NEW YORK--Any effort to federalize insurance regulation will bemet with all out resistance from state authorities, a Washingtonattorney has told a gathering of insurance executives.

Charles Landgraf, a lawyer in Dewey & LeBoeuf's Washingtonoffice, made his comments at an industry conference here.

The 19th annual executive conference for the life insuranceindustry was sponsored by Dewey & LeBoeuf; Ernst & Young,New York; and Summit Business Media, Erlanger, Ky., parent ofNational Underwriter.

Mr. Landgraf said efforts to move ahead with federal insuranceregulation will receive "push back" from state regulators and stategovernors who fear loss of regulation as well as premium taxdollars, even though proposals promise not to change the premiumtax structure.

"States will fight to the death" arguing that they have ahistory of protecting consumers--and that is an argument theincoming Obama administration could very well support, hecontinued. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners,Kansas City, Mo., will argue that insurance has been the leastimpacted during the current financial crisis, Mr. Landgrafadded.

He also discussed the government's Troubled Asset ReliefProgram, details of which, he noted, are still being workedout.

Mr. Landgraf said it seems clear that in order for an insurancecompany to apply to the program, it must either have a bank orthrift unit or be in the process of applying to become a bank.

Initial indications are that if a company applies for TARPassistance and wants to use the funds to make an acquisition, itwill not necessarily be disapproved but will have to get the nodfrom the Treasury department, he added.

And, Mr. Landgraf said, what will also be interesting will bewhether the federal government will use guarantees to shore upcompanies in need of capital as well as actual cash infusions.

He also discussed how the crisis could impact insuranceregulation since "AIG [American International Group] clearlybrought insurance to the forefront."