2012 South Carolina Code of Laws
Title 38 - Insurance
Chapter 13 - EXAMINATIONS, INVESTIGATIONS, RECORDS, AND REPORTS
Section 38-13-10 - Examination of insurers; examination of person or business; acceptance of examination report of insurer prepared by insurance department of another state.

(A) The director or his examiners may conduct an examination under this chapter of an insurer as often as the director or his designee consider appropriate but, at a minimum, shall conduct an examination of every insurer licensed in this State not less frequently than once every five years. When the director or his designee considers it prudent for the protection of policyholders in this State, he may examine or have examined an insurer applying for admission in this State. In scheduling and determining the nature, scope, and frequency of the examinations, the director or his designee shall consider compliance with relevant South Carolina laws and regulations, the results of financial statement analyses and ratios, changes in management or ownership, actuarial opinions, reports of independent certified public accountants, and other criteria set forth in the Examiners' Handbook adopted by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and in effect when the director or his designee exercises his authority under this subsection.

(B) For purposes of completing an examination of an insurer under this chapter, the director or his designee may examine or investigate a person or his business in a manner considered necessary or material by the director or his designee.

(C) In lieu of an examination under this section of a foreign or an alien insurer licensed in this State, the director or his designee may accept an examination report on the insurer prepared by the insurance department for the insurer's state of domicile or port-of-entry state until January 1, 1994. After that time, the reports may be accepted only if one or both of the following apply:

(1) The insurance department at the time of the examination was accredited under the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' Financial Regulation Standards and Accreditation Program;

(2) The examination is performed with the participation of one or more examiners who are employed by the accredited insurance department, and who, after a review of the examination work papers and report, state under oath that the examination was performed in a manner consistent with the standards and procedures required by their department.

HISTORY: Former 1976 Code Section 38-13-10 [1947 (45) 322; 1952 Code Section 37-601; 1962 Code Section 37-601] has no comparable provisions in 1987 Act No. 155; Former 1976 Code Section 38-5-1220 [1947 (45) 322; 1948 (45) 1734; 1952 CodeSection 37-281; 1957 (50) 282; 1960 (51) 1646; 1962 Code Section 37-281] recodified as Section 38-13-10 by 1987 Act No. 155, Section 1; 1988 Act No. 357, Section 1; 1992 Act No. 394, Section 1; 1993 Act No. 181, Section 537.