Terrorism Risk Insurance Program; Recoupment Provisions, 66051-66061 [E9-29613]
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 238 / Monday, December 14, 2009 / Rules and Regulations
Example 1. Taxpayer A provides housing
to N, a Hurricane Katrina displaced
individual, from September 1, 2005, until
March 10, 2006. Under paragraphs (a) and
(c)(3) of this section, A may reduce A’s
taxable income by $500 on A’s income tax
return for calendar year 2005 or 2006 (but not
both) for providing housing to N.
Example 2. The facts are the same as in
Example 1, except that A and A’s unmarried
roommate B are co-lessees of their principal
residence. Both A and B provide housing to
N. Under paragraphs (a) and (c)(4) of this
section, either A or B, but not both, may
reduce taxable income by $500 for 2005 or
2006 for providing housing to N. If A or B
reduces taxable income for 2005 for
providing housing to N, neither A nor B may
reduce taxable income for 2006 for providing
housing to N.
Example 3. The facts are the same as in
Example 2, except that in 2009 A and B
provide housing to N, who in 2009 is a
Midwestern disaster displaced individual.
Under paragraph (c)(5) of this section, the
limitation of paragraph (c)(4) of this section
applies separately to each disaster. Therefore,
either A or B may reduce taxable income by
$500 for 2009 for providing housing to N.
Example 4. During 2008, unmarried
roommates and co-lessees C and D provide
housing to eight Midwestern disaster
displaced individuals. Under paragraphs (a)
and (c)(1)(i)(A) of this section, C may reduce
taxable income by $2,000 on C’s 2008 income
tax return for providing housing to any four
of these displaced individuals and D may
reduce taxable income by $2,000 on D’s 2008
income tax return for providing housing to
the other four displaced individuals.
Example 5. (i) In 2008, a married couple,
H and W, provide housing to a Midwestern
disaster displaced individual, O. H and W
file their 2008 income tax return as married
filing jointly. Under paragraphs (a) and (c)(4)
of this section, H and W may reduce taxable
income by $500 on their 2008 income tax
return for providing housing to O.
(ii) In 2009, H and W provide housing to
O and to another Midwestern disaster
displaced individual, P. H and W file their
2009 income tax returns as married filing
separately. Because H and W reduced their
2008 taxable income for providing housing to
O, under paragraph (c)(3) of this section,
neither H nor W may reduce taxable income
on their 2009 income tax returns for
providing housing to O. Under paragraphs (a)
and (c)(4) of this section, either H or W but
not both, may reduce taxable income by $500
on his or her 2009 income tax return for
providing housing to P.
Example 6. The facts are the same as in
Example 5, except that in 2009 H and W
provide housing to five Midwestern disaster
displaced individuals in addition to O. H and
W together may reduce taxable income on
their 2009 income tax returns by a total of
$2,000 for the Midwestern disaster displaced
individuals (other than O). Under paragraph
(c)(1)(i)(B) of this section, H and W may
allocate the $2,000 in increments of $500
between their separate returns. For example,
either one may reduce taxable income by
$500 and the other may reduce taxable
income by $1,500, or H and W each may
reduce taxable income by $1,000.
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66051
(h) Effective/applicability date. This
section applies for taxable years ending
after December 11, 2006.
Terrorism Risk Insurance Program, (202)
622–6770 (not a toll-free number).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
§ 1.9300–1T
I. Background
The Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of
2002 (Pub. L. 107–297, 116 Stat. 2322)
was enacted on November 26, 2002. The
Act was effective immediately. The
Act’s purposes are to address market
disruptions, ensure the continued
widespread availability and
affordability of commercial property
and casualty insurance for terrorism
risk, and allow for a transition period
for the private markets to stabilize and
build capacity while preserving state
insurance regulation and consumer
protections.
Title I of the Act establishes a
temporary Federal program of shared
public and private compensation for
insured commercial property and
casualty losses resulting from an act of
terrorism. The Act authorizes Treasury
to administer and implement the
Terrorism Risk Insurance Program,
including the issuance of regulations
and procedures. The Program provides
a Federal backstop for insured losses
from an act of terrorism. Section 103(e)
of the Act directs and gives Treasury
authority to recoup Federal payments
made under the Program through
policyholder surcharges.
The Program was originally set to
expire on December 31, 2005. On
December 22, 2005, the Terrorism Risk
Insurance Extension Act of 2005 (Pub.
L. 109–144, 119 Stat. 2660) was enacted,
which extended the Program through
December 31, 2007. On December 26,
2007, the Terrorism Risk Insurance
Program Reauthorization Act of 2007
(Pub. L. 110–160, 121 Stat. 1839) was
enacted, which extends the Program
through December 31, 2014.
The Reauthorization Act, among other
changes, revised the recoupment
provisions of the Act. These changes are
explained below in the context of
discussion of other provisions.
■
[Removed]
Par. 3. Section 1.9300–1T is removed.
Approved: December 8, 2009.
Steven T. Miller,
Deputy Commissioner for Services and
Enforcement.
Michael F. Mundaca,
Acting Assistant Secretary of the Treasury
(Tax Policy).
[FR Doc. E9–29635 Filed 12–11–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4830–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
31 CFR Part 50
RIN 1505–AB10
Terrorism Risk Insurance Program;
Recoupment Provisions
Departmental Offices, Treasury.
Final rule.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The Department of the
Treasury (Treasury) is issuing this final
rule as part of its implementation of
Title I of the Terrorism Risk Insurance
Act of 2002 (‘‘TRIA’’ or ‘‘the Act’’), as
amended by the Terrorism Risk
Insurance Extension Act of 2005
(‘‘Extension Act’’) and the Terrorism
Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization
Act of 2007 (‘‘Reauthorization Act’’).
The Act established a temporary
Terrorism Risk Insurance Program
(‘‘TRIP’’ or ‘‘Program’’) under which the
Federal Government would share the
risk of insured losses from certified acts
of terrorism with commercial property
and casualty insurers. The
Reauthorization Act has now extended
the Program until December 31, 2014.
This rule was published in proposed
form on September 17, 2008, for public
comment. The final rule contains minor
clarifications in response to comments.
The rule incorporates and implements
statutory requirements in section 103(e)
of the Act, as amended by the
Reauthorization Act, for the recoupment
of the Federal share of compensation for
insured losses. In particular, the rule
describes how Treasury will determine
the amounts to be recouped and
establishes procedures insurers are to
use for collecting Federal Terrorism
Policy Surcharges and remitting them to
Treasury. The rule generally builds
upon previous rules issued by Treasury.
DATES: This rule is effective January 13,
2010.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Howard Leikin, Deputy Director,
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II. Previous Rulemaking
To assist insurers, policyholders, and
other interested parties in complying
with immediately applicable
requirements of the Act, Treasury has
issued interim guidance to be relied
upon by insurers until superseded by
regulations. Rules establishing general
provisions implementing the Program,
including key definitions, and
requirements for policy disclosures and
mandatory availability, can be found in
Subparts A, B, and C of 31 CFR Part 50.
Treasury’s rules applying provisions of
the Act to State residual market
insurance entities and State workers’
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compensation funds are at Subpart D of
31 CFR Part 50. Rules setting forth
procedures for filing claims for payment
of the Federal share of compensation for
insured losses are at Subpart F of 31
CFR Part 50. Subpart G of 31 CFR Part
50 contains rules on audit and
recordkeeping requirements for
insurers, while Subpart I of 31 CFR Part
50 contains Treasury’s rules
implementing the litigation
management provisions of section 107
of the Act.
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III. The Proposed Rule
The proposed rule on which this final
rule is based was published in the
Federal Register at 73 FR 53798 on
September 17, 2008. The proposed rule
proposed to add a Subpart H on
Recoupment and Surcharge Procedures
to part 50, which comprises Treasury’s
regulations implementing the Act. It
also proposed to add definitions in
§ 50.5 of Subpart A and amend §§ 50.60
and 50.61 of Subpart G. The proposed
rule described how Treasury would
determine the amounts to be recouped,
the factors and considerations that
would be the basis for establishing the
specific surcharge amount, the
procedures for Treasury’s notification to
insurers regarding the surcharges to be
imposed, and the requirements for
insurers to collect, report, and remit
surcharges to the Treasury.
IV. Summary of Comments and Final
Rule
Treasury is now issuing this final rule
after careful consideration of all
comments received on the proposed
rule. While this final rule largely reflects
the proposed rule, Treasury has made
several clarifications based on the
comments. These changes appear in
§§ 50.70(c), 50.74(c), and 50.74(e).
Treasury received comments on the
proposed rule from two national
insurance industry trade associations, a
national insurance rating and data
collection bureau, and one insurance
company. As described further below,
commenters generally agreed with the
proposed rule and the approach as being
compatible with business operations.
There were no negative comments on
the approach. In response to comments,
Treasury is providing additional
clarification and some modifications of
provisions in the proposed rule that
pertain to notification to insurers,
meeting certain deadlines for the
collection of surcharges, describing the
policies and premium subject to
surcharges, and closing out insurer
reporting to Treasury. The comments
received and Treasury’s revisions to the
proposed rule are summarized below.
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A. Determination of Recoupment
Amount
The final rule describes how and
when Treasury will determine
recoupment amounts. Definitions of
insurance marketplace aggregate
retention amount, aggregate Federal
share of compensation, mandatory and
discretionary recoupment amounts, and
uncompensated insured losses, which
reflect requirements in the Act, are
added to § 50.5.
The mandatory recoupment amount is
the difference between the insurance
marketplace aggregate retention amount
for a Program Year and the aggregate
amount, for all insurers, of
uncompensated insured losses during
such Program Year (unless the aggregate
amount of uncompensated insured
losses is greater than the insurance
marketplace aggregate retention, in
which case the mandatory recoupment
amount is zero). For any Program Year
beginning with 2008 through 2014, the
insurance marketplace aggregate
retention amount is the lesser of $27.5
billion and the aggregate amount, for all
insurers, of insured losses from Program
Trigger Events during the Program Year.
For example, if the aggregate amount of
insured losses from Program Trigger
Events during the Program Year were
$10 billion, the insurance marketplace
aggregate retention amount would be
$10 billion. The mandatory recoupment
amount would be the difference
between $10 billion and the aggregate
amount of uncompensated insured
losses. ‘‘Uncompensated insured losses’’
is generally the aggregate amount of
insured losses from Program Trigger
Events not compensated by the Federal
Government because the losses are
within insurer deductibles or the 15
percent insurer share, or are within the
portion of the insured losses that exceed
the insurer deductible but are otherwise
not paid pursuant to section 103(e)(1) of
TRIA. The amount of uncompensated
insured losses depends on the
distribution of those losses among
insurers. So continuing with the above
example, if uncompensated insured
losses amounted to $8 billion and
Federal payments amounted to $2
billion, the mandatory recoupment
amount would be $2 billion (the
difference between $10 billion and the
aggregate amount of uncompensated
insured losses of $8 billion). The
amount the Secretary would be required
to collect under section 103(e)(7)(C) of
the Act would be 133 percent of $2
billion, or $2.67 billion.
Section 103(e)(7)(D) of the Act also
provides the Secretary with
discretionary authority to recoup
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additional amounts to the extent that
the amount of Federal financial
assistance exceeds the mandatory
recoupment amount. The Secretary may
recoup such additional amounts the
Secretary believes can be recouped
based on: the ultimate costs to taxpayers
of no additional recoupment; the
economic conditions in the commercial
marketplace; the affordability of
commercial insurance for small- and
medium-sized businesses; and such
other factors that the Secretary
considers appropriate. The final rule
refers to these considerations in
§ 50.70(b). Because of the great
uncertainty as to economic conditions
after the occurrence of an act of
terrorism, Treasury believes it is
prudent to retain maximum flexibility to
address these considerations at a future
time. In exercising this discretionary
authority, however, Treasury generally
intends to consider these various factors
on a broad-scale basis.
The Reauthorization Act added
section 103(e)(7)(E), which establishes
deadlines by which the collection of
terrorism loss risk-spreading premiums,
which are required for mandatory
recoupment, must be accomplished. The
amounts and deadlines vary depending
on when an act of terrorism occurs:
• For any act of terrorism that occurs
on or before December 31, 2010, the
Secretary shall collect all required
premiums by September 30, 2012;
• For any act of terrorism that occurs
between January 1 and December 31,
2011, the Secretary shall collect 35
percent of any required premiums by
September 30, 2012, and the remainder
by September 30, 2017; and
• For any act of terrorism that occurs
on or after January 1, 2012, the Secretary
shall collect all required premiums by
September 30, 2017.
Because of these deadlines, one
commenter raised a concern over the
potential that recoupment could far
outpace the payment of claims and
therefore recommended the use of
present value calculations and excess
fund accounts to earn interest on funds
provided in advance to the Federal
Government. In the preamble to the
proposed rule, Treasury had stated that
the timing requirements for collecting
‘‘required premiums’’ means that
surcharges must be sufficient to recoup
Federal funds actually outlaid as of the
target dates for recouping any Federal
share of compensation for insured
losses. Treasury ascertained that the
commenter’s concern was based on the
potential for recouping ultimate Federal
share amounts that would not actually
be expended by Treasury until after the
recoupment period. For clarification,
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Treasury has revised § 50.70 to state that
required amounts will be collected
‘‘based on the extent to which payments
for the Federal share of compensation
have been made by the collection
deadlines.’’ As illustrated in the
example above, the required amounts
include the additional 33 percent of the
outlays. Continuing with the above
example in which the Federal
Government expects that Federal
payments will reach $2 billion for an act
of terrorism occurring prior to December
31, 2010, if as of September 30, 2012, $1
billion has actually been paid,
recoupment should result in the
collection of $1.33 billion by that date.
The remaining amount of Federal
payments plus 33 percent would be
recouped after September 30, 2012.
Another commenter suggested
additional language for the rule that
would address Treasury’s intention to
not exceed required amounts in its
establishment of surcharges, the
avoidance of collecting de minimis
amounts, and the handling of excess
amounts collected. Treasury believes
that the concerns raised were for the
most part already addressed in the
proposed rule § 50.72 which, in
providing for the establishment of the
surcharge, lists a number of factors and
considerations including the collection
timing requirements of section
103(e)(7)(E) of the Act, and the
likelihood that the amount of the
Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge may
result in the collection of an aggregate
recoupment amount in excess of the
planned recoupment amount. In
addition, under the rule the Secretary
may consider such other factors as the
Secretary considers important, which
could include the costs of collecting de
minimis recoupment amounts.
Section 50.71(a) provides that if
payments for the Federal share of
compensation have been made for a
Program Year, and Treasury determines
that insured loss information is
sufficiently developed and credible to
serve as a basis for calculating
recoupment amounts, then Treasury
will make an initial determination of
any mandatory or discretionary
recoupment amounts for that Program
Year. Ideally, Treasury will use loss
information obtained from the
submissions by insurers for the Federal
share of compensation, as well as other
industry sources, to determine the
appropriate time to make an initial
determination of recoupment amounts.
