Alabama Department of Insurance

The following information should be carefully reviewed before you submit your online application through SBS (with the appropriate fee) for approval as a provider of continuing education courses in Alabama.

Allow 30 days for review and processing of your application.

Summary of Regulations

Producers/Service Representatives - Continuing Education Regulation 110

The following requirements were set forth by the Alabama Department of Insurance hereinafter referred to as the "Department" pursuant to Act No. 12-312, and Departmental Regulation 110. All producers and service representatives, hereinafter referred to generally as "licensees", who do not qualify for an exemption under this act are required to complete continuing education classes biennially (twenty-four (24) hours (of which 3 should be in ethics) for producers and twelve (12) hours (of which 2 should be in ethics) for service representatives.  A producer or service representative employed by another producer or insurer to work only in the office of the employer who is not licensed as a non-resident in any other state must complete twelve (12) hours (of which 2 should be in ethics) of continuing education requirements prior to license renewal. The continuing education courses keep licensees proficient to conduct insurance business in the state of Alabama. The courses are an integral part of qualifying the licensee for the annual renewal of their license. The following stipulations apply for licensees holding the following license types.

• Licenses must now be renewed online and renewal notices will be emailed to all producers and service representatives licensed in the state of Alabama and are required to complete continuing education courses for license renewal. These notices will be mailed 45 days prior to the first day of licensee's birth month. All producers and service representatives will be required to renew their license by the last day of their birth month with the applicable fees.
• Effective 01/01/2013, going forward, you will no longer be able to carry over excess hours earned.
• No producer or service representative may receive credit for any approved course more than once in any reporting period.
• Producers and service representatives who have been licensed for less than twelve (12) months at the time of their first renewal are not required to complete continuing education credits and may claim an exemption.

Adjusters - Continuing Education Regulation 151

(1) Individual licensees shall satisfactorily complete such courses or programs of instruction as may be approved in accordance with this chapter in the minimum number of 24 classroom hours, 3 hours of which shall be on the topic of ethics, in order to be eligible to renew an independent adjuster license, except as otherwise indicated in this rule. The credit must be in your CE Transcript to be able to renew.

(2)(a) Licensees Born in Odd-numbered Years, Renewal in 2013. Individual licensees born in odd-numbered years and licensed in this state as independent adjusters are not required to complete any educational requirements with the renewal of license due to be completed in accordance with paragraph (2) of Rule 482-1-151-.10 in the year 2013.

(b) Licensees Born in Even-numbered Years, Renewal in 2014 and thereafter. Along with the renewal of license due to be completed in accordance with paragraph (2) of Rule 482-1-151-.10 in the year 2014 and in every other year thereafter, every individual licensee born in an even-numbered year and licensed in this state as an independent adjuster and not ALABAMA INSURANCE REGULATION CHAPTER 482-1-151 Page 14 (10/12) exempt under subparagraph (2)(d) of Rule 482-1-151-.01 shall satisfactorily complete such courses or programs of instruction as may be approved in accordance with this chapter in the minimum number of 24 classroom hours, 3 hours of which shall be on the topic of independent adjuster ethics.

(c) Licensees Born in Odd-numbered Years, Renewal in 2015 and thereafter. Along with the renewal of license due to be completed in accordance with paragraph (2) of Rule 482-1-151-.10 in the year 2015 and in every other year thereafter, every individual licensee born in an odd-numbered year and licensed in this state as an independent adjuster and not exempt under subparagraph (2)(d) of Rule 482-1-151-.01 shall satisfactorily complete such courses or programs of instruction as may be approved in accordance with this chapter in the minimum number of 24 classroom hours, 3 hours of which shall be on the topic of insurance independent adjuster ethics or business practices.

(3) A person teaching any approved course of instruction or lecturing at any approved seminar or program shall qualify for the same number of classroom hours as would be granted to a person taking and successfully completing such course, seminar or program.

(4) No independent adjuster may receive credit for any approved course more than once in any reporting period.

Title Insurance Agent - Continuing Education Regulation 148

(1)(a) Individual licensees shall satisfactorily complete such courses or programs of instruction as may be approved in accordance with this chapter in the minimum number of 24 classroom hours, 3 hours of which shall be on the topic of ethics, in order to be eligible to renew a title insurance agent license, except as otherwise indicated in this rule. The credit must be in your CE Transcript to be able to renew.

(b) Licensees Born in Even-numbered Years, Renewal in 2014. Along with the renewal of license due to be completed in accordance with paragraph (2) of Rule 482-1-148- .08 in the year 2014, every individual licensee born in an even-numbered year shall satisfactorily complete such courses or programs of instruction as may be approved in accordance with this chapter in the minimum number of 12 classroom hours, 2 hours of which shall be on the topic of ethics. This represents a temporary, transitional reduction in the hours as authorized in Section 27-25-4.8(d) and is applicable only for the first renewals under the new law.

