17:47A-2 - Definitions
17:47A-2 Definitions.
2.As used in this act:
"Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance.
"Completed operations liability" means liability arising out of the installation, maintenance or repair of any product at a site which is not owned or controlled by any person who performs that work or any person who hires an independent contractor to perform that work, and includes liability for activities which are completed or abandoned before the date of the occurrence which gives rise to the liability.
"Deductible" means any arrangement under which an insurer pays claims and then seeks reimbursement from the insured, except that the insurer's obligation to pay claims is not contingent upon reimbursement from the insured.
"Doing business in this State" means solicitation in this State, having group members in this State, or having an office in this State.
"Domicile" means, with respect to a purchasing group: for a corporation, the state in which the purchasing group is incorporated; for an unincorporated entity, the state of its principal place of business.
"Hazardous financial condition" means that, based on its present or reasonably anticipated financial condition, a risk retention group, although not yet financially impaired or insolvent, is unlikely to be able to meet obligations to policyholders with respect to known claims and reasonably anticipated claims or to pay other obligations in the normal course of business.
"Insurance" means primary insurance, excess insurance, reinsurance, surplus lines insurance and any other arrangement for shifting and distributing risk which is determined to be insurance pursuant to the laws of this State.
"Liability" means legal liability for damages, including the cost of defense, legal costs and fees, and other claims expenses, because of injuries to other persons, damage to their property, or other damage or loss to such other persons resulting from or arising out of: any profit or non-profit business, trade, product, services, including professional services, premises, or operations; or any activity of any state or local government or any agency or political subdivision thereof, but does not include personal risk liability or an employer's liability with respect to its employees other than legal liability under the federal "Employers' Liability Act," 45 U.S.C. s.51 et seq.
"Personal risk liability" means liability for damages because of injury to any person, damage to property or other loss or damage resulting from any personal, familial or household responsibilities or activities, rather than from the responsibilities or activities referred to under the definition of "liability" in this section.
"Plan of operation" or a "feasibility study" means an analysis which presents the expected activities and results of the risk retention group, including: information sufficient to verify that its members are engaged in business or activities similar or related with respect to the liability to which such members are exposed by virtue of any related, similar or common business, trade, product, services, premises or operations; for each state in which it intends to operate, the coverages, deductibles, coverage limits, rates, and rating classification systems for each line of insurance the group intends to offer; historical and expected loss experience of the proposed members and national experience of similar exposures to the extent that this experience is reasonably available; pro forma financial statements and projections; appropriate opinions by a qualified actuary, including the determination of minimum premium or participation levels and capitalization required to commence operations and to prevent a hazardous financial condition, which shall be in the format and otherwise satisfy all requirements established by the commissioner for loss reserve actuarial opinions required to be submitted by licensed property and casualty insurers in this State; identification of management, underwriting and claims procedures, marketing methods, managerial oversight methods, investment policies and reinsurance agreements; identification of each state in which the risk retention group has obtained, or sought to obtain, a charter and license, and a description of its status in each such state; and such other matters as may be prescribed by the commissioner of the state in which the risk retention group is chartered for liability insurance companies authorized by the insurance laws of that state.
"Product liability" means liability for damages because of any personal injury, death, emotional harm, consequential economic damage, or property damage, including damages resulting from the loss of use of property, arising out of the manufacture, design, importation, distribution, packaging, labeling, lease or sale of a product. "Product liability" does not include the liability of any person for those damages if the product involved was in the possession of that person when the incident giving rise to the claim occurred.
"Purchasing group" means any group which: has as one of its purposes the purchase of liability insurance on a group basis; purchases such insurance only for its group members and only to cover their similar or related liability exposure; is composed of members whose businesses or activities are similar or related with respect to the liability to which members are exposed by virtue of any related, similar or common business, trade, product, services, premises or operations; and is domiciled in this or any other state.
"Retrospectively rated" means a rating plan or system, whereby the premium payable by an insured is subject to a contractual adjustment after the expiration of the policy based upon actual incurred experience.
"Risk retention group" means any corporation or other limited liability association: which is organized for the primary purpose of, and whose primary activity consists of, assuming and spreading all, or any portion, of the liability exposure of its group members; which is chartered and licensed as a liability insurance company and is authorized to engage in the business of insurance under the laws of any state, or prior to January 1, 1985, was chartered or licensed and authorized to engage in the business of insurance under the laws of Bermuda or the Cayman Islands, and before that date, certified to the commissioner of insurance, or other appropriate official, of at least one state that it satisfied the capitalization requirements of that state, except that any such group shall be considered to be a risk retention group only if it has been engaged in business continuously since that date and only for the purpose of continuing to provide insurance to cover product liability or completed operations liability, as defined in the federal "Product Liability Risk Retention Act of 1981," Pub.L.97-45 (15 U.S.C. s.3901 et seq.), before October 27, 1986; which does not exclude any person from membership in the group solely to provide for members of that group a competitive advantage over such a person; which has as its owners only persons who comprise the membership of the risk retention group and who are provided insurance by such group, or has as its sole owner an organization which has as its members only persons who comprise the membership of the risk retention group and its owners are the only persons who comprise the membership of the risk retention group and who are provided insurance by such group; whose members are engaged in businesses or activities similar or related with respect to the liability to which those members are exposed by virtue of any related, similar or common business, trade, product, services, premises or operations; whose activities do not include the provision of insurance, other than liability insurance for assuming and spreading all or any portion of the liability of its group members, and reinsurance with respect to the similar or related liability exposure of any other risk retention group, or any member of any other group, which is engaged in businesses or activities so that this group or member meets the requirement that members are engaged in businesses or activities similar or related with respect to the liability to which those members are exposed by virtue of any related, similar or common business, trade, product, services, premises or operations for membership in the risk retention group which provides the reinsurance; and the name of which includes the phrase "risk retention group."
"Self-insured retention" means any fund or other arrangement to pay claims other than by an insurer, or any arrangement under which an insurer has no obligation to pay claims on behalf of an insured if it is not reimbursed by the insured.
"Similar insurance source" means an insurer authorized or admitted to do business in this State or a non-authorized surplus lines insurer eligible to do business in this State.
"Special risk" means a commercial lines insurance risk as specified on a list promulgated by the commissioner, which is of an unusual nature or high loss hazard or is difficult to place or rate, or which is excess or umbrella, or which is eligible for export; or a commercial lines insurance risk, other than a medical malpractice liability insurance risk as set forth under P.L.1982, c.114 (C.17:29AA-1 et seq.), which produces a minimum annual premium in excess of $10,000. Additions or deletions to the list promulgated may be made by the commissioner without a hearing upon notice to all licensed insurers.
"State" means this State, any other state of the United States or the District of Columbia.
L.1993, c.240, s.2; amended 2009, c.248, s.5.