Public Act No. 16-136 - Automobile and Homeowners Insurance Third Party Designation (This Bulletin rescinds and replaces Bulletin PC-51)

STATE OF CONNECTICUT INSURANCE DEPARTMENT Bulletin PC-83 January 13, 2017 TO: ALL PROPERTY & CASUALTY INSURERS AUTHORIZED FOR PERSONAL LINES INSURANCE PRODUCTS RE: PUBLIC ACT NO. 16-136- AUTOMOBILE AND HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE THIRD PARTY DESIGNATION Effective October 1, 2017, Public Act No. 16-136, AN ACT CONCERNING HOMEOWNERS AND MOTOR VEHICLE INSURANCE POLICIES (the "Act"), amends section 38a-323a of the Connecticut General Statutes to require that personal lines automobile and homeowners insurers include a conspicuous statement with the policy specifying that any named insured may designate a third party to receive notice of cancellation or nonrenewal of the policy. Prior law only permitted senior citizens to designate a third party to receive such notices. This Bulletin is intended to update Bulletin PC-51 to reflect the changes made by Public Act No. 16-136. Section 2 of the Act requires that the statement shall be in a form approved by the Insurance Commissioner. Below, the Department has updated the Commissioner-approved form referred to in Bulletin PC-51. Connecticut Designation Form 1-2016 meets the Act's requirements and is approved for use by insurers. Insurers that provide the required statement using this form do not need to file their form for approval. All such notices and copies shall be mailed to the policyholder and third party designee in an envelope clearly marked on its face with the following: "IMPORTANT INSURANCE POLICY INFORMATION: OPEN IMMEDIATELY" A cancellation or nonrenewal notice is not effective ifthe company fails to give the required notice to both the individual named insured and the third party designee. Companies should review their procedures and bring them into compliance with Connecticut law. Please call the Property & Casualty Division at 860-297-3867, if you have any questions concerning this Bulletin. L. Wwfc- Katharine L. Wade Insurance Commissioner www.ct.gov/cid P.O. Box 816 • Hartford, CT 06142-0816 An Equal Opportunity Employer ----------------- ---------------- ---------------- [The company may modify font type and size, reformat information or add a company name and logo] IMPORTANT NOTICE THIRD PARTY NOTIFICATION If you are a named insured, Connecticut law permits you to designate a third party to whom we will send a duplicate copy of any cancellation or nonrenewal notice issued to you for your automobile and/or homeowner's policies. If you are interested in designating someone to receive such duplicate notices, you should discuss this with them and obtain their approval. Complete the lower portion of this form by: I. Entering the third party's name and address; 2. Signing and dating this form; 3. Having the third party sign and date it; and 4. Returning it [certified mail, return receipt requested,] to: (Show insurance company name and address here) Keep a copy ofthe completed form for your records. The third party designation will become effective no later than ten ( l 0) business days after we receive the completed form signed by both you and the third party designee. You may terminate the third party designation by sending written notification [by certified mail, return receipt requested,] to the designated third party and us. Request To Designate a Third Party to Receive a Copy of Policy Termination Notices Insured's Name Policy Number _______ Address Check Policy Type: Homeowners Automobile I designate the following person to receive a duplicate copy of any cancellation or nonrenewal notice that you might send me for the policy number shown above. Name: Street: City: ---------------State: _________ ZIP: ---------­ Signature of Insured Date I accept the designation above. I understand my designation as a third party shall not constitute acceptance of any liability on my part or the insurer for services provided to the insured. IfI decide to terminate my designation, I must send written notification (by certified mail, return receipt requested,] to both the insured and the insurer. Signature of Third Party Designee Date [The company may omit information in brackets] CT Designation Form 1-2016