The Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) published a news release providing information on four consumer protection bills that passed the Senate and will now move to the House of Representatives.
Senate Bill 5331 gives the commissioner the power to order insurers to pay restitution to wronged policyholders. Currently, OIC can fine insurers but cannot order them to pay restitution. The fines go to the state’s general fund. The bill also makes it so P&C insurers can be fined up to $10,000 per violation, as opposed to a total fine of $10,000.
Senate Bill 5589 requires OIC to operate a study on how insurers use credit history, credit-based insurance scores, and other rate factors. Personal line insurers are allowed to use an applicant’s credit history to set premiums, but rates must not be discriminatory. The study will gather data to make sure insurers are compliant.
Senate Bill 5262 corrects obsolete or outdated references in the state insurance code.
Senate Bill 5419 transfers the authority and responsibility to collect fire loss insurance data from the State Fire Marshall to the OIC.
The news release can be found here.