58-3-150. Forms to be approved by Commissioner.

(a) It is unlawful for any insurance company licensed and admitted to do business in this State to issue, sell, or dispose of any policy, contract, certificate, or certificate of insurance, or use applications in connection therewith, until the forms of the same have been submitted to and approved by the Commissioner, and copies filed in the Department. If a policy form filing is disapproved by the Commissioner, the Commissioner may return the filing to the filer. As used in this section, "policy form" includes endorsements, riders, or amendments to policies that have already been approved by the Commissioner.

(b) With respect to group and blanket accident and health insurance, group life insurance, and group annuity policies issued and delivered to a trust or to an association outside of this State and covering persons resident in this State, the group certificates to be delivered or issued for delivery in this State shall be filed with and approved by the Commissioner pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.

(c) If not submitted electronically, all contracts, literature, advertising materials, letters, and other documents submitted to the Department to comply with the filing requirements of this Chapter or an administrative rule adopted pursuant to this Chapter shall be submitted on paper eight and one-half inches by eleven inches. Brochures and pamphlets shall not be stapled or bound.

(d) As used in this section, "certificate of insurance" means a document prepared or issued by an insurance company or producer that is used to verify or evidence the existence of property or casualty insurance coverage. "Certificate" or "certificate of insurance" shall not include a document prepared or issued by an insurance company or producer that is used to verify or evidence the existence of property insurance provided to a lender covering real or personal property which serves as the lender's security for commercial mortgages. For purposes of this section, "commercial mortgages" shall mean mortgages or other instruments given for the purpose of creating a lien encumbering office, multiunit residential, apartments, commercial, or industrial properties. Commercial mortgages shall not include a lien encumbering one- to four-family residential properties.

(e) A certificate of insurance is not a policy of insurance and does not amend, extend, or alter the coverage afforded by the policy to which the certificate of insurance makes reference. A certificate of insurance shall not confer to a certificate of insurance holder new or additional rights beyond what the referenced policy of insurance expressly provides.

(f) It is unlawful for any person to knowingly prepare, issue, request, or require a certificate of insurance that meets any of the following criteria:

(1) Has not been filed with and approved by the Commissioner.

(2) Contains any false or misleading information concerning the policy of insurance to which the certificate of insurance makes reference.

(3) Purports to alter, amend, or extend the coverage provided by the policy of insurance to which the certificate of insurance makes reference.

(g) A holder of a certificate of insurance shall have a legal right to notice of cancellation, nonrenewal, or any material change, or any similar notice concerning a policy of insurance, only if the holder is named within the policy or any endorsement and the policy or endorsement requires notice to be provided to the holder. The terms and conditions of the notice, including the required timing of the notice, are governed by the policy of insurance and cannot be altered by a certificate of insurance.