Category Archives: Insurance

Treatise Update: Reinsurance Law

Reinsurance Law examines the intricacies of U.S. reinsurance law in the twenty-first century, giving you a practical grasp of the purpose, benefits, markets, and costs of reinsurance; the features, operation, and risk-and-return characteristics of the full range of reinsurance products; state, federal, and international regulation of reinsurance; and a full understanding of resolving disputes in the industry. This practical guide is equipped with time-saving checklists, sample clauses and agreements for efficiency. It comprehensively covers federal and state law, industry standards, and practices, such as the Utmost Good Faith and Follow-the-Fortunes doctrines, and does so in a straightforward and easy-to-understand manner.

Highlights of the release include:

  • Revised Chapter 6 explains that arbitration is a matter of contract, and courts must enforce arbitration agreements according to their terms. Parties may agree to have an arbitrator decide whether the parties have agreed to arbitration.

The Index and Table of Authorities has also been updated for this release.

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Treatise Update: Insurance and Investment Management M&A Deskbook

Insurance and Investment Management M&A Deskbook is an essential reference guide on emerging trends in insurance and investment management M&A.

With this release, this Deskbook is fully up-to-date and covers many topics including acquisitions of public insurance companies, blocks of insurance business and private acquisitions; the regulatory environment of the insurance industry and the financial services industry; investment in the insurance industry by private equity and pension funds; and the expansion of insurance industry participants into emerging markets around the globe.

The new release includes updates to the following chapters:

  • Chapter 2: Updates include a discussion of the regulations and guidelines meant to prevent the discriminatory use of personal credit scores, external data, algorithms, and predictive models in pricing decisions for insurance policies.
  • Chapter 4: This chapter includes updates on Treasury and IRS guidance on the impact of the Corporate Alternative Minimum Tax (CAMT) on the insurance industry.
  • Chapter 7: Updated to include the latest on the participation of private equity firms in the insurance space, including NAIC recommendations to address concerns reflected in their list of Regulatory Considerations and guidance from the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) on how regulators should evaluate acquisitions by private equity firms in the run-off sector.

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Treatise Update – New York Elder Law (Second Edition)

New York Elder Law is a comprehensive, authoritative guide to legal considerations for seniors in New York, with particular emphasis on areas such as Medicaid eligibility, Medicare, and Medi-gap Insurance. This book includes sample wills, checklists, flowcharts, and up-to-date information on eligibility and benefit levels, all designed to help practitioners work more effectively with government agencies. It also addresses broader issues such as nursing home rights, power of attorney, and healthcare decision-making, reflecting the latest legal developments in these areas.

Highlights of this new release include:

  • Medicaid for the Elderly, Blind, or Disabled: Discussion updated to cover the E14 Waivers or exceptions put in place for Medicaid renewals from July 1, 2023, through May 2024 (see section 3:12.1).
  • Medicaid Home Care: Updated discussions cover new form DOH-5770, Practitioner Statement of Need (see section 4:6.2[A][2]); and LDSS’s submission of a web-based form to NYIA requesting expedited assessments upon receipt of an immediate need request (see section 4:6.2[A][5]).
  • Nursing Homes: New discussion reviews visitation requirements for nursing homes, as well as residents’ rights (see section 5:21).
  • New York Power of Attorney: Updated discussions include the effect of a defective notarization on a power of attorney (see section 6:3), and the requirements to make gifts under the 2009 amendments to the NY GOL (see section 6:5).
  • Health Care Decision Making: New discussion of the Palliative Care Access Act (see section 7:11).

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Treatise Update – Variable Annuities and Other Insurance Investment Products (Third Edition)

Variable Annuities and Other Insurance Investment Products offers accessible guidance to the federal and state regulation of variable annuities and insurance investment products. Readers will learn the professional duties and compliance responsibilities expected of issuers of insurance investment products. The book includes instructive examples around product design, approvals, administration and distribution, marketing, and inspections. The book further features conversations addressing special investment products, state insurance licensing requirements and suitability rules, index-linked variable annuities, registered index-linked annuities (RILA), and life settlements.

Highlights of the new release include:

  • ERISA Issues: New discussion of Prohibited Transaction Exemption 2020-02 (“PTE 2020-02”) which allows investment advice fiduciaries to receive compensation that would otherwise be prohibited in connection with providing investment advice and engaging in certain principal transactions (see section 6:9).
  • Insurer Exchange Programs: Covers the SEC’s announcement of settled charges against an insurance-affiliated broker-dealer/principal underwriter for improper exchange offers related to the affiliated insurer’s variable annuities (see section 13:5).
  • Advertising: Reviews FINRA Rule 5123 (“Private Placements of Securities”), a separate FINRA Rule that sets forth filing requirements for private placements (see section 19:4.2[B][13]), and the performance inception date for variable annuity performance advertising (see section 19:5.1[A][1]).
  • Senior Investors: Discusses actions by federal and state securities and insurance regulators to enhance the supervisory obligations of financial institutions dealing with senior investors (see section 27:2.1).

