[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 75 (Tuesday, April 21, 2009)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 18135-18138]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-9007]
[[Page 18135]]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
31 CFR Part 50
RIN 1505-AB93
Terrorism Risk Insurance Program; Terrorism Risk Insurance
Program Reauthorization Act Implementation
AGENCY: Departmental Offices, Treasury.
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: The Department of the Treasury (Treasury) is issuing this
final rule as part of its implementation of amendments made by the
Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007
(Reauthorization Act) to Title I of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of
2002 (TRIA, or Act), as previously amended by the Terrorism Risk
Insurance Extension Act of 2005 (Extension Act). The Act established a
temporary Terrorism Risk Insurance Program (Program) that was scheduled
to expire on December 31, 2005, under which the Federal Government
shared the risk of insured losses from certified acts of terrorism with
commercial property and casualty insurers. The Extension Act extended
the Program through December 31, 2007, and made other changes. The
Reauthorization Act extended the Program through December 31, 2014,
revised the definition of an ``act of terrorism,'' and made other
changes. This final rule contains regulations that Treasury is issuing
to implement certain aspects of the Reauthorization Act. In particular,
the rule addresses mandatory availability (``make available'') and
disclosure requirements. An interim final rule with request for
comments was published in the Federal Register on September 16, 2008,
and generally incorporated the substance of interim guidance previously
issued by Treasury and published in the Federal Register. Since no
comments were received regarding the interim final rule, this final
rule adopts the text of the interim final rule without revision.
DATES: This final rule is effective May 21, 2009.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Howard Leikin, Deputy Director,
Terrorism Risk Insurance Program (202) 622-6770 (not a toll-free
number).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
A. Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002
On November 26, 2002, the President signed into law the Terrorism
Risk Insurance Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-297, 116 Stat. 2322). The Act
was effective immediately. The Act's purposes are to address market
disruptions, ensure the continued widespread availability and
affordability of commercial property and casualty insurance for
terrorism risk, and allow for a transition period for the private
markets to stabilize and build capacity while preserving State
insurance regulation and consumer protections.
Title I of the Act establishes a temporary Federal program of
shared public and private compensation for insured commercial property
and casualty losses resulting from an act of terrorism which, as
defined by the Act, is certified by the Secretary of the Treasury, in
concurrence with the Secretary of State and the Attorney General. The
Act authorizes Treasury to administer and implement the Terrorism Risk
Insurance Program (the Program), including the issuance of regulations
and procedures.
Each entity that meets the Act's definition of insurer must
participate in the Program. The amount of Federal payment for an
insured loss resulting from an act of terrorism is determined by
insurance company deductibles and excess loss sharing with the Federal
Government as specified in the Act and Treasury's implementing
regulations. An insurer's deductible is calculated based on the value
of direct earned premiums collected over certain prescribed calendar
periods. Once an insurer has met its individual deductible, the Federal
payments cover a percentage of the insured losses above the deductible,
all subject to an annual industry aggregate limit of $100 billion.
The Act gives Treasury authority to recoup Federal payments made
under the Program through policyholder surcharges. The Act reduces the
Federal share of compensation for insured losses that have been covered
under any other Federal program. The Act also contains provisions
designed to manage certain litigation arising from or relating to a
certified act of terrorism. Section 107 of the Act creates an exclusive
Federal cause of action, provides for claims consolidation in Federal
court, and contains a prohibition on Federal payments for punitive
damages under the Program. The Act provides the United States with the
right of subrogation with respect to any payment or claim paid by the
United States under the Program.
The Program was originally set to expire on December 31, 2005. On
December 22, 2005, the President signed into law the Terrorism Risk
Insurance Extension Act of 2005 (Pub. L. 109-144, 119 Stat. 2660),
which extended the Program through December 31, 2007, and made other
significant changes to TRIA that included a revised definition of
property and casualty insurance and creation of a new Program trigger
that prohibits payment of Federal compensation by Treasury unless the
aggregate industry insured losses resulting from a certified act of
terrorism exceed a certain amount ($100 million in 2007 and any Program
Year thereafter).
B. Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007
Under the Extension Act, the Program was set to expire on December
31, 2007. On December 26, 2007, the President signed into law the
Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (Pub. L.
110-160, 121 Stat. 1839), which extended the Program through December
31, 2014 (i.e., added additional Program Years to the Program). Other
provisions of the Reauthorization Act:
Revise the definition of ``act of terrorism'' to remove
the requirement that the act of terrorism be committed by an individual
acting on behalf of any foreign person or foreign interest in order to
be certified as an act of terrorism for purposes of the Act.
