§ 33-5-51 — Purpose of article

The purpose of this article is to subject certain insurers to the jurisdiction of the courts of this state in actions by or on behalf of insureds or beneficiaries under insurance contracts. The General Assembly declares that it is a subject of concern that many residents of this state hold policies of insurance issued or delivered in this state by insurers while not authorized to do business in this state, thus presenting to such residents the often insuperable obstacle of resorting to distant forums for the purpose of asserting legal rights under those policies. In furtherance of the state interest, the General Assembly herein provides a method of substituted service of process upon the insurers and declares that in so doing it exercises its power to protect its residents and to define, for the purpose of this article, what constitutes doing business in this state and also exercises power and privileges available to the state by virtue of Public Law 15, 79th Congress of the United States, Chapter 20, 1st Sess., S. 340, which declares that the business of insurance and every person engaged in the business of insurance shall be subject to the laws of the several states.