An insurance commissioner (or commissioner of insurance) is a public official in the executive branch of a state or territory in the United States who, along with their office, regulate the insurance industry. The powers granted to the office of an insurance commissioner differ in each state. The office of an insurance commissioner is established either by the state constitution or by statute. While most insurance commissioners are appointed, in some jurisdictions they are elected. The office of the insurance commissioner may be part of a larger regulatory agency, or an autonomous department.
Insurance law and regulation is established individually by each state. In order to better coordinate insurance regulation among the states and territories, insurance commissioners are members of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).
Duties and powers of insurance commissioners The purpose of insurance commissioners is to maintain fair pricing for insurance products, protect the solvency of insurance companies, prevent unfair practices by insurance companies, and ensure availability of insurance coverage. In order to accomplish these goals, each state grants several powers to insurance commissioners and their offices, including: Approval of insurance rates Periodical financial examinations of insurers Licensing of companies, agencies, agents, and brokers Monitoring and regulating claims handling
List of current insurance commissioners , the various insurance commissioners are:
State/territory Name Title Name of Office Elected/AppointedAlabama Mark Fowler Commissioner Alabama Department of Insurance AppointedAlaska Lori K. Wing-Heier Director Alaska Division of Insurance AppointedAmerican Samoa Peni 'Ben' Itula Sapini Teo Commissioner Office of the Governor AppointedArizona Barbara D. Richardson Director Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions Appointed Arkansas Alan McClain Commissioner Arkansas Insurance Department AppointedCalifornia Ricardo Lara Commissioner California Department of Insurance ElectedColorado Michael Conway Commissioner Colorado Division of Insurance AppointedConnecticut Andrew N. Mais Commissioner Connecticut Insurance Department Appointed Delaware Trinidad Navarro Commissioner Delaware Department of Insurance ElectedDistrict of Columbia Karima Woods Commissioner District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking AppointedFlorida Michael Yaworsky Commissioner Florida Office of Insurance Regulation AppointedGeorgia John F. King Commissioner Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner ElectedGuam Michelle Santos Commissioner Guam Department of Revenue and Taxation Appointed Hawaii Gordon I. Ito Commissioner Hawaii Insurance Division AppointedIdaho Dean CameronDirector Idaho Department of Insurance AppointedIllinois Ann GillespieDirector Illinois Department of Insurance AppointedIndiana Holly W. Lambert Commissioner Indiana Department of Insurance AppointedIowa Doug Ommen Commissioner Iowa Insurance Division AppointedKansas Vicki Schmidt Commissioner Kansas Insurance Department ElectedKentucky Sharon Clark Commissioner Kentucky Department of Insurance Appointed Louisiana Tim Temple Commissioner Louisiana Department of Insurance ElectedMaine Robert L. Carey Superintendent Maine Bureau of Insurance AppointedMaryland Marie Grant Commissioner Maryland Insurance Administration AppointedMassachusetts Michael T. CaljouwCommissioner Massachusetts Division of Insurance AppointedMichigan Anita G. Fox Director Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services AppointedMinnesota Grace Arnold Commissioner Minnesota Department of Commerce AppointedMississippi Mike Chaney Commissioner Mississippi Insurance Department ElectedMissouri Angela L. Nelson Director Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance AppointedMontana James BrownCommissioner Montana Office of the Commissioner of Securities and Insurance ElectedNebraska Eric Dunning Director Nebraska Department of Insurance AppointedNevada Scott Kipper Commissioner Nevada Division of Insurance AppointedNew Hampshire D.J. Bettencourt Commissioner New Hampshire Insurance Department AppointedNew Jersey Justin Zimmerman Commissioner New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance Appointed New Mexico Alice T. Kane Superintendent New Mexico Office of Superintendent of Insurance AppointedNew York Adrienne A. Harris Superintendent New York State Department of Financial Services AppointedNorth Carolina Mike Causey Commissioner Commissioner of Insurance ElectedNorth Dakota Jon Godfread Commissioner North Dakota Insurance Department ElectedNorthern Mariana Islands Remedio C. MafnasCommissioner Office of the Insurance Commissioner AppointedOhio Judith L. French Director Ohio Department of Insurance AppointedOklahoma Glen Mulready Commissioner Oklahoma Insurance Department ElectedOregon Andrew Stolfi Commissioner Oregon Insurance Division AppointedPennsylvania Michael Humphreys Commissioner Pennsylvania Insurance Department AppointedPuerto Rico Alexander S. Adams Vega Commissioner Office of the Commissioner of Insurance AppointedRhode Island Elizabeth Kelleher Dwyer Superintendent Rhode Island Division of Insurance AppointedSouth Carolina Michael Wise Director South Carolina Department of Insurance AppointedSouth Dakota Larry Deiter Director South Dakota Division of Insurance AppointedTennessee Carter Lawrence Commissioner Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance AppointedTexas Amanda Crawford Commissioner Texas Department of Insurance AppointedUtah Joanathan Pike Commissioner Utah Insurance Department AppointedU.S. Virgin Islands Tregenza Roach Lt. Governor/ Commissioner Division of Banking and Insurance ElectedVermont Sandy Bigglestone Commissioner Vermont Department of Financial Regulation AppointedVirginia Scott A. White Commissioner Virginia Bureau of Insurance AppointedWashington Mike Kreidler Commissioner Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner ElectedWest Virginia Alan L. McVey Commissioner West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner AppointedWisconsin Nathan Houdek Commissioner Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance AppointedWyoming Jeff Rude Commissioner Wyoming Insurance Department Appointed
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