§ 38.2-1801 Person soliciting insurance deemed agent of insurer; prohibition against misrepresenting agency relationship
A. A licensed agent shall be held to be the agent of the insurer that issued the insurance sold, solicited, or negotiated by such agent in any controversy between the insured or his beneficiary and the insurer. No licensed agent or any other person shall claim to be a representative of, authorized agent of, agent of, or other term implying an appointed relationship with a particular insurer unless such agent has become an appointed agent of that insurer. For the purpose of notice of claim or suit, the agent or producer of record shall be deemed to be the agent of the insurer. In the case of policies of life insurance, accident and sickness insurance, annuities and variable annuities, such notice shall be given to the insurer at its home office as shown in the policy of insurance.
B. A premium payment made by an insured to an agent, whether appointed by an insurer or not, or to a surplus lines broker, where the insurer or its appointed agent acknowledged specific insurance for a specific policy period by the issuance of a policy, written binder, or other contract of temporary insurance, whether new or renewal, shall be considered payment to the insurer, and such insurer shall be liable to the insured for (i) any covered losses under the insurance and (ii) the return to the insured of any unearned premium amount due the insured except as provided in subsection D of § 38.2-1806.
C. Except as provided in subsection D of § 38.2-1806, where premiums for the issuance of a policy or endorsement have been financed by an insurance premium finance company and payment and evidence of financing for such policy or endorsement have been received by the insurer or its appointed agent, the insurer shall be liable for the return to the insurance premium finance company of any unearned premium due the insurance premium finance company.
History
The record of this law’s original creation isn’t available online. It has been modified 8 times. Those modifications are cataloged by “The Acts of Assembly,” a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly’s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1952, chapter 317; in 1979, chapter 513; in 1986, chapter 562; in 1987, chapter 521; in 1988, chapter 229; in 1989, chapter 543; in 1993, chapter 145; in 2001, chapter 706.
Code 1950, § 38.1-292; 1952, c. 317; 1979, c. 513, § 38.1-327.2; 1986, c. 562; 1987, c. 521; 1988, c. 229; 1989, c. 543; 1993, c. 145; 2001, c. 706.