2025 Company Appointment Renewals for Insurance Producers

Hugh McDonald SECRETARY OF COMMERCE AID March 4, 2025 Bulletin No. 3-2025 TO: Alan McClain COMMISSIONER, ARKANSAS INSURANCE DEPARTMENT All Licensed Foreign, Alien and Domestic Insurers, Accredited/Trusteed Reinsurers, Farmers' Mutual Aid Associations, Hospital and Medical Service Corporations, Health Maintenance Organizations, Fraternal Benefit Societies, Insurer Trade Associations, Rate Service or Advisory Organizations, All Insurance Producer Trade Associations, Approved But Not Admitted Surplus Lines Insurers, Licensed Agencies, Licensed Surplus Lines Brokers, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and Other Interested Parties FROM: Arkansas Insurance Department SUBJECT: 2025 Company Appointment Renewals for Insurance Producers Every licensed entity which appoints an insurance producer in this state shall annually file with the Insurance Commissioner a renewal appointment under the Producer License Model Act, specifically Arkansas Code Annotated § 23-64-219 and § 23-64-514(b), together with the fee amount specified in Arkansas Code Annotated § 23-61-401 and Arkansas Insurance Department Rule 57. The insurance company's renewal of a producer's appointment indicates that the appointing company has reviewed the producer's background and fitness to continue to act as an agent of the company. An insurance producer's appointments shall remain in effect during any period of active duty in any branch of the United States military pursuant to Arkansas Code Annotated § 23-64-507(b)(2). Under pertinent law, each appointment shall remain in effect until terminated. CAVEAT — Under Arkansas Code Annotated § 23-64-507(c), an individual insurance producer who allows his or her license to lapse may reinstate the same license within twelve (12) months after the due date of the renewal fee, without the necessity of passing a written examination, by paying a penalty in the amount of double the unpaid renewal fee. However, the appointments are terminated at the time of lapse and are not reinstated if the license is reinstated or reactivated. The following procedures apply in 2025 for appointment renewals and terminations: An insurance company must annually review its records on its appointed Arkansas producers and business entities (insurance agencies) and decide whether the company will renew each appointment. The company can research its appointed producers and business entities by going to the License Division page on the Arkansas Insurance Department ("Department") website at https://insurance.arkansas.00v/pages/industryreoulation/licensino, then selecting "State Based Systems - SBS". Click on Lookup — One Search. AR is the jurisdiction and Company is the Search Type. Type in the insurance company's NAIC number and click "Search". You will have Company Lookup page showing the company you are searching for. Click on the company name and scroll down the Appointments bar. All the company's active appointments are listed there. If an appointment does not appear on this list, the appointment is not active. Arkansas Department of Commerce Arkansas Insurance Department 1 Commerce Way, Suite 102 Little Rock, AR 72202 INSURANCE.ARKANSAS.GOV Reminder: With the SBS system, an agency's appointments are now separate from the producer appointments and are no longer shared appointments. There should be both a direct appointment for the agency and for each producer doing business with the company under the agency license. The company should verify the status of the individual or agency license by using the "Licensee Lookup" on the SBS services page by selecting Search Type "Licensee" and Entity Type "Individual" or "Business Entity." The company can also verify their active Arkansas appointments by use of the NAIC Producer Database (PDB) to find individual appointments. NIPR Subscriber Insurers can reconcile company appointments by obtaining a list of appointments via the Company Appointment Report (CAR) prior to renewal invoices being created. The company appointment renewals will include all active appointments that are in effect through May 24, 2025. The company should terminate all agent and agency appointments that the company does not wish to renew. Terminations must be completed by May 24, 2025, via NIPR. NIPR and the Arkansas Insurance Department will not process any new appointments after May 24, 2025, to prepare for the appointment renewal process. The company can process the individual terminations electronically by going to NIPR.com. The NIPR website provides specific instructions and includes a list of approved business partners. All company appointment renewals must be processed via NIPR.com for 2025. Please contact NIPR at 855-674- 6477 or supportnipr.com with any questions regarding NIPR processes. On June 1, 2025, NIPR will allow for the renewal of company appointments after 8:00 am CST. NIPR will turn off the appointment renewal process at 4:00 pm CST on June 30, 2025. Payment must be by credit card, electronic check, or electronic funds transfer. NIPR will not accept paper check payments. If the company cannot renew electronically via NIPR, it must contact the Arkansas Insurance Department License Division directly after June 1, 2025, and explain why the company cannot renew electronically. Any paper checks will be returned to the company unprocessed. Any company attempting renewal after June 30, 2024, must contact the Arkansas Insurance Department. By law, a penalty of up to double the fee will be charged to companies who fail to meet the payment deadline. Questions concerning this Bulletin should be directed to the License Division at 501-371-2750 or by email at insurance. license@arkansas.qov. This Bulletin rescinds prior Arkansas Insurance Department Bulletin 2-2024 entitled "2024 Company Appointment Renewals for Producer," dated March 5, 2024, and similar Bulletins from prior years. Alan McClain Arkansas Insurance Commissioner 3,/kr/a Date