Sec. 38.003. UNDERWRITING GUIDELINES FOR OTHER LINES; CONFIDENTIALITY. (a) This section applies to all underwriting guidelines that are not subject to Section 38.002.

(b) For purposes of this section, "insurer" means a reciprocal or interinsurance exchange, mutual insurance company, capital stock company, county mutual insurance company, Lloyd's plan, life, accident, or health or casualty insurance company, health maintenance organization, mutual life insurance company, mutual insurance company other than life, mutual, or natural premium life insurance company, general casualty company, fraternal benefit society, group hospital service company, or other legal entity engaged in the business of insurance in this state. The term includes an affiliate as described by Section 823.003(a) if that affiliate is authorized to write and is writing insurance in this state.

(c) The department or the office of public insurance counsel may obtain a copy of an insurer's underwriting guidelines.

(d) Underwriting guidelines are confidential, and the department or the office of public insurance counsel may not make the guidelines available to the public.

(e) The department or the office of public insurance counsel may disclose to the public a summary of an insurer's underwriting guidelines in a manner that does not directly or indirectly identify the insurer.

(f) When underwriting guidelines are furnished to the department or the office of public insurance counsel, only a person within the department or the office of public insurance counsel with a need to know may have access to the guidelines. The department and the office of public insurance counsel shall establish internal control systems to limit access to the guidelines and shall keep records of the access provided.

(g) This section does not preclude the use of underwriting guidelines as evidence in prosecuting a violation of this code. Each copy of an insurer's underwriting guidelines that is used in prosecuting a violation is presumed to be confidential and is subject to a protective order until all appeals of the case have been exhausted. If an insurer is found, after the exhaustion of all appeals, to have violated this code, a copy of the underwriting guidelines used as evidence of the violation is no longer presumed to be confidential.

(h) A violation of this section is a violation of Chapter 552, Government Code.

Added by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 101, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999. Renumbered from Insurance Code Sec. 38.002 and amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 206, Sec. 8.01, eff. June 11, 2003.

Amended by:

Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 730 (H.B. 2636), Sec. 2B.005, eff. April 1, 2009.