South Carolina biennial appointment renewal process begins on September 1, 2010 and ends on September 30, 2010.

Insurers will not be able to log into the appointment renewal process before September 1.

Insurers must renew and pay for appointment fees electronically by using their User ID and Password. If the insurer does not remember the User ID and/or Password, send an email to the Department’s Information Resource Management Division at irmmail@doi.sc.gov before September 1, 2010.

Producer Compliance
The appointment of any producer may not be renewed unless the producer has:

  1. Completed the mandated continuing insurance education requirements (CE hours and/or payment of CE recordkeeping fees) and
  2. Has renewed their license for the 2008-2010 two-year compliance period that ended May 1, 2010.

Payment & Penalties
Appointments are not renewed until payment is received by the Department. Payment must be received by September 30, 2010 for appointment renewals.

  1.  If the payment is not received by September 30, 2010, ALL appointments for the insurer will be terminated.
  2. Appointments renewed on or after October 1, 2010 will be subject to the payment of a penalty fee of $250 for each appointment in addition to the appointment renewal fee.
  3. The names of producers who have not completed their eligibility requirements (CE or license renewal) will not be listed on the insurer’s appointment renewal list.
  4. Appointments for producers not listed on the appointment renewal list will have their appointments canceled on September 30, 2010.
  5. Insurers conducting business with a producer whose license and/or appointments are lapsed or canceled may be fined by the Department up to $15,000 for each violation. (See SC Code Section 38-2-10)

ACH Check Payment
Insurers that need to set up an account to handle ACH payments should use the following information.

  • Trading Partner Originating Company Name: SC State Department of Revenue
  • Trading Partner Originating Company ID: 5570882454.

Producers with a Lapsed License
To view a list of lapsed producers appointed with your company, enter the company number on the Search SCDOI Database located on the Department’s home page at www.doi.sc.gov. On the right hand side of the Company Demographics & License Information screen is a link to view the ‘ lapsed producers for your company’. This information changes daily as producers comply with their requirements. Please advise your company’s lapsed producers to contact the Department for instructions on how to reinstate their lapsed producer license.

Terminating Appointments
Insurers will not be able to terminate/cancel appointments through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) from August 27, 2010 to October 2, 2010. Insurers may terminate appointments on the renewal transaction. Insurers must provide notice of cancellation to all producers that the insurer is terminating or not renewing their appointments.

Producers with an Out of Date Address on File with the Department
Producers with an out of date address on file with the Department are not eligible for appointment renewal. A “Warning” message will appear next to a producer on the appointment renewal with an out of date address. The insurer should contact these producers and ask them to update their address with the Department so they will be eligible for appointment renewal. To be eligible for appointment renewal, the producer’s address must be updated before the insurer completes the appointment renewal. Insurers are asked to notify all producers appointed with their company of their responsibility to have an update to date address on file with the Department. Producers with an out of date address are subject to an administrative penalty.

 Any questions regarding producer appointment renewal should be submitted to the Department’s Licensing Division via email to agntmail@doi.sc.gov or by phone at (803) 737-6095.

 For assistance with User ID and Password, email the Department’s Information Resource Management Division at irmmail@doi.sc.gov before September 1, 2010.  Do not contact the Department’s Licensing Division regarding User ID and Password.

The insurance licensing information provided on this blog is not legal advice and the reader is advised to consult an attorney regarding application of this information in any particular situation.

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