CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.



                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS/HB 339

    Amendment No. ___

                            CHAMBER ACTION
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11  Senator Diaz-Balart moved the following amendment:

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13         Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 

14         On page 8, between lines 18 and 19,

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16  insert:

17         Section 10.  Paragraph (e) of subsection (1) of section

18  626.321, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

19         626.321  Limited licenses.--

20         (1)  The department shall issue to a qualified

21  individual, or a qualified individual or entity under

22  paragraphs (c), (d), and (e), a license as agent authorized to

23  transact a limited class of business in any of the following

24  categories:

25         (e)  Credit life or disability insurance.--License

26  covering only credit life or disability insurance. The license

27  may be issued only to an individual employed by a life or

28  health insurer as an officer or other salaried or commissioned

29  representative, or to an individual employed by or associated

30  with a lending or financing institution or creditor, and may

31  authorize the sale of such insurance only with respect to

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

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    Amendment No. ___





  1  borrowers or debtors of such lending or financing institution

  2  or creditor.  However, only the individual or entity whose tax

  3  identification number is used in receiving or is credited with

  4  receiving the commission from the sale of such insurance shall

  5  be the licensed agent of the insurer.  No individual while so

  6  licensed shall hold a license as an agent or solicitor as to

  7  any other or additional kind or class of life or health

  8  insurance coverage. An entity other than a lending or

  9  financial institution defined in s. 655.005(1)(g), (h), or (p)

10  holding a limited license under this paragraph is shall also

11  be authorized to sell credit insurance and credit property

12  insurance. An entity applying for a license under this

13  section:

14         1.  Is required to submit only one application for a

15  license under s. 626.171, excluding the requirements of s.

16  626.171(5), provided that the entity is regulated by any of

17  the following federal or state agencies:  Office of the

18  Comptroller of the Currency; the Office of Thrift Supervision;

19  the Securities and Exchange Commission; or the Department of

20  Banking and Finance.

21         2.  Is not required to obtain a license or appointment

22  for each office, branch office, or place of business making

23  use of the entity's business name by applying to the

24  department for the license on a simplified form developed by

25  rule of the department for this purpose. However, the licensed

26  entity shall file with the department the address and

27  telephone number of each place of business at which credit

28  insurance is being marketed or sold. This information must be

29  filed annually by January 1 in an electronic format as

30  specified by the department by rule. The licensee is required

31  to file with the department, in the same specified electronic

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

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  1  format, any changes, additions, or deletions regarding each

  2  place of business marketing or selling credit insurance within

  3  30 days after such change.

  4         3.  Is not required to pay any additional application

  5  fees for a license issued to the offices or places of business

  6  referenced in subsection (2), but is required to pay the

  7  license fee as prescribed in s. 624.501, be appointed under s.

  8  626.112, and pay the prescribed appointment fee under s.

  9  624.501. A copy of the license obtained under this paragraph

10  shall be posted at each the business location at for which

11  employees are selling insurance authorized under the entity

12  license it was issued so as to be readily visible to

13  prospective purchasers of such coverage.

14         Section 11.  Subsection (1) of section 627.679, Florida

15  Statutes, is amended to read:

16         627.679  Amount of insurance; disclosure.--

17         (1)(a)  The amount of credit life insurance written

18  under one or more policies shall not exceed by more than $5

19  the total of the payments of the specific contracts of

20  indebtedness in connection with which it is written, when the

21  indebtedness is repayable in substantially equal installments

22  or in one installment or a single payment.

23         (b)  The total amount of credit life insurance on the

24  life of any debtor with respect to any loan or loans covered

25  in one or more insurance policies shall at no time exceed

26  $50,000 with any one creditor, except that loans not exceeding

27  1 year's duration shall not be subject to such limits, and on

28  such loans not exceeding 1 year's duration, the limits of

29  coverage shall not exceed $50,000 with any one insurer.

30         (c)  Before any credit life insurance may be sold, the

31  creditor agent or agent shall obtain a separate written

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

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  1  acknowledgment with respect to each of the following:

  2         1.  That the borrower understands that he or she has

  3  the option of assigning any other policy or policies the

  4  borrower owns or may procure for the purpose of covering such

  5  loan and that the policy need not be purchased from the

  6  creditor agent in order to obtain the loan.

  7         2.  That the borrower understands that the credit life

  8  coverage may be deferred if, at the time of application, the

  9  borrower is unable to engage in employment or unable to

10  perform normal activities of a person of like age and sex, if

11  the proposed credit life insurance policy contains this

12  restriction.

13         3.  That the borrower understands that the benefits

14  under the policy will terminate when the borrower reaches a

15  certain age and that the borrower's age is accurately

16  represented on the application or policy.

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18  Notwithstanding the required disclosures set forth in this

19  paragraph, if the sale of credit life insurance is solicited

20  or consummated telephonically, the creditor or agent shall

21  provide the foregoing disclosures to the borrower within 30

22  days from the date the coverage takes effect. The borrower

23  shall be notified that he or she has 30 days from the date the

24  disclosures are received to rescind the credit life insurance

25  coverage.

