(a) The Insurance Commissioner may place on probation, suspend, revoke or refuse to issue or renew a license or may levy a penalty in accordance with subsection (d) of this section or any combination of actions, for any 1 or more of the following causes:
(1) Providing incorrect, misleading, incomplete or materially untrue information in the license application or presenting, causing to be presented, preparing, assisting, abetting, soliciting or conspiring with another to prepare any document in the conduct of the licensee’s business that contains false, incomplete or misleading information concerning any fact material to such document;
(2) Violating any insurance laws, or violating any regulation, subpoena or order of the Insurance Commissioner or of another state’s Insurance Commissioner;
(3) Obtaining or attempting to obtain a license through misrepresentation or fraud;
(4) Improperly withholding, misappropriating or converting any moneys or properties received in the course of doing insurance business;
(5) Intentionally misrepresenting the terms of an actual or proposed insurance contract or application for insurance;
(6) Having been convicted of a felony;
(7) Having admitted or been found to have committed any insurance unfair trade practice or fraud;
(8) Using fraudulent, coercive or dishonest practices, or demonstrating incompetence, untrustworthiness or financial irresponsibility in the conduct of business in this State or elsewhere;
(9) Having an insurance producer, adjuster or appraiser license or its equivalent, denied, suspended or revoked in any other state, province, district or territory;
(10) Forging another’s name to an application for insurance or to any document related to an insurance transaction;
(11) Improperly using notes or any other reference material to complete an examination for an insurance license;
(12) Knowingly accepting insurance business from an individual who is not licensed;
(13) Failing to comply with an administrative or court order imposing a child support obligation;
(14) Failing to pay state income tax or comply with any administrative or court order directing payment of state income tax; or
(15) Failing to provide preliminary substantive responses to inquiries from the Department regarding violations of this title within 21 calendar days of such inquiry.
(b) In the event that the action by the Insurance Commissioner is to nonrenew or to deny an application for a license, the Insurance Commissioner shall notify the applicant or licensee and advise, in writing, the applicant or licensee of the reason for the denial or nonrenewal of the applicant’s or licensee’s license. The applicant or licensee may make written demand upon the Insurance Commissioner within 10 days for a hearing before the Insurance Commissioner to determine the reasonableness of the Insurance Commissioner’s action. The hearing shall be held pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act, Chapter 101 of Title 29, and such additional implemented regulations as may be published by the Commissioner.
(c) The license of a business entity may be suspended, revoked or refused if the Insurance Commissioner finds, after hearing, that an individual licensee’s violation was known or should have been known by 1 or more of the partners, officers or managers acting on behalf of the business entity and the violation was neither reported to the Insurance Commissioner nor was corrective action taken.
(d) In addition to or in lieu of any applicable denial, suspension or revocation of a license, a person may, after hearing, be subject to a fine of not less than $200 and not more than $20,000 for each such violation. The Commissioner’s order shall specify the date upon which such fine shall be paid and shall revoke the license of any licensee failing to comply with such order. The date on which payment shall be due shall be not less than 30 days following the date of the Commissioner’s order unless otherwise specified in the order. The Commissioner may institute a civil action to recover fines so levied and shall pay over all fines paid and recovered to the State Treasurer.
(e) The Insurance Commissioner shall retain the authority to enforce the provisions of and impose any penalty or remedy authorized by this chapter and this title against any person who is under investigation for or charged with a violation of this chapter or this title even if the person’s license or registration has been surrendered or has lapsed by operation of law. The Commissioner may, upon the Commissioner’s discretion, reinstate a suspended license at any time, and may impose as conditions upon the reinstatement such terms and conditions as the Commissioner determines appropriate.
(f) The Commissioner may place any individual or business entity on probation for a period of 1 year for violation of any insurance laws, rules, regulations and orders. The probationary period will not exceed 1 year.
(g) A person whose license has been revoked or suspended on 2 occasions shall not again be licensed under this title.
(h) An applicant whose license application was denied for 1 or more of the causes set forth in subsection (a) of this section shall be ineligible to reapply for a license under this chapter for a period of 1 year following the date of the denial of the application.