44-522. Policies; cancellation requirements.

(1) No insurer may file an insurance policy with the department, as required by the Property and Casualty Insurance Rate and Form Act, which insures against loss or damage to property or against legal liability from any cause unless such policy contains appropriate provisions for cancellation thereof by either the insurer or the insured and for nonrenewal thereof by the insurer.

(2) On any policy or binder of property, marine, or liability insurance, as specified in section 44-201, the insurer shall give the insured sixty days' written notice prior to cancellation or nonrenewal of such policy or binder, except that the insurer may cancel upon ten days' written notice to the insured in the event of nonpayment of premium or if such policy or binder has a specified term of sixty days or less unless the policy or binder has previously been renewed. The requirements of this subsection shall apply to a cancellation initiated by a premium finance company for nonpayment of premium. The provisions of this subsection and subsection (4) of this section shall not apply to nonrenewal of a policy or binder which has a specified term of sixty days or less unless the policy or binder has previously been renewed. Such notice shall state the reason for cancellation or nonrenewal.

(3) Notwithstanding subsection (2) of this section, no policy of property, marine, or liability insurance, as specified in section 44-201, which has been in effect for more than sixty days shall be canceled by the insurer except for one of the following reasons:

(a) Nonpayment of premium;

(b) The policy was obtained through a material misrepresentation;

(c) Any insured has submitted a fraudulent claim;

(d) Any insured has violated any of the terms and conditions of the policy;

(e) The risk originally accepted has substantially increased;

(f) Certification to the Director of Insurance of loss of reinsurance by the insurer which provided coverage to the insurer for all or a substantial part of the underlying risk insured; or

(g) The determination by the director that the continuation of the policy could place the insurer in violation of the insurance laws of this state.

(4) Notice of cancellation or nonrenewal shall be sent by registered mail, certified mail, first-class mail, or first-class mail using intelligent mail barcode or another similar tracking method used or approved by the United States Postal Service to the insured's last mailing address known to the insurer. If sent by first-class mail, a United States Postal Service certificate of mailing shall be sufficient proof of receipt of notice on the third calendar day after the date of the certificate.

(5) For purposes of this section:

(a) An insurer's substitution of insurance upon renewal which results in substantially equivalent coverage shall not be considered a cancellation of or a refusal to renew a policy; and

(b) The transfer of a policyholder between insurers within the same insurance group shall be considered a cancellation or a refusal to renew a policy only if the transfer results in policy coverage or rates substantially less favorable to the insured.

(6) The requirements of subsections (2), (3), and (4) of this section shall not apply to automobile insurance coverage, insurance coverage issued under the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Act, insurance coverage on growing crops, or insurance coverage which is for a specified season or event and which is not subject to renewal or replacement.

(7) All policy forms issued for delivery in Nebraska shall conform to this section.

Source:Laws 1913, c. 154, § 72, p. 424; R.S.1913, § 3208; Laws 1919, c. 190, tit. V, art. IV, § 42, p. 604; C.S.1922, § 7807; C.S.1929, § 44-342; R.S.1943, § 44-379; Laws 1955, c. 176, § 1, p. 505; Laws 1986, LB 1184, § 1; R.S.1943, (1988), § 44-379; Laws 1989, LB 92, § 126; Laws 1991, LB 233, § 45; Laws 1999, LB 326, § 3; Laws 2000, LB 1119, § 37; Laws 2001, LB 360, § 5; Laws 2007, LB117, § 7; Laws 2017, LB406, § 2.

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