In addition, the Table of Authorities and Index have been updated to incorporate the latest developments and regulatory changes.

Order a print copy today.

PLI PLUS subscribers can access this title through their subscription.

New Edition! COVID-19 and Other Pandemics: Business and Legal Challenges (2022)

PLI Press is proud to announce the publication of the new edition of COVID-19 and Other Pandemics: Business and Legal Challenges.

Originally published in 2020, the book was featured on Above the Law which cited it as “[t]he first publication to address the complex, evolving [legal] issues” arising from the pandemic.  The treatise has since been fully updated to keep pace with the rapidly evolving situation surrounding COVID-19. Maintaining its results-oriented approach, the book combines practical advice, the latest scientific research, and guidance from key government agencies to provide readers with the answers they need on workplace liability and best practices; employment and labor issues; contracts and frustration defenses; and more.

Some of the highlights from the new edition include:

  • Governors’ Authority: Updated answers regarding whether 1) governors possess the power to shut down business to reduce COVID-19 spread (see §3.1); 2) governors have the authority to issue emergency health orders (see §6:3); and 3) governors may ban gatherings during the time of the health emergency (see §8:1).
  • OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard: Added discussion of OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard and what it covers (see Ch. 4, §8:5, and §14:8).
  • COVID-19 Statistics: Updated to reflect U.S. COVID-19 cases as of May 2022 and Global Health Statistics as of early 2022 (see Ch. 1).

To download a complimentary chapter from the original publication of COVID-19 and Other Pandemics: Business and Legal Challenges, click here.

Order a print copy today.

PLI PLUS subscribers can access this title through their subscription.

Treatise Update – Directors’ and Officers’ Liability: Current Law, Recent Developments, Emerging Issues (Third Edition)

Directors’ and Officers’ Liability is a vital treatise for corporate counsel, private practitioners, and directors and officers which provides a straightforward explanation of the obligations of directors and officers of public companies, the penalties they face if they fail to meet their obligations, and the protections that are offered them under the law or by agreement. 

The book covers the key facets of board committees; the duties of directors and officers under state corporate law and federal and state securities laws; private civil actions and public enforcement; exculpation, indemnity, and insurance; cybersecurity; contested mergers and acquisitions; Securities Act suits filed in state court; special issues in pharma and biotech; and more.

Highlights of the new release include:

  • Gender and Ethnic Diversity of Boards. State legislatures, courts, proxy advisory firms, and stock exchanges have all recently weighed in on requiring boards to maintain certain levels of diversity. See §§ 1:10 and 2:3.3[C] for discussion of the latest developments.
  • Caremark Claims. Hughes v. Hu and Teamsters Local 443 Health Services & Insurance Plan v. John G. Chou are the latest in a string of recent decisions from the Delaware Court of Chancery interpreting and applying Caremark. See §§ 3:3.14, 8:8.3, and 8:8.4 for detailed analysis.

Order a print copy today.

PLI PLUS subscribers can access this title through their subscription.

Insurance Law Webinar – Tuesday!

Please join us on Tuesday, January 26 at 3:00 p.m. ET for a brief demo highlighting the Insurance Law resources available on Practising Law Institute’s (PLI) online research database, PLI PLUS. Led by PLI’s Associate Director of Library Relations Kay Mitchell, this 30-minute demo will cover popular Insurance Law titles and review research scenarios to demonstrate key features of PLI PLUS.

POPULAR INSURANCE LAW TITLES AVAILABLE ON PLI PLUS INCLUDE:

This demo is part of our ongoing webinar series. Each month we highlight PLI’s resources in a different practice area while also demonstrating the overall functionality of the research database.  For registration and a list of upcoming webinars, visit PLI Practice Area Webinars.

New Title! COVID-19 and Other Pandemics

COVID-19 and Other Pandemics: Business and Legal Challenges, a new treatise from PLI Press, is now available for purchase.

The dramatic rise in client questions about the fallout from COVID-19 – on workplace risks, liability, health insurance, contracts and force majeure clauses, testing and tracing and more – presents a real-time challenge: Lawyers need clear answers now to navigate the regulatory and medical challenges.

This book, from public health and safety regulation experts James O’Reilly and Philip Hagan, provides background and analysis of legal and scientific issues that clients will need to understand in order to manage the new “normal” they are facing as they try to conduct business amidst a global pandemic. This results-oriented treatise combines practical advice, the latest scientific research and guidance from key government agencies to provide readers with the answers they need and the questions they didn’t know to ask.

