AS 21.06.120. Examination of Insurers.

(a) The director may examine the affairs, transactions, accounts, records, and assets of each authorized and formerly authorized insurer and each licensed and formerly licensed managing general agent, reinsurance intermediary broker, reinsurance intermediary manager, surplus lines broker, and surplus lines association as often as the director considers advisable. In scheduling and determining the nature, scope, and frequency of examinations, the director may consider any factor or material that the director determines is appropriate, including the results of financial statement analysis and ratios, competency of management or change of ownership, actuarial opinions, reports of independent certified public accountants, number and nature of consumer complaints, results of prior examinations, frequency of prior violations of statute and regulation, and criteria set out in the Examiners' Handbook most recently approved by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and in effect when the director conducts an examination. Examination of an alien insurer may be limited to its insurance transactions and affairs in the United States. Examination of a reciprocal insurer may also include examination of its attorney-in-fact to the extent that the transactions of the attorney-in-fact relate to the insurer.

(b) The director shall in like manner examine each insurer applying for an initial certificate of authority to do business in this state.

(c) In place of an examination by the director, the director may accept a full report of the last recent examination of a foreign or alien insurer, certified to by the insurance supervisory official of another state, territory, commonwealth, or district of the United States. The director may require that the

(1) insurance regulatory agency conducting the examination be, at the time of the examination, accredited by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners;

(2) examination be performed under the supervision of an insurance regulatory agency accredited by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners; and the supervising examiner, after a review of the examination work papers and report, state under oath that the examination and report comply with the standards and procedures required by their accredited state insurance regulatory agency; or

(3) examiner conducting the examination be employed by an insurance regulatory agency accredited at the time of the examination by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and that the examiner, after review of the examination work papers and report, state under oath that the examination and report comply with the standards and procedures required by the accredited insurance regulatory agency.

(d) The director may examine insurers in participation with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

(e) The director may use a contract examiner to carry out the functions of this section. The selection of a contract examiner and the award of a contract is subject to AS 36.30 (State Procurement Code), except when the director makes a written determination that an emergency selection and contract award is necessary.

(f) For the purpose of completing an examination of a person under this title, the director may examine or investigate any person, or the business of any person, if the director determines that the examination or investigation is necessary or material to the examination of the person.

(g) The director shall examine a domestic insurer at least once every three years. The director may examine a domestic insurer at any time when the director determines that an examination or investigation is necessary. Unless the director determines an insurer is in danger of becoming impaired, when the director intends to conduct an interim examination of a domestic insurer covering the same subjects that were included in the scope of the last examination report, the director shall give at least 10 days prior written notice stating the scope and purpose of the examination. In this subsection, "interim examination" means an examination of a domestic insurer that occurs within three years after the start of the domestic insurer's last examination.

AS 21.06.130. Examination of Producers, Adjusters, and Promoters.

(a) To determine compliance with this title, the director may as often as the director considers advisable examine or require a written report from a person of the accounts, records, documents, and transactions pertaining to or affecting the insurance affairs or proposed insurance affairs of

(1) an insurance producer or independent adjuster; or

(2) a person engaged in or proposing to be engaged in or assisting in the promotion or formation of a domestic insurer or insurance holding corporation, or corporation to finance a domestic insurer or the production of its business.

(b) [Repealed, Sec. 223 ch 67 SLA 1992].

AS 21.06.140. Conduct of Examination.

(a) The director shall conduct the examination at the home office of a domestic, foreign, or Canadian insurer, or the United States branch office of an alien insurer, or in any of its branch or agency offices; or with respect to persons other than insurers, at the office or other place or places where the records are kept.

(b) Every person being examined, or from whom information is sought, and its officers, employees, agents, and representatives shall provide to the director timely, convenient, and free access, at all reasonable hours at its office, the books, accounts, records, documents, files, information, assets, and matters in their possession or control relating to the subject of the examination, including all computer or other recordings relating to the property, assets, business, and affairs of the person being examined, and shall facilitate and aid the examination as far as it is in their power to do so, including providing to the director, at the expense of the person being examined, a copy of any document requested during the examination. The director may suspend, revoke, or refuse to issue or renew a license or authority of a person engaging in the business of insurance or other business under the jurisdiction of the director if the person or an officer, director, employee, or agent of the person refuses to submit to examination or to comply with a reasonable written request of an examiner.

(c) If the director finds financial or other records to be inadequate or inadequately kept or posted or if an insurer's financial records are not kept as required by the Accounting Practices and Procedures Manual currently approved by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners after the director has issued an order citing the inadequacy of the accounts and given a reasonable opportunity to complete or correct the accounting, the director may employ experts to rewrite, post, or balance them at the expense of the person being examined.

(d) When conducting an examination under this section, the director may retain attorneys, appraisers, independent actuaries, independent certified public accountants, or other professionals and specialists as examiners, the reasonable cost of which shall be paid by the person being examined under AS 21.06.160 (a).

