Michigan DIFS Bulletin 2008-05-INS

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STATE OF MICHIGAN

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND ECONOMIC GROWTH

OFFICE OF FINANCIAL AND INSURANCE REGULATION

Bulletin 2008-05-INS

In the matter of

Mandatory Use of SERFF for Submitting All Insurance

Product Rate, Rule and Form Filings

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By Ken Ross

Commissioner

Michigan is committed to enhancing speed to market for all lines of insurance. Speed to market

will only be fully realized through the use of electronic filing. The System for Electronic Rate

and Form Filing ("SERFF") is a reliable and inexpensive means of submitting filings that should

prove Jess costly and more efficient for both the insurance industry and the Michigan Office of

Financial and Insurance Regulation ("OFIR").

Effective April 1, 2009, OFIR will no longer accept paper filings. This bulletin applies to all

insurance companies, health maintenance organizations, alternative financing and delivery

systems, multiple employer welfare arrangements, public employer pooled plans, dental care

corporations, nonprofit health care corporations and insurance rating organizations licensed to do

business in Michigan as well as the auto, property, and workers compensation facilities that write

coverage in Michigan (collectively, "Insurers").

Effective April 1, 2009, all insurance rates, rules, and policy forms that are required to be

filed must be electronically submitted to OFIR via SERFF. Any paper filings received after

April 1, 2009, will be rejected without review. Insurers may establish an account with SERFF to

submit filings electronically any time prior to April 1, 2009. OFIR will not accept voluntary

electronic submissions via SERFF from health maintenance organizations, alternative financing

and delivery systems, multiple employer welfare arrangements, public employer pooled plans,

dental care corporations or nonprofit health care corporations until after November 1, 2008

an account with SERFF to

submit filings electronically any time prior to April 1, 2009. OFIR will not accept voluntary

electronic submissions via SERFF from health maintenance organizations, alternative financing

and delivery systems, multiple employer welfare arrangements, public employer pooled plans,

dental care corporations or nonprofit health care corporations until after November 1, 2008.

For property and casualty insurers, Insurance Bulletin 88-05 states:

Each page of the manual is nwnbered and contains an edition date. The

submission forms required by the manual also contain identifying form numbers

with edition dates. As changes are made to the text or the forms, insurers and

rating organizations will be provided with revised pages showing new edition

dates.

While updates to filing procedures are not generally made by bulletin, the requirement to file all

rules, rates, and policy forms electronically via SERFF is significant enough to warrant a special

communication. The SERFF General Instructions for Michigan is our Filing Procedures Manual

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and it explains how you must submit your rules, rates, and policy forms for the specific type of

insurance you wish to file. Insurers must comply with these instructions and requirements for

the type of insurance for which the companies are submitting rates, rules, and/or policy forms.

Any filing requirements for alternative financing and delivery systems, multiple employer

welfare arrangements, public employer pooled plans, dental care corporations and nonprofit

health care corporations will be added to the SERFF General Instructions for Michigan by

November 1, 2008, as applicable.

Insurers, rating organizations and authorized filers will be able to sign up for SERFF by

contacting SERFF at (816) 783-8787 or via email at SERFFmktg@naic.org.

The SERFF Team is continually making implementation procedures faster and easier

care corporations and nonprofit

health care corporations will be added to the SERFF General Instructions for Michigan by

November 1, 2008, as applicable.

Insurers, rating organizations and authorized filers will be able to sign up for SERFF by

contacting SERFF at (816) 783-8787 or via email at SERFFmktg@naic.org.

The SERFF Team is continually making implementation procedures faster and easier. There is

no license fee for SERFF and there are only four requirements for insurers to access and utilize

SERFF:

1. Internet Explorer (Version 5 .5 or higher)

2. Transaction Fee (range $6.00-$15.00)

3. Adobe Acrobat standard or professional version or other PDF producer in order to

convert Word and Excel documents to PDF for submission through SERFF.

4. Terms and agreements must be accepted by a company officer.

Insurers are encouraged to take formal training so they can fully utilize the SERFF system.

Contact information regarding training can be found on the SERFF website at

http://www.serff.com/training.htm. There are a variety of formats, including online training.

A data hosting solution is also available via authorized vendors, should insurers wish to use their

services. Data Hosts provide services such as reporting, disaster recovery, and a process to store

historical paper filings. The vendors can be accessed via the SERFF website at

http://www.serff.com/remote hosting.htm.

Additional information regarding SERFF may be obtained by visiting www.serff.com.

Any questions regarding this bulletin should be directed to:

Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation

Randy Parlor

Product Review Section

611 W. Ottawa Street

P.O. Box 30220

Lansing, Michigan 48909-7720

Phone: (517)373-4948

Toll Free: (877) 999-6442

Commissioner

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