Somewhere between the time I wrote March 22 piece on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, the group of state insurance regulators, (NAIC) and the time it was posted, the NAIC resolved one of the issues I raised: its identity.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners, the organization representing each state’s insurance department, is a worthwhile venture because it serves to create uniformity in the regulation of insurance. Some moan that uniformity by a national trade association (more on that in a minute) is national insurance regulation, which is no better than federal regulation. I beg to differ.

A congressman from California is asking the organization representing state insurance commissioners to explain what it meant last summer when it said it wanted to “to brand itself as a ‘standard-setting organization.”

Each time the organization representing state insurance commissioners puts out its critique of some aspect of the federal health reform law or its proposed implementation, a key question is raised: Is the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) representing the interests of those it is serving, primarily consumers, or is it serving its own interests?

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is telling federal officials that its proposal for regulating new federally mandated multi-state health insurance plans could upset state insurance markets and erode consumer protections.

An insurance trade group says the U.S. House is “moving in the right direction” toward affirming state-based insurance regulation by voting to defund health insurance exchanges.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services plans to force health insurance companies to justify any rate increases of 10% or more, starting next year.

President Barack Obama signed sweeping financial services regulatory reform into law today (July 21), creating a system of oversight designed to prevent future meltdowns of the financial services industry in the U.S.

President Barack Obama and other Democrats say they have the 60 votes necessary to pass financial services reform legislation.

The U.S. Senate’s passage of financial services reform May 20 has drawn the praise of two insurance industry trade groups, both pleased to see that senators deemed property-casualty insurance different than other financial service sectors.