17:29A-52 - Automobile Insurance Consumer Bill of Rights
17:29A-52 Automobile Insurance Consumer Bill of Rights.
43. a. Every insurer writing private passenger automobile insurance in this State shall provide each insured at least annually and each applicant upon receipt of initial application with an Automobile Insurance Consumer Bill of Rights. The Automobile Insurance Consumer Bill of Rights shall contain information that the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance establishes by regulation as necessary, relevant or appropriate to improve the understanding of the rights and responsibilities of consumers and insurers regarding automobile insurance.
b.To further assist consumers in evaluating an automobile insurer, the commissioner shall develop and disseminate an Automobile Insurance Report Card. Those insurers with more than 50,000 insured private passenger automobiles writing private passenger automobile insurance in this State shall maintain and submit annually to the commissioner customer satisfaction data. The commissioner shall establish by regulation the methodology and criteria to be used in collecting the customer satisfaction data, including, but not limited to, the use of a survey. This data, including consumer complaint ratios and other relevant consumer information designated by the commissioner, shall be included in the Automobile Insurance Report Card. The Automobile Insurance Report Card shall be available on the official website of the Department of Banking and Insurance, and shall be updated annually.
c.(Deleted by amendment, P.L.2007, c.240).
d.If the commissioner finds, after notice and hearing, that an insurer has a pattern and practice of failing to provide any of the information required by this section, the commissioner may, after notice and hearing, order the payment of a penalty not to exceed $1,000 for each offense. Each instance of a failure to provide information to an insured, an applicant or the commissioner, as the case may be, shall be a separate offense and subject to assessment of a separate penalty. Penalties assessed pursuant to this section shall be collected by the commissioner pursuant to the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.).
L.2003,c.89,s.43; amended 2007, c.240, s.1.