PocketLaw | Georgia Code | Acquisition of Insurer; Effect on

Acquisition of Insurer; Effect on Competition

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As used in this Code section, the term:
1. "Acquisition" means any agreement, arrangement, or activity, the consummation of which results in a person acquiring directly or indirectly the control of another person and, includes, but is not limited to, the acquisition of voting securities, the acquisition of assets, bulk reinsurance, and mergers.
2. "Involved insurer" includes an insurer which either acquires or is acquired, is affiliated with an acquirer or acquired, or is the result of a merger.
1. Except as exempted in paragraph (2) of this subsection, this Code section applies to any acquisition in which there is a change in control of an insurer authorized to do business in this state.
2. This Code section shall not apply to the following:
  1. A purchase of securities solely for investment purposes so long as such securities are not used by voting or otherwise to cause or attempt to cause the substantial lessening of competition in any insurance market in this state. If a purchase of securities results in a presumption of control under paragraph (3) of Code Section 33-13-1, it is not solely for investment purposes unless the commissioner of the insurer's state of domicile accepts a disclaimer of control or affirmatively finds that control does not exist and such disclaimer action or affirmative finding is communicated by the domiciliary commissioner to the Commissioner of this state;
  2. The acquisition of a person by another person when both persons are neither directly nor through affiliates primarily engaged in the business of insurance, if preacquisition notification is filed with the Commissioner in accordance with paragraph (1) of subsection (c) of this Code section 30 days prior to the proposed effective date of the acquisition. However, such preacquisition notification is not required for exclusion from this Code section if the acquisition would otherwise be excluded from this Code section by any other subparagraph of this paragraph;
  3. The acquisition of already affiliated persons;
  4. An acquisition if, as an immediate result of the acquisition:
    1. In no market would the combined market share of the involved insurers exceed 5 percent of the total market;
    2. There would be no increase in any market share; or
    3. In no market would:
  5. The combined market share of the involved insurers exceed 12 percent of the total market; and
  6. The market share increase by more than 2 percent of the total market.
    For the purpose of this subparagraph, the term "market" means a direct written insurance premium in this state for a line of business as contained in the annual statement required to be filed by insurers licensed to do business in this state;
  7. An acquisition for which a preacquisition notification would be required pursuant to this Code section due solely to the resulting effect on the ocean marine insurance line of business; or
  8. An acquisition of an insurer whose domiciliary commissioner affirmatively finds that such insurer is in failing condition; there is a lack of feasible alternative to improving such condition; the public benefits of improving such insurer's condition through the acquisition exceed the public benefits that would arise from not lessening competition; and such findings are communicated by the domiciliary commissioner to the Commissioner of this state.
An acquisition covered by subsection (b) of this Code section may be subject to an order pursuant to subsection (e) of this Code section unless the acquiring person files a preacquisition notification and the waiting period has expired. The acquired person may file a preacquisition notification. The Commissioner shall give confidential treatment to information submitted under this subsection in the same manner as provided in Code Section 33-13-8:
1. The preacquisition notification shall be in such form and contain such information as prescribed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and adopted by regulation promulgated by the Commissioner or as otherwise prescribed by regulation promulgated by the Commissioner relating to those markets which, under subparagraph (b)(2)(D) of this Code section, cause the acquisition not to be exempted from the provisions of this Code section. The Commissioner may require such additional material and information as he or she deems necessary to determine whether the proposed acquisition, if consummated, would violate the competitive standard of subsection (d) of this Code section. The required information may include an opinion of an economist as to the competitive impact of the acquisition in this state accompanied by a summary of the education and experience of such person indicating his or her ability to render an informed opinion; and
2. The waiting period required shall begin on the date of receipt of the Commissioner of a preacquisition notification and shall end on the earlier of the thirtieth day after the date of such receipt or termination of the waiting period by the Commissioner. Prior to the end of the waiting period, the Commissioner on a one-time basis may require the submission of additional needed information relevant to the proposed acquisition, in which event the waiting period shall end on the earlier of the thirtieth day after receipt of such additional information by the Commissioner or termination of the waiting period by the Commissioner.
1. The Commissioner may enter an order under paragraph (1) of subsection (e) of this Code section with respect to an acquisition if there is substantial evidence that the effect of the acquisition may be substantially to lessen competition in any line of insurance in this state or tend to create a monopoly therein or if the insurer fails to file adequate information in compliance with subsection (c) of this Code section.
2. In determining whether a proposed acquisition would violate the competitive standard of paragraph (1) of this subsection, the Commissioner shall consider the following:
  1. Any acquisition covered under subsection (b) of this Code section involving two or more insurers competing in the same market is prima-facie evidence of violation of the competitive standards:
    A highly concentrated market is one in which the share of the four largest insurers is 75 percent or more of the market. Percentages not shown in the tables are interpolated proportionately to the percentages that are shown. If more than two insurers are involved, exceeding the total of the two columns in the table is prima-facie evidence of violation of the competitive standard in paragraph (1) of this subsection. For the purpose of this subparagraph, the insurer with the largest share of the market shall be deemed to be Insurer A;
  2. There is a significant trend toward increased concentration when the aggregate market share of any grouping of the largest insurers in the market, from the two largest to the eight largest, has increased by 7 percent or more of the market over a period of time extending from any base year five to ten years prior to the acquisition up to the time of the acquisition. Any acquisition or merger covered under subsection (b) of this Code section involving two or more insurers competing in the same market is prima-facie evidence of violation of the competitive standard in paragraph (1) of this subsection if:
    1. There is a significant trend toward increased concentration in the market;
    2. One of the insurers involved is one of the insurers in a grouping of such large insurers showing the requisite increase in the market share; and
    3. Another involved insurer's market is 2 percent or more;
  3. For the purposes of this paragraph:
    1. The term "insurer" includes any company or group of companies under common management, ownership, or control;
    2. The term "market" means the relevant product and geographical markets. In determining the relevant product and geographical markets, the Commissioner shall give due consideration to, among other things, the definitions or guidelines, if any, promulgated by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and to information, if any, submitted by parties to the acquisition. In the absence of sufficient information to the contrary, the relevant product market is assumed to be the direct written insurance premium for a line of business, such line being that used in the annual statement required to be filed by insurers doing business in this state, and the relevant geographical market is assumed to be this state; and
    3. The burden of showing prima-facie evidence of violation of the competitive standard rests upon the Commissioner; and
  4. Even though an acquisition is not prima-facie violative of the competitive standard under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of this paragraph, the Commissioner may establish the requisite anticompetitive effect based upon other substantial evidence. Even though an acquisition is prima-facie violative of the competitive standard under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of this paragraph, a party may establish the absence of the requisite anticompetitive effect based upon other substantial evidence. Relevant factors in making a determination under this paragraph include, but are not limited to, the following: market shares, volatility of ranking of market leaders, number of competitors, concentration, trend of concentration in the industry, and ease of entry into the market and exit from the market.
3. An order may not be entered under paragraph (1) of subsection (e) of this Code section if:
  1. The acquisition will yield substantial economies of scale or economies in resource utilization that cannot be feasibly achieved in any other way, and the public benefits which would arise from such economies exceed the public benefits which would arise from not lessening competition; or
  2. The acquisition will substantially increase the availability of insurance, and the public benefits of such increase exceed the public benefits which would arise from not lessening competition.
1. 1. If an acquisition violates the standards of this Code section, the Commissioner may enter an order:
    1. Requiring an involved insurer to cease and desist from doing business in this state with respect to the line or lines of insurance involved in the violation; or
    2. Denying the application of an acquired or acquiring insurer for a license to do business in this state.
  2. Such an order shall not be entered unless:
    1. There is a hearing;
    2. Notice of such hearing is issued prior to the end of the waiting period and not less than 15 days prior to the hearing; and
    3. The hearing is concluded and the order is issued no later than 60 days after the end of the waiting period. Every order shall be accompanied by a written decision of the Commissioner setting forth his or her findings of fact and conclusions of law.
  3. An order pursuant to this paragraph shall not apply if the acquisition is not consummated.
2. Any person who violates a cease and desist order of the Commissioner under paragraph (1) of this subsection and while such order is in effect may after notice and hearing and upon order of the Commissioner, be subject, at the discretion of the Commissioner, to any one or more of the following:
  1. A monetary penalty of not more than $10,000.00 for every day of violation; or
  2. Suspension or revocation of such person's license.
3. Any insurer or other person who fails to make any filing required by this subsection and who also fails to demonstrate a good faith effort to comply with any such filing requirement shall be subject to a fine of not more than $50,000.00.
Subsections (b) and (c) of Code Section 33-13-10 and Code Section 33-13-12 shall not apply to acquisitions covered under this Code section.

