§ 3661. Cease and desist powers; prosecutions and penalties
(a) When the Commissioner believes that an insurer or an officer or agent thereof, or any other person, has violated the law, an administrative rule of the Department, or an order of the Commissioner relating to insurance, or has not complied with its requirements, he or she:
(1) may issue an order to cease and desist such violation or activity. Such an order shall be subject to de novo judicial review in the Washington Superior Court, but such review shall not stay the enforcement of the Commissioner’s order while under review, unless the court shall so determine after a preliminary hearing that a stay of enforcement will not unduly injure the interests of the people of the State, in which case a stay of execution may be granted;
(2) may report each violation with any information he or she has relating thereto to the Attorney General who shall prosecute therefor if he or she deems it advisable. The offender shall be fined not more than $2,000.00 as a result of any such prosecution by the Attorney General; and
(3) may, after notice and opportunity for hearing, impose a civil administrative penalty of not more than $1,000.00 for each violation, and not more than $10,000.00 for each willful violation.
(b) The powers vested in the Commissioner by this section shall be in addition to any other powers to enforce penalties, fines, or forfeitures authorized by law with respect to violations of the law relating to insurance, except that the Commissioner shall not impose an administrative penalty under subdivision (a)(3) of this section if the Commissioner may impose another administrative penalty authorized by law for the same violation.
(c) An employer who makes a false statement or representation that results in a lower workers’ compensation premium, after notice and opportunity for hearing before the Commissioner, may be assessed an administrative penalty of not more than $20,000.00 in addition to any other appropriate penalty. In addition, an employer found to have violated this section is prohibited from contracting, directly or indirectly, with the State or any of its subdivisions for up to three years following the date the employer was found to have made a false statement or misrepresentation, as determined by the Commissioner in consultation with the Commissioner of Buildings and General Services or the Secretary of Transportation, as appropriate. Either the Secretary or the Commissioner, as appropriate, shall be consulted in any appeal relating to prohibiting the employer from contracting with the State or its subdivisions.
(d) Any person who knowingly makes a false statement or representation in an application, petition, certification or verification made in accordance with the provisions of this title, or of 18 V.S.A. chapter 221, or a certification or other filing with the Interstate Insurance Product Regulation Commissioner under chapter 165 of this title, after notice and opportunity for hearing before the Commissioner of Financial Regulation may be assessed an administrative penalty of not more than $5,000.00. The authority granted to the Commissioner by this subsection shall be in addition to any other authority granted to the Commissioner by law. (Added 1967, No. 344 (Adj. Sess.), § 1 (ch. 1, subch. 13, § 1); amended 1983, No. 199 (Adj. Sess.); 2003, No. 105 (Adj. Sess.), § 7; 2009, No. 42, § 9; 2009, No. 54, § 78, eff. June 1, 2009; 2009, No. 142 (Adj. Sess.), § 5a; 2011, No. 78 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. April 2, 2012.)
Structure Vermont Statutes
Title 8 - Banking and Insurance
Chapter 101 - Insurance Companies Generally
§ 3302. Plan of organization; incorporators
§ 3303. Mutual companies; directors, charter provisions as to
§ 3304. Capital and surplus requirements
§ 3306. Duties of Secretary of State, records
§ 3307. Consideration for stock
§ 3308. List of stockholders; certificate to transact business; liability of president and directors
§ 3308a. Reorganization formations
§ 3309. Mutual insurers to commence business; when
§ 3312. Construction with other laws
§ 3314. Annual financial statements; reports; filing fee
§ 3315. Coordinated regulation
§ 3316. Corporate governance; disclosure
§ 3361. Requirements for license
§ 3362. Authority to transact various kinds of insurance business
§ 3364. Authorization for investment purposes only
§ 3367. Retaliatory provisions
§ 3368. Transacting business without certificate of authority prohibited
§ 3368a. Unauthorized and misleading transactions
