Insurance commissioner
An insurance commissioner (or commissioner of insurance) is a public official in the executive branch of a state or territory in the United States who, along with his or her office, regulate the insurance industry. The powers granted to the office of an insurance commissioner differ in each state. The office of an insurance commissioner is established either by the state constitution or by statute. While most insurance commissioners are appointed, in some jurisdictions they are elected.[1] The office of the insurance commissioner may be part of a larger regulatory agency, or an autonomous department.
Insurance law and regulation is established individually by each state. In order to better coordinate insurance regulation among the states and territories, insurance commissioners are members of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).[2]
Duties and powers of insurance commissioners
The purpose of insurance commissioners is to maintain fair pricing for insurance products, protecting the solvency of insurance companies, preventing unfair practices by insurance companies, and ensuring availability of insurance coverage.[3] In order to accomplish these goals, each state grants several powers to insurance commissioners and their offices, including:[4]
- Approval of insurance rates
- Periodical financial examinations of insurers
- Licensing of companies, agencies, agents, and brokers
- Monitoring and regulating claims handling
List of current insurance commissioners
As of 18 April 2017[update], the various insurance commissioners are:[5]
| State/territory | Name | Title | Name of Office | Elected/Appointed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Jim L. Ridling | Commissioner | Alabama Department of Insurance | Appointed |
| Alaska | Lori K. Wing-Heier | Director | Alaska Division of Insurance | Appointed |
| American Samoa | Peter Fuimaono | Commissioner | Office of the Governor | Appointed |
| Arizona | Leslie Hess | Interim Director | Arizona Department of Insurance | Appointed |
| Arkansas | Allen W. Kerr | Commissioner | Arkansas Insurance Department | Appointed |
| California | Dave Jones | Commissioner | California Department of Insurance | Elected |
| Colorado | Marguerite Salazar | Commissioner | Colorado Division of Insurance | Appointed |
| Connecticut | Katharine L. Wade | Commissioner | Connecticut Insurance Department | Appointed |
| Delaware | Trinidad Navarro | Commissioner | Delaware Department of Insurance | Elected |
| District of Columbia | Stephen C. Taylor | Commissioner | District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking | Appointed |
| Florida | David Altmaier | Commissioner | Florida Office of Insurance Regulation | Appointed |
| Georgia | Ralph Hudgens | Commissioner | Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner | Elected |
| Guam | Artemio B. Ilagan | Commissioner | Guam Department of Revenue and Taxation | Appointed |
| Hawaii | Gordon I. Ito | Commissioner | Hawaii Insurance Division | Appointed |
| Idaho | Dean Cameron | Director | Idaho Department of Insurance | Appointed |
| Illinois | Jennifer Hammer | Director | Illinois Department of Insurance | Appointed |
| Indiana | Stephen W. Robertson | Commissioner | Indiana Department of Insurance | Appointed |
| Iowa | Doug Ommen | Commissioner | Iowa Insurance Division | Appointed |
| Kansas | Ken Selzer | Commissioner | Kansas Insurance Department | Elected |
| Kentucky | Bryan Maynard | Commissioner | Kentucky Department of Insurance | Appointed |
| Louisiana | Jim Donelon | Commissioner | Louisiana Department of Insurance | Elected |
| Maine | Eric A. Cioppa | Superintendent | Maine Bureau of Insurance | Appointed |
| Maryland | Alfred Redmer Jr. | Commissioner | Maryland Insurance Administration | Appointed |
| Massachusetts | Gary D. Anderson | Acting Commissioner | Massachusetts Division of Insurance | Appointed |
| Michigan | Patrick M. Mcpharlin | Director | Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services | Appointed |
| Minnesota | Mike Rothman | Commissioner | Minnesota Department of Commerce | Appointed |
| Mississippi | Mike Chaney | Commissioner | Mississippi Insurance Department | Elected |
| Missouri | Chlora Lindley-Myers | Acting Director | Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration | Appointed |
| Montana | Matthew Rosendale | Commissioner | Montana Office of the Commissioner of Securities and Insurance | Elected |
| Nebraska | Bruce R. Ramge | Director | Nebraska Department of Insurance | Appointed |
| Nevada | Barbara D. Richardson | Commissioner | Nevada Division of Insurance | Appointed |
| New Hampshire | Roger A. Sevigny | Commissioner | New Hampshire Insurance Department | Appointed |
| New Jersey | Richard J. Badolato | Commissioner | New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance | Appointed |
| New Mexico | John G. Franchini | Superintendent | New Mexico Office of Superintendent of Insurance | Appointed |
| New York | Maria T. Vullo | Superintendent | New York State Department of Financial Services | Appointed |
| North Carolina | Mike Causey | Commissioner | North Carolina Department of Insurance | Elected |
| North Dakota | John Godfread | Commissioner | North Dakota Insurance Department | Elected |
| Northern Mariana Islands | Mark O. Rabauliman | Secretary of Commerce | Office of the Insurance Commissioner | Appointed |
| Ohio | Jillian Froment | Director | Ohio Department of Insurance | Appointed |
| Oklahoma | John D. Doak | Commissioner | Oklahoma Insurance Department | Elected |
| Oregon | Laura Cali Robison | Commissioner | Oregon Insurance Division | Appointed |
| Pennsylvania | Teresa Miller | Commissioner | Pennsylvania Insurance Department | Appointed |
| Puerto Rico | Javier Rivera Rios | Commissioner | Office of the Commissioner of Insurance | Appointed |
| Rhode Island | Elizabeth Kelleher Dwyer | Superintendent | Rhode Island Division of Insurance | Appointed |
| South Carolina | Raymond G. Farmer | Director | South Carolina Department of Insurance | Appointed |
| South Dakota | Larry Deiter | Director | South Dakota Division of Insurance | Appointed |
| Tennessee | Julie Mix McPeak | Commissioner | Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance | Appointed |
| Texas | David Mattax | Commissioner | Texas Department of Insurance | Appointed |
| Utah | Todd E. Kiser | Commissioner | Utah Insurance Department | Appointed |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | Osbert Potter | Lt. Governor/ Commissioner | Division of Banking and Insurance | Elected |
| Vermont | Michael S. Pieciak | Commissioner | Vermont Department of Financial Regulation | Appointed |
| Virginia | Jacqueline K. Cunningham | Commissioner | Virginia Bureau of Insurance | Appointed |
| Washington | Mike Kreidler | Commissioner | Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner | Elected |
| West Virginia | Allan L.McVey | Commissioner | West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner | Appointed |
| Wisconsin | Ted Nickel | Commissioner | Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance | Appointed |
| Wyoming | Tom Glause | Commissioner | Wyoming Insurance Department | Appointed |
References
^ "State Commissioners - 2014" (PDF). naic.org. NAIC. Retrieved 18 August 2015..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ "About the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC)". www.naic.org. Retrieved 2015-08-18.
^ Kimball, Spencer (1961). "The Purpose of Insurance Regulation: A Preliminary Inquiry in the Theory of Insurance Law". heinonline.org. Retrieved 2015-08-18.
^ Randall, Susan (1999). "Insurance Regulation in the United States: Regulatory Federalism and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners" (PDF). FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY LAW REVIEW.
^ "National Association of Insurance Commissioners Membership List" (PDF). www.naic.org. NAIC. April 18, 2017. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
