The declination, cancellation or nonrenewal of a policy for private passenger nonfleet automobile insurance is prohibited if the declination, cancellation or nonrenewal is based: (1) On the race, religion, nationality or ethnicity of the applicant or named insured; (2) solely on the lawful occupation or profession of the applicant or named insured, except that this provision shall not apply to any insurer which limits its market to one lawful occupation or profession or to several related lawful occupations or professions; (3) on the principal location of the insured motor vehicle unless such decision is for a business purpose which is not a mere pretext for unfair discrimination; (4) solely on the age, sex, gender identity or expression or marital status of an applicant or an insured, except that this subdivision shall not apply to an insurer in an insurer group if one or more other insurers in the group would not decline an application for essentially similar coverage based upon such reasons; (5) on the fact that the applicant or named insured previously obtained insurance coverage through a residual market; (6) on the fact that another insurer previously declined to insure the applicant or terminated an existing policy in which the applicant was the named insured; (7) the first or second accident within the current experience period in relation to which the applicant or insured was not convicted of a moving traffic violation and was not at fault; or (8) solely on information contained in an insured's or applicant's credit history or credit rating or solely on an applicant's lack of credit history. For the purposes of subdivision (8) of this section, an insurer shall not be deemed to have declined, cancelled or nonrenewed a policy if coverage is available through an affiliated insurer.
(P.A. 82-353, S. 16; P.A. 89-192, S. 1; P.A. 10-7, S. 4; P.A. 11-55, S. 19.)
History: P.A. 89-192 added Subdiv. (7) prohibiting declination, cancellation or nonrenewal of a policy if based on the first or second accident within the current experience period in which the applicant or insured was not convicted of a moving traffic violation and was not at fault; Sec. 38-175x transferred to Sec. 38a-358 in 1991; P.A. 10-7 added Subdiv. (8) prohibiting declination, cancellation or nonrenewal of policy based solely on applicant's or insured's credit history or rating or applicant's lack of credit history and added provision re coverage through affiliated insurer, effective January 1, 2011; P.A. 11-55 amended Subdiv. (4) to prohibit declination, cancellation or nonrenewal solely on the basis of the gender identity or expression of an applicant or insured.
See Sec. 38a-342 re permissible reasons for cancellation of an auto liability policy.