§ 3369. Commissioner may enjoin unauthorized insurer
§ 3370. Service of process upon unauthorized insurer by director
§ 3381. Legislative purpose and policy
§ 3382. Acts which constitute Secretary of State agent for service of process
§ 3383. Service upon the Secretary of State notice to defendant
§ 3384. Service upon other agents; notice to defendant
§ 3386. Effect on other modes of service
§ 3387. Prerequisites to defense of action
§ 3389. Motion to quash for improper service
§ 3421. Mutualization of stock insurer
§ 3422. Mutual insurers—Prohibitions
§ 3423. Converting mutual insurer or mutual insurance holding company
§ 3425. Procedure for consolidation
§ 3426. Effective date of merger or consolidation
§ 3428. Rights of dissenting shareholders
§ 3429. Rights of dissenting members or policyholders
§ 3430. Effect of merger or consolidation
§ 3431. Merger or consolidation between domestic and foreign insurers—Requirements
§ 3433. Certificates of fees and commissions paid
§ 3434. Fees—Penalty for receiving
§ 3437. Redomestication; approval as a domestic insurer
§ 3438. Redomestication; conversion to foreign insurer
§ 3439. Effects of redomestication
§ 3441. Formation of a mutual insurance holding company
§ 3443. Regulated as an insurance company
§ 3444. Demutualization of a mutual insurance holding company
§ 3445. Membership interest not a security
§ 3446. Filing of amended charters
§ 3461b. General limitations and diversification requirements for life and health insurers
§ 3461c. Rated credit investments
§ 3461d. Registration or filing exemption
§ 3462. Investments—Foreign insurers
§ 3463a. Valuation of investments
§ 3465. Exemption from investment limitations
§ 3467. Qualification of investments
§ 3468. Investments qualified under prior law
§ 3469. Loans to directors and officers—Restrictions
§ 3470. Mortgage loans to minors
§ 3471. Mortgages on real and personal property as liens; priorities
§ 3472. Earnings statements and income ratios—Special situations
§ 3501. Life insurance and annuities
§ 3502. Insurance—Other life insurance and annuities
§ 3503. Deposits of domestic insurer doing foreign business
§ 3541. Filing and approval of forms
§ 3542. Grounds for disapproval
§ 3543. Existing forms and filings
§ 3552. Fees assessed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners
§ 3563. Examination of companies; fees
§ 3564. Examination of foreign insurers; expenses
§ 3565. Examination of officers and books
§ 3567. Liquor liability insurance records
§ 3568. Preservation of records
§ 3569. National Association of Insurance Commissioners filing requirements
§ 3572. Revocation of certificate of authority
§ 3573. Conduct of examinations
§ 3576. Immunity from liability
§ 3577. Requirements for actuarial opinions
§ 3578a. Annual financial reporting
§ 3581. Purpose; scope; intent
§ 3583. Risk management framework
§ 3587. Contents of ORSA summary report
§ 3611. Scope of subchapter; short title
§ 3613. Creation of Association
§ 3615. Powers and duties of Association
§ 3617. Powers and duties of Commissioner
§ 3619. Nonduplication of recovery
§ 3620. Prevention of insolvencies
§ 3621. Examination of Association
§ 3623. Recognition of assessments in rates
§ 3625. Stay of proceedings; reopening of default judgment
§ 3626. Prohibition against advertising of membership in Association
§ 3634a. Credit for reinsurance
§ 3635. Insolvency of ceding company
§ 3641. Claims, rights, title, and interests of nonresidents
§ 3642. Liability for payments to nonresidents
§ 3661. Cease and desist powers; prosecutions and penalties
§ 3662. Nonpayment of judgment; penalty
§ 3663. Minimum limitation on actions; void policy provisions
§ 3664. Forms; filing proof of loss and other documents, waiver of filing
§ 3665a. Timely payment of property and casualty insurance claims; interest
§ 3665b. Timely payment of life insurance claims and annuity death benefits; interest
§ 3666. Rules; methods of notice
§ 3671. Disclosure of information
§ 3673. Penalty for noncompliance
§ 3682. Subsidiaries of insurers
§ 3683. Acquisition of control of or merger with domestic insurer
§ 3683a. Acquisitions involving insurers not otherwise covered
§ 3684. Registration of insurers
§ 3685. Standards and management of an insurer within an insurance holding company system
§ 3687. Confidential treatment
§ 3689. Injunctions; prohibitions against voting securities; sequestration of voting securities
§ 3692. Revocation, suspension, or nonrenewal of insurer’s license
§ 3696. Groupwide supervisor; internationally active insurance group