Wyoming State Regulations & NAIC Insurance Law

Licensing

Any individual applying for a Wyoming resident producer’s license must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Be a resident of Wyoming before submitting an application, or maintain the principal place of business in Wyoming (Wyo. Stat. § 26-9-202(a)(iii))

Pre-licensing course and exam

Wyoming does not have specific pre-licensing requirements, but a resident applicant must pass the examinations for the lines of authority applied for (Wyo. Stat. § 26-9-206(a)).

Fingerprints/background check

The Commissioner reviews an applicant’s background before issuing a license, and many states require applicants to submit fingerprints for a state and FBI criminal history check as part of the application. Wyoming is one of them: before approving a Wyoming resident producer application, the Commissioner must find that the applicant has provided fingerprints and the other information and permission needed for a criminal history record background check, paid for by the applicant (Wyo. Stat. § 26-9-206(a)(v)).

Controlled business

Controlled business is insurance written on the producer’s own life, property or interests, or on those of the producer’s family, employer or a business the producer controls. A producer may insure themselves and their family, but a license exists to sell insurance to the public, so states generally restrict obtaining or using a license principally to write controlled business.

Wyoming will not grant, renew or continue a producer’s license used principally to write controlled business: insurance on the producer’s own interests or those of the producer’s family or employer, or insurance or annuity contracts covering the producer, family members, or the officers, directors, stockholders, partners or employees of a business in which the producer or a family member is an officer, director, stockholder, partner, associate or employee. A license is treated as used that way if, in any 12-month period, commissions on controlled business have exceeded, or probably will exceed, the commissions on the producer’s other business, and commissions on controlled business that exceed the commissions on other business in a calendar year are an unlawful rebate (Wyo. Stat. § 26-9-226).

Non-resident license

A producer licensed in another state can obtain a Wyoming nonresident license without taking Wyoming’s examination. Under the NAIC’s Producer Licensing Model Act, which most states have adopted in some form, a nonresident receives the license if the person:

• Is currently licensed as a resident, and in good standing, in the home state
• Has applied (the home-state application or the Uniform Application) and paid the fees
• Lives in a home state that grants nonresident licenses to residents of this state on the same basis (reciprocity)

Under the same model, a producer who moves to another state files a change of address, with certification from the new home state, within 30 days. A licensed producer who moves into a state applies for a resident license there within 90 days and does not repeat prelicensing education or the examination for lines already held.

Temporary license

Most states allow the insurance regulator to issue a temporary license, without an examination, when one is needed to keep an insurance business serviced. Typical cases are:

• The surviving spouse or personal representative of a producer who dies or becomes disabled, to allow time to sell the business or train new people
• A member or employee of a business entity producer, on the death or disability of its designated producer
• The designee of a producer entering active military service

Under the NAIC’s model act, the regulator may also issue one in any other circumstance where it finds that the public interest will best be served.

The regulator may limit what a temporary licensee may do and may require a licensed sponsor who takes responsibility for the temporary licensee’s acts.

Wyoming may issue a temporary producer license for up to 180 days without an examination, where it is necessary to service an insurance business — for example after a licensed producer dies or becomes disabled (Wyo. Stat. § 26-9-210(a)).

Military service

Under the NAIC’s model act, a producer who cannot meet license renewal requirements because of military service, or because of another extenuating circumstance such as a long-term medical disability, may request a waiver of those requirements and of any examination, fine or sanction for missing them.

Renewal and reinstatement

A producer license stays in effect only while the producer renews it on schedule: paying the renewal fee and completing continuing education by the due date.

Each state sets its own renewal cycle.

A producer who misses the deadline and lets the license lapse may be able to reinstate it without retaking the examination.

Under the NAIC’s model act, a lapsed license may be reinstated within 12 months of the renewal due date, for a penalty of double the unpaid renewal fee. Each state sets its own window and fee, and after the window closes the person must qualify for a new license. In Wyoming, a licensee may reinstate a lapsed license within 12 months of the continuation fee’s due date without an examination, paying a penalty equal to the continuation fee in addition to the fee (Wyo. Stat. § 26-9-207(c)).

Continuing education

All states, including Wyoming, have continuing education requirements that must be met to renew any major lines (life, health, property, liability) insurance license. Many states also require continuing education of other licensees, such as adjusters or title or bail bond agents, while exempting producers who hold only certain limited lines; each state’s law says which. Individuals licensed in the state of Wyoming must complete continuing education prior to renewing their license. The number of hours required is set by state law and published by the state insurance department.

