Montana Code 33-2-1137. Confidentiality
33-2-1137. Confidentiality. (1) Information provided or developed under 33-2-1130 through 33-2-1138 for an own risk and solvency assessment or ORSA summary report and in the possession of or control of the commissioner or any other person under 33-2-1130 through 33-2-1138 is recognized as proprietary and containing trade secrets. The information is confidential information as provided in 2-6-1002 and privileged, is not admissible in evidence in any civil action, and is not subject to subpoena, discovery, or the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552.
Terms Used In Montana Code 33-2-1137
- Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
- 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.
- Freedom of Information Act: A federal law that mandates that all the records created and kept by federal agencies in the executive branch of government must be open for public inspection and copying. The only exceptions are those records that fall into one of nine exempted categories listed in the statute. Source: OCC
- Insurer: has the meaning provided in 33-1-201, except that the term does not include agencies, authorities, or instrumentalities of the United States, its possessions and territories, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, or a state or political subdivision of a state. See Montana Code 33-2-1101
- NAIC: means the national association of insurance commissioners. See Montana Code 33-2-1101
- Person: means an individual, a corporation, a partnership, an association, a joint-stock company, a trust, an unincorporated organization, any similar entity, or any combination of the foregoing acting in concert. See Montana Code 33-2-1101
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Montana Code 1-1-201
- Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
- Writing: includes printing. See Montana Code 1-1-203
(2)The commissioner may use information in an ORSA summary report in the furtherance of any regulatory or legal action brought as a part of the commissioner’s official duties.
(3)The commissioner and any person who receives ORSA-related information while operating under the authority of the commissioner or with whom information is shared pursuant to an own risk and solvency assessment may not testify in any private civil action concerning the ORSA-developed information.
(4)To assist in the commissioner’s regulatory duties, the commissioner:
(a)may, on request, share ORSA-related information, including proprietary and trade secret documents and materials, with other state, federal, and international financial regulatory agencies, including with members of any supervisory college, the NAIC, or third-party consultants designated by the commissioner. A person with whom the ORSA-related information is shared shall agree in writing to maintain the confidentiality and privileged status of the ORSA-related information and shall verify in writing that the recipient has legal authority to maintain confidentiality.
(b)may receive ORSA-related information, including otherwise confidential and privileged documents, materials, or other information that may include proprietary and trade secret information or documents, from regulatory officials of other foreign or domestic jurisdictions, supervisory college members, and the NAIC. Received information is confidential as provided in this section.
(c)shall enter into a written agreement with the NAIC or a third-party consultant governing sharing and use of the information provided pursuant to an ORSA, consistent with this subsection (4).
(5)The written agreement required under subsection (4)(c) must:
(a)specify procedures and protocols regarding the confidentiality of the information, including procedures and protocols for sharing by the NAIC with other state regulators from states in which the insurance group has domiciled insurers;
(b)provide that the recipient agrees in writing to maintain the confidentiality and privileged status of the information and that the recipient has verified the legal authority to maintain confidentiality;
(c)specify that ownership of shared information remains with the commissioner. Use of the information by the NAIC or a third-party consultant is subject to the direction of the commissioner.
(d)prohibit the recipient from storing the shared information in a permanent database after any underlying analysis is completed;
(e)require prompt notice to be given to an insurer whose information in the possession of the recipient is subject to a request or subpoena to the recipient for disclosure or production;
(f)require the recipient to consent to intervention by an insurer in any judicial or administrative action in which the recipient may be required to disclose confidential information about the insurer that is received under an ORSA; and
(g)require the insurer’s consent when entering into an agreement with a third-party consultant.
(6)The sharing of information pursuant to 33-2-1130 through 33-2-1138 does not constitute a delegation of regulatory authority or rulemaking, and the commissioner remains solely responsible for the administration, execution, and enforcement of the provisions of 33-2-1130 through 33-2-1138.
(7)Disclosure of information under this section to or from the commissioner does not constitute a waiver of any applicable privilege or claim of confidentiality related to the information obtained under 33-2-1130 through 33-2-1138.
(8)Information in the possession of or control of the NAIC or a third-party consultant pursuant to 33-2-1130 through 33-2-1138 is confidential information as provided in 2-6-1002 and privileged, is not admissible in evidence in any private civil action, and is not subject to subpoena or discovery.
(9)For the purposes of this section, “information” means documents, materials, or other ORSA-related information, including the ORSA summary report, that is in the possession of or control of the commissioner or any other person under 33-2-1130 through 33-2-1138.