Government regulation

The insurance business is subject to extensive government regulation in all countries. In European countries insurance regulation is a mixture of central and local controls. In Germany central authority over insurance regulation is provided by the Federal Insurance Supervisory Authority (BAV), which exercises tight control of premiums, reserves, and investments of insurers. The BAV’s regulation of life insurance, for example, allows no more than 20 percent of investments in equities.

In the United Kingdom, regulation generally allows the managing agency fairly complete liberty of action and is concerned only with final business results. In this the United Kingdom differs from most other European countries, in which the purpose of insurance supervision is to regulate more closely the conditions in which insurers operate.

In the countries of the European Union an attempt is being made to obtain greater uniformity among national insurance statutes. This is intended to facilitate the operations of insurers across national borders.

Many legal and regulatory barriers to expansion of insurance operations in various countries in the world still exist. Examples include strict licensing requirements, prohibiting of unadmitted insurance, mandatory hiring of local nationals, requirements that insurers make local investments or enter into joint ventures with local insurers, prohibition of free exchange of currencies or repatriation of profits, and onerous taxation.

An important legal force influencing insurance regulation in such countries as France, Belgium, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Spain, Turkey, and the former French African colonies is the Napoleonic Code. The influence of the code may be seen, for example, in the matter of third-party liability, in which the burden of proof may be upon the defendant rather than upon the plaintiff.

In some countries not all classes of insurance are regulated. In the Netherlands only life insurance is regulated, and in Belgium only life, industrial injury, and third party motor vehicle liability insurance. In some countries the scope of supervision may embrace many aspects of the insurance business, but in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands only financial matters are subject to regulation.

In several European countries insurers may not write both life insurance and general insurance (property and liability insurance). Minimum capital requirements vary, depending on the type of business written, usually being highest for life insurance.

In most European countries policies are submitted to supervisory authorities for approval or for information. In some countries standard clauses or forms of contracts must be used; for instance, in Sweden insurers must use a standard compulsory motor vehicle third-party liability policy, and in Switzerland a standard contract for war risks and life insurance is required.

Insurance is often compulsory. In general, laws frequently require individuals to carry third-party liability insurance and industrial injury insurance. Fire insurance is required on immovable property in Germany. A number of countries require aviation insurance (for accident and sickness) on airline passengers and crews.

Although individuals generally have the freedom to select whichever insurer they wish, there are restrictions on buying insurance from foreign insurers. In some countries buyers must use domestic insurers for compulsory coverages but are free to take out insurance from foreign insurers when coverage is not available from domestic insurers. In other countries certain types of insurance may not be placed in foreign countries. About half the countries of the world prohibit “nonadmitted” insurance, defined as insurance written by an insurer not authorized to do business in that country.

In the United States most regulation of insurance is in the hands of the individual states, although the federal government also has authority over insurers when it is deemed that state regulation fails to regulate effectively activities such as unfair trade practices, misleading advertising, boycotts, and monopolistic practices. States regulate four main aspects: rate making, minimum standards for financial solvency, investments, and marketing practices.

In rate making, three basic requirements must be met: rates must be adequate to cover expected losses, must not be excessive, and must not be unfairly discriminatory among different classes of risk. In meeting minimum standards of financial solvency, state laws specify minimum capital requirements, accounting practices, minimum security deposits with state insurance commissioners, and procedures for liquidating insolvent insurers. In investments, states limit the types and quality of securities in which insurers may invest their assets. In marketing, states regulate advertising, licensing of agents, policy forms and wording, service and process procedures for handling claim disputes, expense allowances for acquiring new business, and other agency and insurer operations, including being admitted to do business in the state. Many states maintain a special division to register and handle consumer complaints.