Circular no. IRDA/AGTS/CIR/GLD/017/01/2012, A. As per clause 3 (b) of the guidelines only entities registered as Company under the Companies Act, 1956 and Societies and Trusts registered under Societies Registration Act shall be eligible to apply for accreditation as ATIs. The following is added in the above clause:

The IRDA had issued guidelines for pension products vide its circular dated November 8, 2011 and insurance companies were required to withdraw all insurance products which do not conform to the guidelines with effect from January 1, 2012. In accordance with this circular, insurance companies had filed 22 revised products as on date out of which 21 products were filed only in the month of December 2011 and of which the largest number were filed in the last week of December 2011. During examination of the products, certain insurers have sought clarifications and in that context, the IRDA issues clarification on clause (17) of the Circular dated November 8, 2011 as follows:

As Asset Liability Management plays a vital role in the sound management of the insurance business, Authority vide its Circular No: IRDA/ACT/CIR/MISC/081/05/2010, May 13, 2010, has mandated all the non-life insurers to provide the details of ALM activities undertaken by them Section-11 on ‘Investments and ALM’ of Financial Condition Report (FCR) and also discussed the framework of ALM in its guidelines on Corporate Governance. On thorough examination of the details of ALM activities submitted by the non-life insurers in the FCR for the year ended March 31, 2010, it appeared that these details are incomplete and inconsistent. As the mandate by the Authority was very broad, each insurer had adopted their own measures in reporting such details in FCR. In this regard, the following framework shall be put in place by the insurers.

order No. IRDA/Nl/ORD/MPL/004/01/2012, dated 3-1-2012 In order to ensure that the setting up of declined risk insurance pool and matters connected to its operations, the Authority constitutes the Operational Committee with following members to oversee a smooth transition to the new system, operates in an efficient & effective manner, protect the interests of the policyholder address issues that may arise during the course of its functioning:

In accordance with the Order No Ref: IRDA/NL/ORD/MPL/046/03/2011, dated 12-03-2011, the Authority had appointed Government Actuary’s Department, UK to evaluate the liabilities of the Indian Motor Third Party Insurance Pool (IMTPIP) under the Insurance Act, 1938 in order to assess the adequacy of the reserves which are to be calculated as per the IRDA Regulations and in particular as per reference 2 cited.

ORDER NO. IRDA/NL/ORD/MPL/276/12/2011, DATED 23-12-2011 – In exercise of the powers vested under Section 14(2) of the IRDA Act, 1999, the Authority issues the following order reforming the Indian Motor Third Party Pool System. The Authority hereby orders the dismantling of the existing Indian Motor Third Party Pool with effect from 31.3.2012.

ORDER NO. IRDA/NL/ORD/MPL/277/12/2011, Independent review conducted by the Authority through various agencies has revealed that the current framework of the pool is severely affecting the financial viability of the general insurance sector due to alarming capital depletion in the sector. The analysis of the data also revealed huge inefficiencies in claim settlement by the companies reflected in the average claim ratio which differed by as much as 100%.

CIRCULAR No. IRDA/BRK/CIR/GLD/270/12/2011, dated 7-12-2011 – The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Insurance Brokers) Regulations, 2002 have laid down the functions of a Direct Broker in Regulation 3. Regulations 3(e) and 3(j) envisage that an insurance broker should render advice to a client on appropriate insurance cover and terms and assist in the negotiations of claims. However, as per Clause 7(e) of Schedule 3 of the said Regulations, an insurance broker should not to take up a recovery assignment on a policy contract which has not been serviced through him nor work as a claims consultant for a policy which has not been serviced through him.

The Standing Committee constituted by the Authority by its order dated 25.08.2010 will receive the applications for the grant of ATI licenses and screening shall be done according to the eligibility criteria prescribed by the Authority. The Committee shall make necessary recommendations to Sr. JD (Intermediaries) who shall according to the recommendations of the Committee grant license or renew the licenses of ATI. The verification regarding the suitability, carrying out due diligence shall be the responsibility of the Committee and there shall not be any further examination after the Committee makes it recommendations.

Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) has issued guidelines vide circular dated 9.9.2011 implementing portability of health insurance policies amongst non-life insurance companies w.e.f. 1.10.2011. The health insurance policy holder by virtue of the said circular can, at the time of renewal, switch:-