Thereafter, as described under
§ 50.71(c), Treasury will at least
annually examine the latest available
information on insured losses to
recalculate any recoupment amounts
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until such time as Treasury determines
that the calculation is considered final.
The final rule, in § 50.71(d), also
provides that Treasury may issue a data
call to insurers for the submission of
information on insured losses from
Program Trigger Events and for insurer
deductible information.
Treasury must be prepared to initiate
mandatory recoupment based on
estimates, prospectively, of insured
losses, the Federal share of
compensation for insured losses, and
the resulting Federal outlays. The
Reauthorization Act added a provision
(Section 103(e)(7)(F)) requiring the
Secretary to publish, within 90 days of
the date of an act of terrorism, an
estimate of aggregate insured losses
which shall be used as the basis for
determining whether mandatory
recoupment will be required. Proposed
§ 50.71(b) provided that Treasury would
meet this requirement within 90 days
after certification of an act of terrorism.
Two commenters stated that this
proposal should be revised because the
statute requires that the estimate be
published within 90 days after the
occurrence of the act of terrorism.
‘‘Act of terrorism’’ is a defined
statutory term. Under Section 102(1)(A),
an ‘‘act of terrorism’’ is any act which
is certified by the Secretary, in
concurrence with the Secretary of State
and the Attorney General of the United
States, and meets certain specified
elements. Without certification, an act
does not meet the definition of an ‘‘act
of terrorism.’’
Treasury believes that the most
reasonable interpretation of Section
103(e)(7)(F) is that such an estimate of
aggregate insured losses must be
published 90 days after the certification
of an act of terrorism. There is no
limitation under Section 102(1) on the
time the Secretary may take to certify,
or determine not to certify, an act as an
act of terrorism. Moreover, the purpose
of this estimate is for use in determining
whether mandatory recoupment will be
required. Until there is a certification of
an act of terrorism, there would be no
basis to make Federal payments for
insured losses and no need to consider
whether mandatory recoupment would
be required.
This interpretation is also consistent
with the Procedural Order entered by
the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict
Litigation concerning the 90-day period
in Section 107(a)(4) of the Act, which
requires a designation by the Panel ‘‘not
later than 90 days after the occurrence
of an act of terrorism.’’ The order notes
the definition of an ‘‘act of terrorism,’’
and accordingly provides that ‘‘the 90day period for the Panel to designate the
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66053
court or courts for litigation covered by
the Act begins on the date that the
Treasury Secretary certifies an act of
terrorism.’’ Procedural Order filed June
1, 2004, available at https://
www.treas.gov/offices/domesticfinance/financial-institution/terrorisminsurance/pdf/order.pdf. For the above
reasons, § 50.71(b)(1) is being adopted
as proposed.
2. Establishment of Federal Terrorism
Policy Surcharge
Once Treasury has determined an
amount to be recouped, an assessment
period and Surcharge amount will be
established. The final rule includes new
definitions for ‘‘Federal Terrorism
Policy Surcharge’’ and ’’ Surcharge’’,
‘‘assessment period’’ and ‘‘Surcharge
effective date’’, which are added to
§ 50.5 of the regulations. § 50.72(b)
provides that the Surcharge is the
obligation of the policyholder and
payable to the insurer with the premium
for a property and casualty insurance
policy in effect during the assessment
period.
An ‘‘assessment period’’ is defined as
a period during which policyholders
must pay, and insurers must collect, the
Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge for
remittance to Treasury. Treasury’s
intention is that, to the extent possible,
assessment periods will be in full-year
increments in order to equitably impose
the Surcharge on policyholders who
have policy term effective dates
throughout the year. Due to the
collection deadlines, however, this may
not always be feasible.
The definition for ‘‘Federal Terrorism
Policy Surcharge’’ is the amount
established by Treasury as a policy
surcharge on policies of ‘‘property and
casualty insurance’’ as that term is
defined in § 50.5(u). The Surcharge is to
be expressed as a percentage of the
amount charged as written premium for
commercial property and casualty
coverage in such policies.
The factors and considerations
Treasury will consider in establishing
the amount of the Federal Terrorism
Policy Surcharge are set out in
§ 50.72(a). They include requirements of
the Act as well as other factors. In
particular, Section 103(e)(7)(C) of TRIA
as amended by the Reauthorization Act,
requires that once a mandatory
recoupment amount is determined,
collections are to equal 133 percent of
that amount. Section 103(e)(8)(D) of the
Act requires Treasury, in determining
the method and manner of imposing the
Surcharge, to take into consideration the
economic impact on commercial centers
of urban areas, risk factors related to
rural areas and smaller commercial
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centers, and various exposures to
terrorism risk for different lines of
insurance. In the preamble to the
proposed rule, Treasury explained that
while it will consider these factors at
the time it becomes necessary to
establish the amount of a Surcharge, for
several reasons it is likely that the same
Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge
would apply to all commercial property
and casualty lines of insurance, as
defined by the Act, and all rating
classifications. Treasury explained that
after discussions with industry experts,
it was understood that variations in
underlying premium amounts for
commercial lines insurance policies
already appear to substantially operate
in a way that addresses the adjustment
factors described in the Act. Treasury
also stated its concern over the time and
resources needed to perform the
complex analyses and to construct and
implement a detailed risk classification
scheme reflecting these factors, as well
as needing to meet collection deadlines
based on estimates of future Federal
outlays. However, based on a review of
economic conditions at the time a
Surcharge amount is established,
Treasury stated that it might, if
necessary, and within the collection
timing constraints, mitigate economic
impacts by imposing a lesser Surcharge
over a longer period of time. In the
proposed rulemaking, Treasury
specifically solicited public comment
on this approach. No comments were
submitted on this issue.
3. Notification of Recoupment
Section 50.73 of the final rule states
that Treasury will provide reasonable
advance notice of any initial Surcharge
effective date. This effective date shall
be January 1, unless such date would
not provide for sufficient notice of
implementation while meeting the
collection timing requirements of
section 103(e)(7)(E) of the Act.
The purpose of a January 1 effective
date is to coordinate with the National
Association of Insurance Commissioners
(NAIC) Annual Statement reporting
period. In the preamble to the proposed
rule, Treasury stated its belief that there
is a clear advantage to coordinating an
assessment period and the written
premium and remitted Surcharge
amounts with the calendar year basis for
the NAIC Annual Statements. However,
insurers also would ideally have 180
days’ notice to implement the
Surcharge. The timing of an act of
terrorism, the emerging estimates of
insured losses and resulting Federal
outlays, and the requirement to collect
the Surcharges by certain deadlines
could impinge on Treasury’s ability to
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provide the desired 180 days’ notice to
insurers of a Surcharge implementation
as of January 1. Two possible
alternatives for managing this
circumstance were suggested for which
Treasury specifically sought public
comment.
The first alternative was a possible
bifurcated notification to insurers.
Treasury would notify insurers 180 days
in advance of January 1, that an
assessment period will commence, but
the actual Surcharge amount would not
yet be provided. This would allow
insurers time to develop systems
changes to implement a Surcharge. The
actual Surcharge amount would be
provided at a later date, perhaps at least
60 days in advance of January 1.
The second alternative was to relax
the standard of a January 1
implementation date. The assessment
period could start as of the first day of
a later month, but continue through that
calendar year. The result of this would
be a more complicated reconciliation of
written premium and Surcharge
amounts with NAIC Annual Statement
data, but would yet be substantially
consistent with the NAIC Annual
Statement reporting period.
Two commenters provided comments
on the alternative approaches. Both
supported the first (bifurcated) approach
to notification. One commenter stated
that Treasury should allow at least 90
days advance notice of the actual
surcharge amount while the other
commenter stated that Treasury should
provide notice of the actual surcharge
amount at least 60 days in advance of
January 1. In considering how to
proceed based on these comments,
Treasury is mindful of the generally
recognized downside of using an
effective date other than January 1. We
acknowledge that 90 days advance
notice of the actual surcharge amount
would be preferable. However, we
believe that most insurers could make
the final system changes with at least 60
days’ notice. To have to implement
surcharges and reconciliations with a
later implementation date than January
1, just because a 90 day notice was not
possible, would be more disruptive to
more insurers. Therefore, in
implementing the final rule in
circumstances where all necessary
information cannot be provided at least
180 days in advance, Treasury intends
to use the bifurcated approach. This
would include 180 days’ notice of the
commencement of an assessment
period, and, at least 60 days notice and,
if possible, as much as 90 days notice
of the actual surcharge amount.
Treasury will provide notification
annually as to continuation of the
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Surcharge. Treasury will also provide
reasonable advance notice of any
modification or cessation of the
Surcharge. In such cases, Treasury
anticipates providing at least 90 days’
notice. Notifications will be
accomplished through publications in
the Federal Register or in another
manner Treasury deems appropriate,
based upon the circumstances of the
particular act of terrorism.
Despite the strong preference for the
bifurcated approach, Treasury must
have the flexibility to meet the statutory
collection deadlines even if that
approach cannot be accomplished. The
final rule retains the language of
§ 50.73(b) of the proposed rule, which
allows the effective date to be other than
January 1 if that date would not provide
for sufficient notice of implementation
while meeting the statutory collection
deadlines. The second alternative
described above would only be
implemented as a fallback position.
4. Collecting the Surcharge
Section 50.74 of the proposed rule
specified that the Surcharge shall be
imposed and collected on a written
premium basis for policies that are in
force during the assessment period. The
proposed rule further provided that all
new, renewal, mid-term, and audit
additional premiums for a policy term
would be subject to the Surcharge in
effect on the policy term effective date.
The preamble to the proposed rule
noted that policies placed in force prior
to the assessment period would not be
subject to the Surcharge until renewal,
regardless of mid-term endorsements.
Two commenters suggested a
clarification in the rule, referring to
policies that ‘‘incept or renew’’ during
the assessment period rather than
policies that are ‘‘in force’’ during the
assessment period. Treasury agrees that
this is consistent with the intent and has
made this change in the final rule.
One commenter noted that since
return premium on audit would also be
subject to the return of the Surcharge,
the term ‘‘audit additional premiums’’
noted above should merely read ‘‘audit
premiums.’’ Again, this is consistent
with the intent and for the sake of
clarity Treasury has made the suggested
change in the final rule. For additional
clarity, Treasury has modified the
proposed rule § 50.74(e), which
provided for the return of Surcharge
amounts attributable to unearned
premiums which are returned to
policyholders, to state that Surcharge
amounts are to be returned when
attributable to any refunded premium.
As noted in the preamble of the
proposed rule, the definition of property
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and casualty insurance was the result of
extensive consultation, which produced
a regulatory definition crafted in terms
of specific lines of business employed in
the NAIC’s Exhibit of Premium and
Losses of the NAIC Annual Statement,
modified by the exceptions for certain
types of insurance excluded by the Act.
Insurers will be obligated to
implement the Federal Terrorism Policy
Surcharge on a policyholder transaction
level. There is a complicating factor in
the definition of commercial property
and casualty insurance in that certain
exclusions in the definition create a
possibility of individual policies
providing types of insurance that are
considered to fall both within and
outside the Act’s definition of property
and casualty insurance. The authorities
under the Act (at subsections
103(e)(8)(A) and (C) 1) limit the
application of the Surcharge to the
policy premium amount charged for
property and casualty insurance
coverage under the policy.
In the proposed rule, as a basic
starting point, Treasury proposed that
the Surcharge apply to the full premium
for any policy falling within the
definition of property and casualty
insurance in proposed § 50.5(u), i.e., the
premium for the policy is reported on
the insurer’s NAIC Annual Statement, or
equivalent reporting document, in a
specified commercial line of business as
defined by Treasury’s regulations.
However, a portion of a policy’s
premium would not be subject to the
Surcharge if, despite the line of business
premium reporting to the NAIC, that
portion of the premium is for coverage
under the policy that is a type of
insurance not considered to be
commercial property and casualty
insurance as specified in Treasury’s
regulations.
In the case of a policy providing
multiple insurance coverages, where an
insurer cannot identify the premium
amount charged specifically for
property and casualty coverage under
the policy, the proposed rule provided
for two circumstances. If the insurer
estimates that the portion of the
premium amount charged for coverage
other than property and casualty
insurance is de minimis to the total
premium for the policy, the insurer may
impose and collect from the
policyholder a Surcharge amount based
on the total premium for the policy. If
the insurer estimates that the portion of
the premium amount charged for
coverage other than property and
1 Under the Reauthorization Act, Section
103(e)(8)(C) now applies only to discretionary
recoupment.
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casualty insurance is not de minimis,
the insurer shall impose and collect
from the policyholder a Surcharge
amount based on a reasonable estimate
of the premium amount for the property
and casualty insurance coverage under
the policy.
One comment on the proposed rule
was that it provides no guidance as to
what is and what is not de minimis.
Treasury intended for there to be some
flexibility in applying this provision of
the rule where there is a very small, but
not specifically calculable portion of the
premium that can be attributed to
coverage that is not within the
definition of property and casualty
insurance.
The commenter urged Treasury to
review analogous provisions of earlier
TRIA regulations, such as those
addressing insurer deductibles and
direct earned premium calculations. It
was unclear from this comment whether
this was from the standpoint of concept
or, more specifically, the 25 percent
threshold for considering commercial
coverage to be incidental to a policy for
purposes of the definition of direct
earned premium. If it is the latter,
Treasury is satisfied that 25 percent of
a premium is not a de minimis amount.
However, in considering further
guidance, because of the variety of
insurer and policy premium
circumstances, Treasury is reluctant to
further define what is de minimis. As
noted in the proposed rule preamble,
Treasury will be developing reporting
forms for the insurer submission of
surcharges and will consider additional
guidance in connection with that forms
development. For the final rule, the
relevant provision, § 50.74(c)(2), is
unchanged.
As part of this rule, Treasury is
adding a definition to § 50.5 for direct
written premium, which is the premium
information for commercial property
and casualty insurance, as defined in
the regulations, that is included by an
insurer in column 1 of the Exhibit of
Premiums and Losses of the NAIC
Annual Statement or in an equivalent
reporting requirement. Consistent with
the discussion above, an insurer would
subtract the premium that is not subject
to the Surcharge. Otherwise, the full
premium for the policy is included for
Surcharge computation. Minor
adjustments to the definition of direct
earned premium to eliminate some
inconsistencies between that definition
and the new definition of direct written
premium are included in the final rule
as had been proposed. The definition of
direct written premium has been crafted
to be consistent with premium billing
and collection practices on a
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transactional level, as well as consistent
with state regulatory requirements for
reporting written premiums. The
Surcharge itself is not considered
premium.
