Code of Alabama - Title 27: Insurance - Section 27-22-42 - Policyholders Bill of Rights

Section 27-22-42 - Policyholders Bill of Rights.

The following shall serve as the minimum standards to be followed by the Alabama Department of Insurance in exercising the department's powers and duties in regulating insurance companies pursuant to Chapter 12. The Department of Insurance and insurance companies shall post this list or an electronic link of this list on their respective websites. These standards include the following:

(1) Policyholders shall have the right to competitive pricing practices of insurers as prescribed by applicable federal or state insurance law and regulation.

(2) Policyholders shall have the right to insurance advertising and sales approaches that provide representative information on the policy in accordance with Chapter 12.

(3) Policyholders shall have the right to assurance that the insurance market in general and their insurance company in particular are financially stable as provided in Section 27-12-7.

(4) Policyholders shall have the right to receive service from licensed producers in accordance with Chapter 7, and to request the license status of an insurance company or producer.

(5) Policyholders shall have the right to a policy as prescribed in Chapter 14, to receive a complete policy, and to request a duplicate or replacement policy, if needed.

(6) Policyholders shall have the right to receive in writing from their insurance company the reason for any cancellation of coverage and a minimum number of days' notice of cancellation of coverage, subject to applicable federal or state insurance law and regulation.

(7) Policyholders shall have the right to cancel their policy and receive a refund of any unearned premium. If a policy was funded by a premium finance company, the unearned premium will be returned to the premium finance company to pay toward the policyholder's financing loan.

(8) Policyholders shall have the right to a written notification, at renewal, describing changes in their insurance contract language that are applicable to the renewal period.

(9) Policyholders shall have the right, in the event of a claim, to reject any settlement amount offered by the insurance company.

(10) Policyholders shall have the right to select their licensed contractor or vendor to repair, replace, or rebuild damaged property covered by the insurance policy.

(11) Policyholders shall have the right to file a written complaint against any insurance company with the Department of Insurance and to have that complaint reviewed by the Department of Insurance.

(12) Policyholders shall have the right to file a written complaint against any insurance producer with the Department of Insurance and to have that complaint reviewed by the Department of Insurance.

(Act 2012-510, p. 1521, §3.)

Last modified: May 3, 2021