insurance that are greater than 20% of the net written premium shall demonstrate to the commissioner that the commissions are not unreasonably high in relation to the value of the services rendered.
(6) This section does not prohibit or restrict an insurer or producer from maintaining a demand, premium deposit, or other account or accounts with a creditor for which the insurer or producer provides insurance if the accounts pay the market interest rate and charges that the creditor applies to other customers for deposit accounts of similar amounts and duration.
History: Add. 2002, Act 655, Eff. Mar. 23, 2003
Popular Name: Act 218