26         Section 12.  Section 624.408, Florida Statutes, is

27  amended to read:

28         624.408  Surplus as to policyholders required; new and

29  existing insurers.--

30         (1)(a)  To maintain a certificate of authority to

31  transact any one kind or combinations of kinds of insurance,

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

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    Amendment No. ___





  1  as defined in part V of this chapter, an insurer in this state

  2  shall at all times maintain surplus as to policyholders not

  3  less than the greater of:

  4         1.  Except as provided in subparagraph 5. and paragraph

  5  (b), $1.5 million;

  6         2.  For life insurers, 4 percent of the insurer's total

  7  liabilities;

  8         3.  For life and health insurers, 4 percent of the

  9  insurer's total liabilities plus 6 percent of the insurer's

10  liabilities relative to health insurance; or

11         4.  For all insurers other than mortgage guaranty

12  insurers, life insurers, and life and health insurers, 10

13  percent of the insurer's total liabilities.

14         5.  For property and casualty insurers, $4 million.

15         (b)  For any property and casualty insurer holding a

16  certificate of authority on December 1, 1993, the following

17  amounts apply instead of the $4 million required by

18  subparagraph (a)5.:

19         1.  On December 31, 1998, and until December 30, 1999,

20  $2.25 million.

21         2.  On December 31, 1999, and until December 30, 2000,

22  $2.5 million.

23         3.  On December 31, 2000, and until December 30, 2001,

24  $2.75 million.

25         4.  On December 31, 2001, and until December 30, 2002,

26  $3 million.

27         5.  On December 31, 2002, and until December 30, 2003,

28  $3.25 million.

29         6.  On December 31, 2003, and until December 30, 2004,

30  $3.6 million.

31         7.  On December 31, 2004, and thereafter, $4 million.

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

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    Amendment No. ___





  1         (2)  For purposes of this section, liabilities shall

  2  not include liabilities required under s. 625.041(4). For

  3  purposes of computing minimum surplus as to policyholders

  4  pursuant to s. 625.305(1), liabilities shall include

  5  liabilities required under s. 625.041(4).

  6         (3)  No insurer shall be required under this section to

  7  have surplus as to policyholders greater than $100 million.

  8         (4)  Mortgage guaranty insurers shall have and maintain

  9  a minimum surplus as required by s. 635.042.

10         Section 13.  Section 635.042, Florida Statutes, is

11  amended to read:

12         635.042  Minimum surplus requirement Limitation on

13  outstanding liability.--

14         (1)  A mortgage guaranty insurer must have and maintain

15  a minium surplus of not less than the greater of $4 million or

16  10 percent of the insurer's total outstanding liabilities

17  other than the required  contingency reserve. An insurer shall

18  not be required under this subsection to have a surplus as to

19  policyholders greater than $100 million.

20         (2)  A mortgage guaranty insurer must also possess

21  sufficient capital and surplus so that the total outstanding

22  aggregate exposure net of reinsurance under mortgage guaranty

23  policies written by the insurer does not exceed 25 times its

24  paid-in capital, surplus, and contingency reserve combined.

25  The audited financial reports required pursuant to s.

26  624.424(8) must disclose the total aggregate exposure net of

27  reinsurance under mortgage guaranty policies written by the

28  insurer.

29         (3)  If a mortgage guaranty insurer is not in

30  compliance with this section, the department may take any

31  action against such insurer that the department may take

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

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    Amendment No. ___





  1  against an insurer that is not in compliance with s. 624.408.

  2  No mortgage guaranty insurer may at any time have outstanding

  3  a total liability net of reinsurance, under its aggregate

  4  mortgage guaranty insurance policies, exceeding 25 times its

  5  paid-in capital, surplus, and contingency reserve combined.

  6         Section 14.  Subsection (3) of section 626.9551,

  7  Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

  8         626.9551  Favored agent or insurer; coercion of

  9  debtors.--

10         (3)  Paragraphs (2)(a), (b), (c), and (d) do not apply

11  to sales of insurance regulated under ss. 627.676-627.6845, s.

12  655.946, parts XV-XVI of chapter 627, or 12 U.S.C. ss.

13  4901-4910. Paragraph (2)(d) does not apply to sales of

14  insurance as defined in s. 624.605(1)(i) and (j).

15

16  (Redesignate subsequent sections.)

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18

19  ================ T I T L E   A M E N D M E N T ===============

20  And the title is amended as follows:

21         On page 1, line 16, after the semicolon,

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23  insert:

24         amending s. 624.408, F.S.; providing a minimum

25         surplus for mortgage guaranty insurers;

26         amending 635.042, F.S.; providing for minimum

27         surplus requirements for mortgage guaranty

28         insurers; amending s. 626.321, F.S.;

29         authorizing individuals and entities holding a

30         credit life or disability insurance license to

31         sell credit insurance; modifying requirements

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

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    Amendment No. ___





  1         for licensure; amending s. 627.679, F.S.;

  2         requiring certain disclosures to be made within

  3         a specified time upon the sale of credit life

  4         insurance; allowing a borrower a specified time

  5         from the date of such disclosures to rescind

  6         the coverage; amending s. 626.9551, F.S.;

  7         providing for an exemption;

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