Wisconsin CE Provider Applications

Wisconsin CE Providers can now submit their CE Provider applications online.

VERMONT APPOINTMENT RENEWALS

The notice to Insurers regarding the upcoming appointment renewals for Vermont was sent out on April 1, 2013. Producer Appointments are renewed automatically on June 1, 2013. On June 1, 2013, the Department will print and send to each insurer a list of producers whose appointment has been renewed with that insurer. An invoice will accompany this list, and the invoice must be returned with payment no later than June 28, 2013. There will be no opportunity to terminate or otherwise non-renew producer appointments based on this list since the appointments will have already been renewed as of June 1, 2013. Accordingly, it is essential for insurers to manage producer appointment terminations prior to the appointment renewal date of June 1, 2013. In order to avoid renewing an appointment, the department must receive an appointment termination no later than May 28, 2013 electronically via SIRCON or NIPR. The Department requires that you submit terminations electronically.

North Carolina Continuing Education Services

Prometric has partnered with Vertafore to offer a comprehensive solution to the continuing education needs of North Carolina. Effective March 25, 2013, licensees can look up education courses/credits or request a continuing education transcript through www.sircon.com.

Wisconsin 2013 Annual Appointment Renewal Invoices

The Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance has issued a reminder bulletin to all insurance companies doing business in Wisconsin to remind them that invoices for filing the required annual initial and renewal appointment fee will be mailed shortly after January 1, 2013. Payments are due on or before February 28, 2013, and must be submitted by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) on the department Web site at http://oci.wi.gov/oci_home.htm.

The invoice must be paid in full as no reconciliation is permitted. Companies may not terminate an agent whose name appears on the invoice at that time. All appointment terminations should be processed by December 31, 2012, or they will appear on the renewal billing schedule.

Appointment terminations can be processed in real time through Vertafore's Compliance Express service. Note that companies can obtain a list of all insurance agents by insurance company name at http://oci.wi.gov/agentlic/agntlist.shtml. The list will include those who were initially appointed for the previous year as well as those whose appointments are being renewed.

To view the bulletin in its entirety, access the department Web site at http://oci.wi.gov/bulletin/1212annbilling.htm.

If you have any questions or need to update the agent licensing department contact information, please contact the Agent Licensing section at (608) 266-8699 or by email at ociagentlicensing@wisconsin.gov.

Oklahoma Announces New Insurance Licensing Exam

The Oklahoma Insurance Department has announced that as a result of many legislative and administrative code changes in 2011 and 2012, there will be new license exams for all license types effective November 1, 2012.

Beginning September 1, 2012, the following versions of exam prep material will be available to help prepare for the transition to the new exams:

• Free Study manuals ordered from the Department website at http://www.licensing.oid.ok.gov will include two study manuals. One dated November 1, 2009 (current exam) and one dated November 1, 2012 (new exam).
• Candidate Information Bulletin (CIB) – two versions available on the PSI website at http://www.psiexams.com. Current exam version dated July 26, 2012 and new exam version dated November 1, 2012.

Please alert applicants to study the appropriate material for the licensing exam they intend to take. Study for exams taken prior to November 1, 2012, should come from the manual dated November 1, 2009 and CIB handbook dated July 26, 2012. After November 1, 2012, the new versions of both study materials should be utilized.

Vertafore Expands License Renewal Offerings

The following services are now available through Compliance Express.:

Alaska License Renewal Applications for resident and non-resident individual and business entity license types:

• Adjuster
• Limited Lines
• Producer
• Surplus Lines Broker

Arizona License Renewal Applications for resident and non-resident individual and business entity license types:

• Insurance Professional
• Adjuster

Louisiana License Renewal Applications for non-resident individual and business entity license types:

• Claims Adjuster
• Public Adjuster
• Producer Agency

Massachusetts License Renewal Applications for non-resident individual license types:

• Producer

Utah License and Renewal Applications for non-resident individual and business entity license types:

• Limited Lines
  • Portable Electronics

North Carolina Surplus Lines Licenses Available for Renewal

North Carolina resident and nonresident individual and business entity Surplus Lines license renewals are available at www.sircon.com. These licenses expire on August 31, and they must be renewed online by that date. The licenses of those who fail to renew by August 31 will expire.

The annual fee for individuals is $90.00, and the fee for business entities is $140.00.

Answers to questions regarding Surplus Lines renewals and Surplus Lines in general may be found by clicking on the appropriate links on the 'Frequently Asked Questions' page on the NC DOI website.

