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North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance
Contents |
Current officeholder
The current officeholder is Wayne Goodwin (D). He was first elected to the position in 2008, and his current term expires in 2012.
Authority
The position and duties of Commissioner of Insurance are established by Article III, Section 7 of the North Carolina Constitution.
Article III, Section 7:
| A Secretary of State, an Auditor, a Treasurer, a Superintendent of Public Instruction, an Attorney General, a Commissioner of Agriculture, a Commissioner of Labor, and a Commissioner of Insurance shall be elected by the qualified voters of the State... |
Qualifications
Article VI, Section 6 of the North Carolina Constitution establishes the qualifications of the office:
| Every qualified voter in North Carolina who is 21 years of age, except as in this Constitution disqualified, shall be eligible for election by the people to office. |
- Qualified North Carolina voter
- 21 years of age
Elections
North Carolina elects Insurance Commissioners in Presidential election years. For North Carolina, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020 are all insurance commissioner election years. They are elected to a four-year term, which begins the first day of January following the election.
Vacancies
Details of vacancy appointments are addressed under Article III, Section 7.
If a vacancy occurs in the office, the Governor appoints another to serve until a successor is elected and qualified. Every such vacancy shall be filled by election at the first election for members of the General Assembly that occurs more than 60 days after the vacancy has taken place, and the person chosen shall hold the office for the remainder of the unexpired term fixed in this Section.
Duties
The Commissioner of Insurance acts as head of the Department of Insurance, serves on the Council of State, and is State Fire Marshall. The office was created by the North Carolina Legislature in 1899 to oversee the insurance industry. It is now responsible for a number of areas, including regulating the insurance industry, licensing insurance professionals, educating consumers, and handling complaints.[2]
Divisions
The Department of Insurance includes the following divisions:
- Services for consumers
- Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP)
- Agent services
- Criminal investigations
- External review program
- Property and casualty
- Forms and rates (Life and Health)
- Market regulation
- Financial evaluation
- Regulatory actions
- Actuarial services
- Legislative services
- Media relations office
- Controller's office
- Regional offices
Compensation
Article III, Section 9 defines the method by which the Insurance Commissioner's compensation is set:
| The officers whose offices are established by this Article shall at stated periods receive the compensation and allowances prescribed by law, which shall not be diminished during the time for which they have been chosen. |
In 2010, the North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance was paid an estimated $123,198 according to the Council of State Governments.[3]
Former officeholders
Since the office was created in 1899, North Carolina has had 10 insurance commissioners.
Click "show" for former officeholders.
| # | Name | Took office | Left office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James R. Young | 1899 | 1921 | |
| 2 | Stacey W. Wade | 1921 | 1927 | |
| 3 | Daniel C. Boney | 1927 | 1942 | |
| 4 | William P. Hodges | 1942 | 1949 | |
| 5 | Waldo C. Cheek | 1949 | 1953 | |
| 6 | Charles F. Gold | 1953 | 1962 | |
| 7 | Edwin S. Lanier | 1962 | 1973 | |
| 8 | John R. Ingram | 1973 | 1985 | Democrat |
| 9 | James E. Long | 1985 | 2009 | Democrat |
| 10 | Wayne Goodwin | 2009 | Present | Democrat |
Contact information
Physical address:
430 N. Salisbury St.
Raleigh, NC 27603-5926
Consumer Helpline:
1-800-546-5664 (In-state only) or (919)807-6750
Agent Services Helpline:
919-807-6800
See also
External links
References
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