As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings, respectively, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

(1) ACTUARY. A person who is a member in good standing of the American Academy of Actuaries.

(2) COMMISSIONER. The Alabama Commissioner of Insurance.

(3) CONTROLLING PERSON. Any person, firm, association, or corporation who directly or indirectly has the power to direct or cause to be directed, the management, control, or activities of the reinsurance intermediary.

(4) INSURER. Any person, firm, association, or corporation duly licensed in this state pursuant to the applicable provisions of the insurance law as an insurer.

(5) LICENSED PRODUCER. An insurance producer or reinsurance intermediary licensed pursuant to the applicable provision of the insurance law.

(6) QUALIFIED U.S. FINANCIAL INSTITUTION. An institution that:

a. Is organized or, in the case of a U.S. office of a foreign banking organization, licensed, pursuant to the laws of the United States or any state.

b. Is regulated, supervised, and examined by federal or state authorities having regulatory authority over banks and trust companies.

c. Has been determined by either the commissioner, or the Securities Valuation Office of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, to meet the standards of financial condition and standing as are considered necessary and appropriate to regulate the quality of financial institutions whose letters of credit will be acceptable to the commissioner.

(7) REINSURANCE INTERMEDIARY. A reinsurance intermediary-broker or a reinsurance intermediary-manager as these terms are defined in subdivisions (8) and (9).

(8) REINSURANCE INTERMEDIARY-BROKER. Any person, other than an officer or employee of the ceding insurer, firm, association, or corporation who solicits, negotiates, or places reinsurance cessions or retrocessions on behalf of a ceding insurer without the authority or power to bind reinsurance on behalf of such insurer.

(9) REINSURANCE INTERMEDIARY-MANAGER. Any person, firm, association, or corporation who has authority to bind or manages all or part of the assumed reinsurance business of a reinsurer, including the management of a separate division, department, or underwriting office, and acts as an agent for such reinsurer whether known as a reinsurance intermediary-manager, manager, or other similar term. Notwithstanding the above, the following persons shall not be considered a reinsurance intermediary-manager, with respect to such reinsurer, for the purposes of this chapter:

a. An employee of the reinsurer.

b. A U.S. manager of the United States branch of an alien reinsurer.

c. An underwriting manager which, pursuant to contract, manages all or part of the reinsurance operations of the reinsurer, is under common control with the reinsurer, subject to Chapter 29 of this title, and whose compensation is not based on the volume of premiums written.

d. The manager of a group, association, pool, or organization of insurers which engages in joint underwriting or joint reinsurance, but only if the group, association, pool, or organization of insurers, as distinguished from its members, is subject to examination by the Commissioner of Insurance of the state in which the manager's principal business office is located.

(10) REINSURER. Any person, firm, association, or corporation duly licensed in this state pursuant to the applicable provisions of the insurance law as an insurer with the authority to assume reinsurance.

(11) TO BE IN VIOLATION. The reinsurance intermediary, insurer, or reinsurer for whom the reinsurance intermediary was acting failed to substantially comply with the provisions of this chapter.