(i) If the market is highly concentrated and the involved insurers possess the following shares of the market:

Insurer A Insurer B 4 percent 4 percent or more 10 percent 2 percent or more 15 percent 1 percent or more; or

(ii) If the market is not highly concentrated and the involved insurers possess the following shares of the market:

Insurer A Insurer B 5 percent 5 percent or more 10 percent 4 percent or more 15 percent 3 percent or more 19 percent 1 percent or more

(Code 1981, §33-13-3.1, enacted by Ga. L. 1991, p. 1424, § 5; Ga. L. 2000, p. 136, § 33; Ga. L. 2013, p. 802, § 1/HB 312; Ga. L. 2014, p. 866, § 33/SB 340; Ga. L. 2019, p. 337, § 1-64/SB 132.)

The 2019 amendment, effective July 1, 2019, inserted "and adopted by regulation promulgated by the Commissioner or as otherwise prescribed by regulation promulgated by the Commissioner" in the first sentence of paragraph (c)(1).

Editor's notes.

- Ga. L. 1991, p. 1424, § 9/SB 347, not codified by the General Assembly, contained inconsistencies in references to the sections of the bill due to differences in the section numbers contained in the Senate version of the bill and the final version of the bill. Subsection (c) of Section 9 referred to this Code section in the Senate version of SB 347 and provides as follows: "Section 3 and 4 of this Act shall apply to transactions between affiliates or subsidiaries taking place on or after July 1, 1991."

Law reviews.

- For note on 1991 enactment of this Code section, see 8 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 89 (1992).

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