CHAPTER 702
LICENSING
Table of Contents
Sec. 38a-769. (Formerly Sec. 38-72). Application for license. Regulations. Exceptions.
Sec. 38a-784. Renewal of producer's license. Renewal of agent's license and appointment. Cancellation or nonrenewal of appointments. Regulations.
PART I
IN GENERAL
Sec. 38a-769. (Formerly Sec. 38-72). Application for license. Regulations. Exceptions. (a) Any person, partnership, association or corporation that is resident in this
state or has its principal place of business in this state, or a nonresident of this state who
is not licensed in any other state, desiring to act within this state as a public adjuster,
casualty adjuster, motor vehicle physical damage appraiser, certified insurance consultant, surplus lines broker or desiring to engage in any insurance-related occupation for
which a license is deemed necessary by the commissioner, other than an occupation as an
insurance producer, shall make a written application to the commissioner for a resident
license. Any other person, partnership, association or corporation desiring to so act or
to engage in any insurance-related occupation for which a license is deemed necessary
by the commissioner, other than an occupation as an insurance producer, shall make a
written application to the commissioner for a nonresident license. No application for a
nonresident license shall be granted unless the applicant holds an equivalent license
from any other state. Any application for a resident or nonresident license shall be made
for each name or designation under which such business shall be conducted, in such
form as the commissioner prescribes, stating the line or lines of insurance for which the
applicant desires such license and any other business which the applicant desires also
to transact. All initial applications shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable filing fee
specified in section 38a-11. The commissioner shall cause to be made such inquiry and
examination as to the qualifications of each such applicant as the commissioner deems
necessary.
(b) Each application for a license shall be signed by: The applicant, if the application
is for an individual; a licensed officer, if the application is for a corporation; a licensed
partner, if the application is for a partnership; and a licensed principal, if the application
is for any other applicant.
(c) Each applicant for a license shall furnish satisfactory evidence to the commissioner that the applicant is a person of good moral character and that the applicant is
financially responsible. In order to determine the trustworthiness and competency of an
applicant the commissioner shall subject the applicant to personal written examination
as to the applicant's competency to act as a licensee for each line of insurance for which
the applicant desires to be licensed. The commissioner may, at the commissioner's
discretion, designate an independent testing service to prepare and administer such examination, provided any examination fees charged by such service shall be paid by the
applicant. The commissioner shall collect the appropriate examination fee as specified
in section 38a-11, which shall entitle the applicant to take the examination for the license
desired, except that when a testing service is used, the testing service shall pay such fee
to the commissioner for each examination taken by an applicant. In either case, each
such examination shall be as the commissioner prescribes and shall be of sufficient
scope to test the applicant's knowledge of insurance, the duties and responsibilities of
a licensee and the laws of this state applicable to insurance. The commissioner may
require a waiting period not exceeding six months, before reexamining any applicant
who has failed to pass any such examination.
(d) Upon finding that an applicant meets the licensing requirements of this title and
is in all respects properly qualified and trustworthy and that the granting of such license
is not against the public interest, the commissioner may issue to such applicant the
license applied for, in such form as the commissioner may adopt, to act within this state
to the extent therein specified.
(e) The commissioner may adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, concerning the approval of schools offering courses in insurance, the content of such courses
and the advertising to the public of the services of these schools.
(f) To further the enforcement of this section and to determine the eligibility of any
licensee, the commissioner may, as often as the commissioner deems necessary, examine
the books and records of any such licensee.
(g) A license may, in the discretion of the commissioner, be renewed or continued
upon payment of the appropriate fee as specified in section 38a-11, without the resubmittal of the detailed information required in the original application.
(1949 Rev., S. 6060; 1949, 1951, 1955, S. 2787d; 1957, P.A. 355; 1959, P.A. 472, S. 1; February, 1965, P.A. 196, S.
2; 552, S. 1; 1967, P.A. 47, S. 1; 1969, P.A. 82; 1971, P.A. 393; P.A. 75-409, S. 1, 2; P.A. 80-228, S. 3; P.A. 81-314, S.
1, 4; P.A. 82-30, S. 1, 2; 82-96, S. 1, 8; P.A. 83-201; 83-476, S. 1; P.A. 84-403, S. 2, 3; P.A. 85-84; P.A. 88-44; P.A. 89-251, S. 180, 203; P.A. 90-243, S. 26; P.A. 91-29, S. 3, 8; P.A. 94-160, S. 13, 24; P.A. 99-45, S. 1; P.A. 01-113, S. 20, 42;
P.A. 02-19, S. 2; P.A. 05-29, S. 2.)
History: 1959 act inserted provisions re examination for each line of insurance, $5 fee for three-time examination,
waiting period before reexamination; 1965 acts deleted reference to assessment of fees "subject to the provisions of section
12-211" and added provision re required prerequisites for admission to license examination and re commissioner's power
to regulate approval of schools, course content and advertising of school's services; 1967 act allowed waiver of examination
for life agent's or broker's license and fire or casualty agent's or broker's license in new Subdivs. (f) and (g); 1969 act
imposed filing fee of five dollars for initial applications and deleted "three times" in provision re applicant's right to take
any one of the examinations upon payment of five dollar fee; 1971 act extended examination waiver by adding Subdiv.
