New Hampshire § 402-C-27 - Section 402-C:27 Duties of Agents.

§ 402-C-27. Section 402-C:27 Duties of Agents.

I. Written Notice. Every person who receives notice in the form prescribed in RSA 402-C:26 that an insurer which he represents as an independent agent is the subject of a liquidation order shall as soon as practicable give notice of the liquidation order. The notice shall be sent by first class mail to the last address contained in the agent's records to each policyholder or other person named in any policy issued through the agent by the company, if he has a record of the address of the policyholder or other person. A policy shall be deemed issued through an agent if the agent has a property interest in the expiration of the policy; or if the agent has had in his possession a copy of the declarations of the policy at any time during the life of the policy, except where the ownership of the expiration of the policy has been transferred to another. The written notice shall include the name and address of the insurer, the name and address of the agent, identification of the policy impaired and the nature of the impairment under RSA 402-C:22. Notice by a general agent satisfies the notice requirement for any agents under contract to him. II. Sanctions. Any agent failing to give notice as required in paragraph I may be fined not more than $100 and may have his license suspended. III. Oral Notice. So far as practicable, every insurance agent subject to paragraph I shall give immediate oral notice by telephone or otherwise, of the liquidation order to the same persons to whom he is obligated to give written notice. The oral notice shall include substantially the same information as the written notice. IV. Unearned Premium Claims. It shall be the duty of each agent, subject to the provisions of this section, to prepare and file on forms prescribed by the liquidator or the association the claims for unearned premiums on behalf of the policyholders of the insolvent insurer for policies issued through said agent. Agents who fail to file valid claims of policyholders as required by this section shall be personally liable to the respective policyholders to whom the unearned premiums are due and owing by the insolvent insurer, but in no event shall the agent be liable to any individual policyholder for an amount more than said policyholder's unearned premium including unearned commission less the $50 deductible provision established under RSA 404-B:5, IV. Upon receipt of the unearned premium claims from the liquidator or the association, the agent shall promptly pay to each policyholder his just and proportionate share of said refund and in addition shall return to each policyholder the unearned commission due on each cancelled policy.