Rhode Island § 27-71-8 - Market Conduct Surveillance Act

§ 27-71-8. Confidentiality requirements.

(a) Except as otherwise provided by law, market conduct surveillance personnel shall have free and full access to all books and records, employees, officers, and directors, as practicable, of the insurer during regular business hours. An insurer utilizing a third-party model or product for any of the activities under examination shall cause, upon the request of market conduct surveillance personnel, the details of such models or products to be made available to such personnel. All documents, whether from a third party or an insurer, including, but not limited to, working papers, third-party models or products, complaint logs, and copies thereof, created, produced, or obtained by or disclosed to the commissioner or any other person in the course of any market conduct actions made pursuant to this chapter, or in the course of market analysis by the commissioner of the market conditions of an insurer, or obtained by the NAIC as a result of any of the provisions of this chapter, shall be confidential by law and privileged, shall not be subject to subpoena, and shall not be subject to discovery or admissible in evidence in any private civil action. The commissioner will work with an insurer to assure that the insurer’s privacy and information security procedures are not compromised as a result of or in connection with an examination.

(b) No waiver of any applicable privilege or claim of confidentiality in the documents, materials, or information shall occur as a result of disclosure to the commissioner under this section.

(c) Market conduct surveillance personnel shall be vested with the power to issue subpoenas and examine insurance company personnel under oath when such action is ordered by the commissioner.

(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, in order to assist in the performance of the commissioner’s duties, the commissioner may:

(1) Share documents, materials, or other information, including the confidential and privileged documents, materials, or information subject to subsection (a), with other state, federal, and international regulatory agencies and law enforcement authorities and the NAIC and its affiliates and subsidiaries, provided that the recipient agrees to and has the legal authority to maintain the confidentiality and privileged status of the document, material, communication, or other information;

(2) Receive documents, materials, communications, or information, including otherwise confidential and privileged documents, materials, or information, from the NAIC and its affiliates or subsidiaries, and from regulatory and law enforcement officials of other foreign or domestic jurisdictions, and shall maintain as confidential or privileged any documents, materials, or information received with notice or the understanding that it is confidential or privileged under the laws of the jurisdiction that is the source of the document, material, or information;

(3) Enter into agreements governing the sharing and use of information consistent with this subsection (d); and

(4) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, no insurer shall be compelled to waive any statutory or common law privilege, but may voluntarily disclose such document to the commissioner in response to any market analysis, market conduct action or examination as provided in this chapter.