Read more about this timely treatise on Above the Law.

Order a print copy today.

PLI PLUS subscribers can access this title through their subscription.

PLI Current: COVID-19 Special Issue

PLI Press published a special issue of PLI Current to address the developing effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on the legal community. Covering a variety of legal issues related to COVID-19, this special issue contains a mix of original reportage, program materials and transcripts from recent PLI One Hour Briefings. Below is a list of contents along with links to individual articles.

*All articles and online programs related to the global coronavirus crisis are free to access with your PLI login. For upcoming programs, visit pli.edu/coronavirus.

  1. COVID-19: Reducing the Spread of Both Illness and Social Panic 
  2. Coronavirus: What Lawyers Need to Know: Transcript of the PLI One Hour Briefing, conducted March 10, 2020 
  3. Coronavirus: What Lawyers Need to Know (program materials)
  4. Coronavirus: Insurance Coverage for Event Cancellation, Travel and Supply Chain Losses: Transcript of the PLI One Hour Briefing, conducted March 17, 2020 
  5. Coronavirus: Insurance Coverage for Event Cancellation, Travel and Supply Chain Losses (program materials) 
  6. Investment Adviser Regulatory Update: Considerations Regarding the Coronavirus and Getting Ready for the 2020 ADV Update Season: Transcript of the PLI One Hour Briefing, conducted March 18, 2020 
  7. Investment Adviser Regulatory Update: Considerations Regarding the Coronavirus and Getting Ready for the 2020 ADV Update Season (program materials) 
  8. COVID-19 and the Cyber-Risks of Working from Home: Meeting the Challenges: Transcript of the PLI One Hour Briefing, conducted March 25, 2020 
  9. COVID-19 and the Cyber-Risks of Working from Home: Meeting the Challenges (program materials) 
  10. COVID-19 Challenges for First Quarter 2020 Form 10-Q and Annual Meetings: Transcript of the PLI One Hour Briefing, conducted March 26, 2020 
  11. COVID-19 Challenges for First Quarter 2020 Form 10-Q and Annual Meetings (program materials) 
  12. How Employers Can Manage the Coronavirus/COVID-19 Pandemic: Your Workplace Questions Asked—and Answered!: Transcript of the PLI One Hour Briefing, conducted March 26, 2020 
  13. How Employers Can Manage the Coronavirus/COVID-19 Pandemic: Your Workplace Questions Asked—and Answered! (program materials)
  14. Coronavirus Considerations: SEC Disclosure, Labor & Employment, Insurance, Litigation, Breach of Contract and Force Majeure Issues: Transcript of the PLI One Hour Briefing, conducted March 27, 2020 
  15. Coronavirus Considerations: SEC Disclosure, Labor & Employment, Insurance, Litigation, Breach of Contract and Force Majeure Issues (program materials)

Treatise Update: Reinsurance Law

Reinsurance Law examines the intricacies of U.S. reinsurance law in the 21st century, giving readers a practical grasp of the purpose, benefits, markets, and costs of reinsurance; the features, operation, and risk-and-return characteristics of the full range of reinsurance products; state, federal, and international regulation of reinsurance; and a full understanding of resolving disputes in the industry. Enhanced with time-saving checklists and numerous sample clauses and sample agreements, this practical treatise covers federal and state law, industry standards, customs, practice—including the Utmost Good Faith and Follow-the-Fortunes doctrines—and relevant case law in clear, straightforward terms.

Highlights from Release #14 of Reinsurance Law include:

  • Chapter 3: A section on Implied Follow-the-Fortunes Provision addresses whether the follow-the-fortunes doctrine is implied in facultative reinsurance certificates when there is no express working to that effect (see section 3:3).
  • Chapter 3: A section on Reinsurer’s Obligation Regarding Supplemental Benefits Outside of the Applicable Limits of Liability discusses the Second Circuit decision in Utica Mutual Insurance Co. v. Clearwater Insurance Co., holding that the contracts required payment of expenses in addition to the stated liability limits in the facultative contracts. The ruling was based on form language in the contracts and the absence of language stating that the reinsurer’s liability would be “subject to” the stated limits of liability (see section 3:4).
  • Chapter 6: A section on Vacating or Modifying the Award explains how before an arbitrator is officially engaged to perform an arbitration, to ensure the parties’ acceptance of the arbitrator is informed, potential arbitrators must disclose their ownership interests, if any, and the arbitration organizations with whom they are affiliated in connection with the arbitration and those organizations’ nontrivial business dealings with the parties to the arbitration (see section 6:9.2).

Order your print copy today.

PLI PLUS subscribers can access this title through their subscription.