The proposed rule, in § 50.74(c)(1),
stated that for purposes of applying the
Surcharge, written premium basis
means the premium amount charged a
policyholder by an insurer for property
and casualty insurance as defined in
§ 50.5(u), including all premiums,
policy expense constants and fees
defined as premium pursuant to the
Statements of Statutory Accounting
Principles (SSAP) established by the
NAIC. One commenter asserted that
since states can modify the SSAP, this
section should allow for premium
pursuant to the SSAP as adopted by the
jurisdiction for which the premium is
reported. Treasury has made this change
in the final rule.
Section 50.74(f) provides that an
insurer may satisfy its obligation to
collect the Federal Terrorism Policy
Surcharge by remitting the calculated
Surcharge amount to Treasury, without
actual collection, in circumstances
where the expense of collecting the
Surcharge from all policyholders during
an assessment period exceeds the
amount of the Surcharges anticipated to
be collected.
The Federal Terrorism Policy
Surcharge is a repayment of Federal
financial assistance in an amount
required by law. It is not a premium
paid by a policyholder to an insurer.
Proposed § 50.74(g) stated that no fee or
commission shall be charged on the
Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge.
Two commenters said that the provision
should be expanded to provide that the
surcharge is not subject to taxes or
assessments. Section 106 of the Act
generally preserves the jurisdiction or
regulatory authority of the insurance
commissioner (or any agency or office
performing like functions) of any state
over any insurer or other person except
as specifically provided in the Act.
Whether the surcharge is subject to
taxes or assessments concerns state law
as well as the issue of Federal
preemption. Treasury has concluded
that taxes and assessments should not
be addressed in the regulation.
The proposed rule provided that if an
insurer returns any unearned premium
to a policyholder, it shall also return
any Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge
collected that is attributable to the
unearned premium. As noted earlier in
the discussion of comments associated
with treatment of audit premiums,
§ 50.74(e) of the final rule has been
modified to address the refund of any
premiums.
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The final rule provides that the
insurer shall have such rights and
remedies to enforce the collection of the
Surcharge that are equivalent to those
that exist under applicable state or other
law for nonpayment of premium.
Insurers should follow the appropriate
state law in such circumstances.
5. Remitting the Surcharge
The effect of § 50.76 of the final rule
is that, notwithstanding the definition of
an insurer in prior § 50.5(f) (now
redesignated as § 50.5(l)), the collection,
reporting and remittance of Federal
Terrorism Policy Surcharges to Treasury
shall be the responsibility of each
individual insurer entity as otherwise
defined in § 50.5(f) without including
affiliates. This is because affiliations of
insurers that are relevant in determining
insurer deductibles are not pertinent to
the collection and remittance of the
Surcharges.
Consistent with the Act, Treasury’s
approach to the collection and
remittance of the Federal Terrorism
Policy Surcharge is to place an
obligation on the policyholder to pay
the Surcharge and require the insurer to
collect the Surcharge from each
policyholder. The final rule provides
insurers the means to address nonpayment of the Surcharge and provides
for the reporting and remittance of the
Surcharge to Treasury according to
calculated amounts that are based on
statutory financial reporting already
required by the States. The description
of premium subject to the Surcharge in
§ 50.74(c) and the definition of ‘‘direct
written premium’’ in § 50.5(g) and other
provisions of the final rule on the
treatment of the Surcharge at both the
policy transaction and financial
statement reporting levels have been
crafted so that the Surcharge amounts
calculated for remittance to Treasury
will be equivalent to the actual
collections. By relying on premium
amounts that are reported to the States,
and that are already subject to other
audit requirements, Treasury expects
that its own audit responsibilities can be
accomplished with less focus on
individual insurer compliance with the
Surcharge collection than would
otherwise be necessary. This will result
in a more efficient mechanism for
recoupment for Treasury, insurers, and
policyholders.
In developing reporting and
remittance frequency requirements,
Treasury considered the amount of time
insurers may be holding the funds
collected prior to remittance to
Treasury, and the current Value of
Federal Funds published by the
Treasury’s Financial Management
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Service. Treasury also recognizes that a
monthly accounting period is standard
within the insurance industry. The final
rule allows insurers to retain the interest
(and therefore not have to separately
account and remit such amounts to
Treasury) on funds collected on a
‘‘written’’ basis and remitted monthly to
Treasury. Treasury believes that this is
a reasonably efficient approach to
administering the collection and
remittance requirements of the Act.
Should the Value of Federal Funds at
the time of any actual imposition of the
Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge be
significantly greater than current levels,
Treasury will revisit this issue.
Section 50.75 of the final rule calls for
insurers to report and remit Federal
Terrorism Policy Surcharges on a
monthly basis, starting with the first
month within the assessment period,
through November of the calendar year
and on an annual basis as of the last
month. As discussed earlier, ideally and
as intended, the first month within the
assessment period would be January.
The requirements are expected to ease
the administrative burden by building
upon reporting requirements already
imposed by the States. The definition of
‘‘direct written premium’’ on which an
insurer must report and the specific due
dates for reporting in § 50.75(a) have
been coordinated with NAIC Annual
Statement requirements. The main
reconciliation of information reported to
Treasury and to NAIC would be
accomplished with the year-end NAIC
Annual Statements.
The collection timing requirements of
section 103(e)(7)(E) of the Act generally
require recoupment of certain amounts
of Federal outlays through September
30, coinciding with the end of the
Federal fiscal year. Treasury will
estimate recoupment amounts and
Surcharges so that these deadlines are
met, while still keeping to an end of
calendar year date for defining an
assessment period. This end date will
allow the reporting and reconciliation to
be coordinated with Annual Statements.
To accommodate possible changes in
the Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge
amount from one year to another, direct
written premium is to be broken down
by policy year. This is similar to
requirements imposed at the state-level
with regard to other assessments.
Since remittance is on a ‘‘written’’
basis, the proposed rule provided for a
continued reporting requirement for one
year following the end of the assessment
period. One commenter noted that
closing out reporting one year after the
termination of the assessment period
would be satisfactory for the vast
majority of policies, but that some
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policies will have final audits that close
after that time and that, in addition, the
proposed rule was unclear with respect
to policies with terms longer than one
year. In developing the proposed rule
and in considering this comment,
Treasury has endeavored to strike a
balance between the accounting of
Surcharges and the costs of maintaining
the systems for collecting, submitting,
and reporting of Surcharges on the part
of insurers and Treasury. After
consulting with industry experts,
Treasury believes that revisions to the
written premium amounts that would
occur more than one year after the
termination of the assessment period,
which would be associated with
additional or returned premiums on
policies that incepted or renewed in the
assessment period, would be
sufficiently small relative to the
aggregate premium amounts to justify
ending further adjustments to the
Surcharge. Therefore in the final rule,
clarifications have been added to
§§ 50.74(c) and (e) to provide that
insurers are no longer required to collect
or refund Surcharges once the reporting
requirement to Treasury has ended.
Section 50.75(d) has also been revised to
clarify that an insurer obtains credit for
a refund of any Federal Terrorism Policy
Surcharges previously remitted to
Treasury through its submission of
monthly or annual statements.
Treasury will be developing forms for
the reporting and remittance of the
Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge and
plans on implementing an electronic
reporting and payment facility.
6. Audit Authority and Recordkeeping
It is Treasury’s intention that it’s
reporting requirements, coordinated and
reconciled with other state-level
reporting, will result in less of an audit
burden than might otherwise be
necessary. The final rule includes a
revision of the current § 50.60 and an
addition to the current § 50.61. The
revision adds language to the effect that
the Secretary of the Treasury, or an
authorized representative, shall have,
upon reasonable notice, access to all
books, documents, papers and records
of an insurer that are pertinent to the
Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge. The
addition generally provides that records
relating to premiums, Surcharges,
collections and remittances to Treasury
shall be retained by an insurer and kept
available for review for not less than
three (3) years following the conclusion
of the assessment period or settlement
of accounts with Treasury, whichever is
later.
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7. Enforcement
Insurers will be responsible for
collecting appropriate Surcharge
amounts from their policyholders.
Because § 50.74(d) provides that
insurers have rights and remedies to
enforce collection that are equivalent to
those that exist under state law for
nonpayment of premium, Treasury
believes insurers will have the requisite
tools to collect the Surcharge. Treasury
may rely on its authority to impose civil
monetary penalties on an insurer
pursuant to section 104(e)(1)(A) of the
Act for the failure to charge, collect or
timely remit proper Surcharge amounts
to enforce the provisions of this final
rule.
8. Other Technical Changes
As noted under ‘‘Collecting the
Surcharge,’’ the final rule includes some
minor changes to the existing definition
of ‘‘direct earned premium.’’ Although
the complete definition is set out for
information, no substantive changes
were made to the existing
§ 50.5(d)(1)(iv), (d)(2), (d)(3), and (d)(4).
Similarly, although the existing
provision on recordkeeping is set out in
§ 50.61(a), no substantive changes were
made to that provision.
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V. Procedural Requirements
Executive Order 12866, ‘‘Regulatory
Planning and Review’’. This rule is a
significant regulatory action for
purposes of Executive Order 12866,
‘‘Regulatory Planning and Review,’’ and
has been reviewed by the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB).
Regulatory Flexibility Act. Pursuant to
the Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C.
601 et seq., it is hereby certified that this
rule will not have a significant
economic impact on a substantial
number of small entities. TRIA requires
all insurers that receive direct earned
premiums for commercial property and
casualty insurance, to participate in the
Program. Treasury is required to recoup
all or a portion of the Federal share of
compensation paid to insurers for
insured losses in accordance with the
Act. Insurers that are affected by these
regulations tend to be large businesses,
therefore Treasury has determined that
the rule will not affect a substantial
number of small entities. In addition,
Treasury has determined that the
economic impact of the rule is not
significant. The Act requires that a
policyholder surcharge be imposed on
all policies of property and casualty
insurance, as defined in the Act. The
Act requires Treasury to provide for
insurers to collect the surcharges and
remit them to Treasury. Unless there is
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an act of terrorism, and a Federal
sharing of compensation for insured
losses requiring recoupment, there is no
economic impact at all. The ability to
collect surcharges is routine within the
insurance industry. Should a surcharge
be required, it would be collected and
submitted by insurers based on existing
normal business processes. The
payment of a surcharge is the obligation
of the policyholder. The insurer must
collect the surcharge, but would do so
through the normal payment by the
policyholder of the insurance premium
for property and casualty insurance. The
economic impact on all commercial
property and casualty insurers
(including any that might be small
entities) should thus be minimal.
Treasury did not receive any comments
at the proposed rule stage relating to the
rule’s impact on small entities.
Accordingly, a regulatory flexibility
analysis is not required.
Paperwork Reduction Act. The
collection of information contained in
this final rule has been approved by the
OMB under the requirements of the
Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C.
3507(d) and has been assigned control
number 1505–0207.
List of Subjects in 31 CFR Part 50
Terrorism risk insurance.
Authority and Issuance
For the reasons stated above, 31 CFR
part 50 is amended as follows:
■
PART 50—TERRORISM RISK
INSURANCE PROGRAM
1. The authority citation for part 50 is
revised to read as follows:
■
Authority: 5 U.S.C. 301; 31 U.S.C. 321;
Title I, Pub. L. 107–297, 116 Stat. 2322, as
amended by Pub. L. 109–144, 119 Stat. 2660
and Pub. L. 110–160, 121 Stat. 1839 (15
U.S.C. 6701 note).
2. Section 50.5 is amended as follows:
a. Paragraphs (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i),
(j), (k), (l), (m), (n), (o), (p), (q), and (r)
are redesignated as paragraphs (f), (k),
(l), (m), (o), (p), (q), (r), (s), (t), (u), (v),
(w), (z) and (bb), respectively.
■ b. New paragraphs (d), (e), (g), (h), (i),
(j), (n), (x), (y), and (aa) are added.
■ c. Newly designated paragraph (f) is
revised.
The revisions read as follows:
■
■
§ 50.5
Definitions.
*
*
*
*
*
(d) Aggregate Federal share of
compensation means the aggregate
amount paid by Treasury for the Federal
share of compensation for insured losses
in a Program Year.
(e) Assessment period means a period,
established by Treasury, during which
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policyholders of property and casualty
insurance policies must pay, and
insurers must collect, the Federal
Terrorism Policy Surcharge for
remittance to Treasury.
(f) Direct earned premium means
direct earned premium for all
commercial property and casualty
insurance issued by any insurer for
insurance against all losses, including
losses from an act of terrorism,
occurring at the locations described in
section 102(5)(A) and (B) of the Act.
(1) State licensed or admitted
insurers. For a State licensed or
admitted insurer that reports to the
NAIC, direct earned premium is the
premium information for commercial
property and casualty insurance
reported by the insurer on column 2 of
the NAIC Exhibit of Premiums and
Losses of the NAIC Annual Statement
(commonly known as Statutory Page
14). (See definition of property and
casualty insurance.)
(i) Premium information as reported
to the NAIC should be included in the
calculation of direct earned premiums
for purposes of the Program only to the
extent it reflects premiums for
commercial property and casualty
insurance issued by the insurer against
losses occurring at the locations
described in section 102(5)(A) and (B) of
the Act.
(ii) Premiums for personal property
and casualty insurance (insurance
primarily designed to cover personal,
family or household risk exposures,
with the exception of insurance written
to insure 1 to 4 family rental dwellings
owned for the business purpose of
generating income for the property
owner), or premiums for any other
insurance coverage that does not meet
the definition of commercial property
and casualty insurance, should be
excluded in the calculation of direct
earned premiums for purposes of the
Program.
(iii) Personal property and casualty
insurance coverage that includes
incidental coverage for commercial
purposes is primarily personal coverage,
and therefore premiums may be fully
excluded by an insurer from the
calculation of direct earned premium.
For purposes of the Program,
commercial coverage is incidental if less
than 25 percent of the total direct
earned premium is attributable to
commercial coverage. Commercial
property and casualty insurance against
losses occurring at locations other than
the locations described in section
102(5)(A) and (B) of the Act, or other
insurance coverage that does not meet
the definition of commercial property
and casualty insurance, but that
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includes incidental coverage for
commercial risk exposures at such
locations, is primarily not commercial
property and casualty insurance, and
therefore premiums for such insurance
may also be fully excluded by an insurer
from the calculation of direct earned
premium. For purposes of this section,
commercial property and casualty
insurance for losses occurring at the
locations described in section 102(5)(A)
and (B) of the Act is incidental if less
than 25 percent of the total direct
earned premium for the insurance
policy is attributable to coverage at such
locations. Also for purposes of this
section, coverage for commercial risk
exposures is incidental if it is combined
with coverages that otherwise do not
meet the definition of commercial
property and casualty insurance and
less than 25 percent of the total direct
earned premium for the insurance
policy is attributable to the coverage for
commercial risk exposures.
