Fourteen insurance regulators from China, Grand Cayman Islands, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia have arrived in the United States as part of the Fall 2012 International Fellows Program of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). They arrived last week at the NAIC headquarters in Kansas City.  Following orientation and a week-long overview of the U.S. regulatory system, they will travel to state insurance departments where they will work with U.S. regulators in various areas of technical specialization.

The program is structured to give each participant an overview of the broad principles of U.S. insurance regulation, as well as technical and specialized application of these principles at the state level.  During their visit, the fellows will be briefed on investment analysis and participate in an industry-regulator dialogue.

Host jurisdictions for the program include California, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and the District of Columbia. The program will conclude with a visit to the NAIC’s Capital Markets and Investment Analysis Office in New York City.

Formerly named the International Internship Program, the NAIC developed the program in 2004 to advance working relationships with foreign market regulators, emphasizing the exchange of regulatory techniques and technology.  With the completion of the 2012 fall program, a total of 178 fellows from 27 countries will have participated in the training program and 36 jurisdictions will have served as hosts.  While not serving as a host this year, Arkansas has done so in the past.

I certainly hope my schedule allows me to meet and visit with some of these outstanding regulators.

The Arkansas Insurance Department is located at 1200 West Third Street in downtown Little Rock.  1-800-852-5494.  www.insurance.arkansas.gov

Jay Bradford was appointed Arkansas Insurance Commissioner by Governor Mike Beebe on January 15, 2009.  

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