NAIFA-NJ recently put out a call to action to its members, asking them to contact their state senators to vote "No" on S-1559. The bill, the New Jersey Insurance Fair Conduct Act, would establish a private cause of action for first-party claimants against an auto insurer for an unreasonable delay or denial of a claim or for violating statutes prohibiting unfair or deceptive acts or practices. 

North Dakota lawmakers are considering a bill that would impose a three-year ban on the sale of long-term care insurance policies. The bill, SB 2253, has four sponsors seeking to use the three-year moratorium to study the market and premium increases.

Ohio’s Department of Insurance recently proposed updates to its “3901-6-13 Suitability Annuity Transactions” rule.  The state’s Director of Insurance, Jillian Froment, chaired the National Association of Insurance Commissioner’s Annuity Suitability Working Group while the working group crafted revisions to the NAIC’s “Suitability In Annuity Transactions Model Regulation (#275).”  As expected, the Ohio proposal is similar to the model. It establishes a new standard of conduct that goes beyond the rule’s current suitability standard, but it is not a fiduciary standard. 

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed into law SB 1557 on Friday June 5, 2020. The measure will amend the state’s requirements governing annuity recommendations and sales by requiring producers and insurers to act in the best interest of annuity purchasers and to not put their own financial interests ahead of the consumers’ interest. These revisions track amendments made earlier this year by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to the NAIC Suitability in Annuity Transactions Model Regulation, which aligns well with the SEC’s Regulation Best Interest and will raise the standard of care required of financial professionals while preserving consumers’ access to valuable financial advice, services and products.

NAIFA State Advocacy Amidst COVID-19: A Glimpse into the Unknown