1090                           LAWS OF MARYLAND                      [CH. 553

under contract, that the owner of the property to whom the money-
is to be loaned, or the vendee of the property being sold, shall place,
continue, or renew any policy of insurance covering or to cover such
property or covering any liability relating to such property or the
use thereof, through a particular insurance agent or agents or in a
particular insurer or insurers, type of insurer or types of insurers,
broker or brokers; except, that this provision shall not prevent the
reasonable exercise by any such lendor or vendor of the right to ap-
prove or disapprove of the insurer selected to underwrite the insur-
ance on a reasonable nondiscriminatory basis.

229.    Interlocking Ownership, Management.

(a)   Any insurer may retain, invest in or acquire the whole or any
part of the capital stock of any other insurer or insurers, or have a
common management with any other insurer or insurers, unless such
retention, investment, acquisition or common management is incon-
sistent with any other provision of this article, or unless by reason
thereof the business of such insurers with the public is conducted in
a manner which substantially lessens competition generally in the
insurance business or tends to create a monopoly therein.

(b)   Any person otherwise qualified may be director of two or more
insurers which are competitors, unless the effect thereof is to lessen
substantially competition between insurers generally or tends ma-
terially to create a monopoly.

230.    Illegal Dealing in Premiums; Improper Charges for Insurance.

(a)   No person shall wilfully collect any sum as premium or charge
for insurance, which insurance is not then provided or is not in due
course to be provided (subject to acceptance of the risk by the in-
surer) by an insurance policy issued by an insurer as authorized by
this article.

(b)   No person shall wilfully collect as premium or charge for in-
surance any sum in excess of or less than the premium or charge ap-
plicable to such insurance, in accordance with the applicable classifi-
cations and rates as filed with and approved by the Commissioner;
or, in cases where classifications, premiums, or rates are not required
by this article to be so filed and approved, such premiums and charges
shall not be in excess of or less than those specified in the policy and
as fixed by the insurer. This provision shall not be deemed to pro-
hibit the charging and collection, by surplus line agents licensed
under subtitle 13 of this article, of the amount of applicable state and
federal taxes in addition to the premium required by the insurer. Nor
shall it be deemed to prohibit the charging and collection, by a life
insurer, of amounts actually to be expended for medical examination
of an applicant for life insurance or for reinstatement of a life insur-
ance policy.

231.    Fictitious Groups.

(a) No insurer, whether an authorized insurer or an unauthorized
insurer, shall make available through any rating plan or form, prop-
erty, casualty or surety insurance to any firm, corporation, or as-
sociation of individuals, any preferred rate or premium based upon
any fictitious group of such firm, corporation, or association of in-
dividuals.