(e) As far as practical the director shall conduct the examination of a foreign or alien insurer in cooperation with the insurance supervisory officials of other states in which the insurer transacts business, and for this purpose the director may participate in joint examinations of insurers or be represented at an examination by an examiner of another state.

(f) In conducting an examination under this section, the examiner shall observe at a minimum those guidelines and procedures set out in the Examiners' Handbook currently approved by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners that are consistent with this title.

(g) An examiner may not be appointed by the director if the examiner, either directly or indirectly, has a conflict of interest or is affiliated with the management of or owns a pecuniary interest in a person subject to examination under this title. This section may not be construed to automatically preclude an examiner from being, in the ordinary course of business,

(1) a policyholder or claimant under an insurance policy;

(2) a grantor of a mortgage or similar instrument on the examiner's residence to a regulated entity if obtained under customary terms;

(3) an investment owner in shares of regulated mutual fund companies; or

(4) a settlor or beneficiary of a blind trust into which otherwise impermissible holdings have been placed.

(h) The director may terminate or suspend an examination in order to pursue other legal or regulatory action under this title.

(i) In a judicial or administrative proceeding a factual determination made in an examination report approved under AS 21.06.150 (b)(1) is prima facie evidence of the fact.

AS 21.06.150. Examination Reports.

(a) An examination report may only consist of facts appearing upon the books, records, or other documents of the examined person, the person's agents, or other persons examined, or facts determined from the testimony of officers, agents, or other persons examined concerning the person's affairs, and the conclusions and recommendations that the examiners find reasonably warranted from the facts.

(b) The examiner shall file with the division a written report of an examination, signed by the examiner under oath, not later than 60 days following the last day of examination field work. The period for filing the report may be extended for 60 additional days upon approval of the director. Upon receipt of the report, the division shall transmit the report to the person being examined, together with a notice that gives the person being examined a period of 30 days to make a written submission or rebuttal with respect to matters contained in the examination report. Within 30 days of the end of the period allowed for the receipt of written submissions or rebuttals, the director shall fully consider and review the report, together with any written submissions or rebuttals, and any relevant portions of the examiner's work papers and enter an order

(1) approving the examination report as filed or approving the examination report with modification or corrections;

(2) rejecting the examination report with directions to the examiners to reopen the examination for the purpose of obtaining additional data, documentation, or information and refiling the report under this section; or

(3) setting an investigatory hearing under the procedures of AS 21.06.200 and 21.06.210(a) - (d) for purposes of obtaining additional information and testimony.

(c) In the event the director determines that regulatory action is appropriate as a result of an examination, the director may enter orders and initiate proceedings as provided by law. The director may use an examination report, work papers or other documents, the testimony of the examiners, or other information discovered or developed during the course of an examination in a judicial or administrative proceeding, whether or not a written report of the examination at the time has been made, transmitted, or approved by the director.

(d) The director may disclose the content of an examination report, preliminary examination report or results, or a matter relating to it to the insurance division of this or another state or country and to law enforcement officers of this or another jurisdiction. Except as allowed by this section or other provision of law, the director may not disclose the contents of a preliminary examination report before the report is filed in the office of the director under AS 21.06.060 .

(e) An order entered under (b)(1) of this section must be accompanied by findings of fact and conclusions of law resulting from the director's consideration and review of the examination report, relevant examiner work papers, and written submissions or rebuttals.

(f) Within 30 days of the receipt of the approved report, the person examined shall file affidavits executed by each director and the chief executive officer or equivalent officer stating under oath that they have received and reviewed a copy of the approved report and related orders.

(g) Information or records obtained by the director under AS 21.06.120 or 21.06.140 and any related work papers of an examination are confidential. The director may publish an examination report or a summary of it in a newspaper or electronic media in the state if the director determines that the publication is in the public interest.

AS 21.06.160. Examination Expense.

(a) Each person examined, other than examinations under AS 21.06.130 , shall pay a reasonable rate calculated on salary, benefit costs, and estimated division overhead for time spent directly or indirectly related to the examination. Each person examined, other than examinations under AS 21.06.130 , shall pay actual out-of-pocket business expenses, including travel expenses, incurred by division staff examiners and shall pay the compensation of a contract examiner, to be set at a reasonable customary rate, for conducting the examination upon presentation of a detailed account of the charges and expenses by the director or under an order of the director. The accounting may either be presented periodically during the course of the examination or at the termination of the examination. A person may not pay and an examiner may not accept additional compensation for an examination.

(b) The director shall pay into the general fund of the state all money received under (a) of this section. Instead of charging and collecting the costs and expenses of the examination under (a) of this section, the director may give written authorization for the person examined to make direct payment to the contract examiner for all or part of the contract examiner's compensation or expenses. The contract between the state and a contract examiner who will receive direct payment under this subsection must require that the examiner provide the director with a copy of each billing for the examination.

(c) In addition to other penalties provided by this title, if the person fails to pay the charges and expenses prescribed in (a) of this section, the amount may be recovered by suit by the attorney general on behalf of the state and restored to the general fund. The amount due shall be a first lien upon all of the assets and property of the person in this state.