601.72(2)
(2) Appointment of attorney. Except as provided in
sub. (2m), every licensed insurer by applying for and receiving a certificate of authority, every surplus lines insurer by entering into a contract subject to the surplus lines law, and every unauthorized insurer by doing an insurance business in this state, is deemed to have irrevocably appointed the commissioner and department of financial institutions as the insurer's attorneys in accordance with
sub. (1).
601.72(2m)
(2m) Risk retention groups and risk purchasing groups. A risk retention group or risk purchasing group may not do an insurance business or engage in any insurance activity in this state until it registers with the commissioner and designates the commissioner as its agent for the purposes described in
sub. (1). The commissioner may prescribe the form of registration under this subsection. If a risk retention group or risk purchasing group fails to designate the commissioner as required by this subsection, the commissioner is appointed agent for the risk retention group or risk purchasing group as provided in
sub. (2).
601.72(3)
(3) Others affected. The commissioner and department of financial institutions shall also be attorneys for the personal representatives, receivers, trustees, or other successors in interest of the persons specified in
sub. (1).
601.72(4)
(4) Fees. Litigants serving process on the commissioner under this section shall pay the fees specified in
s. 601.31 (1) (p).
601.72(5)
(5) Ordinary means of service. The right to substituted service under this section does not limit the right to serve summons, notice, orders, pleadings, demands or other process upon any person in any manner provided by law.
601.72 History
History: 1995 a. 27,
396;
2001 a. 102.
601.72 Annotation
Legislative Council Note on sub. (1) (d), 1975: Under s. 628.04 (created by this act), Wisconsin takes an important step in liberalizing prevailing licensing laws by not requiring residence for unrestricted Wisconsin intermediaries' licenses. As a correlative measure, however, the reach of the Wisconsin courts and administrative agencies is extended to all such nonresidents. [Bill 16-S]
601.72 Annotation
The commissioner has the duty to accept service for all insurers, but does not have a duty to determine whether an insurer is a party to the action in which service is sought. Davies v. Heiman,
186 Wis. 2d 370,
520 N.W.2d 917 (Ct. App. 1994).
601.73
601.73
Procedure for service of process through state officer. 601.73(1)(1)
Requirements for effective service. Service upon the commissioner or department of financial institutions under
s. 601.72 is service on the principal, if:
601.73(1)(a)
(a) Two copies of the process are left in the hands or office of the commissioner or department of financial institutions respectively; and
601.73(1)(b)
(b) The commissioner or department of financial institutions mails a copy of the process to the person served according to
sub. (2) (b).
601.73(2)(a)(a)
Records. The commissioner and department of financial institutions shall give receipts for and keep records of all process served through them.
601.73(2)(b)
(b) Process mailed. The commissioner or department of financial institutions shall send immediately by certified mail to the person served, at the person's last-known principal place of business, residence or post-office address or at an address designated in writing by the person, one copy of any process received and shall retain the other copy.
601.73(2)(c)
(c)
Default judgment. No plaintiff or complainant is entitled to a judgment by default in any proceeding in which process is served under this section and
s. 601.72 until the expiration of 45 days after the date of mailing of the process under
par. (b). If the proceeding is to foreclose or otherwise enforce a lien or security interest, the plaintiff or complainant is not entitled to a judgment by default under this paragraph until the expiration of 20 days after the date of mailing of the process under
par. (b).
601.73(3)
(3) Proof of service. A certificate by the commissioner or the department of financial institutions, showing service made upon the commissioner or department of financial institutions, and attached to a copy of the process presented for that purpose is sufficient evidence of the service.
601.73 Annotation
Legislative Council Note, 1979: [Repeal of (1) (c)] In its original form, the procedures of ss. 601.72 and 601.73 for substituted service of process through the commissioner or secretary of state required, in s. 601.73 (1) (b), the serving party to also mail a copy of the process to the person served, as additional assurance that this substituted service would provide actual notice. Sub. (1) (c) then required filing of an affidavit of compliance with (1) (a) and (b) to make the service effective. It may have been cumbersome, but it was logical. Some time later, the requirement of mailing by the serving party was eliminated by an amendment (ch. 189, laws of 1971) that did not go through the Insurance Laws Revision Committee, and did not make the necessary collateral changes. It makes little sense for the serving party to have to provide an affidavit as to what the public official does under (1) (b). Moreover, under (1) (b) the service is not complete anyway unless the public official does perform the statutory duty. Thus, the affidavit seems unnecessary and, because service is not complete without mailing by the public official, no further requirement seems needed. The reasonable solution, therefore, is to repeal (1) (c). [Bill 146-S]
601.73 Annotation
Section 801.15 (5) does not extend the time for answering a complaint served by substitute service under this section. Leonard v. Cattahach,
214 Wis. 2d 236,
571 N.W.2d 444 (Ct. App. 1997),
96-3167.
FIRE DEPARTMENT DUES
601.93
601.93
Payment of dues. 601.93(1g)(1g) In this section, "fire insurance" includes insurance against loss of or damage to:
601.93(1g)(a)
(a) Notes, acceptances or any other valuable papers or documents, resulting from any cause, except while in the mail or in the custody or possession of and being transported by any carrier for hire; and
601.93(1g)(b)
(b) Personal property of individuals when written under an all-risk type of policy commonly known as the "personal property floater", whenever these risks are written in conjunction with insurance against burglary or theft.
601.93(1m)
(1m) Any insurer doing a fire insurance business in this state shall pay fire department dues equal to 2% of the amount of all premiums which, during the preceding calendar year, have been received by, or have been agreed to be paid to, the company for insurance against loss by fire, including insurance on property exempt from taxation.
601.93(2)
(2) Every insurer doing a fire insurance business in this state shall, before March 1 in each year, file with the commissioner a statement, showing the amount of premiums upon fire insurance due for the preceding calendar year. Return premiums may be deducted in determining the premium on which the fire department dues are computed. Payments of quarterly installments of the total estimated payment for the then current calendar year under this subsection are due on or before April 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15. On March 1 the insurer shall pay any additional amounts due for the preceding calendar year. Overpayments will be credited on the amount due April 15. The commissioner shall, prior to May 1 each year, report to the department of safety and professional services the amount of dues paid under this subsection and to be paid under
s. 101.573 (1).
601.935(1)(1)
Late payment. An insurer that fails to make quarterly payments under
s. 601.93 (2) of at least 25% of either the total fire dues paid for the previous calendar year or 80% of the actual fire dues for the current calendar year is liable, in addition to the amount due, for interest of 1.5% of the amount due and unpaid for each month or part of a month that the amount due, together with any interest, remains unpaid.
601.935(2)
(2) Negligence. An insurer that fails to pay an amount due, or file a statement required, under
s. 601.93 (2), unless the insurer shows that the failure is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect, is liable for the greater of the following amounts:
601.935(2)(b)
(b) Five percent of the amount due for each month or fraction of a month during which the failure continues, but not more than 25% of the amount due.
601.935 History
History: 1987 a. 166.