(h) and specified that licenses issued under waiver authorize solicitation of policies covering automobile physical damage
item, credit life or credit accident and health; P.A. 75-409 made previous provisions Subsec. (a), redesignating alphabetic
Subdiv. indicators accordingly and added Subsec. (b) re commissioner's regulation power; P.A. 80-228 allowed waiver
of examination for agent's license to sell home warranty contracts or service agreements; P.A. 81-314 divided Subsec. (a)
into Subsecs. (a) to (g) and relettered former Subsec. (b) accordingly, increased hours that an applicant for insurance agent's
or broker's license fulfill as a prerequisite to being admitted to examination from twenty to forty for each line of insurance
and required that applicants for public adjuster's license prove completion of an approved course of at least forty hours
and that fees for agents' licenses be assessed biennially rather than annually, effective May 21, 1982; P.A. 82-30 amended
Subsec. (b) to provide that commissioner may waive licensure examination requirement for applicants licensed within two
years rather than five years of the application date; P.A. 82-96 amended Subsec. (e) to provide that brokers' and public
adjusters' licenses be renewed every two years and that their license fees be assessed every two years rather than annually
as was previously the case; P.A. 83-201 amended Subsec. (b) to allow the commissioner to waive the examination requirement for any applicant for an agent's license to sell automobile mechanical breakdown insurance; P.A. 83-476 amended
Subsec. (a) to subject casualty adjusters, physical damage appraisers, certified insurance consultants and excess line brokers
to the licensing requirements of the section, plus any other occupation where a license is deemed necessary by the commissioner, and raised the filing fee for initial applications from five to twenty dollars; P.A. 84-403 amended Subsec. (b) to
require that each applicant for a title insurance license, except those holding a valid license on June 12, 1984, shall be an
attorney in good standing; P.A. 85-84 amended Subsec. (b) to permit the commissioner to designate an independent testing
service to prepare and administer the license examination, and to permit the commissioner to waive the examination
requirement for applicants for title insurance licenses; P.A. 88-44 amended Subsec. (a) to require that a license application
be made for each name or designation under which business shall be conducted; P.A. 89-251 increased the filing fee from
twenty dollars to twenty-five dollars and increased the examination fee from five dollars to seven dollars; P.A. 90-243
revised the guidelines and the criteria required for obtaining a resident or nonresident license, deleted the waiver requirements, deleted Subsecs. (c), (e), (f) and (h), relettered Subsecs. (b) and (e), deleted the failure to use or improper use of
licenses provision in Subsec. (d), added a new Subsec. (f) which provides that the books and records of a licensee be
examined by the commissioner and added a new Subsec. (g) allowing licenses to be renewed or continued in the commissioner's discretion without the resubmittal of information in the original detailed application; Sec. 38-72 transferred to Sec.
38a-769 in 1991; P.A. 91-29 made technical changes to Subsec. (a), deleting reference to insurance administrators; P.A.
94-160 substituted "producer" for "agent of any insurer" to accurately reflect the modernization and nomenclature of the
industry, amended Subsec. (a) by specifying that filing fee for initial application is nonrefundable, made technical changes
in Subsecs. (a) and (b), and added a new Subsec. (h) re when licensure of an insurance producer is not required, effective
January 1, 1996; P.A. 99-45 amended Subsec. (a) to add "or a nonresident of this state who is not licensed in any other
state" re persons desiring to act within this state as an insurance producer, public adjuster, casualty adjuster, etc., and
substituted, re granting a nonresident license if applicant holds an equivalent license, "from any other state" for "from the
state in which the applicant resides"; P.A. 01-113 deleted reference to insurance producer in Subsec. (a), deleted provisions
re title insurance licenses in Subsec. (c), made technical changes in Subsec. (e) re regulations, deleted Subsec. (h) re
situations where no license as an insurance producer is required, and made technical changes for the purpose of gender
neutrality in Subsecs. (a), (c), (d), (e) and (f), effective September 1, 2002; P.A. 02-19 amended Subsec. (a) to add "other
than an occupation as an insurance producer", effective September 1, 2002; P.A. 05-29 amended Subsec. (a) to substitute
"that is resident in this state or has its principal place" for "resident, or with its principal place".
PART II
INSURANCE PRODUCERS
Sec. 38a-784. Renewal of producer's license. Renewal of agent's license and
appointment. Cancellation or nonrenewal of appointments. Regulations. (a)(1) Except as provided in subdivisions (2), (3) and (4) of this subsection, any license issued
to an insurance producer by the commissioner shall be in force only until the first day
of February in each even-numbered year, but may be renewed by the commissioner in
accordance with this section.
(2) Any initial license issued to an insurance producer on or after January 1, 2006,
shall expire two years after the date of the producer's birthday that preceded the date
the license was issued. Such license may be renewed every two years thereafter in accordance with this section.