Notice of change of name or address

Under the NAIC’s model act, the licensee reports a change of address to the regulator within 30 days of the change.

The model also requires a producer to report to the regulator within 30 days any administrative action taken against the producer in another state or by another government agency, counted from the final disposition, and any criminal prosecution in any jurisdiction, counted from the initial pretrial hearing date. A producer who does business under any name other than their legal name must notify the regulator before using it.

Company regulations

An insurance company must be authorized by the Department of Insurance to conduct business in Wyoming. To receive a certificate of authority, the company applies to the Commissioner and files its charter or articles of incorporation, financial statements showing that it meets the state’s capital and surplus requirements, and the other documents and fees the state requires.

Capital and surplus requirement

A company that has been authorized to conduct insurance business in Wyoming must maintain minimum standards as a corporation. The certificate of authority allows the insurer to conduct business in the state only if it maintains the minimum capital or permanent surplus required. In Wyoming, the Commissioner must refuse to continue, suspend or revoke the certificate of a foreign insurer that no longer meets the capital and surplus requirements, and of a domestic insurer that fails to cure a capital or surplus impairment within the time the Commissioner allows (Wyo. Stat. § 26-3-115(a)).

Duties of the Insurance Commissioner

The Wyoming Insurance Commissioner is an appointed position in the Wyoming state government. The insurance commissioner regulates the state’s insurance industry. The Insurance Commissioner is appointed by the Governor.

The Commissioner is responsible for establishing and enforcing regulations in the Wyoming insurance market in a manner that protects consumers and encourages economic development.

Duties of the Commissioner include:

• Investigate all claims and complaints of legal violations relating to insurance.
• If the Commissioner finds that laws have been violated, the findings and supporting documents may be referred for criminal prosecution.
• Monitor transactions of all companies including domestic, foreign, and alien insurance companies.
• Audit the books and records of any resident producer as frequently as necessary. Under the NAIC’s examination model, the regulator may examine any person subject to its authority, nonresident producers included, as often as it considers appropriate.
• Collect all fees associated with producers and insurers.
• Determine and administer fines associated with violations for insurers and producers.
• Issue reports pertaining to the suspension and revocation of licenses of producers and certificates of authority for insurers.
• Approve documentation used by insurance companies such as forms and rates.

Sidenote

Know this...

The Commissioner does not have the authority to arrest, issue injunctions, or sentence jail time. The Commissioner can start the process, but it takes a law officer to arrest and a judge or court of law to issue injunctions or sentence jail time. The Commissioner may refer illegal activity for criminal prosecution.

Suspend, revoke or non-renew

The Commissioner has the authority to suspend, revoke, or refuse to renew a license for:

• Providing false information on the application for an insurance license.
• Omitting any relevant information on an application that would have disqualified the individual from being eligible to receive a license. Under the NAIC’s model act, the ground is broader: providing incorrect, misleading, incomplete or materially untrue information in the license application.
• Being found guilty of a violation or the noncompliance of insurance regulations and laws…
• Committing fraud while attempting to obtain an insurance license.
• Improperly withholding, misappropriating or converting any money or property received in the course of doing insurance business.
• Providing false information in reference to the terms and conditions of an insurance contract.
• Having been convicted of a felony. In Wyoming, the ground is a felony that relates to the insurance profession or to the ability to practice as an insurance producer (Wyo. Stat. § 26-9-211(a)(vi)).
• Having admitted or been found to have committed any insurance unfair trade practice or fraud.
• Having engaged in activities of a fraudulent nature which allowed the person to involve themselves in dishonest, coercive, untrustworthy, and financially irresponsible practices.
• Having had a prior insurance license revoked or suspended in a state other than Wyoming. Under the NAIC’s model act, a license denied in another state is also a ground.
• Using another person’s identity and forging their name on an insurance application.
• Being found guilty of using unethical practices or cheating on an examination for an insurance license.

Cease and desist

If the Commissioner finds that a producer has violated the state’s insurance laws, the Commissioner may order the producer to cease and desist. The recipient of a cease and desist order has not had his/her registration suspended or revoked, but is required to stop or limit the activity addressed in the order.