Define ``insurer deductible'' for all additional Program
Years as the value of an insurer's direct earned premiums for
commercial property and casualty insurance for the immediately
preceding calendar year multiplied by 20 percent.
Set the Federal share of compensation for insured losses
(subject to a $100,000,000 Program trigger) for all additional Program
Years at 85 percent of that portion of the amount of insured losses
that exceeds the applicable insurer deductible.
Require Treasury to submit a report to Congress and issue
final regulations for determining the pro rata share of insured losses
to be paid under the Program when aggregate insured losses exceed
$100,000,000,000.
Require the Secretary of the Treasury to notify Congress
not later than 15 days after the date of an act of terrorism as to
whether aggregate insured losses are estimated to exceed
$100,000,000,000.
Require for policies issued after the date of enactment,
that insurers provide clear and conspicuous disclosure to the
policyholder of the existence of the $100,000,000,000 cap at the time
of offer, purchase, and renewal of a policy (in addition to current
disclosure requirements).
Revise the recoupment provisions of the Act. For purposes
of recouping the Federal share of compensation under the Act, the
``insurance marketplace aggregate retention
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amount'' for all additional Program Years is the lesser of
$27,500,000,000 and the aggregate amount, for all insurers, of insured
losses during each Program Year. With regard to mandatory recoupment of
the Federal share of compensation through policyholder surcharges,
collection is required within a certain schedule specified in the
Reauthorization Act. The limitation that surcharges not exceed 3
percent of the premium charged for property and casualty insurance
coverage under the policy is eliminated (but remains in the case of
discretionary recoupment).
Require Treasury to issue recoupment regulations within
180 days of enactment, and publish an estimate of aggregate insured
losses within 90 days after an act of terrorism.
Require the President's Working Group on Financial Markets
to perform an ongoing analysis regarding the long-term availability and
affordability of terrorism risk insurance and submit reports in 2010
and 2013.
Require the Comptroller General to examine and report on
the availability and affordability of insurance coverage for nuclear,
biological, chemical, and radiological terrorist events; the future
outlook for such coverage; and the capacity of insurers and State
workers compensation funds to manage the risk associated with nuclear,
biological, chemical, and radiological terrorist events.
Require the Comptroller General to study and report on the
question of whether there are specific markets in the United States
where there are unique capacity constraints on the amount of terrorism
risk insurance available.
C. The Interim Final Rule
The interim final rule was published in the Federal Register at 73
FR 53359 (September 16, 2008). It incorporated certain changes to 31
CFR Part 50 required by the amendments to TRIA in the Reauthorization
Act. The rule included various conforming changes, such as a change to
the definition of ``act of terrorism,'' and extension of applicable
insurer deductible amounts and the Federal share of compensation for
insured losses for additional Program Years.
This final rule, and the preceding interim final rule, reflect
interim guidance previously issued by Treasury in a notice published in
the Federal Register on January 29, 2008 (73 FR 5264), in order to
assist insurers, policyholders, and other interested parties in
complying with immediately applicable requirements of the
Reauthorization Act. Treasury consulted with the National Association
of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) in developing the interim final rule.
No comments were submitted on the interim final rule and therefore,
Treasury is finalizing that rule by adopting the text without change.
II. Analysis of the Final Rule
The following briefly describes the content of the final rule. For
a more detailed discussion, please refer to the interim final rule
publication of September 16, 2008.
A. Definitions (Sec. 50.5)
The final rule incorporates revised definitions for the terms ``act
of terrorism,'' ``Program Years,'' ``insurer deductible,'' and
``Program Trigger event.''
To conform to the Reauthorization Act, the definition of ``act of
terrorism'' in Sec. 50.5(b)(1)(iv) is revised to remove the
requirement that the act be committed by an individual ``acting on
behalf of any foreign person or foreign interest'' in order to be
certified as an act of terrorism for purposes of TRIA.
The revisions to the definitions of ``Program Years,'' ``insurer
deductible,'' and ``Program Trigger event'' merely conform these
definitions to the changes in the Reauthorization Act.
B. Interim Guidance Safe Harbors (Sec. 50.7)
Section 50.7 of the final rule adds the Interim Guidance issued by
Treasury on January 22, 2008, and published at 73 FR 5264 (January 29,
2008) to the list of Interim Guidance documents Treasury has issued.
C. Disclosure (Sec. 50.12)
The Reauthorization Act made no change to the requirement in
section 103(b) of TRIA that insurers provide clear and conspicuous
disclosure to the policyholder of the premium charged for insured
losses covered by the Program and the Federal share of compensation for
insured losses under the Program. However, because an ``insured loss''
is defined, in part, as a loss resulting from an act of terrorism, the
revision of the definition of an act of terrorism to eliminate the
``foreign person or interest'' element (i.e., to add what is often
referred to as ``domestic terrorism'') may affect the premium charged
for insured losses and an insurer's compliance with the disclosure
requirements.