(iv) If a property and casualty
insurance policy covers both
commercial and personal risk
exposures, insurers may allocate the
premiums in accordance with the
proportion of risk between commercial
and personal components in order to
ascertain direct earned premium. If a
policy includes insurance coverage that
meets the definition of commercial
property and casualty insurance for
losses occurring at the locations
described in section 102(5)(A) and (B) of
the Act, but also includes other
coverage, insurers may allocate the
premiums in accordance with the
proportion of risk attributable to the
components in order to ascertain direct
earned premium.
(2) Insurers that do not report to
NAIC. An insurer that does not report to
the NAIC, but that is licensed or
admitted by any State (such as certain
farm or county mutual insurers), should
use the guidance provided in paragraph
(f)(1) of this section to assist in
ascertaining its direct earned premium.
(i) Direct earned premium may be
ascertained by adjusting data
maintained by such insurer or reported
by such insurer to its State regulator to
reflect a breakdown of premiums for
commercial and personal property and
casualty exposure risk as described in
paragraph (f)(1) of this section and, if
necessary, re-stated to reflect the accrual
method of determining direct earned
premium versus direct premium.
(ii) Such an insurer should consider
other types of payments that
compensate the insurer for risk of loss
(contributions, assessments, etc.) as part
of its direct earned premium.
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(3) Certain eligible surplus line carrier
insurers. An eligible surplus line carrier
insurer listed on the NAIC Quarterly
Listing of Alien Insurers must ascertain
its direct earned premium as follows:
(i) For policies that were in-force as of
November 26, 2002, or entered into
prior to January 1, 2003, direct earned
premiums are to be determined with
reference to the definition of property
and casualty insurance and the
locations described in section 102(5)(A)
and (B) of the Act by allocating the
appropriate portion of premium income
for losses for property and casualty
insurance at such locations. The same
allocation methodologies contained
within the NAIC’s ‘‘Allocation of
Surplus Lines and Independently
Procured Insurance Premium Tax on
Multi-State Risks Model Regulation’’ for
allocating premium between coverage
for property and casualty insurance for
losses occurring at the locations
described in section 102(5)(A) and (B) of
the Act and all other coverage, to
ascertain the appropriate percentage of
premium income to be included in
direct earned premium, may be used.
(ii) For policies issued after January 1,
2003, premium for insurance that meets
the definition of property and casualty
insurance for losses occurring at the
locations described in section 102(5)(A)
and (B) of the Act, must be priced
separately by such eligible surplus line
carriers.
(4) Federally approved insurers. A
federally approved insurer under
section 102(6)(A)(iii) of the Act should
use a methodology similar to that
specified for eligible surplus line carrier
insurers in paragraph (f)(3) of this
section to calculate its direct earned
premium. Such calculation should be
adjusted to reflect the limitations on
scope of insurance coverage under the
Program (i.e., to the extent of federal
approval of commercial property and
casualty insurance in connection with
maritime, energy or aviation activities).
(g) Direct written premium means the
premium information for commercial
property and casualty insurance as
defined in paragraph (u) of this section
that is included by an insurer in column
1 of the Exhibit of Premiums and Losses
of the NAIC Annual Statement or in an
equivalent reporting requirement. The
Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge is
not included in amounts reported as
direct written premium.
(h) Discretionary recoupment amount
means such amount of the aggregate
Federal share of compensation in excess
of the mandatory recoupment amount
that the Secretary has determined will
be recouped pursuant to section
103(e)(7)(D) of the Act.
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(i) Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge
means the amount established by
Treasury under section 103(e)(8) of the
Act which is imposed as a policy
surcharge on property and casualty
insurance policies, expressed as a
percentage of the written premium.
(j) Insurance marketplace aggregate
retention amount means an amount for
a Program Year as set forth in section
103(e)(6) of the Act. For any Program
Year beginning with 2008 through 2014,
such amount is the lesser of
$27,500,000,000 and the aggregate
amount, for all insurers, of insured
losses from Program Trigger Events
during the Program Year.
*
*
*
*
*
(n) Mandatory recoupment amount
means the difference between the
insurance marketplace aggregate
retention amount for a Program Year
and the uncompensated insured losses
during such Program Year. The
mandatory recoupment amount shall be
zero, however, if the amount of such
uncompensated insured losses is greater
than the insurance marketplace
aggregate retention amount.
*
*
*
*
*
(x) Surcharge means the Federal
Terrorism Policy Surcharge as defined
in paragraph (i) of this section.
(y) Surcharge effective date means the
date established by Treasury that begins
the assessment period.
*
*
*
*
*
(aa) Uncompensated insured losses—
means the aggregate amount of insured
losses, from Program Trigger Events, of
all insurers in a Program Year that is not
compensated by the Federal
Government because such losses:
(1) Are within the insurer deductibles
of insurers, or
(2) Are within the portions of losses
in excess of insurer deductibles that are
not compensated through payments
made as a result of claims for the
Federal share of compensation.
*
*
*
*
*
■ 3. Revise §§ 50.60 and 50.61 of
Subpart G to read as follows:
§ 50.60
Audit authority.
The Secretary of the Treasury, or an
authorized representative, shall have,
upon reasonable notice, access to all
books, documents, papers and records
of an insurer that are pertinent to
amounts paid to the insurer as the
Federal share of compensation for
insured losses, or pertinent to any
Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge that
is imposed pursuant to subpart H of this
part, for the purpose of investigation,
confirmation, audit and examination.
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§ 50.61
Recordkeeping.
(a) Each insurer that seeks payment of
a Federal share of compensation under
subpart F of this part shall retain such
records as are necessary to fully disclose
all material matters pertinent to insured
losses and the Federal share of
compensation sought under the
Program, including, but not limited to,
records regarding premiums and
insured losses for all commercial
property and casualty insurance issued
by the insurer and information relating
to any adjustment in the amount of the
Federal share of compensation payable.
Insurers shall maintain detailed records
for not less than five (5) years from the
termination dates of all reinsurance
agreements involving commercial
property and casualty insurance subject
to the Act. Records relating to premiums
shall be retained and available for
review for not less than three (3) years
following the conclusion of the policy
year. Records relating to underlying
claims shall be retained for not less than
five (5) years following the final
adjustment of the claim.
(b) Each insurer that collects a Federal
Terrorism Policy Surcharge as required
by subpart H of this part shall retain
records related to such Surcharge,
including records of the property and
casualty insurance premiums subject to
the Surcharge, the amount of the
Surcharge imposed on each policy,
aggregate Federal Terrorism Policy
Surcharges collected, and aggregate
Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharges
remitted to Treasury during each
assessment period. Such records shall
be retained and kept available for
review for not less than three (3) years
following the conclusion of the
assessment period or settlement of
accounts with Treasury, whichever is
later.
4. Subpart H of part 50 is added to
read as follows:
■
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with RULES
Subpart H—Recoupment and
Surcharge Procedures
Sec.
50.70 Mandatory and discretionary
recoupment.
50.71 Determination of recoupment
amounts.
50.72 Establishment of Federal Terrorism
Policy Surcharge.
50.73 Notification of recoupment.
50.74 Collecting the surcharge.
50.75 Remitting the surcharge.
50.76 Insurer responsibility.
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Jkt 220001
Subpart H—Recoupment and
Surcharge Procedures
§ 50.70 Mandatory and discretionary
recoupment.
(a) Pursuant to section 103 of the Act,
the Secretary shall impose, and insurers
shall collect, such Federal Terrorism
Policy Surcharges as needed to recover
133 percent of the mandatory
recoupment amount for any Program
Year.
(b) In the Secretary’s discretion, the
Secretary may recover any portion of the
aggregate Federal share of compensation
that exceeds the mandatory recoupment
amount through a Federal Terrorism
Policy Surcharge based on the factors
set forth in section 103(e)(7)(D) of the
Act.
(c) If the Secretary is required to
impose a Federal Terrorism Policy
Surcharge as provided in paragraph (a)
of this section, then the required
amounts, based on the extent to which
payments for the Federal share of
compensation have been made by the
collection deadlines in section
103(e)(7)(E) of the Act, shall be collected
in accordance with such deadlines:
(1) For any act of terrorism that occurs
on or before December 31, 2010, the
Secretary shall collect all required
amounts by September 30, 2012;
(2) For any act of terrorism that occurs
between January 1 and December 31,
2011, the Secretary shall collect 35
percent of any required amounts by
September 30, 2012, and the remainder
by September 30, 2017; and
(3) For any act of terrorism that occurs
on or after January 1, 2012, the Secretary
shall collect all required amounts by
September 30, 2017.
§ 50.71 Determination of recoupment
amounts.
(a) If payments for the Federal share
of compensation have been made for a
Program Year, and Treasury determines
that insured loss information is
sufficiently developed and credible to
serve as a basis for calculating
recoupment amounts, Treasury will
make an initial determination of any
mandatory or discretionary recoupment
amounts for that Program Year.
(b)(1) Within 90 days after
certification of an act of terrorism, the
Secretary shall publish in the Federal
Register an estimate of aggregate
insured losses which shall be used as
the basis for initially determining
whether mandatory recoupment will be
required.
(2) If at any time Treasury projects
that payments for the Federal share of
compensation will be made for a
Program Year, and that in order to meet
PO 00000
Frm 00031
Fmt 4700
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66059
the collection timing requirements of
section 103(e)(7)(E) of the Act it is
necessary to use an estimate of such
payments as a basis for calculating
recoupment amounts, Treasury will
make an initial determination of any
mandatory recoupment amounts for that
Program Year.
(c) Following the initial determination
of recoupment amounts for a Program
Year, Treasury will recalculate any
mandatory or discretionary recoupment
amount as necessary and appropriate,
and at least annually, until a final
recoupment amount for the Program
Year is determined. Treasury will
compare any recalculated recoupment
amount to amounts already remitted
and/or to be remitted to Treasury for a
Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge
previously established to determine
whether any additional amount will be
recouped by Treasury.
(d) For the purpose of determining
initial or recalculated recoupment
amounts, Treasury may issue a data call
to insurers for insurer deductible and
insured loss information by Program
Year. Treasury’s determination of the
aggregate amount of insured losses from
Program Trigger Events of all insurers
for a Program Year will be based on the
amounts reported in response to a data
call and any other information Treasury
in its discretion considers appropriate.
Submission of data in response to a data
call shall be on a form promulgated by
Treasury.
§ 50.72 Establishment of Federal
Terrorism Policy Surcharge.
(a) Treasury will establish the Federal
Terrorism Policy Surcharge based on the
following factors and considerations:
(1) In the case of a mandatory
recoupment amount, the requirement to
collect 133 percent of that amount;
(2) The total dollar amount to be
recouped as a percentage of the latest
available annual aggregate industry
direct written premium information;
(3) The adjustment factors for
terrorism loss risk-spreading premiums
described in section 103(e)(8)(D) of the
Act;
(4) The annual 3 percent limitation on
terrorism loss risk-spreading premiums
collected on a discretionary basis as
provided in section 103(e)(8)(C) of the
Act;
(5) A preferred minimum initial
assessment period of one full year and
subsequent extension periods in full
year increments;
(6) The collection timing
requirements of section 103(e)(7)(E) of
the Act;
(7) The likelihood that the amount of
the Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 238 / Monday, December 14, 2009 / Rules and Regulations
may result in the collection of an
aggregate recoupment amount in excess
of the planned recoupment amount; and
(8) Such other factors as the Secretary
considers important.
(b) The Federal Terrorism Policy
Surcharge shall be the obligation of the
policyholder and is payable to the
insurer with the premium for a property
and casualty insurance policy in effect
during the assessment period
established by Treasury. See § 50.74(c).
§ 50.73
Notification of recoupment.
(a) Treasury will provide notifications
of recoupment through publication of
notices in the Federal Register or in
another manner Treasury deems
appropriate, based upon the
circumstances of the act of terrorism
under consideration.
(b) Treasury will provide reasonable
advance notice to insurers of any initial
Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge
effective date. This effective date shall
be January 1, unless such date would
not provide for sufficient notice of
implementation while meeting the
collection timing requirements of
section 103(e)(7)(E) of the Act.
(c) Treasury will provide reasonable
advance notice to insurers of any
modification or cessation of the Federal
Terrorism Policy Surcharge.
(d) Treasury will provide notification
to insurers annually as to the
continuation of the Federal Terrorism
Policy Surcharge.
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with RULES
§ 50.74
Collecting the Surcharge.
(a) Insurers shall collect a Federal
Terrorism Policy Surcharge from
policyholders as required by Treasury.
(b) Policies subject to the Federal
Terrorism Policy Surcharge are those for
which direct written premium is
reported on commercial lines of
business on the NAIC’s Exhibit of
Premiums and Losses of the NAIC
Annual Statement (commonly known as
Statutory Page 14) as provided in
§ 50.5(u)(1), or equivalently reported.
(c) For policies subject to the Federal
Terrorism Policy Surcharge, the
Surcharge shall be imposed and
collected on a written premium basis for
policies that incept or renew during the
assessment period. All new, renewal,
mid-term, and audit premiums for a
policy term are subject to the Surcharge
in effect on the policy term effective
date. Notwithstanding this paragraph, if
the premium for a policy term that
would otherwise be subject to the
Surcharge is revised after the end of the
reporting period described in § 50.75(e),
then any additional premium
attributable to such revision is not
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Jkt 220001
subject to the Surcharge. For purposes
of this subpart:
(1) Written premium basis means the
premium amount charged a
policyholder by an insurer for property
and casualty insurance as defined in
§ 50.5(u), including all premiums,
policy expense constants and fees
defined as premium pursuant to the
Statements of Statutory Accounting
Principles established by the National
Association of Insurance
Commissioners, as adopted by the state
for which the premium will be reported.
(2) In the case of a policy providing
multiple insurance coverages, if an
insurer cannot identify the premium
amount charged a policyholder
specifically for property and casualty
insurance under the policy, then:
(i) If the insurer estimates that the
portion of the premium amount charged
for coverage other than property and
casualty insurance is de minimis to the
total premium for the policy, the insurer
may impose and collect from the
policyholder a Surcharge amount based
on the total premium for the policy, but
(ii) If the insurer estimates that the
portion of the premium amount charged
for coverage other than property and
casualty insurance is not de minimis,
the insurer shall impose and collect
from the policyholder a Surcharge
amount based on a reasonable estimate
of the premium amount for the property
and casualty insurance coverage under
the policy.
(3) The Federal Terrorism Policy
Surcharge is not considered premium.
(d) A policyholder must pay the
applicable Federal Terrorism Policy
Surcharge when due. The insurer shall
have such rights and remedies to
enforce the collection of the Surcharge
that are the equivalent to those that exist
under applicable state or other law for
nonpayment of premium.
(e) When an insurer returns an
unearned premium, or otherwise
refunds premium to a policyholder, it
shall also return any Federal Terrorism
Policy Surcharge collected that is
attributable to the refunded premium.