Hearing and penalties

A person facing action by the Commissioner is entitled to notice and an opportunity for a hearing, within time limits set by Wyoming law, and may ask a court to review the final order. In Wyoming, an unfair trade practice desist order comes only after a hearing on notice of the charges (Wyo. Stat. § 26-13-115(a)), and hearing notice is at least ten days (Wyo. Stat. § 26-2-126(a)). On specific facts shown by affidavit that a practice is causing, or can reasonably be expected to cause, significant, imminent and irreparable injury to the insuring public, the Commissioner may issue a summary cease and desist order that takes effect when received; it lapses after the second business day unless a court restraining order is obtained or the person agrees to it, and the person may request a hearing within ten days (Wyo. Stat. § 26-2-130).

A violation of the insurance laws can bring a civil penalty in addition to action against a license. State law sets the maximum, usually per violation and often with a cap on the total, and a higher tier commonly applies to a violation that was knowing or flagrant. Some violations are also crimes. In Wyoming, a violation carries a civil penalty of up to $5,000 for each offense and $50,000 a year, or, for an individual agent or adjuster, up to $1,000 for each offense and $10,000 a year (Wyo. Stat. § 26-1-107(b)).

Unfair claims settlement practices

Under the NAIC’s model act, these practices are violations when committed flagrantly and in conscious disregard of the law, or often enough to indicate a general business practice.

• Unreasonably delaying the investigation or payment of claims by requiring both a formal proof of loss form and subsequent verification that would result in duplication of information and verification appearing in the formal proof of loss form.
• Failing, in the case of claims denials or offers of compromise settlement, to promptly provide a reasonable and accurate explanation of the basis for such actions.
• Refusing to pay claims without conducting a reasonable investigation.
• Making settlement claims based on information contained on an application that has been altered without the insured’s consent is a violation of regulation.
• Denying a claim without conducting a thorough investigation.
• Attempting to settle or settling a claim for less than the amount a reasonable person would believe the insured or beneficiary was entitled to by reference to written or printed advertising material accompanying or made part of an application.

Policy forms

Insurers file their policy forms with the Commissioner.

Depending on the line of insurance and the form, a state may require approval before a form is used, often with a period after which a filing that has not been acted on is deemed approved, or may allow the form to be used as soon as it is filed (“file and use”). In Wyoming, a policy, application, rider or endorsement form may not be delivered until it has been filed with and approved by the Commissioner; a form filed at least 45 days before delivery is approved at the end of that period unless the Commissioner acts, with one extension of up to 45 more days (Wyo. Stat. § 26-15-110(a)-(b)).

Under the usual conformity rule, which many states’ insurance codes write into law, a policy provision that conflicts with state law does not make the policy invalid: the policy is read as amended to conform to the law. In Wyoming, a policy provision that does not comply with the insurance code does not make the policy invalid; the policy is construed and applied as if the provision complied with the code (Wyo. Stat. § 26-15-118(b)).

Record maintenance

A producer keeps records of each transaction (the policies placed, the insureds, the premiums received and any changes) and makes them available for the Commissioner’s inspection.

Wyoming requires a producer to keep at the place of business a complete record of transactions under the license (for each policy, the insurer and insured, the number, expiration date and premium) and to keep it available for inspection for at least three years after the transactions are completed (Wyo. Stat. § 26-9-228(c)).

Fraudulent producer representation

An insurance producer who represents to the public that he/she is licensed to conduct insurance business in Wyoming, but has not passed the appropriate licensing examination, is in violation of regulation. This includes any public communication, such as advertisements, letterheads, circulars, business cards, and other methods of representation.

A producer found guilty of conducting business in Wyoming in any line of insurance for which they are not properly licensed may have any other insurance license suspended or revoked.

Misrepresentation

• Misrepresentation involving the creation or distribution of policies, quotes, and illustrations designed to provide inaccurate information about the terms and conditions of a policy is prohibited. Under the NAIC’s model act, any estimate, illustration or statement that misrepresents a policy’s benefits, advantages, conditions or terms is an unfair trade practice when committed flagrantly and in conscious disregard of the law, or often enough to indicate a general business practice.
• Providing inaccurate or incomplete information or comparisons regarding the benefits of a policy is an example of misrepresentation.
• Providing inaccurate or incomplete information for the purpose of inducing, or tending to induce, the lapse, exchange, conversion, forfeiture, or surrender of a policy is a violation as well (twisting).

