As used in this article, the following terms have the following meanings:

(a) “Accredited state” means a state in which the insurance department or regulatory agency having jurisdiction over the business of insurance has qualified as meeting the minimum financial regulatory standards promulgated and established from time to time by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) Financial Regulation Standards and Accreditation Program.

(b) “Control” or “controlled” has the meaning ascribed in Section 1215.

(c) “Controlled insurer” means an admitted insurer which is controlled, directly or indirectly, by a producer.

(d) “Controlling producer” means a producer who, directly or indirectly, controls an insurer.

(e) “Admitted insurer” or “insurer” means any person, firm, association, or corporation admitted to transact any property or casualty insurance business in this state. The following are not insurers for the purposes of this article:

(1) All residual market pools and joint underwriting authorities or associations.

(2) All captive insurers, other than risk retention groups as defined in the federal Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 9671), the federal Liability Risk Retention Act of 1986 (15 U.S.C. Sec. 3901 et seq.), and the California Risk Retention Act of 1991 (Chapter 1.5 (commencing with Section 125) of Part 1). For the purposes of this article, captive insurers are either insurance companies which are owned by another organization and whose exclusive purpose is to insure risks of the parent organization and affiliated companies, or in the case of groups and associations, insurance organizations which are owned by the insureds and whose exclusive purpose is to insure risks of member organizations and group or association members and their affiliates.

(f) “Producer” means a fire and casualty licensee or licensees or any other person, firm, association, or corporation, when, for any compensation, commission, or other thing of value, the person, firm, association, or corporation acts or aids in any manner in soliciting, negotiating, or procuring the making of any insurance contract on behalf of an insured other than the person, firm, association, or corporation.

(Amended by Stats. 2014, Ch. 71, Sec. 99. (SB 1304) Effective January 1, 2015.)