Notwithstanding this paragraph, if the
written premium for a policy is revised
and refunded after the end of the
reporting period described in § 50.75(e),
then the insurer is not required to
refund any Surcharge that is attributable
to the refunded premium.
(f) Notwithstanding paragraphs (a),
(b), and (c) of this section, if the expense
of collecting the Federal Terrorism
Policy Surcharge from all policyholders
of an insurer during an assessment
period exceeds the amount of the
Surcharges anticipated to be collected,
such insurer may satisfy its obligation to
PO 00000
Frm 00032
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
collect by omitting actual collection and
instead remitting to Treasury the
amount otherwise due.
(g) The Federal Terrorism Policy
Surcharge is repayment of Federal
financial assistance in an amount
required by law. No fee or commission
shall be charged on the Federal
Terrorism Policy Surcharge.
§ 50.75
Remitting the surcharge.
(a) Each insurer shall provide a
statement of direct written premium and
Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge to
Treasury on a monthly basis, starting
with the first month within the
assessment period, through November
of the calendar year and on an annual
basis as of the last month of the calendar
year. Reporting will be on a form
prescribed by Treasury and will be due
according to the following schedule:
(1) For each month beginning in the
first month of the assessment period
through November, the last business day
of the calendar month following the
month for which premium is reported,
and
(2) March 1 for the calendar year.
(b) The monthly statements provided
to Treasury will include the following:
(1) Cumulative calendar year direct
written premium adjusted for premium
not subject to the Federal Terrorism
Policy Surcharge, summarized by policy
year.
(2) The aggregate Federal Terrorism
Policy Surcharge amount calculated by
applying the established Surcharge
percentage to the insurer’s adjusted
direct written premium by policy year.
(3) Insurer certification of the
submission.
(c) The annual statements to be
provided to Treasury will include the
following:
(1) Direct written premium as defined
in § 50.5(g), adjusted for premium not
subject to the Federal Terrorism Policy
Surcharge, summarized by policy year
and by commercial line of insurance as
specified in § 50.5(u).
(2) The aggregate Federal Terrorism
Policy Surcharge amount calculated by
applying the established Surcharge
percentage to the insurer’s adjusted
direct written premium by policy year.
(3) In the case of an insurer that has
chosen not to collect the Federal
Terrorism Policy Surcharge from its
policyholders as provided in § 50.74(f),
a certification that the expense of
collecting the Surcharge during the
assessment period would have exceeded
the amount of the Surcharges collected
over the assessment period.
(4) Insurer certification of the
submission.
(d) The calculated aggregate Federal
Terrorism Policy Surcharge amount, as
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 238 / Monday, December 14, 2009 / Rules and Regulations
described in paragraphs (b)(2) and (c)(2)
of this section, shall be remitted to
Treasury upon submission of each
monthly and annual statement. Through
its submitted statements, an insurer
obtains credit for a refund of any
Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge
previously remitted to Treasury that was
subsequently returned by the insurer to
a policyholder as attributable to
refunded premium under § 50.74(e). A
negative calculated amount in a
monthly or annual statement indicates
payment from Treasury is due to the
insurer.
(e) Reporting shall continue for the
one-year period following the end of the
assessment period established by
Treasury, unless otherwise permitted by
Treasury.
§ 50.76
Insurer responsibility.
For purposes of the collection,
reporting and remittance of Federal
Terrorism Policy Surcharges to
Treasury, an ‘‘insurer,’’ as defined in
§ 50.5(l), shall not include any affiliate
of the insurer.
Dated: December 3, 2009.
Michael S. Barr,
Assistant Secretary (Financial Institutions).
[FR Doc. E9–29613 Filed 12–11–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4810–25–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
31 CFR Part 50
RIN 1505–AB92
Terrorism Risk Insurance Program;
Cap on Annual Liability
Departmental Offices, Treasury.
Final rule.
AGENCY:
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with RULES
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The Department of the
Treasury (‘‘Treasury’’) is issuing this
final rule as part of its implementation
of Title I of the Terrorism Risk
Insurance Act of 2002 (‘‘TRIA’’ or ‘‘the
Act’’), as amended by the Terrorism
Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization
Act of 2007 (‘‘Reauthorization Act’’).
The Act established a temporary
Terrorism Risk Insurance Program
(‘‘TRIP’’ or ‘‘Program’’) under which the
Federal Government would share with
commercial property and casualty
insurers the risk of insured losses from
certified acts of terrorism. The
Reauthorization Act has now extended
the Program until December 31, 2014.
This rule was published in proposed
form on September 30, 2008, for public
comment. Some clarifying changes have
been made in the final rule in response
to comments. The rule incorporates and
implements statutory requirements in
VerDate Nov<24>2008
16:24 Dec 11, 2009
Jkt 220001
66061
section 103(e) of the Act, as amended by
the Reauthorization Act, for capping the
annual liability for insured losses at
$100 billion. In particular, the rule
describes how Treasury intends to
determine the pro rata share of insured
losses under the Program when insured
losses would otherwise exceed the cap
on annual liability. The rule builds
upon previous rules issued by Treasury.
DATES: This rule is effective January 13,
2010.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Howard Leikin, Deputy Director,
Terrorism Risk Insurance Program, (202)
622–6770 (not a toll-free number).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
103(e)(3) stated that Congress would
determine the procedures for and the
source of any payments for insured
losses in excess of the cap. This was
deleted. Instead, this section now
requires the Secretary of the Treasury to
notify Congress not later than 15 days
after the date of an act of terrorism as
to whether aggregate insured losses are
estimated to exceed the cap. TRIA, as
amended by the Reauthorization Act,
also requires the Secretary to determine
the pro rata share of insured losses to
be paid by each insurer incurring losses
under the Program and that meets its
deductible when insured losses exceed
the cap, and to issue regulations for
carrying this out.
I. Background
II. Previous Rulemaking
To assist insurers, policyholders, and
other interested parties in complying
with immediately applicable
requirements of the Act, Treasury has
issued interim guidance for reference
until issuance of superseding regulation.
Rules establishing general provisions
implementing the Program, including
key definitions, and requirements for
policy disclosures and mandatory
availability, can be found in Subparts A,
B, and C of 31 CFR Part 50. Treasury’s
rules applying provisions of the Act to
State residual market insurance entities
and State workers’ compensation funds
are at Subpart D of 31 CFR Part 50.
Rules setting forth procedures for filing
claims for payment of the Federal share
of compensation for insured losses are
at Subpart F of 31 CFR Part 50. Subpart
G of 31 CFR Part 50 contains rules on
audit and recordkeeping requirements
for insurers, while Subpart I of 31 CFR
Part 50 contains Treasury’s rules
implementing the litigation
management provisions of section 107
of the Act.
The Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of
2002 (Pub. L. 107–297, 116 Stat. 2322)
was enacted on November 26, 2002. The
Act was effective immediately. The
Act’s purposes are to address market
disruptions, ensure the continued
widespread availability and
affordability of commercial property
and casualty insurance for terrorism
risk, and allow for a transition period
for the private markets to stabilize and
build capacity while preserving state
insurance regulation and consumer
protections.
Title I of the Act establishes a
temporary federal program of shared
public and private compensation for
insured commercial property and
casualty losses resulting from an act of
terrorism. The Act authorizes Treasury
to administer and implement the
Program, including the issuance of
regulations and procedures. The
Program provides a federal backstop for
insured losses from an act of terrorism.
Section 103(e) of the Act gives Treasury
authority to recoup federal payments
made under the Program through
policyholder surcharges. The Act also
contains provisions designed to manage
litigation arising from or relating to an
act of terrorism.
The Program originally was to expire
on December 31, 2005; however, on
December 22, 2005, the Terrorism Risk
Insurance Extension Act of 2005 (Pub.
L. 109–144, 119 Stat. 2660) was enacted,
which extended the Program through
December 31, 2007. On December 26,
2007, the Terrorism Risk Insurance
Program Reauthorization Act of 2007
(Pub. L. 110–160, 121 Stat. 1839) was
enacted, extending the Program through
December 31, 2014.
The Reauthorization Act, among other
Program changes, revised the provisions
of the Act with regard to the cap on
annual liability for insured losses of
$100 billion. Previously, section
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Fmt 4700
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III. The Proposed Rule
The proposed rule on which this final
rule is based was published in the
Federal Register at 73 FR 56767 on
September 30, 2008. The proposed rule
proposed to add a Subpart J to part 50,
which comprises Treasury’s regulations
implementing the Act. It also proposed
to amend § 50.53 of Subpart F. The
proposed rule described how Treasury
would initially estimate whether the cap
will be exceeded, the means by which
Treasury would develop and maintain
estimates for determining the pro rata
share of insured losses to be paid, the
factors that would be considered in
determining a pro rata percentage of the
insured losses that are to be paid in
order to stay within the cap, and the
application of the pro rata percentage in
paying insured losses.
E:\FR\FM\14DER1.SGM
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 238 (Monday, December 14, 2009)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 66051-66061]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-29613]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
31 CFR Part 50
RIN 1505-AB10
Terrorism Risk Insurance Program; Recoupment Provisions
AGENCY: Departmental Offices, Treasury.
ACTION: Final rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Department of the Treasury (Treasury) is issuing this
final rule as part of its implementation of Title I of the Terrorism
Risk Insurance Act of 2002 (``TRIA'' or ``the Act''), as amended by the
Terrorism Risk Insurance Extension Act of 2005 (``Extension Act'') and
the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007
(``Reauthorization Act''). The Act established a temporary Terrorism
Risk Insurance Program (``TRIP'' or ``Program'') under which the
Federal Government would share the risk of insured losses from
certified acts of terrorism with commercial property and casualty
insurers. The Reauthorization Act has now extended the Program until
December 31, 2014. This rule was published in proposed form on
September 17, 2008, for public comment. The final rule contains minor
clarifications in response to comments. The rule incorporates and
implements statutory requirements in section 103(e) of the Act, as
amended by the Reauthorization Act, for the recoupment of the Federal
share of compensation for insured losses. In particular, the rule
describes how Treasury will determine the amounts to be recouped and
establishes procedures insurers are to use for collecting Federal
Terrorism Policy Surcharges and remitting them to Treasury. The rule
generally builds upon previous rules issued by Treasury.
DATES: This rule is effective January 13, 2010.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Howard Leikin, Deputy Director,
Terrorism Risk Insurance Program, (202) 622-6770 (not a toll-free
number).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-297, 116
Stat. 2322) was enacted on November 26, 2002. The Act was effective
immediately. The Act's purposes are to address market disruptions,
ensure the continued widespread availability and affordability of
commercial property and casualty insurance for terrorism risk, and
allow for a transition period for the private markets to stabilize and
build capacity while preserving state insurance regulation and consumer
protections.
Title I of the Act establishes a temporary Federal program of
shared public and private compensation for insured commercial property
and casualty losses resulting from an act of terrorism. The Act
authorizes Treasury to administer and implement the Terrorism Risk
Insurance Program, including the issuance of regulations and
procedures. The Program provides a Federal backstop for insured losses
from an act of terrorism. Section 103(e) of the Act directs and gives
Treasury authority to recoup Federal payments made under the Program
through policyholder surcharges.
The Program was originally set to expire on December 31, 2005. On
December 22, 2005, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Extension Act of 2005
(Pub. L. 109-144, 119 Stat. 2660) was enacted, which extended the
Program through December 31, 2007. On December 26, 2007, the Terrorism
Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-160,
121 Stat. 1839) was enacted, which extends the Program through December
31, 2014.
The Reauthorization Act, among other changes, revised the
recoupment provisions of the Act. These changes are explained below in
the context of discussion of other provisions.
II. Previous Rulemaking
To assist insurers, policyholders, and other interested parties in
complying with immediately applicable requirements of the Act, Treasury
has issued interim guidance to be relied upon by insurers until
superseded by regulations. Rules establishing general provisions
implementing the Program, including key definitions, and requirements
for policy disclosures and mandatory availability, can be found in
Subparts A, B, and C of 31 CFR Part 50. Treasury's rules applying
provisions of the Act to State residual market insurance entities and
State workers'
[[Page 66052]]
compensation funds are at Subpart D of 31 CFR Part 50. Rules setting
forth procedures for filing claims for payment of the Federal share of
compensation for insured losses are at Subpart F of 31 CFR Part 50.
Subpart G of 31 CFR Part 50 contains rules on audit and recordkeeping
requirements for insurers, while Subpart I of 31 CFR Part 50 contains
Treasury's rules implementing the litigation management provisions of
section 107 of the Act.
III. The Proposed Rule
The proposed rule on which this final rule is based was published
in the Federal Register at 73 FR 53798 on September 17, 2008. The
proposed rule proposed to add a Subpart H on Recoupment and Surcharge
Procedures to part 50, which comprises Treasury's regulations
implementing the Act. It also proposed to add definitions in Sec. 50.5
of Subpart A and amend Sec. Sec. 50.60 and 50.61 of Subpart G. The
proposed rule described how Treasury would determine the amounts to be
recouped, the factors and considerations that would be the basis for
establishing the specific surcharge amount, the procedures for
Treasury's notification to insurers regarding the surcharges to be
imposed, and the requirements for insurers to collect, report, and
remit surcharges to the Treasury.
IV. Summary of Comments and Final Rule
Treasury is now issuing this final rule after careful consideration
of all comments received on the proposed rule. While this final rule
largely reflects the proposed rule, Treasury has made several
clarifications based on the comments. These changes appear in
Sec. Sec. 50.70(c), 50.74(c), and 50.74(e).
Treasury received comments on the proposed rule from two national
insurance industry trade associations, a national insurance rating and
data collection bureau, and one insurance company. As described further
below, commenters generally agreed with the proposed rule and the
approach as being compatible with business operations. There were no
negative comments on the approach. In response to comments, Treasury is
providing additional clarification and some modifications of provisions
in the proposed rule that pertain to notification to insurers, meeting
certain deadlines for the collection of surcharges, describing the
policies and premium subject to surcharges, and closing out insurer
reporting to Treasury. The comments received and Treasury's revisions
to the proposed rule are summarized below.
A. Determination of Recoupment Amount
The final rule describes how and when Treasury will determine
recoupment amounts. Definitions of insurance marketplace aggregate
retention amount, aggregate Federal share of compensation, mandatory
and discretionary recoupment amounts, and uncompensated insured losses,
which reflect requirements in the Act, are added to Sec. 50.5.