Section 50.12(b)(2) of the final rule states that if an insurer
makes an initial offer of coverage, or offers to renew an existing
policy on or after December 26, 2007, the disclosure provided to the
policyholder must reflect the premium charged for insured losses
covered by the Program consistent with the definition of an act of
terrorism as amended by the Reauthorization Act. As a general matter,
the requirement to make available coverage for insured losses must be
met according to the provisions of the Act in effect at the time the
offer is made. The disclosure must be consistent with the offer that is
made.
Section 50.12(e)(3) of the final rule provides that if an insurer
made available coverage for insured losses in a new policy or policy
renewal in 2007 or in the first three months of 2008 for coverage
becoming effective in 2008, but did not provide a disclosure at the
time of offer, purchase or renewal of the policy, then the insurer must
be able to demonstrate to Treasury's satisfaction that it has provided
a disclosure as soon as possible following January 1, 2008. Treasury
considers March 31, 2008, to be the latest reasonable date for
compliant disclosures to policyholders, barring unforeseen or unusual
circumstances. If the March 31, 2008, date was not met by an insurer,
Treasury will expect the insurer to demonstrate, when submitting a
claim for the Federal share of compensation under the Program, why it
could not comply by that date.
D. Cap Disclosure (Sec. Sec. 50.15 and 50.11)
Section 103(e)(2) of TRIA provides that if aggregate insured losses
exceed $100,000,000,000 during any Program Year, Treasury shall not
make any payment for any portion of the amount of such losses that
exceeds $100,000,000,000, and no insurer that has met its insurer
deductible shall be liable for the payment of any portion of the amount
of such losses that exceeds $100,000,000,000. Section 103(b)(3) of
TRIA, as amended by the Reauthorization Act, requires an insurer to
provide a clear and conspicuous disclosure to the policyholder of the
existence of the $100,000,000,000 cap under section 103(e)(2). The
requirement applies to ``any policy that is issued after the date of
enactment'' of the Reauthorization Act, or December 26, 2007. The
disclosure must be made at the time of offer, purchase, and renewal of
the policy.
New section 50.15 in the final rule addresses these requirements.
Section 50.11 also includes a minor change to clarify that the term
``cap disclosure'' in the regulations refers to this disclosure
required by section 103(b)(3) of the Act.
For policies issued after December 26, 2007, this cap disclosure
must initially be provided to the policyholder at the
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first occurrence thereafter of an offer, purchase or renewal. The final
rule provides that, for policies issued after December 26, 2007, if an
insurer does not provide a cap disclosure by the time of the first
offer, purchase or renewal of the policy after December 26, 2007, then
the insurer must be able to demonstrate to Treasury's satisfaction that
it has provided the disclosure as soon as possible following December
26, 2007. Treasury considers March 31, 2008, to be the latest
reasonable date for providing the cap disclosure (including
reprocessing of policies, if necessary, where a compliant disclosure
was not possible), barring unforeseen or unusual circumstances. If the
March 31, 2008, date was not met by an insurer, Treasury will expect
the insurer to demonstrate, when submitting a claim for the Federal
share of compensation under the Program, why it could not comply by
that date.
E. Use of Model Forms (Sec. 50.17)
Section 50.17(e) of the final rule adds a provision specifically
addressing the cap disclosure. In addition, a minor refinement of
section 50.17(a)(2) has been made in order to more accurately reflect
section 105(c) of the Act.
On December 19, 2007, the NAIC modified Model Disclosure Forms No.
1 and 2 to satisfy the disclosure requirements of section 103(b) of the
Act, including the cap disclosure requirement under section 103(b)(3).
The new forms are found on the Treasury Web site at http://www.treasury.gov/trip. However, insurers are not required to use the
NAIC forms, and may use other means to comply with the disclosure
requirements.
F. Make Available (Sec. Sec. 50.20 and 50.21)
The Reauthorization Act made no change to the TRIA ``make
available'' requirements in section 103(c). However, because the ``make
available'' requirements apply to insured losses, and an ``insured
loss'' is defined, in part, as a loss resulting from an act of
terrorism, the revision of the definition of an act of terrorism in the
Reauthorization Act to add domestic terrorism may have an impact on an
insurer's compliance with the ``make available'' requirements.
