§431:8-302 Surplus lines insurers. (a) No surplus lines broker shall, either knowingly or without reasonable investigation of the financial condition and general reputation of the insurer, place insurance with a financially unsound insurer or with an insurer engaging in an unfair practice.

(b) A surplus lines broker may place surplus lines insurance only with insurers who are authorized to write that type of insurance in the insurer's domiciliary state.

(c) A surplus lines broker shall not place coverage with an unauthorized insurer unless, at the time of placement, the surplus lines broker has determined that:

(1) The unauthorized insurer has capital and surplus or its equivalent under the laws of its domiciliary state that equal the greater of the minimum capital requirement of this State or a minimum of $15,000,000; provided that:

(A) Minimum capital requirements may be satisfied by the insurer's possessing less than the minimum capital and surplus upon an affirmative finding of acceptability by the commissioner;

(B) A finding of acceptability pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall be based upon factors such as quality of management, capital and surplus of any parent company, company underwriting profit and investment income trends, market availability, and company record and reputation within the industry; and

(C) The commissioner shall not make an affirmative finding of acceptability pursuant to subparagraph (A) if the unauthorized insurer's capital and surplus is less than $4,500,000; or

(2) For an insurer not domiciled in the United States or its territories, the insurer shall be listed on the Quarterly Listing of Alien Insurers maintained by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners International Insurers Department; provided that:

(A) If an alien insurer is not in the Quarterly Listing of Alien Insurers, the surplus lines broker shall maintain in the broker's office evidence of the financial responsibility of the insurer; and

(B) Evidence satisfactory to the commissioner that the insurer maintains in the United States an irrevocable trust fund in either a national bank or a member of the Federal Reserve System in an amount of not less than $5,400,000 consisting of cash, securities, letters of credit, or of investments of substantially the same character and quality as those which are eligible investments for the capital and statutory reserves of authorized insurers writing like kinds of insurance in this State, for the protection of all its policyholders in the United States, shall constitute prima facie evidence of the financial responsibility of the insurer. [L 1987, c 347, pt of §2; am L 1993, c 205, §12; am L 2000, c 182, §7; am L 2011, c 68, §9; am L 2019, c 216, §1]