South Carolina Code 38-75-460. Expansion of area in which essential property insurance provided; factors; multiple tiers
(1) changes in the number of insurers writing essential property insurance in the seacoast area and the capacity of those insurers including, but not limited to, the number of policies those insurers have cancelled or nonrenewed, as provided in Sections 38-75-730, 38-75-740, and 38-75-1160, during the previous twelve months;
Terms Used In South Carolina Code 38-75-460
- Association: means the South Carolina Wind and Hail Underwriting Association established pursuant to the provisions of this article. See South Carolina Code 38-75-310
- Coastal area: means :
(a) all areas in Beaufort County and Colleton County which are east of the west bank of the intracoastal waterway;
(b) the following areas in Georgetown County: all areas between the Harrell Siau Bridge and the Georgetown-Horry County border which are east of a line paralleling U. See South Carolina Code 38-75-310 - Department: means the Department of Insurance of South Carolina. See South Carolina Code 38-1-20
- Director: means the person who is appointed by the Governor upon the advice and consent of the Senate and who is responsible for the operation and management of the department. See South Carolina Code 38-1-20
- Essential property insurance: means insurance against direct loss to property as defined and limited in the wind and hail insurance policy and forms approved by the director or his designee; and after January 1, 1995, at the request of the insured, coverage for:
(a) actual loss of business income;
(b) additional living expense; or
(c) fair rental value loss. See South Carolina Code 38-75-310 - Insurable property: means immovable property at fixed locations in coastal areas of the State as that term is defined, or tangible personal property located in it, which property is determined by the association to be in an insurable condition as determined by reasonable underwriting standards, but not to include farm or manufacturing property, or motor vehicles which are eligible to be licensed for highway use. See South Carolina Code 38-75-310
- insurance: includes annuities. See South Carolina Code 38-1-20
- Joint resolution: A legislative measure which requires the approval of both chambers.
- Plan of operation: means the plan of operation of the association approved or promulgated by the department pursuant to the provisions of this article. See South Carolina Code 38-75-310
- Property insurance: means each insurance against direct or indirect loss of or damage to a property resulting from fire, smoke, weather disturbances, climatic conditions, earthquake, volcanic eruption, rising waters, insects, blight, animals, war damage, riot, civil commotion, destruction by order of civil authority to prevent spread of conflagration or for other reason, water damage, vandalism, glass breakage, explosion of a water system, collision, theft of automobiles, and personal effects in them (but no other forms of theft insurance), loss of or damage to domestic or wild animals, and any other perils to property which in the discretion of the director or his designee form proper subjects of property insurance, if not specified in items (1), (7), (11), (35), (40), (54), or (59) of this section. See South Carolina Code 38-1-20
- Seacoast area: means all areas within Horry, Georgetown, Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester, Colleton, Beaufort, and Jasper Counties. See South Carolina Code 38-75-310
(2) changes in the extent to which (a) nonadmitted or surplus lines insurers, or (b) South Carolina Coastal Captive Insurance Companies, pursuant to Article 5, Chapter 90 of Title 38, are providing essential property insurance in the seacoast area;
(3) changes in reinsurance activity impacting insurers writing essential property insurance in the seacoast area;
(4) changes in the demand for property insurance in the seacoast area; and
(5) any other information considered relevant to effectuate the purpose of this chapter including, but not limited to, the availability of essential property insurance coverage for insurable property that is within the coastal area and is located in a Coastal Barrier Resource Act (CBRA) zone.
(B) The director or his designee shall find and declare the existence of conditions that threaten to destabilize the property insurance market and jeopardize the continued, consistent availability of essential property insurance in the seacoast area. The director or his designee shall utilize market surveys, data calls, catastrophe models, reinsurance information, and other objective sources to support the order of expansion.
(C)(1) The director or his designee may expand the coastal area in which the association shall provide essential property insurance. The expansion may encompass a portion of the seacoast area or the entire seacoast area, but may not extend further than the seacoast area. The area must not be expanded more than reasonably necessary to ensure a stable property insurance market.
(2) In expanding the coastal area, the director or his designee may provide for the coastal area territory to be divided into multiple tiers to allow the association to develop multiple-tiered rates that reflect the relative risks of the properties located within a particular tier.
(3) An expansion of the coastal area is subject to the plan of operation as amended and approved by the director or his designee.
(4) The director or his designee shall report any expansion of the coastal area to the General Assembly within thirty days of the order of expansion or upon commencement of the next term of the General Assembly, if expansion occurs when the General Assembly is not in session. The General Assembly may approve, revise, or vacate any expansion order by passage of a joint resolution.
(D) On the effective date of this section, the General Assembly ratifies the director’s May 23, 2007, coastal area expansion order and the multiple-tier structure described in the order for the time period stated in the order and authorized by this section.