The California Department of Insurance (“CDI”) has issued a notification to insurers with 2013 written premiums of $100 million or more in California to complete and submit the CDI’s Governing Board Diversity Survey.
Among other questions, the Survey asks the insurers to report on the number of directors who identify themselves as a man or a woman, how many are comprised from seven different ethnic group categories, and how many are a disabled veteran, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender.
Completed surveys, including an affidavit on the data, are to be submitted to the CDI by August 12, 2014. All surveys will be posted on the CDI website by October 1, 2014. The notification advises that survey results will be posted on the CDI’s website and that “[f]ailure to submit a complete report or submit a report by the due date will be noted,” which we presume will be noted on the CDI website.
The Survey stems from a recommendation put forward by the CDI’s Diversity Task Force which was created shortly after the Commissioner office.
Several existing statutes require insurers to submit reports or respond to data calls on other somewhat related topics:
Insurance Code section 926.2 requires each insurer admitted in California to provide information on all its community development investments and community development infrastructure investments in California.
Insurance Code section 926.3 requires each admitted insurer writing $100 million or more in annual premiums in California to file policy statements expressing goals for community development investments and community development infrastructure investments.
Insurance Code section 927.2 requires each admitted insurer writing $100 million or more in annual premiums in California to submit reports on minority, women, and disabled veteran-owned business procurement efforts.
In contrast, there is no statute which specifically states a requirement to report on the diversity of insurance companies’ boards of directors. The department’s notification to insurers does not cite the statutory authority for the Survey.