(3) Except for a license issued or renewed pursuant to subdivision (2) of this subsection, or a transitional license issued pursuant to subdivision (4) of this subsection, any
producer license in effect on January 1, 2007, shall be in force only until the producer's
first birthday after January 1, 2007. Such license may be renewed every two years thereafter in accordance with this section.
(4) From February 1, 2006, until January 1, 2007, the commissioner may implement
a transitional process to renew producer licenses that were in effect on December 30,
2005, on the basis of a producer's birthday. The commissioner may use the transitional
process to renew some or all of the producer licenses that would otherwise be renewed
under subdivision (1) of this subsection, provided producers are selected for participation in the transitional process on a nondiscriminatory basis. Selection criteria may
include use of producer license numbers or alphabetical selection of producers based
on the producer's last name. Any license renewed during the transitional period shall
expire on the producer's first birthday after the renewal date and may be renewed every
two years thereafter in accordance with this section.
(5) Not later than thirty days before a license issued to a producer expires, the commissioner shall notify the producer of the expiration date.
(6) The fees for producer licenses and agent appointments shall be assessed as provided in section 38a-11.
(7) Any license issued to an insurance producer may be renewed in the commissioner's discretion and without formality other than proper application, payment of the renewal fee set forth in section 38a-11 and satisfactory proof that such applicant at that
time possesses the required qualifications for license and that the issuance of such license
will not be contrary to the licensing provisions of this title, provided any producer's
license issued by the commissioner, except a temporary producer's license provided for
in section 38a-702j, shall continue in force until cancelled, suspended or revoked and
provided the insurance company represented by any licensee or licensees shall furnish
the commissioner, prior to May first, biennially, the names of its agents whose appointments it wishes to continue.
(8) The commissioner may adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, to
establish a schedule for the renewal of licenses under this section.
(b) Prior to May first of even-numbered years insurance companies represented
by any licensees shall furnish the commissioner with the names of its agents whose
appointments they wish to continue.
(c) The commissioner may implement a plan of renewal for agent licenses and
appointments that provides for a more efficient process. Upon implementation of such
a process by the commissioner, the procedures outlined in subsections (a) and (b) of
this section shall be superseded.
(d) Any insurance company which cancels or nonrenews an appointment of any
agent or any agency shall notify the Insurance Department, the agent and the agency,
in writing, within thirty days of any such cancellation or nonrenewal. Any termination
of an agent appointment shall be on a form as prescribed by the commissioner. Nothing
in this subsection shall alter the requirements specified in section 38a-709.
(e) Any insurance producer license may be renewed by the commissioner, provided
such applicant has satisfied the continuing education requirements set forth in section
38a-782a.
(P.A. 90-243, S. 28; P.A. 94-160, S. 19, 24; P.A. 95-136, S. 5, 8; P.A. 99-45, S. 3; P.A. 01-113, S. 39, 42; P.A. 05-266,
S. 1.)
History: P.A. 94-160 (1) designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a), substituting "producer" for "agent or insurance
broker" to accurately reflect the modernization and nomenclature of the industry, changing license expiration date from
"May" to "February" and making technical changes, effective January 1, 1996, (2) added Subsec. (b) re continuation of
appointments, effective January 1, 1996, (3) added new Subsec. (c) allowing the commissioner to implement a plan of
renewal for agent appointments, effective June 2, 1994, (4) added new Subsec. (d) requiring any insurer which cancels or
nonrenews an appointment to notify the insurance department in writing within thirty days, effective June 2, 1994, and
(5) added new Subsec. (e) re continuing education requirement, effective January 1, 1996 (Revisor's note: In codifying
this double section the Revisors designated the existing section as Subsec. (a) and then added Subsecs. (c) and (d) from
P.A. 94-160, designating them Subsecs. (b) and (c) respectively, since those Subsecs. were effective June 2, 1994. The
Revisors also deleted editorially a reference in the newly designated Subsec. (b) to "and (b)" since that reference is only
relevant to the second version of this section, effective January 1, 1996. The above-mentioned Subsecs. (c) and (d) are
included in the second version of this section and designated (c) and (d) as enacted); P.A. 95-136 in Subsec. (a) substituted
"issued for" for "issued by", effective January 1, 1996; P.A. 99-45 amended Subsec. (a) to substitute "appointments" for
"licenses" re names furnished to commissioner of agents whose appointments the company wishes to continue; P.A. 01-113 amended Subsec. (a) to substitute reference to Sec. 38a-702j for Sec. 38a-783, and "the commissioner's" for "his",
effective September 1, 2002; P.A. 05-266 amended Subsec. (a) re birthday-based renewal process to add Subdiv. Designators, add exception in Subdiv. (1), add new Subdiv. (2) re licenses initially issued on or after January 1, 2006, add new
Subdiv. (3) re other licenses in effect on January 1, 2007, add new Subdiv. (4) re transitional process to renew licenses,
add new Subdiv. (5) re notice of expiration date, add new Subdiv. (6) re fees, amend existing provisions as Subdiv. (7) re
conditions for renewals, and add new Subdiv. (8) re regulations, amended Subsec. (c) to add agent "licenses" re renewals,
and made technical changes in Subsecs. (a) and (e).