Every foreign insurer, as a further condition precedent to admission and in consideration thereof, shall file with the commissioner an agreement or stipulation, executed by the proper authorities of such insurer, in form and substance as follows:

“The (giving name of insurer) does hereby stipulate and agree, in consideration of the permission granted by the State of California to it to transact insurance business in this State, that if at any time it leaves this State, ceases to transact business in this State or is without an agent for service of process in this State, then in any case where such agent could be served, service may be made upon the Insurance Commissioner, and such service upon the commissioner shall have the same force and effect as if made upon the insurer.”

Terms Used In California Insurance Code 1604

  • Commissioner: means the Insurance Commissioner of this State. See California Insurance Code 20
  • Foreign: means not organized under the laws of this State, whether or not admitted. See California Insurance Code 27
  • Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
  • Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
  • State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Insurance Code 28

When a foreign insurer, prior to the date this code takes effect, has filed with the commissioner an agreement for service upon him pursuant to the provisions of section 616 of the Political Code as then in effect, such filing is a compliance with this section while such agreement remains in effect.

(Enacted by Stats. 1935, Ch. 145.)