The Reauthorization Act was effective immediately upon enactment,
December 26, 2007. The TRIA regulations in 31 CFR 50.21(a) generally
provide that the ``make available'' requirements apply at the time of
the initial offer of coverage or offer of renewal of an existing
policy. Thus, any initial offers of coverage or offers of renewal of
existing policies, made on or after the date of enactment, must be
consistent with the revised definition of act of terrorism. In
addition, if an insurer makes an offer of coverage on or after December
26, 2007 on a policy that is in mid term, then the insurer must make
available coverage for insured losses consistent with the revised
definition of an act of terrorism. These general rules are included in
revised section 50.21(b) of the final rule.
Section 50.21 addresses in detail insurer implementation of the
``make available'' requirements under various circumstances as a result
of enactment of the Reauthorization Act. Treasury considers March 31,
2008, to be the latest reasonable date for compliant offers of coverage
(including reprocessing of policies, if necessary, where a compliant
post-December 26, 2007 offer was not possible), barring unforeseen or
unusual circumstances. If the March 31, 2008, date was not met by an
insurer, Treasury will expect the insurer to demonstrate, when
submitting a claim for the Federal share of compensation under the
Program, why it could not comply by that date.
Section 50.21(c)(2) addresses policies where the coverage for
insured losses expired as of December 31, 2007, but other coverage
under the policy continued in force in 2008. An insurer must make
coverage for insured losses available for the remaining portion of the
policy term and, under section 50.21(e)(4), an insurer must be able to
demonstrate to Treasury's satisfaction that it has offered such
coverage as soon as possible following January 1, 2008. However, if a
policyholder had declined an offer made by an insurer for coverage for
insured losses expiring as of December 31, 2007, then the insurer is
not required to make a new offer of coverage before the policy is due
to be renewed.
Section 50.21(e)(5) addresses situations where coverage became
effective in 2008. Section 50.21(e)(5)(i) requires that if an insurer
processed a new policy or policy renewal in 2007, or in the first three
months of 2008, for coverage becoming effective in 2008, but did not
make available coverage for insured losses, then the insurer must be
able to demonstrate to Treasury's satisfaction that it has provided an
offer of coverage for insured losses as soon as possible following
January 1, 2008.
Under section 50.21(e)(5)(ii), if an insurer made an initial offer
or offer of renewal of coverage for insured losses on or after December
26, 2007, for a policy term becoming effective in 2008, but the scope
of the insured losses in the offer was inconsistent with the
Reauthorization Act's revised definition of an act of terrorism, then
an insurer must make a new offer of coverage as soon as possible
following January 1, 2008. If an insurer made an initial offer of
coverage or offer of renewal before December 26, 2007, for a policy
term becoming effective in 2008, and coverage for insured losses was in
compliance with the Act and the definition of an act of terrorism at
the time of the offer, then the insurer is not required to make a new
offer of coverage before the policy is due to be renewed.
G. Federal Share of Compensation (Sec. Sec. 50.50 and 50.53)
These sections of the final rule include other minor and conforming
changes to reflect the extension of the Program and the inclusion of
the cap disclosure.
III. Procedural Requirements
This final rule is not a significant regulatory action under the
terms of Executive Order 12866.
Regulatory Flexibility Act. Pursuant to the Regulatory Flexibility
Act (5 U.S.C. chapter 6), it is hereby certified that this final rule
will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of
small entities. The final rule implements changes prescribed or
authorized by the Reauthorization Act. TRIA requires all insurers,
regardless of size or sophistication, that receive direct earned
premiums for any type of commercial property and casualty insurance, to
participate in the Program. The Act also defines ``property and
casualty insurance'' to mean commercial lines without any reference to
the size or scope of the commercial entity. The rule allows all
insurers, whether large or small, to use existing systems and business
practices to demonstrate compliance. The disclosure and ``make
available'' requirements are required by the Act. In addition, the Act
now defines an ``act of terrorism'' to include domestic terrorism. Any
economic impact associated with the final rule flows from the Act and
not the final rule. However, the Act and the Program are intended to
provide benefits to the U.S. economy and all businesses, including
small businesses, by providing a Federal reinsurance-type backstop to
commercial property and casualty insurers and spreading the risk of
insured losses resulting from an act of terrorism. Accordingly, a
regulatory flexibility analysis is not required.
List of Subjects in 31 CFR Part 50
Terrorism risk insurance.
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Authority and Issuance
0
For the reasons set forth above, the interim final rule amending 31 CFR
Part 50, which was published at 73 FR 53359 on September 16, 2008, is
adopted as a final rule without change.
Kenneth E. Carfine,
Acting Under Secretary for Domestic Finance.
[FR Doc. E9-9007 Filed 4-20-09; 8:45 am]
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