Subdivision 1. Statutory lines. Insurance corporations may be authorized to transact in any state or territory in the United States, in the Dominion of Canada, and in foreign countries, when specified in their charters or certificates of incorporation, either as originally granted or as thereafter amended, any of the following kinds of business, upon the stock plan, or upon the mutual plan when the formation of such mutual companies is otherwise authorized by law; and business trusts as authorized by law of this state shall only be authorized to transact in this state the following kind of business hereinafter specified in clause (7) hereof when specified in their "declaration of trust":
(1) To insure against loss or damage to property on land and against loss of rents and rental values, leaseholds of buildings, use and occupancy and direct or consequential loss or damage caused by fire, smoke or smudge, water or other fluid or substance, lightning, windstorm, tornado, cyclone, earthquake, collapse and slippage, rain, hail, frost, snow, freeze, change of temperature, weather or climatic conditions, excess or deficiency of moisture, floods, the rising of waters, oceans, lakes, rivers or their tributaries, bombardment, invasion, insurrection, riot, civil war or commotion, military or usurped power, electrical power interruption or electrical breakdown from any cause, railroad equipment, motor vehicles or aircraft, accidental injury to sprinklers, pumps, conduits or containers or other apparatus erected for extinguishing fires, explosion, whether fire ensues or not, except explosions on risks specified in clause (3); provided, however, that there may be insured hereunder the following: (a) explosion of any kind originating outside the insured building or outside of the building containing the property insured, (b) explosion of pressure vessels which do not contain steam or which are not operated with steam coils or steam jackets; and (c) risks under home owners multiple peril policies;
(2)(a) To insure vessels, freight, goods, wares, merchandise, specie, bullion, jewels, profits, commissions, bank notes, bills of exchange, and other evidences of debt, bottomry and respondentia interest, and every insurance appertaining to or connected with risks of transportation and navigation on and under water, on land or in the air;
(b) To insure all personal property floater risks;
(3) To insure against any loss from either direct or indirect damage to any property or interest of the assured or of another, resulting from the explosion of or injury to (a) any boiler, heater or other fired pressure vessel; (b) any unfired pressure vessel; (c) pipes or containers connected with any of said boilers or vessels; (d) any engine, turbine, compressor, pump or wheel; (e) any apparatus generating, transmitting or using electricity; (f) any other machinery or apparatus connected with or operated by any of the previously named boilers, vessels or machines; and including the incidental power to make inspections of and to issue certificates of inspection upon, any such boilers, apparatus, and machinery, whether insured or otherwise;
(4) To make contracts of life and endowment insurance, to grant, purchase, or dispose of annuities or endowments of any kind; and, in such contracts, or in contracts supplemental thereto to provide for additional benefits in event of death of the insured by accidental means, total permanent disability of the insured, or specific dismemberment or disablement suffered by the insured, or acceleration of life or endowment or annuity benefits in advance of the time they would otherwise be payable;
(5)(a) To insure against loss or damage by the sickness, bodily injury or death by accident of the assured or dependents, or those for whom the assured has assumed a portion of the liability for the loss or damage, including liability for payment of medical care costs or for provision of medical care;
(b) To insure against the legal liability, whether imposed by common law or by statute or assumed by contract, of employers for the death or disablement of, or injury to, employees;
(6) To guarantee the fidelity of persons in fiduciary positions, public or private, or to act as surety on official and other bonds, and for the performance of official or other obligations;
(7) To insure owners and others interested in real or personal property as described in section 68A.04;
(8) To insure against loss or damage by breakage of glass, located or in transit;
(9)(a) To insure against loss by burglary, theft, or forgery;
(b) To insure against loss of or damage to moneys, coins, bullion, securities, notes, drafts, acceptance or any other valuable paper or document, resulting from any cause, except while in the custody or possession of and being transported by any carrier for hire or in the mail;
(c) To insure individuals by means of an all risk type of policy commonly known as the "personal property floater" against any kind and all kinds of loss of or damage to, or loss of use of, any personal property other than merchandise;
(d) To insure against loss or damage by water or other fluid or substance;
(10) To insure against loss from death of domestic animals and to furnish veterinary service;
(11) To guarantee merchants and those engaged in business, and giving credit, from loss by reason of giving credit to those dealing with them; this shall be known as credit insurance;
(12) To insure against loss or damage to automobiles or other vehicles or aircraft and their contents, by collision, fire, burglary, or theft, and other perils of operation, and against liability for damage to persons, or property of others, by collision with such vehicles or aircraft, and to insure against any loss or hazard incident to the ownership, operation, or use of motor or other vehicles or aircraft;
(13) To insure against liability for loss or damage to the property or person of another caused by the insured or by those for whom the insured is responsible, including insurance of medical, hospital, surgical, funeral or other related expense of the insured or other person injured, irrespective of legal liability of the insured, when issued with or supplemental to policies of liability insurance;
(14) To insure against loss of or damage to any property of the insured, resulting from the ownership, maintenance or use of elevators, except loss or damage by fire;
(15) To insure against attorneys fees, court costs, witness fees and incidental expenses incurred in connection with the use of the professional services of attorneys at law.
Subd. 2. Other lines. Any insurance corporation or association heretofore or hereafter licensed to transact within the state any of the kinds or classes of insurance specifically authorized under the laws of this state may, when authorized by its charter, transact within and without the state any lines of insurance germane to its charter powers and not specifically provided for under the laws of this state when these lines, or combinations of lines, of insurance are not in violation of the constitution or the laws of the state and, in the opinion of the commissioner, not contrary to public policy, provided the company or association shall first obtain authority of the commissioner and meet capital or surplus and other solvency and policy form requirements as the commissioner shall prescribe. These additional hazards may be insured against by attachment to, or in extension of, any policy which the company may be authorized to issue under the laws of this state. This subdivision shall apply to companies operating upon the stock or mutual plan, reciprocal or interinsurance exchanges.
Subd. 3. Limitation on combination policies. (a) Unless specifically authorized by subdivision 1, clause (4), it is unlawful to combine in one policy coverage permitted by subdivision 1, clauses (4) and (5)(a). This subdivision does not prohibit the simultaneous sale of these products, but the sale must involve two separate and distinct policies.
(b) This subdivision does not apply to group policies.
(c) This subdivision does not apply to policies permitted by subdivision 1, clause (4), that contain benefits providing acceleration of life, endowment, or annuity benefits in advance of the time they would otherwise be payable, or to long-term care policies as defined in section 62A.46, subdivision 2, or chapter 62S.
(d) This subdivision does not prohibit combining life coverage with one or more of the following coverages:
(1) specified disease or illness coverage;
(2) other limited benefit health coverage;
(3) hospital indemnity coverage;
(4) other fixed indemnity products,
provided that the prescribed minimum standards applicable to those categories of coverage are met.
Subd. 4. Vicarious liability; punitive damages. Any insurance corporation or association may insure against vicarious liability for punitive and exemplary damages within any of the kinds of business pertaining to the issuance of liability insurance that the insurance corporation or association is authorized to transact under subdivision 1 or 2.
History:1967 c 395 art 1 s 6; 1969 c 7 s 5; 1973 c 634 s 1; 1986 c 444; 1986 c 455 s 4; 1989 c 125 s 1,2; 1995 c 258 s 1; 1999 c 177 s 5,6; 2000 c 304 s 1; 2001 c 215 s 1; 2008 c 347 s 1; 2011 c 108 s 9