Code of Maryland Regulations (Last Updated: April 6, 2021) |
Title 31. Maryland Insurance Administration |
Subtitle 03. INSURANCE PRODUCERS AND OTHER INSURANCE PROFESSIONALS |
Chapter 31.03.02. Insurance Producers—Continuing Education Requirements |
Sec. 31.03.02.03. General Continuing Education Requirements
-
A. Except as set forth in this regulation, in order to renew a license, a licensed insurance producer shall successfully complete in each renewal period at least 24 hours of continuing education.
B. A licensed insurance producer who, as of October 1, 2008, has held a license for 25 or more consecutive years shall successfully complete 8 hours of continuing education in each renewal period in order to renew the license.
C. A licensed insurance producer shall obtain at least 3 hours of continuing education in Ethics.
D. A licensed insurance producer shall obtain hours of continuing education in the kind or subdivision of insurance for which they hold a license, as follows:
(1) Except for the required hours of continuing education in Ethics, if the licensed insurance producer has only a license for property insurance, casualty insurance, or any of the subdivisions of property or casualty insurance, the licensed insurance producer shall obtain all necessary hours of continuing education in courses designated by the Commissioner as Property/Casualty or PC;
(2) Except for the required hours of continuing education in Ethics, if the licensed insurance producer has only a license for life insurance, health insurance, or any of the subdivisions of life or health insurance, the licensed insurance producer shall obtain all necessary hours of continuing education in courses designated by the Commissioner as Life/Health or LH;
(3) If the licensed insurance producer has a license for property or casualty, or any subdivision of property or casualty, and life or health, or any subdivision of life or health, then the licensed insurance producer who must complete:
(a) 24 hours of continuing education shall obtain a minimum of 6 hours of continuing education in one or more courses designated Property/Casualty and a minimum of 6 hours of continuing education in one or more courses designated Life/Health; or
(b) 8 hours of continuing education shall obtain a minimum of 2 hours of continuing education in one or more courses designated Property/Casualty and a minimum of 2 hours of continuing education in one or more courses designated Life/Health;
(4) Except for the required hours of continuing education in Ethics, a licensed insurance producer who holds a title insurance producer license only shall successfully complete at least 16 hours of continuing education in one or more courses designated title in each renewal period in order to renew the license; or
(5) A licensed insurance producer who also is a licensed funeral director or a licensed mortician and sells only life insurance policies or annuity contracts that fund preneed insurance contracts and is not a viatical settlement broker shall complete at least 16 hours of continuing education in each renewal period in order to renew the license.
E. Sales of Long-Term Care Insurance.
(1) A licensed insurance producer with authority to sell health insurance who also sells long-term care insurance shall obtain at least 2 hours of continuing education in a course designated Long Term Care or LH-LTC in order to renew the license.
(2) These hours of continuing education may be considered a part of the required hours of continuing education under §A or B of this regulation.
F. A licensed insurance producer who possesses a license to sell property and casualty insurance and who sells flood insurance shall obtain at least 2 hours of continuing education that directly relates to flood insurance.
G. A licensed insurance producer who possesses a license to sell property and casualty insurance and provides bail bondsman services shall obtain at least 4 hours of continuing education that directly relates to bail bond insurance.
H. Hours of Continuing Education - Passing Scores.
(1) A licensee who receives a passing score on a national examination and has been awarded a nationally recognized designation as listed in Regulation .02B(13)of this chapter may request that the Commissioner apply towards the requirement stated in §D of this regulation:
(a) Up to 24 hours of continuing education credits approved by the Commissioner towards the hours of continuing education required for the next renewal period; and
(b) Up to 9 hours of any remaining continuing education hours approved by the Commissioner for the renewal period immediately thereafter.
(2) The licensee shall submit to the Administration the examination results issued by the nationally recognized designation organization that clearly identifies the national designation name, the licensee name, and the date the examination was passed with the renewal application.
(3) The hours of continuing education granted from earning the following designations shall be applied as Life/Health course credits to the continuing education requirement of licensees who hold the Life and/or Health lines of authority:
(a) Life Underwrite Training Council (LUTC);
(b) American College diploma curriculum for Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU);
(c) Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC);
(d) Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS);
(e) Registered Health Underwriter (RHU);
(f) College of Financial Planning diploma curriculum for Chartered Financial Planning (CFP);
(g) Health Insurance Association of America Program (HIAA); or
(h) Academy of Life Underwriting Education Council curriculum for LUEC program.
(4) The hours of continuing education granted from earning the following designations shall be applied as Property/Casualty course credits to the continuing education requirement of licensees who hold the Property and/or Casualty lines of authority:
(a) Associate in Risk Management Program (ARM);
(b) Accredited Advisor in Insurance Program (AAI); or
(c) American Institute for Property and Liability Underwriters Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU).
(5) The hours of continuing education granted from the following designations shall be applied as Life/Health/Property/Casualty course credits to the continuing education requirement of licensees who hold the Life, Health, Property and/or Casualty lines of authority:
(a) Program in General Insurance (INS);
(b) Associate in Claims Program (AIC);
(c) Associate in Underwriting Program (AIU);
(d) Associate Premium Auditing Program (APA);
(e) Associate in Research and Planning Program (ARP); or
(f) Certified Insurance Counselor Program (CIC).
(6) A licensee may not apply any hours of continuing education granted by the Commissioner pursuant to this section towards the 3 hours of continuing education in Ethics requirement.
(7) Hours of continuing education received for a passing score on a national examination are in addition to any hours of continuing education received for completing a course that is required in order to take the national examination and that has been approved by the Commissioner under this chapter.
I. A course instructor shall earn 1-1/2 hours of continuing education for each approved hour of instruction of an approved course.
J. A licensed insurance producer or a course instructor may not earn hours of continuing education:
(1) For attending or instructing a subsequent offering of the same course in the same renewal period; or
(2) If the same course was taken in two different renewal periods but within 6 months.