(c) Licensees Born in Odd-numbered Years, Renewal in 2015 and thereafter. Along with the renewal of license due to be completed in accordance with paragraph (2) of Rule 482-1-148-.08 in the year 2015 and in every other year thereafter, every individual licensee born in an odd-numbered year shall satisfactorily complete such courses or programs of instruction as may be approved in accordance with this chapter in the minimum number of 24 classroom hours, 3 hours of which shall be on the topic of ethics.

(d) Licensees Born in Even-numbered Years, Renewal in 2016 and thereafter. Along with the renewal of license due to be completed in accordance with paragraph (2) of Rule 482-1-148-.08 in the year 2016 and in every other year thereafter, every individual licensee born in an even-numbered year shall satisfactorily complete such courses or programs of instruction as may be approved in accordance with this chapter in the minimum number of 24 classroom hours, 3 hours of which shall be on the topic of ethics.

(2) A person teaching any approved course of instruction or lecturing at any approved seminar or program shall qualify for the same number of classroom hours as would be granted to a person taking and successfully completing such course, seminar or program.

(3) No title insurance agent may receive credit for any approved course more than once for any reporting period.

CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSE PROVIDERS

Initial online application fee is $396 which is non-refundable; and each year thereafter, every provider shall pay an annual online renewal fee of $132 for the continuation of the authority in this state.  Renewal notices will be sent via email. The online renewal period begins October 1 and ends December 31. If renewal process is not completed by December 31, your certificate and all courses will expire.  Upon expiration, you will be required to complete a new provider paper application and mail to department with $396 fee and once reactivated may submit new course application(s) online along with applicable fees.

Course approval filing fee for approved Course Providers shall be $66 for each education course or program to be offered in this state. Once approved, no additional fee shall be required for a particular course or program unless there is a substantive change in the material.

Course Providers must maintain attendance records, course outlines and course completion records of participants for five (5)  years following each course offering. The Department of Insurance will periodically conduct audits of provider's records. Any provider who cannot furnish the requested records when audited shall be subject to suspension or revocation.

Providers are responsible for advertising where and when a course offering will be held. Do not advertise before a course has been approved. Failure on the part of a Course Provider to hold a course may result in suspension and/or revocation of the provider's authority, if the course is not rescheduled or the fees refunded to the participants.

Continuing Education

Section I - Course Provider:

The Course Provider must meet the criteria defined by Code of Alabama, 1975, Chapter 27-8A and Departmental Regulation 110 for Producers and Service Representatives; Chapter 27-9A and Regulation 151 for Adjusters; and Chapter 27-25 for Title Insurance Agents.  Each Course Provider must apply annually online for the continued authority to offer education courses in the state of Alabama.  Renewal notices will be sent via email around October 1 and providers have until December 31 to renew or the provider and all courses will expire as of December 31.  If not renewed, the provider will have to start over with a paper provider application mailed to the department and once reactivated go online to resubmit courses for approval.

The Course Provider is responsible for ensuring that each participant satisfactorily completing a course is furnished with a Certificate of Completion. You may use one of your own design as long as the information listed on the Certificate is information needed to input roster.

The provider must input CE course completion reports or rosters to SBS (Click Here) within 10 days of completion.  Click here for set of instructions.
CE course completion reports must be formatted correctly and information must be accurate.
Remember you must use either the producer license number without the "A" or any leading zeros for small manual rosters or the producer's NPN (National Producer Number) for larger rosters.

Click Here for Correct Formatting Instructions

All Course Providers, study materials, and certifications are subject to audit by the Department or designated representatives of the Department at any time. An audit may be conducted through class schedules and records of the course or through actual attendance of class presentations at any time and without warning. Courses or Course Providers may be disqualified at the discretion of the Commissioner of Insurance.

Each licensee taking the course must be issued a certificate, to include the instructor, assuming that the instructor is a licensee. The Department will periodically request that producers send us copies of their certificates for auditing purposes so it is important that you instruct the class participants to keep these certificates in a safe place in the event that they are audited.

Course Providers that are deemed to meet the Commissioner's standard to teach continuing education courses are:

• Statewide Producers Associations
• Insurance Trade Associations
• Institutions of Higher Learning
• Bona Fide Educational School
• Authorized Insurers
• Providers of Independent Programs of Instruction
• Providers who have previously been approved for the prelicensing courses

Providers may submit a course outline for approval only after having been approved as a Course Provider. Course Providers are responsible for their own advertisements.

