624.424 Annual statement and other
information. ---
(1)
(a) Each authorized insurer shall file with the department full and
true statements of its financial condition, transactions, and affairs. An
annual statement covering the preceding calendar year shall be filed on or
before March 1, and quarterly statements covering the periods ending on March
31, June 30, and September 30 shall be filed within 45 days after each such
date. The department may, for good cause, grant an extension of time for
filing of an annual or quarterly statement. The statements shall contain
information generally included in insurers' financial statements prepared in
accordance with generally accepted insurance accounting principles and
practices and in a form generally utilized by insurers for financial
statements, sworn to by at least two executive officers of the insurer or, if
a reciprocal insurer, by the oath of the attorney in fact or its like officer
if a corporation. To facilitate uniformity in financial statements and to
facilitate department analysis, the department may by rule adopt the form for
financial statements approved by the National Association of Insurance
Commissioners in 1990, and may adopt subsequent amendments thereto if the
methodology remains substantially consistent, and may by rule require each
insurer to submit to the department or such organization as the department may
designate all or part of the information contained in the financial statement
in a computer-readable form compatible with the electronic data processing
system specified by the department.
(b) Each insurer's annual statement must contain a statement of
opinion on loss and loss adjustment expense reserves made by a member of the
American Academy of Actuaries or by a qualified loss reserve specialist, under
criteria established by rule of the department. In adopting the rule, the
department must consider any criteria established by the National Association
of Insurance Commissioners. The department may require semiannual updates of
the annual statement of opinion as to a particular insurer if the department
has reasonable cause to believe that such reserves are understated to the
extent of materially misstating the financial position of the insurer.
Workpapers in support of the statement of opinion must be provided to the
department upon request. This paragraph does not apply to life insurance or
title insurance.
(c) The department may by rule require reports or filings required
under the insurance code to be submitted on a computer-diskette compatible
with the electronic data processing equipment specified by the
department.
(2) The statement of an alien insurer shall be verified by the
insurer's United States manager or other officer duly authorized. It shall be
a separate statement, to be known as its general statement, of its
transactions, assets, and affairs within the United States unless the
department requires otherwise. If the department requires a statement as to
the insurer's affairs elsewhere, the insurer shall file such statement with
the department as soon as reasonably possible.
(3) Each insurer having a deposit as required under s. 624.411
shall file with the department annually with its annual statement a
certificate to the effect that the assets so deposited have a market value
equal to or in excess of the amount of deposit so required.
(4) At the time of filing, the insurer shall pay the fee for
filing its annual statement in the amount specified in s. 624.501.
(5) The department may refuse to continue, or may suspend or
revoke, the certificate of authority of an insurer failing to file its annual
or quarterly statements and accompanying certificates when due.
(6) In addition to information called for and furnished in
connection with its annual or quarterly statements, an insurer shall furnish
to the department as soon as reasonably possible such information as to its
transactions or affairs as the department may from time to time request in
writing. All such information furnished pursuant to the department's request
shall be verified by the oath of two executive officers of the insurer or, if
a reciprocal insurer, by the oath of the attorney in fact or its like officers
if a corporation.
(7) The signatures of all such persons when written on annual or
quarterly statements or other reports required by this section shall be
presumed to have been so written by authority of the person whose signature is
affixed thereon. The affixing of any signature by anyone other than the
purported signer constitutes a felony of the second degree, punishable as
provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
(8)
(a) All authorized insurers must have conducted an annual audit by an
independent certified public accountant and must file an audited financial
report with the department on or before June 1 for the preceding year ending
December 31. The department may require an insurer to file an audited
financial report earlier than June 1 upon 90 days' advance notice to the
insurer. The department may immediately suspend an insurer's certificate of
authority by order if an insurer's failure to file required reports, financial
statements, or information required by this subsection or rule adopted
pursuant thereto creates a significant uncertainty as to the insurer's
continuing eligibility for a certificate of authority.
(b) Any authorized insurer otherwise subject to this section having
direct premiums written in this state of less than $1 million in any calendar
year and less than 1,000 policyholders or certificateholders of directly
written policies nationwide at the end of such calendar year is exempt from
this section for such year unless the department makes a specific finding that
compliance is necessary in order for the department to carry out its statutory
responsibilities. However, any insurer having assumed premiums pursuant to
contracts or treaties or reinsurance of $1 million or more is not exempt. Any
insurer subject to an exemption must submit by March 1 following the year to
which the exemption applies an affidavit sworn to by a responsible officer of
the insurer specifying the amount of direct premiums written in this state and
number of policyholders or certificateholders.