Georgia License Changes

Effective July 1, 2012, the Georgia Insurance Division will complete a conversion that will introduce 2-year license terms for all individual and business entity licenses.

To accommodate the conversion, some license applications will be temporarily unavailable through Sircon's Compliance Express.

• Resident business entity license applications will have no lapse in electronic availability.
• All other license applications will be unavailable for electronic submission Friday, June 29, 2012, 6:00 PM ET through Monday, July 2, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. ET.

Conversion Impact on License Renewals:

Individual and business entity licenses will be available for renewal through Sircon July 5, 2012 through December 31, 2012. Renewals are due by October 31, 2012, and any renewal received between November 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012, will be subject to a late fee.

Upon approval, the expiration dates for licenses renewed during the 2012 renewal period will reflect the new 2-year license term. Individual license expiration dates will change from a fixed expiration date of December 31 annually to the last day of the licensee's birth month every two years. Business entity license expiration dates will remain fixed, expiring December 31 every two years.

In addition, license renewal fees for individuals will be prorated during the transition. The prorated fee will be calculated by dividing the two year fee by 24 months, multiplied by the number of months the license will be held (as determined by the licensee's birth month). The prorated fee will be rounded up to the nearest quarter. A copy of the conversion chart is available at http://www.gainsurance.org/Agents/Home.aspx.

Another important change with this year's renewal is the requirement for licensees to submit a notarized Citizenship Affidavit Form (GID276-EN) attesting to either United States citizenship or lawful presence. This document may be attached to renewal applications submitted through Sircon, or through the agent's personal subscription to ProducerEDGE.

For additional details on the affidavit requirement, please refer to the Department website at http://www.oci.ga.gov/Enforcement/Citizenship.aspx.

Individuals and business entities may complete the license renewal process online beginning July 5, 2012 at www.sircon.com/georgia. For timely processing and delivery, any address change must be updated prior to completion of the renewal.

Continuing education requirements for the 2012 license renewal cycle are unchanged. The next renewal cycle, in approximately two years, will require licensees to complete double the current hours required for continuing education.

Conversion Impact on New License Applications:

All new licenses, excluding temporary licenses, approved on or after July 1, 2012, will be issued with the new two-year license term. Thus, new individual licenses will expire on the last day of the licensee's birth month every two years. New business entity licenses will expire on December 31 every two years.

Additionally, initial license fees will double to coincide with the change to two-year licenses. Application and amendment fees will remain unchanged.

The fee structure follows:

• Individual producer license fees increase to $100
• Individual adjuster license fees increase to $100
• Business entity license fees increase to $100
• Branch agency fees increase to $20

Appointment Fee Decrease:

Effective July 1, appointment and appointment renewal fees will decrease from $15.60 to $14.85.

Please direct any questions you may have regarding the fee structure and transition to the two-year license term to the Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance at (404) 656-2101 or by email to agents@oci.ga.gov.

Hawaii Announces New Continuing Education Requirement for Personal Lines Producers

The Hawaii Division of Insurance issued Memorandum 2012-3LIC announcing a new continuing education requirement for Personal Lines producers.

All producers licensed for Life, Accident and Health or Sickness, Casualty, Property, Surety and/or Personal Lines must complete 24 credits of continuing education in order to be eligible for license renewal. Continuing education credits must be completed within the 24 months prior to license renewal.

A producer licensed for Personal Lines only must complete a total of 24 continuing education credits consisting of the following:

• 21 credits in property and casualty
• 3 credits in ethics training or insurance laws and rules

A producer licensed for Personal Lines and Life or Accident and Health must complete a total of 24 continuing education credits consisting of the following:

• 10 credits in Life or Accident and Health
• 11 credits in Property and Casualty
• 3 credits in ethics training or insurance laws and rules

The first renewals to be affected on are those due August 16, 2014.

Please contact the Insurance Division - Licensing Branch at (808) 586-2788 with any questions you may have regarding this requirement.

Oklahoma Late Renewal Grace Period

Effective June 15, 2012 the Oklahoma Insurance Department will allow a three (3) day late renewal grace period with no penalty fees.

Resident and non-resident licensees may submit a late renewal application electronically up to three days past the expiration date without incurring penalty fees. On the fourth day following the expiration date, the licensee will no longer be allowed to renew and the license will expire. A reinstatement application will need to be submitted and penalty fees will apply. License renewals and reinstatements may be submitted through Sircon's Compliance Express.

