N.M. Admin. Code § 13.2.8.14 - CERTIFICATION PROCEDURE

A. The superintendent will post notice on the OSI website promptly upon receipt of any application for certification, including instructions on how members of the public may respond to the application. The superintendent will not take final action on the application until at least 30 days after posting the notice required by this paragraph.

B. The superintendent will issue written notice to an assuming insurer that has made application and been approved as a certified reinsurer. Included in such notice shall be the rating assigned the certified reinsurer in accordance with 13.2.8.13 NMAC. The superintendent will publish a list of all certified reinsurers and their ratings.

C. In order to be eligible for certification, the assuming insurer shall meet the following requirements:

(1) the assuming insurer shall be domiciled and licensed to transact insurance or reinsurance in a Qualified Jurisdiction, as determined by the superintendent pursuant to 13.2.8.15 NMAC;

(2) the assuming insurer shall maintain capital and surplus, or its equivalent, of no less than $250,000,000 calculated in accordance with Subsection E, Paragraph (8) of this section. This requirement may also be satisfied by an association including incorporated and individual unincorporated underwriters having minimum capital and surplus equivalents (net of liabilities) of at least $250,000,000 and a central fund containing a balance of at least $250,000,000;

(3) the assuming insurer shall maintain financial strength ratings from two or more rating agencies deemed acceptable by the superintendent. These ratings shall be based on interactive communication between the rating agency and the assuming insurer and shall not be based solely on publicly available information. These financial strength ratings will be one factor used by the superintendent in determining the rating that is assigned to the assuming insurer. Acceptable rating agencies include the following:

(a) Standard & Poor's;

(b) Moody's investors service;

(c) Fitch ratings;

(d) A.M. Best company; or

(e) Any other nationally recognized statistical rating organization.

D. The certified reinsurer shall comply with any other requirements reasonably imposed by the superintendent.

E. Each certified reinsurer shall be rated on a legal entity basis, with due consideration being given to the group rating where appropriate, except that an association including incorporated and individual unincorporated underwriters that has been approved to do business as a single certified reinsurer may be evaluated on the basis of its group rating. Factors that may be considered as part of the evaluation process include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) The certified reinsurer's financial strength rating from an acceptable rating agency. The maximum rating that a certified reinsurer may be assigned will correspond to its financial strength rating as outlined in the table below. The superintendent will use the lowest financial strength rating received from an approved rating agency in establishing the maximum rating of a certified reinsurer. A failure to obtain or maintain at least two financial strength ratings from acceptable rating agencies will result in loss of eligibility for certification:

Ratings	Best	S&P	Moody's	Fitch
Secure - 1	A++	AAA	Aaa	AAA
Secure - 2	A+	AA+, AA, AA-	Aa1, Aa2, Aa3	AA+, AA, AA-
Secure - 3	A	A+, A	A1, A2	A+, A
Secure - 4	A-	A-	A3	A-
Secure - 5	B++, B+	BBB+, BBB, BBB-	Baa1, Baa2, Baa3	BBB+, BBB, BBB-
Vulnerable - 6	B, B-C++, C+, C, C-, D, E, F	BB+, BB, BB-, B+, B, B-, CCC, CC, C, D, R	Ba1, Ba2, Ba3, B1, B2, B3, Caa, Ca, C	BB+, BB, BB-, B+, B, B-, CCC+, CC, CCC-, DD

(2) the business practices of the certified reinsurer in dealing with its ceding insurers, including its record of compliance with reinsurance contractual terms and obligations;

(3) for certified reinsurers domiciled in the U.S., a review of the most recent applicable NAIC Annual Statement Blank, either Schedule F (for property/casualty reinsurers) or Schedule S (for life and health reinsurers);

(4) for certified reinsurers not domiciled in the U.S., a review annually of Form CR-F (for property/casualty reinsurers) or Form CR-S (for life and health reinsurers);

(5) the reputation of the certified reinsurer for prompt payment of claims under reinsurance agreements, based on an analysis of ceding insurers' Schedule F reporting of overdue reinsurance recoverables, including the proportion of obligations that are more than 90 days past due or are in dispute, with specific attention given to obligations payable to companies that are in administrative supervision or receivership;

(6) regulatory actions against the certified reinsurer;

(7) the report of the independent auditor on the financial statements of the insurance enterprise, on the basis described in Paragraph (8) below;

(8) for certified reinsurers not domiciled in the U.S., audited financial statements, regulatory filings, and actuarial opinion (as filed with the non-U.S. jurisdiction supervisor, with a translation into English). Upon the initial application for certification, the superintendent will consider audited financial statements for the last two years filed with its non-U.S. jurisdiction supervisor;

(9) the liquidation priority of obligations to a ceding insurer in the certified reinsurer's domiciliary jurisdiction in the context of an insolvency proceeding;

(10) a certified reinsurer's participation in any solvent scheme of arrangement, or similar procedure, which involves U.S. ceding insurers. The superintendent shall receive prior notice from a certified reinsurer that proposes participation by the certified reinsurer in a solvent scheme of arrangement; and

(11) Any other information deemed relevant by the superintendent.