The mandatory recoupment amount is the difference between the
insurance marketplace aggregate retention amount for a Program Year and
the aggregate amount, for all insurers, of uncompensated insured losses
during such Program Year (unless the aggregate amount of uncompensated
insured losses is greater than the insurance marketplace aggregate
retention, in which case the mandatory recoupment amount is zero). For
any Program Year beginning with 2008 through 2014, the insurance
marketplace aggregate retention amount is the lesser of $27.5 billion
and the aggregate amount, for all insurers, of insured losses from
Program Trigger Events during the Program Year. For example, if the
aggregate amount of insured losses from Program Trigger Events during
the Program Year were $10 billion, the insurance marketplace aggregate
retention amount would be $10 billion. The mandatory recoupment amount
would be the difference between $10 billion and the aggregate amount of
uncompensated insured losses. ``Uncompensated insured losses'' is
generally the aggregate amount of insured losses from Program Trigger
Events not compensated by the Federal Government because the losses are
within insurer deductibles or the 15 percent insurer share, or are
within the portion of the insured losses that exceed the insurer
deductible but are otherwise not paid pursuant to section 103(e)(1) of
TRIA. The amount of uncompensated insured losses depends on the
distribution of those losses among insurers. So continuing with the
above example, if uncompensated insured losses amounted to $8 billion
and Federal payments amounted to $2 billion, the mandatory recoupment
amount would be $2 billion (the difference between $10 billion and the
aggregate amount of uncompensated insured losses of $8 billion). The
amount the Secretary would be required to collect under section
103(e)(7)(C) of the Act would be 133 percent of $2 billion, or $2.67
billion.
Section 103(e)(7)(D) of the Act also provides the Secretary with
discretionary authority to recoup additional amounts to the extent that
the amount of Federal financial assistance exceeds the mandatory
recoupment amount. The Secretary may recoup such additional amounts the
Secretary believes can be recouped based on: the ultimate costs to
taxpayers of no additional recoupment; the economic conditions in the
commercial marketplace; the affordability of commercial insurance for
small- and medium-sized businesses; and such other factors that the
Secretary considers appropriate. The final rule refers to these
considerations in Sec. 50.70(b). Because of the great uncertainty as
to economic conditions after the occurrence of an act of terrorism,
Treasury believes it is prudent to retain maximum flexibility to
address these considerations at a future time. In exercising this
discretionary authority, however, Treasury generally intends to
consider these various factors on a broad-scale basis.
The Reauthorization Act added section 103(e)(7)(E), which
establishes deadlines by which the collection of terrorism loss risk-
spreading premiums, which are required for mandatory recoupment, must
be accomplished. The amounts and deadlines vary depending on when an
act of terrorism occurs:
For any act of terrorism that occurs on or before December
31, 2010, the Secretary shall collect all required premiums by
September 30, 2012;
For any act of terrorism that occurs between January 1 and
December 31, 2011, the Secretary shall collect 35 percent of any
required premiums by September 30, 2012, and the remainder by September
30, 2017; and
For any act of terrorism that occurs on or after January
1, 2012, the Secretary shall collect all required premiums by September
30, 2017.
Because of these deadlines, one commenter raised a concern over the
potential that recoupment could far outpace the payment of claims and
therefore recommended the use of present value calculations and excess
fund accounts to earn interest on funds provided in advance to the
Federal Government. In the preamble to the proposed rule, Treasury had
stated that the timing requirements for collecting ``required
premiums'' means that surcharges must be sufficient to recoup Federal
funds actually outlaid as of the target dates for recouping any Federal
share of compensation for insured losses. Treasury ascertained that the
commenter's concern was based on the potential for recouping ultimate
Federal share amounts that would not actually be expended by Treasury
until after the recoupment period. For clarification,
[[Page 66053]]
Treasury has revised Sec. 50.70 to state that required amounts will be
collected ``based on the extent to which payments for the Federal share
of compensation have been made by the collection deadlines.'' As
illustrated in the example above, the required amounts include the
additional 33 percent of the outlays. Continuing with the above example
in which the Federal Government expects that Federal payments will
reach $2 billion for an act of terrorism occurring prior to December
31, 2010, if as of September 30, 2012, $1 billion has actually been
paid, recoupment should result in the collection of $1.33 billion by
that date. The remaining amount of Federal payments plus 33 percent
would be recouped after September 30, 2012.
Another commenter suggested additional language for the rule that
would address Treasury's intention to not exceed required amounts in
its establishment of surcharges, the avoidance of collecting de minimis
amounts, and the handling of excess amounts collected. Treasury
believes that the concerns raised were for the most part already
addressed in the proposed rule Sec. 50.72 which, in providing for the
establishment of the surcharge, lists a number of factors and
considerations including the collection timing requirements of section
103(e)(7)(E) of the Act, and the likelihood that the amount of the
Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge may result in the collection of an
aggregate recoupment amount in excess of the planned recoupment amount.
In addition, under the rule the Secretary may consider such other
factors as the Secretary considers important, which could include the
costs of collecting de minimis recoupment amounts.
Section 50.71(a) provides that if payments for the Federal share of
compensation have been made for a Program Year, and Treasury determines
that insured loss information is sufficiently developed and credible to
serve as a basis for calculating recoupment amounts, then Treasury will
make an initial determination of any mandatory or discretionary
recoupment amounts for that Program Year. Ideally, Treasury will use
loss information obtained from the submissions by insurers for the
Federal share of compensation, as well as other industry sources, to
determine the appropriate time to make an initial determination of
recoupment amounts. Thereafter, as described under Sec. 50.71(c),
Treasury will at least annually examine the latest available
information on insured losses to recalculate any recoupment amounts
until such time as Treasury determines that the calculation is
considered final. The final rule, in Sec. 50.71(d), also provides that
Treasury may issue a data call to insurers for the submission of
information on insured losses from Program Trigger Events and for
insurer deductible information.
Treasury must be prepared to initiate mandatory recoupment based on
estimates, prospectively, of insured losses, the Federal share of
compensation for insured losses, and the resulting Federal outlays. The
Reauthorization Act added a provision (Section 103(e)(7)(F)) requiring
the Secretary to publish, within 90 days of the date of an act of
terrorism, an estimate of aggregate insured losses which shall be used
as the basis for determining whether mandatory recoupment will be
required. Proposed Sec. 50.71(b) provided that Treasury would meet
this requirement within 90 days after certification of an act of
terrorism. Two commenters stated that this proposal should be revised
because the statute requires that the estimate be published within 90
days after the occurrence of the act of terrorism.
``Act of terrorism'' is a defined statutory term. Under Section
102(1)(A), an ``act of terrorism'' is any act which is certified by the
Secretary, in concurrence with the Secretary of State and the Attorney
General of the United States, and meets certain specified elements.
Without certification, an act does not meet the definition of an ``act
of terrorism.''
Treasury believes that the most reasonable interpretation of
Section 103(e)(7)(F) is that such an estimate of aggregate insured
losses must be published 90 days after the certification of an act of
terrorism. There is no limitation under Section 102(1) on the time the
Secretary may take to certify, or determine not to certify, an act as
an act of terrorism. Moreover, the purpose of this estimate is for use
in determining whether mandatory recoupment will be required. Until
there is a certification of an act of terrorism, there would be no
basis to make Federal payments for insured losses and no need to
consider whether mandatory recoupment would be required.
This interpretation is also consistent with the Procedural Order
entered by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation concerning
the 90-day period in Section 107(a)(4) of the Act, which requires a
designation by the Panel ``not later than 90 days after the occurrence
of an act of terrorism.'' The order notes the definition of an ``act of
terrorism,'' and accordingly provides that ``the 90-day period for the
Panel to designate the court or courts for litigation covered by the
Act begins on the date that the Treasury Secretary certifies an act of
terrorism.'' Procedural Order filed June 1, 2004, available at https://www.treas.gov/offices/domestic-finance/financial-institution/terrorism-insurance/pdf/order.pdf. For the above reasons, Sec. 50.71(b)(1) is
being adopted as proposed.
2. Establishment of Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge
Once Treasury has determined an amount to be recouped, an
assessment period and Surcharge amount will be established. The final
rule includes new definitions for ``Federal Terrorism Policy
Surcharge'' and '' Surcharge'', ``assessment period'' and ``Surcharge
effective date'', which are added to Sec. 50.5 of the regulations.
Sec. 50.72(b) provides that the Surcharge is the obligation of the
policyholder and payable to the insurer with the premium for a property
and casualty insurance policy in effect during the assessment period.
An ``assessment period'' is defined as a period during which
policyholders must pay, and insurers must collect, the Federal
Terrorism Policy Surcharge for remittance to Treasury. Treasury's
intention is that, to the extent possible, assessment periods will be
in full-year increments in order to equitably impose the Surcharge on
policyholders who have policy term effective dates throughout the year.
Due to the collection deadlines, however, this may not always be
feasible.
The definition for ``Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge'' is the
amount established by Treasury as a policy surcharge on policies of
``property and casualty insurance'' as that term is defined in Sec.
50.5(u). The Surcharge is to be expressed as a percentage of the amount
charged as written premium for commercial property and casualty
coverage in such policies.
The factors and considerations Treasury will consider in
establishing the amount of the Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge are
set out in Sec. 50.72(a). They include requirements of the Act as well
as other factors. In particular, Section 103(e)(7)(C) of TRIA as
amended by the Reauthorization Act, requires that once a mandatory
recoupment amount is determined, collections are to equal 133 percent
of that amount. Section 103(e)(8)(D) of the Act requires Treasury, in
determining the method and manner of imposing the Surcharge, to take
into consideration the economic impact on commercial centers of urban
areas, risk factors related to rural areas and smaller commercial
[[Page 66054]]
centers, and various exposures to terrorism risk for different lines of
insurance. In the preamble to the proposed rule, Treasury explained
that while it will consider these factors at the time it becomes
necessary to establish the amount of a Surcharge, for several reasons
it is likely that the same Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge would
apply to all commercial property and casualty lines of insurance, as
defined by the Act, and all rating classifications. Treasury explained
that after discussions with industry experts, it was understood that
variations in underlying premium amounts for commercial lines insurance
policies already appear to substantially operate in a way that
addresses the adjustment factors described in the Act. Treasury also
stated its concern over the time and resources needed to perform the
complex analyses and to construct and implement a detailed risk
classification scheme reflecting these factors, as well as needing to
meet collection deadlines based on estimates of future Federal outlays.
However, based on a review of economic conditions at the time a
Surcharge amount is established, Treasury stated that it might, if
necessary, and within the collection timing constraints, mitigate
economic impacts by imposing a lesser Surcharge over a longer period of
time. In the proposed rulemaking, Treasury specifically solicited
public comment on this approach. No comments were submitted on this
issue.
3. Notification of Recoupment
Section 50.73 of the final rule states that Treasury will provide
reasonable advance notice of any initial Surcharge effective date. This
effective date shall be January 1, unless such date would not provide
for sufficient notice of implementation while meeting the collection
timing requirements of section 103(e)(7)(E) of the Act.
The purpose of a January 1 effective date is to coordinate with the
National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Annual Statement
reporting period. In the preamble to the proposed rule, Treasury stated
its belief that there is a clear advantage to coordinating an
assessment period and the written premium and remitted Surcharge
amounts with the calendar year basis for the NAIC Annual Statements.
However, insurers also would ideally have 180 days' notice to implement
the Surcharge. The timing of an act of terrorism, the emerging
estimates of insured losses and resulting Federal outlays, and the
requirement to collect the Surcharges by certain deadlines could
impinge on Treasury's ability to provide the desired 180 days' notice
to insurers of a Surcharge implementation as of January 1. Two possible
alternatives for managing this circumstance were suggested for which
Treasury specifically sought public comment.
The first alternative was a possible bifurcated notification to
insurers. Treasury would notify insurers 180 days in advance of January
1, that an assessment period will commence, but the actual Surcharge
amount would not yet be provided. This would allow insurers time to
develop systems changes to implement a Surcharge. The actual Surcharge
amount would be provided at a later date, perhaps at least 60 days in
advance of January 1.
The second alternative was to relax the standard of a January 1
implementation date. The assessment period could start as of the first
day of a later month, but continue through that calendar year. The
result of this would be a more complicated reconciliation of written
premium and Surcharge amounts with NAIC Annual Statement data, but
would yet be substantially consistent with the NAIC Annual Statement
reporting period.
Two commenters provided comments on the alternative approaches.
Both supported the first (bifurcated) approach to notification. One
commenter stated that Treasury should allow at least 90 days advance
notice of the actual surcharge amount while the other commenter stated
that Treasury should provide notice of the actual surcharge amount at
least 60 days in advance of January 1. In considering how to proceed
based on these comments, Treasury is mindful of the generally
recognized downside of using an effective date other than January 1. We
acknowledge that 90 days advance notice of the actual surcharge amount
would be preferable. However, we believe that most insurers could make
the final system changes with at least 60 days' notice. To have to
implement surcharges and reconciliations with a later implementation
date than January 1, just because a 90 day notice was not possible,
would be more disruptive to more insurers. Therefore, in implementing
the final rule in circumstances where all necessary information cannot
be provided at least 180 days in advance, Treasury intends to use the
bifurcated approach. This would include 180 days' notice of the
commencement of an assessment period, and, at least 60 days notice and,
if possible, as much as 90 days notice of the actual surcharge amount.
Treasury will provide notification annually as to continuation of
the Surcharge. Treasury will also provide reasonable advance notice of
any modification or cessation of the Surcharge. In such cases, Treasury
anticipates providing at least 90 days' notice. Notifications will be
accomplished through publications in the Federal Register or in another
manner Treasury deems appropriate, based upon the circumstances of the
particular act of terrorism.
Despite the strong preference for the bifurcated approach, Treasury
must have the flexibility to meet the statutory collection deadlines
even if that approach cannot be accomplished. The final rule retains
the language of Sec. 50.73(b) of the proposed rule, which allows the
effective date to be other than January 1 if that date would not
provide for sufficient notice of implementation while meeting the
statutory collection deadlines. The second alternative described above
would only be implemented as a fallback position.
4. Collecting the Surcharge
Section 50.74 of the proposed rule specified that the Surcharge
shall be imposed and collected on a written premium basis for policies
that are in force during the assessment period. The proposed rule
further provided that all new, renewal, mid-term, and audit additional
premiums for a policy term would be subject to the Surcharge in effect
on the policy term effective date. The preamble to the proposed rule
noted that policies placed in force prior to the assessment period
would not be subject to the Surcharge until renewal, regardless of mid-
term endorsements. Two commenters suggested a clarification in the
rule, referring to policies that ``incept or renew'' during the
assessment period rather than policies that are ``in force'' during the
assessment period. Treasury agrees that this is consistent with the
intent and has made this change in the final rule.
One commenter noted that since return premium on audit would also
be subject to the return of the Surcharge, the term ``audit additional
premiums'' noted above should merely read ``audit premiums.'' Again,
this is consistent with the intent and for the sake of clarity Treasury
has made the suggested change in the final rule. For additional
clarity, Treasury has modified the proposed rule Sec. 50.74(e), which
provided for the return of Surcharge amounts attributable to unearned
premiums which are returned to policyholders, to state that Surcharge
amounts are to be returned when attributable to any refunded premium.