(c) The board of directors of an insurer shall hire the certified
public accountant that prepares the audit required by this subsection and the
board shall establish an audit committee of three or more directors of the
insurer or an affiliated company. The audit committee shall be responsible for
discussing audit findings and interacting with the certified public accountant
with regard to his findings. The audit committee shall be comprised solely of
members who are free from any relationship that, in the opinion of its board
of directors, would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment as a
committee member. The audit committee shall report to the board any findings
of adverse financial conditions or significant deficiencies in internal
controls that have been noted by the accountant. The insurer may request the
department to waive this requirement of the audit committee membership based
upon unusual hardship to the insurer.
(d) An insurer may not use the same accountant or partner of an
accounting firm responsible for preparing the report required by this
subsection for more than 5 consecutive years. Following this period, the
insurer may not use such accountant or partner for a period of 2 years, but
may use another accountant or partner of the same firm. An insurer may
request the department to waive this prohibition based upon an unusual
hardship to the insurer and a determination that the accountant is exercising
independent judgment that is not unduly influenced by the insurer considering
such factors as the number of partners, expertise of the partners or the
number of insurance clients of the accounting firm; the premium volume of the
insurer; and the number of jurisdictions in which the insurer transacts
business.
(e) The department shall adopt rules to implement this subsection,
which rules must be in substantial conformity with the 1990 Model Rule
Requiring Annual Audited Financial Reports adopted by the National Association
of Insurance Commissioners, except where inconsistent with the requirements of
this subsection. Any exception to, waiver of, or interpretation of accounting
requirements of the department must be in writing and signed by an authorized
representative of the department. No insurer may raise as a defense in any
action, any exception to, waiver of, or interpretation of accounting
requirements, unless previously issued in writing by an authorized
representative of the department.
(9)
(a) Each authorized insurer shall, pursuant to s. 409.910(22),
provide records and information to the Department of Health and Rehabilitative
Services to identify potential insurance coverage for claims filed with that
department and its fiscal agents for payment of medical services under the
Medicaid program.
(b) Each authorized insurer shall, pursuant to s. 409.2561(5)(c),
notify the Medicaid agency of a cancellation or discontinuance of a policy
within 30 days if the insurer received notification from the Medicaid agency
to do so.
(c) Any information provided by an insurer under this subsection does
not violate any right of confidentiality or contract that the insurer may have
with covered persons. The insurer is immune from any liability that it may
otherwise incur through its release of such information to the Department of
Health and Rehabilitative Services.
(10) Each insurer or insurer group doing business in this state
shall file on a quarterly basis in conjunction with financial reports required
by paragraph (1)(a) a supplemental report on an individual and group basis on
a form prescribed by the department with information on personal lines and
commercial lines residential property insurance policies in this state. The
supplemental report shall include separate information for personal lines
property policies and for commercial lines property policies and totals for
each item specified, including premiums written for each of the property lines
of business as described in ss. 215.555(2)(c) and 627.351(6)(a). The report
shall include the following information for each county on a monthly basis:
(a) Total number of policies in force at the end of each month.
(b) Total number of policies canceled.
(c) Total number of policies nonrenewed.
(d) Number of policies canceled due to hurricane risk.
(e) Number of policies nonrenewed due to hurricane risk.
(f) Number of new policies written.
(g) Total dollar value of structure exposure under policies that
include wind coverage.
(h) Number of policies that exclude wind
coverage.
History: s. 68, ch. 59-205; ss. 13, 35, ch. 69-106; ss. 1, 2, ch. 70-56; s. 1,
ch. 70-439; s. 3, ch. 76-168; s. 1, ch. 77-457; s. 18, ch. 77-468; ss. 2, 3,
ch. 81-318; ss. 57, 64, 809(1st), ch. 82-243; s. 5, ch. 83-288; s. 8, ch.
85-245; s. 5, ch. 87-377; s. 9, ch. 89-183; s. 34, ch. 89-360; s. 3, ch.
90-119; s. 6, ch. 90-232; s. 35, ch. 90-295; ss. 20, 187, 188, ch. 91-108; s.
65, ch. 91-282; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 7, ch. 93-410; s. 81, ch. 95-211; s. 3,
ch. 95-276.