New Jersey Administrative Code
Title 11 - INSURANCE
Chapter 1 - ADMINISTRATION
Subchapter 28 - FORMATION OF A DOMESTIC PROPERTY AND CASUALTY INSURANCE CORPORATION STOCK OR MUTUAL OR RECIPROCAL INSURANCE EXCHANGE
Section 11:1-28.10 - Certificate of authority
Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024
(a) When satisfied that an applicant has complied with all of the requirements of this subchapter and all of the requirements of 17:17-1 et seq., 17:46A-1 et seq., 17:46B-1 et seq. and 17:50-1 et seq., as applicable, to entitle it to engage in business and that the proposed methods of operation of the applicant and the background of the officers and directors are not such as would render its operation hazardous to the public or its policyholders, the Commissioner shall issue a certificate to the applicant authorizing it to commence business. The Commissioner shall specify in the certificate the particular kind or kinds of insurance the applicant is authorized to transact.
(b) The Commissioner may refuse to issue a certificate of authority if he or she finds that any of the applicant's directors or officers has been convicted of a crime involving fraud, dishonesty or like moral turpitude or that said persons are not persons of good character and integrity.
(c) No corporation shall transact the business for which it is incorporated until it has received a certificate of authority from the Commissioner. Except for reciprocal insurance exchanges, if any corporation fails to obtain such certificate within one year from the date of certification of its certificate of incorporation by the Attorney General pursuant to 17:17-5, the corporation shall be dissolved and its certificate of incorporation shall be null and void.
(d) In clarification of 11:2-29.5(a)1 i, if an applicant is granted authority to transact private passenger automobile insurance, the approval shall provide that if the applicant (insurer) later seeks to withdraw from transacting such business pursuant to N.J.A.C. 11:2-29, the period of time which such insurer must seek to place its business with a replacement carrier, which shall begin on the date of the Commissioner's approval of the plan of orderly withdrawal, shall be based on the time between the date of issuance of the certificate of authority and the date of the filing of a complete plan of orderly withdrawal as set forth in 11:2-29.4, as follows:
(e) The provisions set forth in (d) above shall also apply to any private passenger automobile insurer seeking to withdraw on or after November 20, 1995. However, the provisions set forth in (d) above shall not apply to any insurer authorized or admitted to transact business acting as an approved replacement carrier for an insurer which has withdrawn from transacting private passenger automobile insurance pursuant to N.J.A.C. 11:2-29. If such replacement carrier seeks to withdraw from transacting private passenger automobile insurance, the time period over which such insurer shall be required to seek to place its business with an acceptable replacement carrier shall be governed solely by 11:2-29.5(a)1 i, without regard to (d) above.
(f) As a condition of approving the application for certificate of authority, the Commissioner may limit the applicant's authority to write business, including a limitation on the amount of premium volume the applicant may write, for a period not to exceed five years, consistent with the applicant's feasibility study submitted pursuant to 11:1-28.5 and other applicable laws. In determining whether to limit the applicant's authority, the Commissioner shall consider all relevant factors, including, but not limited to:
(g) In the case of private passenger automobile insurance, any limitation imposed pursuant to (f) above shall be based solely on a determination that exceeding such limitation would result in the insurer being or becoming in an unsafe or unsound financial condition, as determined consistent with the criteria set forth in 17:33B-19 and 17:33B-20.
(h) An insurer shall not limit its writings pursuant to any premium volume limitation imposed pursuant to (f) or (g) above until the insurer notifies the Department that it is approaching such limitation and the Department notifies the insurer to so limit its writings.