As noted in the preamble of the proposed rule, the definition of
property
[[Page 66055]]
and casualty insurance was the result of extensive consultation, which
produced a regulatory definition crafted in terms of specific lines of
business employed in the NAIC's Exhibit of Premium and Losses of the
NAIC Annual Statement, modified by the exceptions for certain types of
insurance excluded by the Act.
Insurers will be obligated to implement the Federal Terrorism
Policy Surcharge on a policyholder transaction level. There is a
complicating factor in the definition of commercial property and
casualty insurance in that certain exclusions in the definition create
a possibility of individual policies providing types of insurance that
are considered to fall both within and outside the Act's definition of
property and casualty insurance. The authorities under the Act (at
subsections 103(e)(8)(A) and (C) \1\) limit the application of the
Surcharge to the policy premium amount charged for property and
casualty insurance coverage under the policy.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Under the Reauthorization Act, Section 103(e)(8)(C) now
applies only to discretionary recoupment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the proposed rule, as a basic starting point, Treasury proposed
that the Surcharge apply to the full premium for any policy falling
within the definition of property and casualty insurance in proposed
Sec. 50.5(u), i.e., the premium for the policy is reported on the
insurer's NAIC Annual Statement, or equivalent reporting document, in a
specified commercial line of business as defined by Treasury's
regulations. However, a portion of a policy's premium would not be
subject to the Surcharge if, despite the line of business premium
reporting to the NAIC, that portion of the premium is for coverage
under the policy that is a type of insurance not considered to be
commercial property and casualty insurance as specified in Treasury's
regulations.
In the case of a policy providing multiple insurance coverages,
where an insurer cannot identify the premium amount charged
specifically for property and casualty coverage under the policy, the
proposed rule provided for two circumstances. If the insurer estimates
that the portion of the premium amount charged for coverage other than
property and casualty insurance is de minimis to the total premium for
the policy, the insurer may impose and collect from the policyholder a
Surcharge amount based on the total premium for the policy. If the
insurer estimates that the portion of the premium amount charged for
coverage other than property and casualty insurance is not de minimis,
the insurer shall impose and collect from the policyholder a Surcharge
amount based on a reasonable estimate of the premium amount for the
property and casualty insurance coverage under the policy.
One comment on the proposed rule was that it provides no guidance
as to what is and what is not de minimis. Treasury intended for there
to be some flexibility in applying this provision of the rule where
there is a very small, but not specifically calculable portion of the
premium that can be attributed to coverage that is not within the
definition of property and casualty insurance.
The commenter urged Treasury to review analogous provisions of
earlier TRIA regulations, such as those addressing insurer deductibles
and direct earned premium calculations. It was unclear from this
comment whether this was from the standpoint of concept or, more
specifically, the 25 percent threshold for considering commercial
coverage to be incidental to a policy for purposes of the definition of
direct earned premium. If it is the latter, Treasury is satisfied that
25 percent of a premium is not a de minimis amount. However, in
considering further guidance, because of the variety of insurer and
policy premium circumstances, Treasury is reluctant to further define
what is de minimis. As noted in the proposed rule preamble, Treasury
will be developing reporting forms for the insurer submission of
surcharges and will consider additional guidance in connection with
that forms development. For the final rule, the relevant provision,
Sec. 50.74(c)(2), is unchanged.
As part of this rule, Treasury is adding a definition to Sec. 50.5
for direct written premium, which is the premium information for
commercial property and casualty insurance, as defined in the
regulations, that is included by an insurer in column 1 of the Exhibit
of Premiums and Losses of the NAIC Annual Statement or in an equivalent
reporting requirement. Consistent with the discussion above, an insurer
would subtract the premium that is not subject to the Surcharge.
Otherwise, the full premium for the policy is included for Surcharge
computation. Minor adjustments to the definition of direct earned
premium to eliminate some inconsistencies between that definition and
the new definition of direct written premium are included in the final
rule as had been proposed. The definition of direct written premium has
been crafted to be consistent with premium billing and collection
practices on a transactional level, as well as consistent with state
regulatory requirements for reporting written premiums. The Surcharge
itself is not considered premium.
The proposed rule, in Sec. 50.74(c)(1), stated that for purposes
of applying the Surcharge, written premium basis means the premium
amount charged a policyholder by an insurer for property and casualty
insurance as defined in Sec. 50.5(u), including all premiums, policy
expense constants and fees defined as premium pursuant to the
Statements of Statutory Accounting Principles (SSAP) established by the
NAIC. One commenter asserted that since states can modify the SSAP,
this section should allow for premium pursuant to the SSAP as adopted
by the jurisdiction for which the premium is reported. Treasury has
made this change in the final rule.
Section 50.74(f) provides that an insurer may satisfy its
obligation to collect the Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge by
remitting the calculated Surcharge amount to Treasury, without actual
collection, in circumstances where the expense of collecting the
Surcharge from all policyholders during an assessment period exceeds
the amount of the Surcharges anticipated to be collected.
The Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge is a repayment of Federal
financial assistance in an amount required by law. It is not a premium
paid by a policyholder to an insurer. Proposed Sec. 50.74(g) stated
that no fee or commission shall be charged on the Federal Terrorism
Policy Surcharge. Two commenters said that the provision should be
expanded to provide that the surcharge is not subject to taxes or
assessments. Section 106 of the Act generally preserves the
jurisdiction or regulatory authority of the insurance commissioner (or
any agency or office performing like functions) of any state over any
insurer or other person except as specifically provided in the Act.
Whether the surcharge is subject to taxes or assessments concerns state
law as well as the issue of Federal preemption. Treasury has concluded
that taxes and assessments should not be addressed in the regulation.
The proposed rule provided that if an insurer returns any unearned
premium to a policyholder, it shall also return any Federal Terrorism
Policy Surcharge collected that is attributable to the unearned
premium. As noted earlier in the discussion of comments associated with
treatment of audit premiums, Sec. 50.74(e) of the final rule has been
modified to address the refund of any premiums.
[[Page 66056]]
The final rule provides that the insurer shall have such rights and
remedies to enforce the collection of the Surcharge that are equivalent
to those that exist under applicable state or other law for nonpayment
of premium. Insurers should follow the appropriate state law in such
circumstances.
5. Remitting the Surcharge
The effect of Sec. 50.76 of the final rule is that,
notwithstanding the definition of an insurer in prior Sec. 50.5(f)
(now redesignated as Sec. 50.5(l)), the collection, reporting and
remittance of Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharges to Treasury shall be
the responsibility of each individual insurer entity as otherwise
defined in Sec. 50.5(f) without including affiliates. This is because
affiliations of insurers that are relevant in determining insurer
deductibles are not pertinent to the collection and remittance of the
Surcharges.
Consistent with the Act, Treasury's approach to the collection and
remittance of the Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge is to place an
obligation on the policyholder to pay the Surcharge and require the
insurer to collect the Surcharge from each policyholder. The final rule
provides insurers the means to address non-payment of the Surcharge and
provides for the reporting and remittance of the Surcharge to Treasury
according to calculated amounts that are based on statutory financial
reporting already required by the States. The description of premium
subject to the Surcharge in Sec. 50.74(c) and the definition of
``direct written premium'' in Sec. 50.5(g) and other provisions of the
final rule on the treatment of the Surcharge at both the policy
transaction and financial statement reporting levels have been crafted
so that the Surcharge amounts calculated for remittance to Treasury
will be equivalent to the actual collections. By relying on premium
amounts that are reported to the States, and that are already subject
to other audit requirements, Treasury expects that its own audit
responsibilities can be accomplished with less focus on individual
insurer compliance with the Surcharge collection than would otherwise
be necessary. This will result in a more efficient mechanism for
recoupment for Treasury, insurers, and policyholders.
In developing reporting and remittance frequency requirements,
Treasury considered the amount of time insurers may be holding the
funds collected prior to remittance to Treasury, and the current Value
of Federal Funds published by the Treasury's Financial Management
Service. Treasury also recognizes that a monthly accounting period is
standard within the insurance industry. The final rule allows insurers
to retain the interest (and therefore not have to separately account
and remit such amounts to Treasury) on funds collected on a ``written''
basis and remitted monthly to Treasury. Treasury believes that this is
a reasonably efficient approach to administering the collection and
remittance requirements of the Act. Should the Value of Federal Funds
at the time of any actual imposition of the Federal Terrorism Policy
Surcharge be significantly greater than current levels, Treasury will
revisit this issue.
Section 50.75 of the final rule calls for insurers to report and
remit Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharges on a monthly basis, starting
with the first month within the assessment period, through November of
the calendar year and on an annual basis as of the last month. As
discussed earlier, ideally and as intended, the first month within the
assessment period would be January. The requirements are expected to
ease the administrative burden by building upon reporting requirements
already imposed by the States. The definition of ``direct written
premium'' on which an insurer must report and the specific due dates
for reporting in Sec. 50.75(a) have been coordinated with NAIC Annual
Statement requirements. The main reconciliation of information reported
to Treasury and to NAIC would be accomplished with the year-end NAIC
Annual Statements.
The collection timing requirements of section 103(e)(7)(E) of the
Act generally require recoupment of certain amounts of Federal outlays
through September 30, coinciding with the end of the Federal fiscal
year. Treasury will estimate recoupment amounts and Surcharges so that
these deadlines are met, while still keeping to an end of calendar year
date for defining an assessment period. This end date will allow the
reporting and reconciliation to be coordinated with Annual Statements.
To accommodate possible changes in the Federal Terrorism Policy
Surcharge amount from one year to another, direct written premium is to
be broken down by policy year. This is similar to requirements imposed
at the state-level with regard to other assessments.
Since remittance is on a ``written'' basis, the proposed rule
provided for a continued reporting requirement for one year following
the end of the assessment period. One commenter noted that closing out
reporting one year after the termination of the assessment period would
be satisfactory for the vast majority of policies, but that some
policies will have final audits that close after that time and that, in
addition, the proposed rule was unclear with respect to policies with
terms longer than one year. In developing the proposed rule and in
considering this comment, Treasury has endeavored to strike a balance
between the accounting of Surcharges and the costs of maintaining the
systems for collecting, submitting, and reporting of Surcharges on the
part of insurers and Treasury. After consulting with industry experts,
Treasury believes that revisions to the written premium amounts that
would occur more than one year after the termination of the assessment
period, which would be associated with additional or returned premiums
on policies that incepted or renewed in the assessment period, would be
sufficiently small relative to the aggregate premium amounts to justify
ending further adjustments to the Surcharge. Therefore in the final
rule, clarifications have been added to Sec. Sec. 50.74(c) and (e) to
provide that insurers are no longer required to collect or refund
Surcharges once the reporting requirement to Treasury has ended.
Section 50.75(d) has also been revised to clarify that an insurer
obtains credit for a refund of any Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharges
previously remitted to Treasury through its submission of monthly or
annual statements.
Treasury will be developing forms for the reporting and remittance
of the Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge and plans on implementing an
electronic reporting and payment facility.
6. Audit Authority and Recordkeeping
It is Treasury's intention that it's reporting requirements,
coordinated and reconciled with other state-level reporting, will
result in less of an audit burden than might otherwise be necessary.
The final rule includes a revision of the current Sec. 50.60 and an
addition to the current Sec. 50.61. The revision adds language to the
effect that the Secretary of the Treasury, or an authorized
representative, shall have, upon reasonable notice, access to all
books, documents, papers and records of an insurer that are pertinent
to the Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge. The addition generally
provides that records relating to premiums, Surcharges, collections and
remittances to Treasury shall be retained by an insurer and kept
available for review for not less than three (3) years following the
conclusion of the assessment period or settlement of accounts with
Treasury, whichever is later.
[[Page 66057]]
7. Enforcement
Insurers will be responsible for collecting appropriate Surcharge
amounts from their policyholders. Because Sec. 50.74(d) provides that
insurers have rights and remedies to enforce collection that are
equivalent to those that exist under state law for nonpayment of
premium, Treasury believes insurers will have the requisite tools to
collect the Surcharge. Treasury may rely on its authority to impose
civil monetary penalties on an insurer pursuant to section 104(e)(1)(A)
of the Act for the failure to charge, collect or timely remit proper
Surcharge amounts to enforce the provisions of this final rule.
8. Other Technical Changes
As noted under ``Collecting the Surcharge,'' the final rule
includes some minor changes to the existing definition of ``direct
earned premium.'' Although the complete definition is set out for
information, no substantive changes were made to the existing Sec.
50.5(d)(1)(iv), (d)(2), (d)(3), and (d)(4). Similarly, although the
existing provision on recordkeeping is set out in Sec. 50.61(a), no
substantive changes were made to that provision.
V. Procedural Requirements
Executive Order 12866, ``Regulatory Planning and Review''. This
rule is a significant regulatory action for purposes of Executive Order
12866, ``Regulatory Planning and Review,'' and has been reviewed by the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Regulatory Flexibility Act. Pursuant to the Regulatory Flexibility
Act, 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq., it is hereby certified that this rule will
not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small
entities. TRIA requires all insurers that receive direct earned
premiums for commercial property and casualty insurance, to participate
in the Program. Treasury is required to recoup all or a portion of the
Federal share of compensation paid to insurers for insured losses in
accordance with the Act. Insurers that are affected by these
regulations tend to be large businesses, therefore Treasury has
determined that the rule will not affect a substantial number of small
entities. In addition, Treasury has determined that the economic impact
of the rule is not significant. The Act requires that a policyholder
surcharge be imposed on all policies of property and casualty
insurance, as defined in the Act. The Act requires Treasury to provide
for insurers to collect the surcharges and remit them to Treasury.
Unless there is an act of terrorism, and a Federal sharing of
compensation for insured losses requiring recoupment, there is no
economic impact at all. The ability to collect surcharges is routine
within the insurance industry. Should a surcharge be required, it would
be collected and submitted by insurers based on existing normal
business processes. The payment of a surcharge is the obligation of the
policyholder. The insurer must collect the surcharge, but would do so
through the normal payment by the policyholder of the insurance premium
for property and casualty insurance. The economic impact on all
commercial property and casualty insurers (including any that might be
small entities) should thus be minimal. Treasury did not receive any
comments at the proposed rule stage relating to the rule's impact on
small entities. Accordingly, a regulatory flexibility analysis is not
required.
Paperwork Reduction Act. The collection of information contained in
this final rule has been approved by the OMB under the requirements of
the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3507(d) and has been assigned
control number 1505-0207.
List of Subjects in 31 CFR Part 50
Terrorism risk insurance.
Authority and Issuance
0
For the reasons stated above, 31 CFR part 50 is amended as follows:
PART 50--TERRORISM RISK INSURANCE PROGRAM
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1. The authority citation for part 50 is revised to read as follows:
Authority: 5 U.S.C. 301; 31 U.S.C. 321; Title I, Pub. L. 107-
297, 116 Stat. 2322, as amended by Pub. L. 109-144, 119 Stat. 2660
and Pub. L. 110-160, 121 Stat. 1839 (15 U.S.C. 6701 note).
