Allstate Insurance Co. v. State Board of Insurance

401 S.W.2d 131, 1966 Tex. App. LEXIS 2748
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 16, 1966
Docket11367
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 401 S.W.2d 131 (Allstate Insurance Co. v. State Board of Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Allstate Insurance Co. v. State Board of Insurance, 401 S.W.2d 131, 1966 Tex. App. LEXIS 2748 (Tex. Ct. App. 1966).

Opinions

ARCHER, Justice.

This is a suit in which appellant Allstate Insurance Company challenged certain rules and regulations promulgated and adopted by the appellee State Board of Insurance which prohibited the charging of less than si:, per centum per annum simple interest on deferred insurance premium payments on all lines of insurance subject to the provisions of Chapter 5, Texas Insurance Code, 1951, as amended, V.A. T.S., written by insurance companies licensed to write insurance in Texas. For the sake of brevity, Allstate Insurance Company will be referred to as “Allstate” and the State Board of Insurance will be referred to as the “Board” hereinafter. Allstate contended that the Board is without authority to promulgate such rules and regulations and, therefore, the rules and regulations complained of herein are invalid.

The Board contends that it has clear statutory authority to promulgate the rules and regulations complained of herein, and that such rules and regulations are valid and reasonably supported by substantial evidence. Upon trial of this case below, the trial court ruled that the Board had authority to promulgate and adopt the rules and regulations complained of and denied Allstate the relief it sought in all respects.

The appeal is predicated on 13 points and are that the trial court erred in making conclusions of law Nos. 2 and 3 to the effect that the rules were valid, and in refusing a conclusion requested by plaintiff that the rules were invalid and beyond the scope of Chapter 5 of the Insurance Code and the authority granted therein, and refusing to grant appellant’s request for an amended conclusion of law that enforcement of the rules has resulted in violation of Art. 7426, Vernon’s Ann.Civ.St.; that a proper interpretation of Chapter 5 excludes methods of collecting premiums, in refusing to conclude that the extension of credit and charge of interest therefor do [132]*132not as a matter of law constitute an “inducement in admitting into evidence certain exhibits and all testimony relating to competitive cutting of rates of interest on deferred premium payments, in making conclusion of law No. 2 because same is contrary to the Insurance Code, in making fact finding No. 14 because there is no substantial evidence to support such finding, and no substantial evidence to support findings Nos. 1, 2, 4 and 16, and the court erred in refusing appellant’s request for amended conclusions of law to the effect that the rules are discriminatory.

Appellee asserts that the holdings of the trial court are valid and authorized by the Insurance Code, and are supported by substantial evidence and not in violation of Article 7426, V.A.C.S., and are not discriminatory.

For a number of years it has been the practice of insurance companies to accept notes as evidence of indebtedness as payment for premiums in automobile, casualty and fire and other allied lines of insurance, which was approved by the State Board of Insurance and its predecessor.

The companies would accept premium notes and charged 6% interest until 1955 when the Attorney General ruled that the Board did not have authority to regulate the interest rate charged on deferred premiums on fire and allied lines of insurance. Thereafter companies charged different rates of interest on the unpaid balance on deferred premiums on all lines of casualty and fire insurance, of from 3% to 5% interest, until in 1959, when the practice became to charge 5%. Subsequently various insurance companies began making exceptions by reducing the rate of interest.

The rule involved particularly in this case is as follows:

“Text of Rules:
Unless otherwise specifically provided in this manual, no company or agent shall extend, guarantee or arrange for credit in any form at a rate of interest less than six percentum (6%) per annum simple interest applied to the unpaid balance of all premiums deferred to any agreed stipulated date or dates. The charging of any lesser rate of interest shall be considered an extension of credit as an inducement to insure with a particular company or agent and in violation of the provisions of the Texas Insurance Code, 1951, as amended, prohibiting rebates or unjust discrimination and is, therefore, prohibited. This rule, however, is not intended to affect the usual customary open accounts.”

Article 7426, V.A.C.S., is concerned with Trusts — Conspiracies against Trade.

The Board is charged by Articles 1.02(b) and 1.10(1), Texas Insurance Code with enforcing the insurance statutes. Butler v. American National Insurance Company, Tex.Civ.App., 235 S.W.2d 185, er. ref.

Administrative agencies may adopt and promulgate reasonable rules and regulations to and in the performance of specific statutory duties. Kee v. Baber et al., 157 Tex. 387, 303 S.W.2d 376.

Chapter 5 of the Insurance Code under which most companies writing automobile, casualty and fire and allied lines are subject which prohibits discrimination by insurers between insureds, prohibits rebates and the use of anything not in a policy, as an inducement to insure.

Articles 5.08 and 5.09, as amended, relate to automobile lines of insurance and make it unlawful for any insurer to contract with insured for any special favor, or any valuable consideration, or rebates not specified in the policy.

Article 5.20 is substantially as the prior Articles, with an added sentence: “Any violation of the terms of this article shall constitute unjust discrimination and shall constitute rebating * *

Article 5.41, which relates to fire and allied lines of insurance, provides that no [133]*133company can give or sell, or purchase, as an inducement to insure, any stocks or other securities, or anything of value, not specified in the policy, and that the doing of any of the acts prohibited shall be deemed guilty of unjust discrimination.

Beginning in 1959 or 1960 some insurance companies began to charge different rates of interest to different insureds, on deferred premiums in order to retain old business or obtain new business. To prevent such discrimination and inducement, the Board promulgated and adopted Orders 6261, 6332 and 6432, hereinabove referred to.

Allstate appealed to the Board for a reconsideration of these rules, and after a full hearing the appeal was denied, and Allstate filed this suit challenging the rules and the authority of the Board to make such rules.

There can be no question but that under the provisions of Chapter 5 of the Insurance Code it is intended that all insureds having similar hazards be treated equally.

The duty and authority has been delegated to the Board to set premium rates, and to see that all companies writing insurance in Texas are solvent.

As may be observed, the heart of appellant’s case is that the State Board of Insurance did not have the authority to promulgate the rules in question.

The rules under attack were promulgated by the Board purported to be founded upon those provisions of the Insurance Code prohibiting rebating and discrimination, and such rules make the charging of a lesser rate of interest than 6% an extension of credit as an inducement to insure with a particular company or agent.

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Related

Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Texas Attorney General Reports, 1995
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Texas Attorney General Reports, 1986
Allstate Insurance Co. v. State Board of Insurance
401 S.W.2d 131 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1966)

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Bluebook (online)
401 S.W.2d 131, 1966 Tex. App. LEXIS 2748, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/allstate-insurance-co-v-state-board-of-insurance-texapp-1966.