False advertising

Making, publishing or circulating an advertisement, announcement or statement about the business of insurance that is untrue, deceptive or misleading is an unfair trade practice under state law, based on the NAIC’s model act. The medium does not matter: the rule reaches newspapers, magazines, radio and television, and also notices, circulars, pamphlets, letters, posters and any other way of placing the statement before the public. Under the model act, such a statement is an unfair trade practice when committed flagrantly and in conscious disregard of the law, or often enough to indicate a general business practice. Some state laws adopt this condition, and others reach a single such statement.

Defamation

Defamation of an insurer is an unfair trade practice under state law, based on the NAIC’s model act: making, publishing or circulating an oral or written statement that is false, or maliciously critical of or derogatory to the financial condition of an insurer, and that is calculated to injure such insurer. Some states’ laws reach further, to a statement calculated to injure any person engaged in the business of insurance. Spreading an untrue rumor that a competing insurer is about to fail is the classic example.

Boycott, coercion and intimidation

Entering into an agreement to commit, or by concerted action committing, any act of boycott, coercion or intimidation that results or tends to result in unreasonable restraint of, or monopoly in, the business of insurance is prohibited.

False financial statements

In Wyoming, filing or placing before any person a false statement of an insurer’s financial condition with intent to deceive is prohibited (Wyo. Stat. § 26-13-106(a)(i)), and so is knowingly or willfully making a false or fraudulent statement or representation in or with reference to an application for insurance (Wyo. Stat. § 26-13-201(a)(i)).

Illegal inducements

Offering anything of value not specified in the policy (money, a service, a favor or a gift) as an inducement to buy insurance is prohibited unless state law expressly allows it, and any agreement made as part of the sale must be written into the policy.

The NAIC’s model act lets producers and insurers give customers non-cash gifts, meals or charitable donations up to an amount the state considers reasonable, as long as the gift is not conditioned on buying or renewing a policy and is offered without unfair discrimination. In Wyoming, non-cash gifts, items or services may total no more than $100 or 5%, but not more than $1,000, of the premium per customer per calendar year (the written premium for a current customer, the quoted premium for a prospective one), and the customer may not be required to buy, continue or renew a policy in exchange (Wyo. Stat. § 26-13-110(c)(i)).

Unfair discrimination

Unfair discrimination is treating people or risks that present the same hazard differently. The NAIC’s model act, on which state unfair trade practices laws are based, prohibits:

• Unfair discrimination between individuals of the same class and equal expectation of life in life insurance and annuity rates, dividends, benefits or terms
• Unfair discrimination between individuals of the same class and essentially the same hazard in health insurance premiums, benefits or terms
• Refusing, limiting or canceling coverage because of a person’s sex, marital status, race, religion or national origin
• In property and casualty insurance, refusing or limiting coverage solely because of a risk’s geographic location, unless sound underwriting and actuarial principles justify it, or solely because the applicant or insured is physically or mentally impaired

Many states also expressly forbid refusing or limiting coverage solely because a person is blind or partially blind.

Errors & Omissions

Errors & Omissions (E&O) insurance is a type of professional liability insurance that protects insurance agents if they are sued for negligent performance of their duties. E&O covers honest mistakes that result in (financial) damage to customers/prospects. There is no coverage for intentional misconduct, criminal acts, or regulatory fines.

Rebating

Wyoming licensed producers are prohibited from directly or indirectly giving any refund, discount, favor, or credit to reduce premiums to induce the purchase of insurance.

Sidenote

Know this...

To “solicit” or “negotiate” insurance implies that the person is licensed.

Sharing commission

The splitting or sharing of commissions with a licensed producer is allowed. Both parties must be licensed in the line of business in which the proposed commission is to be split. Under the NAIC’s model act, a commission may also be paid to an insurance agency, or to a person who does not sell, solicit or negotiate insurance.

Twisting

Misrepresenting a policy’s terms, conditions or benefits, or comparing policies incompletely, to induce a policyholder to lapse or surrender an existing policy is a violation of the law. Any written or oral statements used to induce the lapse, termination, exchange, or surrender of an insurance contract based on inaccurate information is prohibited.