F. Based on the analysis conducted under Paragraph (5) of Subsection E of 13.2.8.14 NMAC of a certified reinsurer's reputation for prompt payment of claims, the superintendent may make appropriate adjustments in the security the certified reinsurer is required to post to protect its liabilities to U.S. ceding insurers, provided that the superintendent will, at a minimum, increase the security the certified reinsurer is required to post by one rating level under Paragraph (1) of Subsection E of 13.2.8.14 NMAC if the superintendent finds that:

(1) more than fifteen percent of the certified reinsurer's ceding insurance clients have overdue reinsurance recoverables on paid losses of 90 days or more which are not in dispute and which exceed $100,000 for each cedent; or

(2) the aggregate amount of reinsurance recoverables on paid losses which are not in dispute that are overdue by 90 days or more exceeds $50,000,000.

G. The assuming insurer shall submit a properly executed Form CR-1 as evidence of its submission to the jurisdiction of this state, appointment of the superintendent as an agent for service of process in this state, and agreement to provide security for one hundred percent of the assuming insurer's liabilities attributable to reinsurance ceded by U.S. ceding insurers if it resists enforcement of a final U.S. judgment. The superintendent shall not certify any assuming insurer that is domiciled in a jurisdiction that the superintendent has determined does not adequately and promptly enforce final U.S. judgments or arbitration awards.

H. The certified reinsurer shall agree to meet applicable information filing requirements as determined by the superintendent, both with respect to an initial application for certification and on an ongoing basis. All information submitted by certified reinsurers which are not otherwise public information subject to disclosure shall be exempted from disclosure under the Inspection of Public Records Act, Chapter 14, Article 4 NMSA 1978, and shall be withheld from public disclosure. The applicable information filing requirements are, as follows:

(1) notification within 10 days of any regulatory actions taken against the certified reinsurer, any change in the provisions of its domiciliary license or any change in rating by an approved rating agency, including a statement describing such changes and the reasons therefor; annually, Form CR-F or CR-S, as applicable;

(2) annually, the report of the independent auditor on the financial statements of the insurance enterprise, on the basis described in Paragraph (3) below;

(3) annually, the most recent audited financial statements, regulatory filings, and actuarial opinion (as filed with the certified reinsurer's supervisor, with a translation into English). Upon the initial certification, audited financial statements for the last two years filed with the certified reinsurer's supervisor;

(4) at least annually, an updated list of all disputed and overdue reinsurance claims regarding reinsurance assumed from U.S. domestic ceding insurers;

(5) a certification from the certified reinsurer's domestic regulator that the certified reinsurer is in good standing and maintains capital in excess of the jurisdiction's highest regulatory action level; and

(6) Any other information that the superintendent may reasonably require.

I. Change in rating or revocation of certification. In the case of a downgrade by a rating agency or other disqualifying circumstance, the superintendent shall upon written notice assign a new rating to the certified reinsurer in accordance with the requirements of Paragraph (1) of Subsection E of 13.2.8.14 NMAC.

(1) The superintendent shall have the authority to suspend, revoke, or otherwise modify a certified reinsurer's certification at any time if the certified reinsurer fails to meet its obligations or security requirements under this section, or if other financial or operating results of the certified reinsurer, or documented significant delays in payment by the certified reinsurer, lead the superintendent to reconsider the certified reinsurer's ability or willingness to meet its contractual obligations.

(2) If the rating of a certified reinsurer is upgraded by the superintendent, the certified reinsurer may meet the security requirements applicable to its new rating on a prospective basis, but the superintendent shall require the certified reinsurer to post security under the previously applicable security requirements as to all contracts in force on or before the effective date of the upgraded rating. If the rating of a certified reinsurer is downgraded by the superintendent, the superintendent shall require the certified reinsurer to meet the security requirements applicable to its new rating for all business it has assumed as a certified reinsurer.

(3) Upon revocation of the certification of a certified reinsurer by the superintendent, the assuming insurer shall be required to post security in accordance with 13.2.8.18 NMAC in order for the ceding insurer to continue to take credit for reinsurance ceded to the assuming insurer. If funds continue to be held in trust in accordance with 13.2.8.11 and 13.2.8.12 NMAC, the superintendent may allow additional credit equal to the ceding insurer's pro rata share of such funds, discounted to reflect the risk of uncollectibility and anticipated expenses of trust administration. Notwithstanding the change of a certified reinsurer's rating or revocation of its certification, a domestic insurer that has ceded reinsurance to that certified reinsurer may not be denied credit for reinsurance for a period of three months for all reinsurance ceded to that certified reinsurer, unless the reinsurance is found by the superintendent to be at high risk of uncollectibility.

Notes

N.M. Admin. Code § 13.2.8.14

7/1/97; Recompiled 11/30/01, Adopted by New Mexico Register, Volume XXIX, Issue 14, July 24, 2018, eff. 7/24/2018, Adopted by New Mexico Register, Volume XXXIII, Issue 12, June 21, 2022, eff. 7/1/2022