23-66-501. Definitions.

23-66-501. Definitions. As used in this subchapter: (1) “Actual malice” means knowledge that information is false, or reckless disregard of whether it is false; (2) “Business of insurance” means the writing of insurance or the reinsuring of risks by an insurer, including acts necessary or incidental to writing insurance or reinsuring risks and the activities of persons who act as or are officers, directors, agents, or employees of insurers or who are other persons authorized to act on their behalf; (3) “Commissioner” means the Insurance Commissioner of this state; (4) “Fraudulent insurance act” means an act or omission committed by a person who, knowingly and with intent to defraud, deceive, conceal, or misrepresent: (A) Presents, causes to be presented, or prepares with knowledge or belief that it will be presented to an insurer, a reinsurer, broker or its agent, or by a broker or agent, false information as part of, in support of, or concerning a fact material to one (1) or more of the following: (i) An application for the issuance or renewal of an insurance policy or reinsurance contract; (ii) The rating of an insurance policy or reinsurance contract; (iii) A claim for payment or benefit pursuant to an insurance policy or reinsurance contract; (iv) Premiums paid on an insurance policy or reinsurance contract; (v) Payments made in accordance with the terms of an insurance policy or reinsurance contract; (vi) A document filed with the commissioner or the chief insurance regulatory official of another jurisdiction; (vii) The financial condition of an insurer or reinsurer; (viii) The formation, acquisition, merger, reconsolidation, dissolution, or withdrawal from one (1) or more lines of insurance or reinsurance in all or part of this state by an insurer or reinsurer; (ix) The issuance of written evidence of insurance; or (x) The reinstatement of an insurance policy; (B) Solicits or accepts new or renewal insurance risks on behalf of an insurer, reinsurer, or other person engaged in the business of insurance by a person who knows or should know that the insurer or other person responsible for the risk is insolvent at the time of the transaction; (C) Removes, conceals, alters, or destroys the assets or records of an insurer, reinsurer, or other person engaged in the business of insurance; (D) Embezzles, abstracts, purloins, or converts moneys, funds, premiums, credits, or other property of an insurer, reinsurer, or person engaged in the business of insurance; (E) Transacts the business of insurance in violation of laws requiring a license, certificate of authority, or other legal authority for the transaction of the business of insurance; (F) Attempts to commit, aids or abets the commission of, or conspires to commit the acts or omissions specified in this subsection; (G) Issues false, fake, or counterfeit insurance policies, certificates of insurance, insurance identification cards, policy declaration pages or policy covers, or insurance binders or other temporary contracts of insurance; (H) Possesses or possesses in order to distribute, solicit, sell, negotiate or effectuate false, fake, or counterfeit insurance policies, certificates of insurance, insurance identification cards, policy declaration pages or policy covers, or insurance binders or other temporary contracts of insurance to consumers, lienholders or loss payees, insurance agents or producers, or other persons or entities; (I) Possesses any device, software, or printing supplies utilized to manufacture false, fake, or counterfeit insurance policies, certificates of insurance, insurance identification cards, policy declaration pages or policy covers, or insurance binders or other temporary contracts of insurance; or (J) Falsely holds himself, herself, or itself out as a representative of an insurance company or assists another in furtherance of that misrepresentation to receive a benefit under an insurance claim, contract, or policy; (5)(A) “Insurance” means a contract or arrangement in which one undertakes to: (i) Pay or indemnify another as to loss from certain contingencies called “risks”, including through reinsurance; (ii) Pay or grant a specified amount or determinable benefit to another in connection with ascertainable risk contingencies; (iii) Pay an annuity to another; or (iv) Act as surety. (B) “Insurance” shall, for the purposes of this subchapter, be deemed to include any definition used in the Arkansas Insurance Code; (6) “Insurer” means a person entering into arrangements or contracts of insurance or reinsurance and who agrees to perform any of the acts set forth in subdivision (5)(A) of this section. A person is an insurer regardless of whether the person is acting in violation of laws requiring a certificate of authority or regardless of whether the person denies being an insurer; (7) “NAIC” means the National Association of Insurance Commissioners; (8)(A) “Person” means an individual, corporation, partnership, association, joint stock company, trust, unincorporated organization, or any similar entity or any combination of the foregoing. (B) “Person” shall, for the purposes of this subchapter, be deemed to include any definition used in the Arkansas Insurance Code; (9) “Policy” means an individual or group policy, group certificate, contract, or arrangement of insurance or reinsurance affecting the rights of a resident of this state or bearing a reasonable relation to this state, regardless of whether delivered or issued for delivery in this state; and (10) “Reinsurance” means a contract, binder of coverage, including placement slip, or arrangement under which an insurer procures insurance for itself in another insurer as to all or part of an insurance risk of the originating insurer.