0
2. Section 50.5 is amended as follows:
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a. Paragraphs (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), (j), (k), (l), (m), (n),
(o), (p), (q), and (r) are redesignated as paragraphs (f), (k), (l),
(m), (o), (p), (q), (r), (s), (t), (u), (v), (w), (z) and (bb),
respectively.
0
b. New paragraphs (d), (e), (g), (h), (i), (j), (n), (x), (y), and (aa)
are added.
0
c. Newly designated paragraph (f) is revised.
The revisions read as follows:
Sec. 50.5 Definitions.
* * * * *
(d) Aggregate Federal share of compensation means the aggregate
amount paid by Treasury for the Federal share of compensation for
insured losses in a Program Year.
(e) Assessment period means a period, established by Treasury,
during which policyholders of property and casualty insurance policies
must pay, and insurers must collect, the Federal Terrorism Policy
Surcharge for remittance to Treasury.
(f) Direct earned premium means direct earned premium for all
commercial property and casualty insurance issued by any insurer for
insurance against all losses, including losses from an act of
terrorism, occurring at the locations described in section 102(5)(A)
and (B) of the Act.
(1) State licensed or admitted insurers. For a State licensed or
admitted insurer that reports to the NAIC, direct earned premium is the
premium information for commercial property and casualty insurance
reported by the insurer on column 2 of the NAIC Exhibit of Premiums and
Losses of the NAIC Annual Statement (commonly known as Statutory Page
14). (See definition of property and casualty insurance.)
(i) Premium information as reported to the NAIC should be included
in the calculation of direct earned premiums for purposes of the
Program only to the extent it reflects premiums for commercial property
and casualty insurance issued by the insurer against losses occurring
at the locations described in section 102(5)(A) and (B) of the Act.
(ii) Premiums for personal property and casualty insurance
(insurance primarily designed to cover personal, family or household
risk exposures, with the exception of insurance written to insure 1 to
4 family rental dwellings owned for the business purpose of generating
income for the property owner), or premiums for any other insurance
coverage that does not meet the definition of commercial property and
casualty insurance, should be excluded in the calculation of direct
earned premiums for purposes of the Program.
(iii) Personal property and casualty insurance coverage that
includes incidental coverage for commercial purposes is primarily
personal coverage, and therefore premiums may be fully excluded by an
insurer from the calculation of direct earned premium. For purposes of
the Program, commercial coverage is incidental if less than 25 percent
of the total direct earned premium is attributable to commercial
coverage. Commercial property and casualty insurance against losses
occurring at locations other than the locations described in section
102(5)(A) and (B) of the Act, or other insurance coverage that does not
meet the definition of commercial property and casualty insurance, but
that
[[Page 66058]]
includes incidental coverage for commercial risk exposures at such
locations, is primarily not commercial property and casualty insurance,
and therefore premiums for such insurance may also be fully excluded by
an insurer from the calculation of direct earned premium. For purposes
of this section, commercial property and casualty insurance for losses
occurring at the locations described in section 102(5)(A) and (B) of
the Act is incidental if less than 25 percent of the total direct
earned premium for the insurance policy is attributable to coverage at
such locations. Also for purposes of this section, coverage for
commercial risk exposures is incidental if it is combined with
coverages that otherwise do not meet the definition of commercial
property and casualty insurance and less than 25 percent of the total
direct earned premium for the insurance policy is attributable to the
coverage for commercial risk exposures.
(iv) If a property and casualty insurance policy covers both
commercial and personal risk exposures, insurers may allocate the
premiums in accordance with the proportion of risk between commercial
and personal components in order to ascertain direct earned premium. If
a policy includes insurance coverage that meets the definition of
commercial property and casualty insurance for losses occurring at the
locations described in section 102(5)(A) and (B) of the Act, but also
includes other coverage, insurers may allocate the premiums in
accordance with the proportion of risk attributable to the components
in order to ascertain direct earned premium.
(2) Insurers that do not report to NAIC. An insurer that does not
report to the NAIC, but that is licensed or admitted by any State (such
as certain farm or county mutual insurers), should use the guidance
provided in paragraph (f)(1) of this section to assist in ascertaining
its direct earned premium.
(i) Direct earned premium may be ascertained by adjusting data
maintained by such insurer or reported by such insurer to its State
regulator to reflect a breakdown of premiums for commercial and
personal property and casualty exposure risk as described in paragraph
(f)(1) of this section and, if necessary, re-stated to reflect the
accrual method of determining direct earned premium versus direct
premium.
(ii) Such an insurer should consider other types of payments that
compensate the insurer for risk of loss (contributions, assessments,
etc.) as part of its direct earned premium.
(3) Certain eligible surplus line carrier insurers. An eligible
surplus line carrier insurer listed on the NAIC Quarterly Listing of
Alien Insurers must ascertain its direct earned premium as follows:
(i) For policies that were in-force as of November 26, 2002, or
entered into prior to January 1, 2003, direct earned premiums are to be
determined with reference to the definition of property and casualty
insurance and the locations described in section 102(5)(A) and (B) of
the Act by allocating the appropriate portion of premium income for
losses for property and casualty insurance at such locations. The same
allocation methodologies contained within the NAIC's ``Allocation of
Surplus Lines and Independently Procured Insurance Premium Tax on
Multi-State Risks Model Regulation'' for allocating premium between
coverage for property and casualty insurance for losses occurring at
the locations described in section 102(5)(A) and (B) of the Act and all
other coverage, to ascertain the appropriate percentage of premium
income to be included in direct earned premium, may be used.
(ii) For policies issued after January 1, 2003, premium for
insurance that meets the definition of property and casualty insurance
for losses occurring at the locations described in section 102(5)(A)
and (B) of the Act, must be priced separately by such eligible surplus
line carriers.
(4) Federally approved insurers. A federally approved insurer under
section 102(6)(A)(iii) of the Act should use a methodology similar to
that specified for eligible surplus line carrier insurers in paragraph
(f)(3) of this section to calculate its direct earned premium. Such
calculation should be adjusted to reflect the limitations on scope of
insurance coverage under the Program (i.e., to the extent of federal
approval of commercial property and casualty insurance in connection
with maritime, energy or aviation activities).
(g) Direct written premium means the premium information for
commercial property and casualty insurance as defined in paragraph (u)
of this section that is included by an insurer in column 1 of the
Exhibit of Premiums and Losses of the NAIC Annual Statement or in an
equivalent reporting requirement. The Federal Terrorism Policy
Surcharge is not included in amounts reported as direct written
premium.
(h) Discretionary recoupment amount means such amount of the
aggregate Federal share of compensation in excess of the mandatory
recoupment amount that the Secretary has determined will be recouped
pursuant to section 103(e)(7)(D) of the Act.
(i) Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge means the amount established
by Treasury under section 103(e)(8) of the Act which is imposed as a
policy surcharge on property and casualty insurance policies, expressed
as a percentage of the written premium.
(j) Insurance marketplace aggregate retention amount means an
amount for a Program Year as set forth in section 103(e)(6) of the Act.
For any Program Year beginning with 2008 through 2014, such amount is
the lesser of $27,500,000,000 and the aggregate amount, for all
insurers, of insured losses from Program Trigger Events during the
Program Year.
* * * * *
(n) Mandatory recoupment amount means the difference between the
insurance marketplace aggregate retention amount for a Program Year and
the uncompensated insured losses during such Program Year. The
mandatory recoupment amount shall be zero, however, if the amount of
such uncompensated insured losses is greater than the insurance
marketplace aggregate retention amount.
* * * * *
(x) Surcharge means the Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge as
defined in paragraph (i) of this section.
(y) Surcharge effective date means the date established by Treasury
that begins the assessment period.
* * * * *
(aa) Uncompensated insured losses--means the aggregate amount of
insured losses, from Program Trigger Events, of all insurers in a
Program Year that is not compensated by the Federal Government because
such losses:
(1) Are within the insurer deductibles of insurers, or
(2) Are within the portions of losses in excess of insurer
deductibles that are not compensated through payments made as a result
of claims for the Federal share of compensation.
* * * * *
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3. Revise Sec. Sec. 50.60 and 50.61 of Subpart G to read as follows:
Sec. 50.60 Audit authority.
The Secretary of the Treasury, or an authorized representative,
shall have, upon reasonable notice, access to all books, documents,
papers and records of an insurer that are pertinent to amounts paid to
the insurer as the Federal share of compensation for insured losses, or
pertinent to any Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge that is imposed
pursuant to subpart H of this part, for the purpose of investigation,
confirmation, audit and examination.
[[Page 66059]]
Sec. 50.61 Recordkeeping.
(a) Each insurer that seeks payment of a Federal share of
compensation under subpart F of this part shall retain such records as
are necessary to fully disclose all material matters pertinent to
insured losses and the Federal share of compensation sought under the
Program, including, but not limited to, records regarding premiums and
insured losses for all commercial property and casualty insurance
issued by the insurer and information relating to any adjustment in the
amount of the Federal share of compensation payable. Insurers shall
maintain detailed records for not less than five (5) years from the
termination dates of all reinsurance agreements involving commercial
property and casualty insurance subject to the Act. Records relating to
premiums shall be retained and available for review for not less than
three (3) years following the conclusion of the policy year. Records
relating to underlying claims shall be retained for not less than five
(5) years following the final adjustment of the claim.
(b) Each insurer that collects a Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge
as required by subpart H of this part shall retain records related to
such Surcharge, including records of the property and casualty
insurance premiums subject to the Surcharge, the amount of the
Surcharge imposed on each policy, aggregate Federal Terrorism Policy
Surcharges collected, and aggregate Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharges
remitted to Treasury during each assessment period. Such records shall
be retained and kept available for review for not less than three (3)
years following the conclusion of the assessment period or settlement
of accounts with Treasury, whichever is later.
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4. Subpart H of part 50 is added to read as follows:
Subpart H--Recoupment and Surcharge Procedures
Sec.
50.70 Mandatory and discretionary recoupment.
50.71 Determination of recoupment amounts.
50.72 Establishment of Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge.
50.73 Notification of recoupment.
50.74 Collecting the surcharge.
50.75 Remitting the surcharge.
50.76 Insurer responsibility.
Subpart H--Recoupment and Surcharge Procedures
Sec. 50.70 Mandatory and discretionary recoupment.
(a) Pursuant to section 103 of the Act, the Secretary shall impose,
and insurers shall collect, such Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharges as
needed to recover 133 percent of the mandatory recoupment amount for
any Program Year.
(b) In the Secretary's discretion, the Secretary may recover any
portion of the aggregate Federal share of compensation that exceeds the
mandatory recoupment amount through a Federal Terrorism Policy
Surcharge based on the factors set forth in section 103(e)(7)(D) of the
Act.
(c) If the Secretary is required to impose a Federal Terrorism
Policy Surcharge as provided in paragraph (a) of this section, then the
required amounts, based on the extent to which payments for the Federal
share of compensation have been made by the collection deadlines in
section 103(e)(7)(E) of the Act, shall be collected in accordance with
such deadlines:
(1) For any act of terrorism that occurs on or before December 31,
2010, the Secretary shall collect all required amounts by September 30,
2012;
(2) For any act of terrorism that occurs between January 1 and
December 31, 2011, the Secretary shall collect 35 percent of any
required amounts by September 30, 2012, and the remainder by September
30, 2017; and
(3) For any act of terrorism that occurs on or after January 1,
2012, the Secretary shall collect all required amounts by September 30,
2017.
Sec. 50.71 Determination of recoupment amounts.
(a) If payments for the Federal share of compensation have been
made for a Program Year, and Treasury determines that insured loss
information is sufficiently developed and credible to serve as a basis
for calculating recoupment amounts, Treasury will make an initial
determination of any mandatory or discretionary recoupment amounts for
that Program Year.
(b)(1) Within 90 days after certification of an act of terrorism,
the Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register an estimate of
aggregate insured losses which shall be used as the basis for initially
determining whether mandatory recoupment will be required.
(2) If at any time Treasury projects that payments for the Federal
share of compensation will be made for a Program Year, and that in
order to meet the collection timing requirements of section
103(e)(7)(E) of the Act it is necessary to use an estimate of such
payments as a basis for calculating recoupment amounts, Treasury will
make an initial determination of any mandatory recoupment amounts for
that Program Year.
(c) Following the initial determination of recoupment amounts for a
Program Year, Treasury will recalculate any mandatory or discretionary
recoupment amount as necessary and appropriate, and at least annually,
until a final recoupment amount for the Program Year is determined.
Treasury will compare any recalculated recoupment amount to amounts
already remitted and/or to be remitted to Treasury for a Federal
Terrorism Policy Surcharge previously established to determine whether
any additional amount will be recouped by Treasury.
(d) For the purpose of determining initial or recalculated
recoupment amounts, Treasury may issue a data call to insurers for
insurer deductible and insured loss information by Program Year.
Treasury's determination of the aggregate amount of insured losses from
Program Trigger Events of all insurers for a Program Year will be based
on the amounts reported in response to a data call and any other
information Treasury in its discretion considers appropriate.
Submission of data in response to a data call shall be on a form
promulgated by Treasury.
Sec. 50.72 Establishment of Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge.
(a) Treasury will establish the Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge
based on the following factors and considerations:
(1) In the case of a mandatory recoupment amount, the requirement
to collect 133 percent of that amount;
(2) The total dollar amount to be recouped as a percentage of the
latest available annual aggregate industry direct written premium
information;
(3) The adjustment factors for terrorism loss risk-spreading
premiums described in section 103(e)(8)(D) of the Act;
(4) The annual 3 percent limitation on terrorism loss risk-
spreading premiums collected on a discretionary basis as provided in
section 103(e)(8)(C) of the Act;
(5) A preferred minimum initial assessment period of one full year
and subsequent extension periods in full year increments;
(6) The collection timing requirements of section 103(e)(7)(E) of
the Act;
(7) The likelihood that the amount of the Federal Terrorism Policy
Surcharge
[[Page 66060]]
may result in the collection of an aggregate recoupment amount in
excess of the planned recoupment amount; and
(8) Such other factors as the Secretary considers important.
(b) The Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge shall be the obligation
of the policyholder and is payable to the insurer with the premium for
a property and casualty insurance policy in effect during the
assessment period established by Treasury. See Sec. 50.74(c).
Sec. 50.73 Notification of recoupment.
(a) Treasury will provide notifications of recoupment through
publication of notices in the Federal Register or in another manner
Treasury deems appropriate, based upon the circumstances of the act of
terrorism under consideration.
(b) Treasury will provide reasonable advance notice to insurers of
any initial Federal Terrorism Policy Surcharge effective date. This
ef