Filing Procedures for Compliance with the Provisions of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2019

BULLETIN 2020-17 State Office Building Suite 3110, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6901  (801) 538-3800  Facsimile (801) 538-3829  www.insurance.utah.gov State of Utah GARY R. HERBERT Governor SPENCER J. COX Lieutenant Governor Insurance Department TODD E. KISER Insurance Commissioner TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: All Property & Casualty Insurers Writing Commercial Lines Insurance Products Todd E. Kiser, Utah Insurance Commissioner September 24, 2020 Filing Procedures for Compliance with the Provisions of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2019 The purpose of this bulletin is to advise you of certain provisions of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2019 amending and extending the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 (the Act) by reauthorization, which may require insurers to submit a filing in this state of disclosure notices, policy language, and applicable rates as a result of the Act. For further details related to the Act, please consult the Act itself. Background This bulletin replaces Bulletin 2015-1, “Filing Procedures for Compliance with the Provisions of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2015.” Uncertainty in the markets for commercial lines property and casualty insurance coverage arose following the substantial loss of lives and property experienced on September 11, 2001. Soon after these tragic events, many reinsurers announced that they would no longer provide coverage for acts of terrorism in future reinsurance contracts. This led to a concerted effort on behalf of all interested parties to seek a federal backstop to facilitate the ability of the insurance industry to continue to provide coverage for these unpredictable and potentially catastrophic events. As a result, Congress enacted and the President signed into law in November 2002, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002. This federal law provided a federal backstop for defined acts of terrorism and imposed certain obligations on insurers. The Act was extended for a two-year period covering Program Years 2006 and 2007, and for an additional seven years through December 31, 2014 with the enactment of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007. The Act was extended again with the enactment of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2015, which made substantial changes to the program parameters, including to the insurer deductible, the mandatory recoupment percentage, and the insurance marketplace aggregate retention amount. Most recently, the Act was extended through 2027 with the enactment of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2019, which made no major changes to the parameters of the program. The reauthorized Act, as amended and extended, included minimal changes including: • Extending the program through December 31, 2027. • Changing the timing of the mandatory recoupment by moving the date of each referenced year back five years. • Requiring the Secretary of the Treasury to include in the Secretary’s annual report an evaluation of the availability and affordability of terrorism risk insurance, including specifically for places of worship. • Requiring the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on: overall vulnerabilities and potential costs of cyber attacks on the U.S.; whether state-defined cyber liability under a property/casualty (P/C) line of insurance is adequate coverage for an act of cyber terrorism; whether such risks can be adequately priced by the private market; and whether the current risk-share systems under TRIA are appropriate for a cyber terrorism event. • Eliminating outdated language relating to past United States Government reimbursement levels. The reimbursement level of covered terrorism losses exceeding the statutorily established deductible is now (as of January 1, 2020) a fixed 80%. Definition of Act of Terrorism Section 102(1) defines an act of terrorism for purposes of the Act. Please note that the unmodified reference to “the Secretary” refers to the Secretary of the Treasury. The revised Section 102(1)(A) states, “The term ’act of terrorism’ means any act that is certified by the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Attorney General of the United States—(i) to be an act of terrorism; (ii) to be a violent act or an act that is dangerous to—(I) human life: (II) property; or (III) infrastructure; (iii) to have resulted in damage within the United States, or outside the United States in the case of—(I) an air carrier or vessel described in paragraph (5)(B); or (II) the premises of a United States mission; and (iv) to have been committed by an individual or individuals, as part of an effort to coerce the civilian population of the United States or to influence the policy or affect the conduct of the United States Government by coercion.” Section 102(1)(B) states, “No act shall be certified by the Secretary as an act of terrorism if—(i) the act is committed as part of the course of a war declared by the Congress, except that this clause shall not apply with respect to any coverage for workers’ compensation; or (ii) property and casualty insurance losses resulting from the act, in the aggregate, do not exceed $5,000,000.” Section 102(1)(C) and (E) specify that the determinations are final and not subject to judicial review and that the Secretary of the Treasury cannot delegate the determination to anyone. Submission of Rates Policy Form Language and Disclosure Notices If an insurer relies on an advisory organization to file loss costs and related rating systems on its behalf, no rate filing is required unless an insurer plans to use a different loss cost multiplier than is currently on file for coverage for certified losses. Insurers that develop and file rates independently may choose to maintain their currently filed rates or submit a new filing. The rate filing should provide sufficient information for the reviewer to determine what price would be charged to a business seeking to cover certified losses. This state will accept filings that contain a specified percentage of premiums to provide for coverage for certified losses. Insurers may also choose to use rating plans that take into account other factors such as geography, building profile, proximity to target risks, and other reasonable rating factors. The insurer should state in the filing the basis that it has for selection of the rates and rating systems that it chooses to apply. The supporting documentation should be sufficient for the reviewer to determine whether the rates are excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory. This state will not allow exclusions of coverage for acts of terrorism that fail to be certified losses solely because they fall below the $5,000,000 threshold in Section 102(1)(B) on any policy that provides coverage for acts of terrorism that fail to be certified. Insurers required to file policy forms may submit language containing coverage limitations for certified losses that exceed $100 billion in the aggregate. Insurers subject to policy form regulation must submit the policy language that they intend to use in this state. The policy should define acts of terrorism in ways that are consistent with the Act, as amended, state law and the guidance provided in this bulletin. The definitions, terms and conditions should be complete and accurately describe the coverage that will be provided in the policy. Insurers may conclude that current filings are in compliance with the Act, as amended, state law and the requirements of this bulletin. A change introduced in the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 was a disclosure requirement for any policy issued after the enactment of the Act. Specifically, in addition to other disclosure requirements previously contained in TRIA, insurers since 2007 have had to provide clear and conspicuous disclosure to the policyholder of the existence of the $100,000,000,000 cap under Section 103(e)(2), at the time of offer, purchase, and renewal of the policy. The Commissioner requests that the disclosure notices be filed for informational purposes, along with the policy forms, rates and rating systems as they are an integral part of the process for notification of policyholders in this state and should be clear and not misleading to business owners in this state. The disclosures should comply with the requirements of the Act, as amended, and should be consistent with the policy language and rates filed by the insurer. Given that the provisions of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2015 are already in effect, and insurers and advisory organizations must accelerate filing activity in order to achieve compliance with the revised provisions of TRIA, this state will permit insurers and advisory organizations to place new rates, policy forms and disclosure notices into immediate use without receiving prior approval from commissioner. If an insurer wants to take advantage of this voluntary speed to market initiative for revised terrorism products, it should use the SERFF system for submitting such filings. Filers should use the term “TRIA2019” in the product name field in SERFF to indicate a filing related to terrorism made in connection with the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2019. The SERFF system alleviates the need to provide additional information in support of a request for expedited review. Provision for Workers’ Compensation Policies Workers’ compensation insurance coverage is statutorily mandated for nearly all U.S. employers and exemptions are barred in all states. Thus, a business cannot voluntarily waive workers’ compensation insurance (or terrorism coverage provided by a workers’ compensation insurance policy), nor can an insurer exempt terrorism risk from a workers’ compensation policy. Effective Date This bulletin shall take immediate effect and shall expire on December 31, 2027, unless Congress extends the duration of the Act. DATED this 24th day of September 2020. _______________________________ Todd E. Kiser Insurance Commissioner