RCW 48.94.010 Acting as a reinsurance intermediary-broker or reinsurance intermediary-manager—Commissioner's powers—Licenses—Attorney exemption.

(1) No person, firm, association, or corporation may act as a reinsurance intermediary-broker in this state if the person, firm, association, or corporation maintains an office either directly or as a member or employee of a firm or association, or an officer, director, or employee of a corporation:

(a) In this state, unless the person, firm, association, or corporation is a licensed reinsurance intermediary-broker in this state; or

(b) In another state, unless the person, firm, association, or corporation is a licensed reinsurance intermediary-broker in this state or another state having a regulatory scheme substantially similar to this chapter.

(2) No person, firm, association, or corporation may act as a reinsurance intermediary-manager:

(a) For a reinsurer domiciled in this state, unless the person, firm, association, or corporation is a licensed reinsurance intermediary-manager in this state;

(b) In this state, if the person, firm, association, or corporation maintains an office either directly or as a member or employee of a firm or association, or an officer, director, or employee of a corporation in this state, unless the person, firm, association, or corporation is a licensed reinsurance intermediary-manager in this state;

(c) In another state for a nondomestic reinsurer, unless the person, firm, association, or corporation is a licensed reinsurance intermediary-manager in this state or another state having a substantially similar regulatory scheme.

(3) The commissioner may require a reinsurance intermediary-manager subject to subsection (2) of this section to:

(a) File a bond in an amount and from an insurer acceptable to the commissioner for the protection of the reinsurer; and

(b) Maintain an errors and omissions policy in an amount acceptable to the commissioner.

(4) The commissioner may issue a reinsurance intermediary license to a person, firm, association, or corporation who has complied with the requirements of this chapter. Any such license issued to a firm or association authorizes all the members of the firm or association and any designated employees to act as reinsurance intermediaries under the license, and all such persons may be named in the application and any supplements to it. Any such license issued to a corporation authorizes all of the officers, and any designated employees and directors of it, to act as reinsurance intermediaries on behalf of the corporation, and all such persons must be named in the application and any supplements to it.

(5)(a) Each licensed nonresident reinsurance intermediary must appoint the commissioner as the reinsurance intermediary's attorney to receive service of legal process issued against the reinsurance intermediary in this state upon causes of action arising within this state. Service upon the commissioner as attorney constitutes effective legal service upon the reinsurance intermediary.

(b) With the appointment the reinsurance intermediary must designate the person to whom the commissioner must forward legal process so served upon him or her.

(c) The appointment is irrevocable, binds any successor in interest or to the assets or liabilities of the reinsurance intermediary, and remains in effect for as long as there could be any cause of action against the reinsurance intermediary arising out of the reinsurance intermediary's insurance transactions in this state.

(d) The service of process must be accomplished and processed in the manner prescribed under RCW 48.02.200.

(6) The commissioner may refuse to issue a reinsurance intermediary license if, in his or her judgment, the applicant, anyone named on the application, or a member, principal, officer, or director of the applicant, is not trustworthy, or that a controlling person of the applicant is not trustworthy to act as a reinsurance intermediary, or that any of the foregoing has given cause for revocation or suspension of the license, or has failed to comply with a prerequisite for the issuance of such license. Upon written request, the commissioner will furnish a summary of the basis for refusal to issue a license, which document is privileged and not subject to chapter 42.56 RCW.

(7) Licensed attorneys-at-law of this state when acting in their professional capacity as such are exempt from this section.

[ 2011 c 47 § 13; 2005 c 274 § 317; 1993 c 462 § 24.]