Under the NAIC’s model act, twisting is a misrepresentation made to induce a policyholder to lapse, forfeit, surrender, exchange or convert a policy. A false or maliciously critical statement about a competing insurer’s finances, made to injure it, is defamation. In Wyoming, twisting is a written or oral statement misrepresenting, or making incomplete comparisons of, the terms, conditions or benefits of any policy to induce a policyholder to lapse, forfeit, surrender, retain, exchange or convert a policy (Wyo. Stat. § 26-13-105); a misrepresentation of an insurer’s financial condition is a separate violation (Wyo. Stat. § 26-13-103(a)(iii)).

Unfair marketing practices

The Department of Insurance is responsible for establishing minimum standards for the full and fair disclosure of policy content. The Department also requires the standardization and simplification of the terms used to describe insurance coverage. Advertising may not involve the following:

• Any statement or implication that policies are approved, or that the financial condition of a company is endorsed, by any government agency or by any independent group, individual, organization or society, unless that is the fact.
• Any statements regarding advertising that are false or untrue in reference to the time frame in which claims are paid.

Gramm-Leach Bliley Act (GLBA)

This law repealed the parts of the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 that kept commercial banks and securities firms apart, and allowed the consolidation of commercial banks, investment institutions and insurance companies. GLBA established a framework of responsibilities of federal and state regulators for these financial industries. It permits financial services companies to merge and engage in a variety of new business activities, including insurance, while attempting to address the regulatory issues raised by such combinations.

McCarran-Ferguson Act

Federal law signed in 1945 in which Congress declared that the insurance industry would be regulated at the state level. Grants insurers a limited exemption from federal antitrust legislation. Since 2021 the exemption does not cover the business of health insurance, apart from narrow activities such as sharing historical loss data (15 U.S.C. § 1013(c)).

National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC)

The U.S. standard-setting and regulatory support organization is created and governed by the chief insurance regulators from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories. Through the NAIC, state insurance regulators establish standards and best practices, conduct peer review, and coordinate their regulatory oversight. NAIC staff supports these efforts and represents the collective views of state regulators domestically and internationally. NAIC members, together with the central resources of the NAIC, form the national system of state-based insurance regulation in the U.S.

Fair Credit Reporting Act

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA, 15 U.S.C. 1681) regulates consumer reporting agencies and the use of consumer reports, such as credit reports, MIB records and investigative reports, including in insurance underwriting.

• When an insurer requests an investigative consumer report, it must disclose that to the consumer within 3 days of the request
• When an insurer takes adverse action based on a consumer report, it must notify the consumer and identify the reporting agency. The consumer then has 60 days to request a free copy of the report and may dispute inaccurate information

Privacy Act of 1974

The federal Privacy Act of 1974 governs how federal agencies handle personal information. It does not apply to private insurers. An insurer’s use of an applicant’s personal information is governed by the FCRA, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and state insurance privacy law.

In states that adopted the NAIC’s Insurance Information and Privacy Protection Model Act, an authorization to collect personal information signed with an application is valid for no more than 30 months for life, health or disability insurance and one year for property or casualty insurance.

Under the same model act, a person told of an adverse underwriting decision may ask in writing, within 90 business days of the notice, for the specific reasons for it, which must be given within 21 business days of the request.

Telemarketing

The National Do Not Call Registry is a list of telephone numbers whose owners do not want to receive telemarketing calls. Telemarketers may not call registered numbers without the person’s permission or an established business relationship, and unsolicited sales calls:

• May be made only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the recipient’s local time under federal rules; Wyoming’s own law is narrower for the telephone solicitors it covers, barring an unsolicited sales call before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m. local time at the consumer’s location (Wyo. Stat. § 40-12-302(d))
• Must give the caller’s name, the name of the company the call is made for, and a telephone number or address at which that company can be contacted

CAN-SPAM

A commercial email must:

• Be identified clearly as an advertisement
• Carry accurate header information and a subject line that is not deceptive
• Include the sender’s valid physical postal address
• Offer a way to opt out, and the sender must honor an opt-out within 10 business days

Insurance guaranty association

Every state has a property and casualty insurance guaranty association that pays covered claims when a member insurer becomes insolvent. Insurers licensed to write the covered lines in the state must belong to it, and it is funded by assessments on its members.

Each state sets the most its association pays per claim. The NAIC’s model act sets $500,000 per claimant for most covered claims and $10,000 for the return of unearned premium.