Section II - Course Approval:

The Course Provider must submit a detailed course summary in explicit outline form online to SBS . In addition to the outline, if the proposed course is self-study, the provider must also submit all the course material (including attachments) that the licensee will receive for department review.  Self-study and online courses must include an appropriate testing instrument requiring a grade of seventy (70) percent or higher to successfully complete the course. The examination must be administered by a proctor, who must sign an affidavit attesting to the fact that the student received no outside assistance in the completion of the final examination. The proctor must be a disinterested third party, with a minimum age of 18 years, who can be any person except for family members or individuals who have a financial interest in the success of the student taking the examination. Co-worker proctors must not be above or below in the student’s line of supervision. The outline should state a description of the course content, including a time frame for each major topic area to be covered in the course. If the content of an approved course should change, the provider must resubmit the course along with a new course outline and time frame for approval. Courses can be approved for classroom instruction, seminar, self-study (correspondence), and/or online in whole credit-hour increments only. *NOTE: The Course application fee is not refundable.

Provider understands that the following are examples of subjects that most likely will qualify for Alabama's continuing education requirements:

• Fundamentals/principles of property insurance
• Fundamentals/principles of casualty insurance
• Fundamentals/principles of life insurance
• Fundamentals/principles of health insurance
• Estate planning/taxation (may not be for personal benefit)
• Ethics in insurance
• Legal, legislative, and regulatory matters in insurance
• Insurance policy contents
• Proper use of insurance products
• Insurance rating
• Accounting/actuarial considerations in insurance
• Principles or risk management
• Provisions/differences in insurance policy contracts
• Computer training programs in an area directly related to the insurance industry
• Personal finance or tax courses teaching the producer ways to help his/her clients with their personal finances and taxes
• Any part of the Life Underwriter Training Council (LUTC) Life Course Curriculum
• Any part of the American College's Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) diploma curriculum
• Any part of the Insurance Institute of America's program in general insurance
• Any part of the American Institute for Property and Liability Underwriters' Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) professional designation program
• Any part of the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) program
• Any insurance-related course approved by the Commissioner taught by an accredited college or university per semester credit hour granted -- 16 hours; per quarter credit hour granted -- 12 hours
• Any course or program of instruction or seminar developed and/or sponsored by any school, college, university, bona fide educational school, authorized insurer, recognized state insurance producers' association, or insurance trade association, shall, subject to the approval of the Commissioner, qualify for the equivalency of the number of classroom hours assigned thereto by the Commissioner
• Any correspondence course approved by the Commissioner shall qualify for the equivalency of the number of classroom hours assigned by the Commissioner, provided the course has been authorized, developed, or sanctioned by a school, authorized insurer, recognized state insurance producers association or insurance trade association. Correspondence courses must include a written examination requiring a grade of 70 percent to successfully complete the course. The examination must be administered by an impartial third-party proctor, who must sign an affidavit attesting to the fact that the student received no outside assistance in the completion of the final examination.

Provider understands that the following are examples of subjects that most likely will NOT qualify for Alabama's prelicensing or continuing education requirements:

• Prospecting
• Motivation
• Sales
• Psychology
• Recruiting
• Basic non-insurance related computer training
• Office skills or management training
• Time management
• Telephone skills
• Health/Stress/Exercise courses
• Personal finance or tax courses intended for the producer instead of his/her clients
• Personal or interpersonal communication skills

Section III - Instructor:

The Course Provider agrees to monitor the activities of instructors.

Each Course Provider is responsible for the actions of their instructors. Anyone teaching an approved course of instruction or lecturing at an approved seminar, shall qualify for the same number of classroom hours as would be granted to a person taking and successfully completing such a course or seminar. The instructor, if also a licensee, should be issued a Certificate of Completion and entered on the roster for the Course Offering.

Section IV - Definitions:

Course

A course is an organized, outline body of information intended to convey knowledge to the licensee (producer & service representative).

Course Provider

A Course Provider is an entity that has been approved by the Department to offer education courses to licensees who are required to earn continuing education credits for the renewal of their insurance license as required by this state.

Course Offering

The occurrence of a Course being taught.

Credit Hour

A unit of measure of at least fifty (50) minutes of participation in an approved course. This unit of measure shall apply to any classroom or correspondence course or program and/or seminar of instruction approved by the Commissioner. Not more than ten (10) minutes of any sixty-minute period may be used for breaks, roll-taking, or administrative instructions. The Department or its designated representative will assign the total credit hours for an approved course.

Commissioner

The Alabama Commissioner of Insurance.

Department

The Alabama Department of Insurance.

Self-study Course

A self-study (correspondence) and/or online course shall qualify for the equivalency of the number or credit hours assigned thereto by the Commissioner. Such self-study courses must be authorized, developed, established or sanctioned by a school, college, university, bona fide educational school, provider of independent programs of instructions, authorized insurer, recognized state insurance producers association or insurance trade association. To be approved, a self-study course must include an appropriate testing instrument requiring a grade of seventy (70) percent or higher to successfully complete the course. The examination must be administered by an impartial third-party proctor, who must sign an affidavit attesting to the fact that the student received no outside assistance in the completion of the final examination.

Licensee

Producers and service representatives.