Georgia Immigration Affidavit Requirement

Effective January 1, 2012, the Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner is changing its procedures regarding the verification of lawful presence of persons applying for all licenses, permits, registrations, and certificates.

In accordance with the Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act of 2011, which amends Chapter 36 of Title 50, the Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner is requiring EVERY individual, corporation, partnership, or other business entity submitting a license application to submit the following documents along with the application:

(a) a signed and notarized copy of a Citizenship Affidavit form; and

(b) a copy of one secure and verifiable identification document.

All applicants will be required to submit these documents before the application can be processed.

The Citizenship Affidavit form is available for download from the state website at http://www.gainsurance.org/Agents/Forms-Agents.aspx. The form includes as an attachment the list of acceptable identification documents.

If an applicant is a corporation, partnership, or other business entity, an authorized employee or officer of the entity must complete and submit these documents.

If applying electronically, an applicant may complete the Citizenship Affidavit form, have it notarized, scan the form and identification documents, and send them as an email attachment to agents@oci.ga.gov. If submitting a paper application, submit the two required documents together with the application by mail.

The Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner is required by O.C.G.A. §50-36-1 to verify through the Federal Systematic Alien Verification of Entitlement (SAVE) program the immigration status of an applicant who is not a United States citizen.

Please contact the Office of Commissioner of Insurance at (404) 656-2101 with any questions.

North Carolina Appointment Renewals

The North Carolina Department of Insurance is preparing to open the 2012 appointment renewal period and will electronically process appointment renewals for the following license types:

• Producer (all six major lines of authority)
• Auto Physical Damage
• Medicare Supplement/Long Term Care
• Limited Representative
• Title Insurance
• Credit Agent
• County Farm Mutual

The invoice and listing of appointments will be available online beginning February 1, 2012, and must be processed and paid electronically through NIPR’s electronic options. Renewal payments may not be sent directly to the Department.

Terminations for appointments that are not to be renewed must be received by NIPR no later than 5 p.m. January 25, 2012, to allow sufficient time for posting to the Producer Database (PDB) before the renewal billings are created. Any appointment that is active on PDB when the invoices are created will be included on the invoice and payment will be required.

Appointment terminations can be submitted through Vertafore's Compliance Express.

Appointments and Terminations submitted after 5 p.m. January 25, 2012, will be held until processing resumes on February 1, 2012. Terminations submitted during this time period will appear on the invoice and the annual appointment fee for them must be paid.

Invoices must be paid in full; companies cannot terminate or cross off any licensees on the appointment renewal invoice. Invoice payments are due by March 31, 2012, but a short grace period will allow payments to be accepted until May 16. If payment is not made by May 16, 2012, all appointments will be cancelled.

Louisiana Online Resident License Application Services Expanded

Prometric, as part of its Louisiana online examination registration process, is expanding its offering of online application services to include claims adjuster, surplus lines broker, and public adjuster in addition to producer license applications. Following completion of pre-licensing education, a producer license applicant may go online to www.sircon.com/prometriclouisiana to submit a license application for any producer license qualification that will require an examination.

Within the twenty-four (24) hour period after submitting the license application, the application will be either moved to "Approved Pending Exam" status or placed or flagged for Louisiana to review. Applicants with "Approved Pending Exam" status may continue the examination registration process by scheduling the related licensing examination on Prometric's web site at www.prometric.com/louisiana/insurance.

If there is no "Approved Pending Exam" status after 48 hours, your application is being reviewed by the State. Contact the State of Louisiana at (225) 342-5900 or (225) 342-0895 with any questions.

Wonder what your National Producer Number (NPN) is?

This unique identifying number is assigned to licensed individuals by the NAIC (National Association of Insurance Commissioners) and most states are beginning to use it for various licensing purposes. If you hold a license in CA, CO, GA, ID, IN, MN, MS, NV, OH, OK, PA, SD, TX, UT, VA, VT, WI and WY, use the free Sircon License Number/National Producer Number Inquiry to find your NPN today.

Sircon has expanded the Check Your Status with a State Service

To now include CA, CO, GA, ID, IN, MN, MS, NV, OH, OK, PA, SD, TX, UT, VA, VT, WI and WY. Your license transcript for the state will include the name, address, license, appointment, and continuing education information (where available) on file with the state. A nominal service fee may apply.