(a) The ownership or financial control, in part, direct or indirect, of any domestic, foreign, or alien insurer, by any state of the United States or by a foreign government or by any political subdivision of either, or by an agency of any other state, government, or subdivision thereof, shall not, provided the insurer complies with all other requirements for issuance, renewal, or continuation of a license, restrict the commissioner from issuing, renewing, or continuing in effect the license of that insurer to transact in this state the kinds of insurance business for which that insurer is otherwise qualified under the provisions of this chapter and under its charter, unless the commissioner finds that any of the following is true:

(1) The insurer is subject to any form of subsidy that would enable it to compete unfairly with domestic insurers.

(2) The insurer is subject to governmental practices that discriminate on the basis of any characteristic listed or defined in subdivision (b) or (e) of Section 51 of the Civil Code.

(3) The ownership or financial control will create the presence of any sovereign immunity in the insurer.

(4) Appropriate measures and controls do not exist to avoid security problems resulting from an insurer’s access to confidential information and data of its insured.

(5) The ownership or financial control results in substantial or undue influence being asserted over the insurer.

(b) The failure by any applicant for a license to submit the information requested by the commissioner for the purposes of determining whether to make a finding pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be sufficient to deny the application.

(c) Nothing in the amendments to this section enacted during the 1994 portion of the 1993–94 Regular Session of the Legislature shall be interpreted to authorize the issuance of a license to an insurer wholly owned by any governmental entity described in subdivision (a).

(Amended by Stats. 2008, Ch. 682, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 2009.)