(a) Exemption — An insurer is exempt from the requirements of this subsection if:
(1) The insurer has annual direct written and unaffiliated assumed premium, including international direct and assumed premium but excluding premiums reinsured with the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation and Federal Flood Program, less than $500,000,000; or
(2) If the insurer is a member of a group of insurers that has annual direct written and unaffiliated assumed premium including international direct and assumed premium, but excluding premiums reinsured with the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation and Federal Flood Program, less than $1,000,000,000.
(b) Function — The insurer or group of insurers shall establish an internal audit function that provides independent, objective and reasonable assurance to the audit committee and the insurer’s management regarding the, insurer’s governance, risk management and internal controls. This assurance is provided by performing general and specific audits, reviews and tests and by employing other techniques deemed necessary to protect assets, evaluate control effectiveness and efficiency, and evaluate compliance with policies and regulations.
(c) Independence — To ensure that internal auditors remain objective, the internal audit function must be organizationally independent. Specifically, the internal audit function will not defer ultimate judgment on audit matters to others and shall appoint an individual to head the internal audit function who will have direct and unrestricted access to the board of directors. Organizational independence does not preclude dual-reporting relationships.
(d) Reporting — The head of the internal audit function shall report to the audit committee regularly, but no less than annually, on the periodic audit plan, factors that may adversely impact the internal audit function’s independence or effectiveness, material findings from completed audits and the appropriateness of corrective actions implemented by management as a result of audit findings.
(e) Additional Requirements — If an insurer is a member of an insurance holding company system or included in a group of insurers, the insurer may satisfy the internal audit function requirements set forth in this section at the ultimate controlling parent level, an intermediate holding company level or the individual legal entity level.