Idaho Director of Insurance

Idaho Director of Insurance
General information
Office Type:	Non-partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Term limits:	None
Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Idaho Statutes, 41-202
Selection Method:	Appointed by the governor
Current Officeholder
Name:	William Deal
Assumed office:	January 2, 2007
Compensation:	$97,323
Other Idaho Executive Offices
Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Controller • Superintendent of Public Instruction • Agriculture Director • Insurance Director • Director of Lands • Labor Director • Public Utilities Commission

The Director of Insurance is a state executive position in the Idaho state government. The director heads the Idaho Department of Insurance, the state regulatory authority for the state's insurance industry. The department enforces regulations regarding rates and business practices, and collects and responds to consumer complaints and feedback. The director is appointed to four year terms by the Governor of Idaho.

Current officeholder

The current director is William "Bill" Deal, who first took office on January 2, 2007, following his appointment by Governor Butch Otter. Deal's first term ended in January 2011, when he was re-appointed by Otter to a second term. Deal's second term will end in January 2015.

Before becoming director, Deal served eight terms in the Idaho House of Representatives from 1990 to 2007. He was also the chairman of the board for the Idaho State Insurance Fund and a member of the Idaho Endowment Investment Board. Deal claims 46 years of experience in the insurance industry; for much of that time, he was owner and managing partner of the W.W. Deal Insurance Agency in Nampa, ID.

Authority

The office of director of insurance is created by state law.

Idaho Statutes, 41-202

(1) The director of the department of insurance shall be the chief executive officer of the department of insurance.

Qualifications

Directors of insurance must be qualified electors in Idaho, i.e. at least 18 years old and a legal resident of the state, and must have had at least "five years' practical experience in one or more of the types of insurance business subject to regulation by the director." If a potential director lacks insurance industry experience, he must "have had other professional or business experience reasonably adequate ... to equip him to discharge the duties ... of the office of director."

Idaho Statutes, 41-202

(3) The governor shall not appoint as director any individual, and no individual shall hold the office of director, who is not qualified therefore as follows: (a) Must be a qualified elector of the state of Idaho; and (b) Must have had at least five (5) years' practical experience in one or more of the types of insurance business subject to regulation by the director, or have had other professional or business experience reasonably adequate in character and scope to equip him to discharge the duties and fulfill the responsibilities of the office of director.

Appointments

Directors are appointed to four year terms by the Governor of Idaho, who may also remove the incumbent at will.

Idaho Statutes, 41-202

((2) The director shall be appointed by the governor and shall hold office for a term of four (4) years, subject to earlier removal by the governor.

Term limits

There are no term limits associated with the office of director.

Vacancies

The governor fills vacancies in the office by appointment. The vacancy appointee serves out the remainder of the unexpired term, at which point a new, permanent director is chosen.

Duties

The director is the administrative head and chief executive of the Idaho Department of Insurance, the state agency tasked with regulating Idaho's insurance industry. State law permits him to "conduct such examinations and investigations of insurance matters ... as he may deem proper to determine whether any person has violated any provision of [insurance law]."

In practice, the department enforces regulations through investigations, orders, and disciplinary actions. It also provides "consumer alerts" and collects and processes complaints against the state's insurance companies. The Department of Insurance also holds the office of State Fire Marshal, who is responsible for preventing and investigating fire incidents.

Divisions

• Administration
• Company Activities
• Company Examinations
• Consumer Services
• Consumer Assistance
• Producer Licensing
• Health Care Policy/Program
• Investigations/Insurance Fraud
• SHBA
• State Fire Marshal
• Fire Prevention Deputy Fire Marshals
• Fire Investigation Deputy Fire Marshals
• Idaho Fire Incident Reporting System Manager

Compensation

See also: Compensation of state executive officers

In 2012, the Idaho Director of Insurance was paid an estimated $97,323. This figure comes from the Council of State Governments.

Contact info

Mailing address:
700 West State Street
P.O. Box 83720
Boise, ID 83720
Phone: (208) 334-4250
Fax: (208) 334-4398

See also

• Insurance Commissioner
• William Deal

External links

Suggest a link

• Idaho Department of Insurance