Ch. 352                                    1995 LAWS OF MARYLAND

CHAPTER 352
(House Bill 923)

AN ACT concerning

Automobile Insurance Reform Act of 1995

FOR the purpose of reforming the automobile insurance market in Maryland and
Baltimore City; requiring insurers that sell private passenger automobile insurance
in a certain area of the State to achieve a certain market share in Baltimore City by
a certain date; requiring those insurers to develop marketing plans for submission to
the Insurance Commissioner; providing for certain penalties for insurers that fail to
achieve specified market shares; requiring certain insurers that sell private.
passenger automobile insurance in areas of the State to develop and file certain
marketing plans for—Baltimore City for submission to the State Insurance
Commissioner of Maryland; requiring the marketing plans to be implemented in a
certain manner for a certain purpose; requiring certain insurers to file certain data
with the Commissioner; requiring the Commissioner to compute certain market shares;
providing for certain penalties; providing for certain exemptions; providing for the
confidentiality of certain information; authorizing the Insurance Commissioner to
modify require revisions to insurer marketing plans and underwriting guidelines
under certain circumstances; requiring that private passenger automobile insurers
provide policies to certain insureds previously insured by the Maryland Automobile
Insurance Fund under certain circumstances; providing that certain agents be
permitted to bind coverage under certain circumstances; establishing a limitation on
certain rates for a certain period; requiring that insurers give discounts in rates
under certain circumstances; restricting clarifying the circumstances under which
the Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund may issue policies; requiring that the
Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund make certain information available to
certain persons; providing that the Maryland Insurance Administration establish a
certain toll-free telephone number; requiring that the Maryland Automobile
Insurance Fund file adequate rates; providing that Fund assessments for certain
insurers be computed in a certain manner; establishing an Insurance Regulatory
Fund and providing for the composition of the Fund; establishing an Insurance
Fraud Division Fund as a special fund and providing for the operation of the Fund;
establishing an Insurance Fraud Division within the Maryland Insurance
Administration; providing for the duties and responsibilities of the Insurance Fraud
Division; providing for the funding of the Division and for a certain fraud prevention
fee; providing for certain immunity to persons reporting insurance fraud under
certain circumstances; making certain technical changes in clarifying the regulation
of insurance antifraud plans; authorizing insurers to use rates for private passenger
automobile certain lines of insurance without the prior approval of the Insurance
Commissioner under certain circumstances; authorising the Commissioner to order
a certain refund, including interest, after disapproving a rate repealing a certain
termination of certain provisions relating to the filing and using of certain rates without
prior approval of the Commissioner; providing that the Commissioner may disapprove
certain rates under certain circumstances without making a certain finding; authorizing
certain insurers to utilize certain underwriting standards under certain

- 2368 -