(a) No surplus lines broker shall, either knowingly or without reasonable investigation of the financial condition and general reputation of the insurer, place insurance with a financially unsound insurer or with an insurer engaging in an unfair practice.
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Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 431:8-302

  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Federal Reserve System: The central bank of the United States. The Fed, as it is commonly called, regulates the U.S. monetary and financial system. The Federal Reserve System is composed of a central governmental agency in Washington, D.C. (the Board of Governors) and twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks in major cities throughout the United States. Source: OCC
  • Irrevocable trust: A trust arrangement that cannot be revoked, rescinded, or repealed by the grantor.
  • National Bank: A bank that is subject to the supervision of the Comptroller of the Currency. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is a bureau of the U.S. Treasury Department. A national bank can be recognized because it must have "national" or "national association" in its name. Source: OCC
  • Surplus lines broker: means any person licensed under section 431:8-310 to place insurance on risks resident, located, or to be performed in this State with unauthorized insurers. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 431:8-102
  • Surplus lines insurance: means any property and casualty insurance on risks procured from or placed with an unauthorized insurer under the laws of the insured's home state. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 431:8-102
  • Unauthorized insurer: means an insurer not holding a valid certificate of authority to transact an insurance business in the state in which the subject resident is located or in which the insurance contract will be performed. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 431:8-102
(b) A surplus lines broker may place surplus lines insurance only with insurers who are authorized to write that type of insurance in the insurer’s domiciliary state.
(c) A surplus lines broker shall not place coverage with an unauthorized insurer unless, at the time of placement, the surplus lines broker has determined that:

(1) The unauthorized insurer has capital and surplus or its equivalent under the laws of its domiciliary state that equal the greater of the minimum capital requirement of this State or a minimum of $15,000,000; provided that:

(A) Minimum capital requirements may be satisfied by the insurer’s possessing less than the minimum capital and surplus upon an affirmative finding of acceptability by the commissioner;
(B) A finding of acceptability pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall be based upon factors such as quality of management, capital and surplus of any parent company, company underwriting profit and investment income trends, market availability, and company record and reputation within the industry; and
(C) The commissioner shall not make an affirmative finding of acceptability pursuant to subparagraph (A) if the unauthorized insurer’s capital and surplus is less than $4,500,000; or
(2) For an insurer not domiciled in the United States or its territories, the insurer shall be listed on the Quarterly Listing of Alien Insurers maintained by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners International Insurers Department; provided that:

(A) If an alien insurer is not in the Quarterly Listing of Alien Insurers, the surplus lines broker shall maintain in the broker’s office evidence of the financial responsibility of the insurer; and
(B) Evidence satisfactory to the commissioner that the insurer maintains in the United States an irrevocable trust fund in either a national bank or a member of the Federal Reserve System in an amount of not less than $5,400,000 consisting of cash, securities, letters of credit, or of investments of substantially the same character and quality as those which are eligible investments for the capital and statutory reserves of authorized insurers writing like kinds of insurance in this State, for the protection of all its policyholders in the United States, shall constitute prima facie evidence of the financial responsibility of the insurer.
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