(a) Except as otherwise provided, this Article applies to all kinds of insurance authorized by N.C. Gen. Stat. § 58-7-15(4) through (14) and N.C. Gen. Stat. § 58-7-15(18) through (22), and to all insurance companies licensed by the Commissioner to write those kinds of insurance. This Article does not apply to insurance written under Articles 21, 26, 36, 37, 45 or 46 of this Chapter; insurance written for residential risks in conjunction with insurance written under Article 36 of this Chapter; to marine insurance as defined in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 58-40-15(3); to personal inland marine insurance; to commercial aircraft insurance; to policies issued in this State covering risks with multistate locations, except with respect to coverages applicable to locations within this State; to any town or county farmers mutual fire insurance association restricting its operations to not more than six adjacent counties in this State; nor to domestic insurance companies, associations, orders, or fraternal benefit societies doing business in this State on the assessment plan.

(b) This Article is not exclusive, and the Commissioner may also consider other provisions of Articles 1 through 64 of this Chapter to be applicable to the circumstances or situations addressed in this Article. Policies may provide terms more favorable to insureds than are required by this Article. The rights provided by this Article are in addition to and do not prejudice any other rights the insured may have at common law, under statutes, or under administrative rules. (1985 (Reg. Sess., 1986), c. 1027, s. 14; 1987, c. 441, ss. 1, 2; 1989 c. 485, s. 53; 1993, c. 409, s. 21; 1993 (Reg. Sess., 1994), c. 678, s. 22; 1999-219, s. 5.2; 1999-294, s. 1.)