(a)        Rates shall not be excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory. Except as provided in subsections (a1), (a2), and (b) of this section, rates, rating plans, rating rules, and forms applicable to the insurance written by the Association shall be in accordance with the most recent manual rates or adjusted loss costs and forms that are legally in effect in the State. Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, no special surcharge, other than those presently in effect, may be applied to the property insurance rates of properties located in the beach and coastal areas.

(a1)      The Association’s rates shall be the North Carolina Rate Bureau Manual Rates plus a surcharge of five percent (5%) of the applicable North Carolina Rate Bureau Manual Rate for wind and hail coverage and a surcharge of fifteen percent (15%) of the applicable North Carolina Rate Bureau Manual Rate for homeowners’ insurance including wind and hail coverage. It is the intent of the General Assembly that these surcharges ensure that the Coastal Property Insurance Pool is the market of last resort over and above the manual rate.

(a2)      (See Editor’s note) The Association shall offer a deductible for named storm wind and hail losses of one percent (1%) of the insured value of the property for all policies and may offer any other deductible options provided by the North Carolina Rate Bureau, so long as the deductible is not lower than one percent (1%) of the insured value of the property applicable to named storm wind and hail losses.

(b)        The rates, rating plans, and rating rules for the separate policies of windstorm and hail insurance described in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 58-45-35(b) shall be filed by the Association with the Commissioner for the Commissioner’s approval, disapproval, or modification. The provisions of Articles 40 and 41 of this Chapter shall govern the filings. Policy deductible plans, consistent with N.C. Gen. Stat. § 58-45-1(b), may be filed by the Association with the Commissioner for the Commissioner’s approval, disapproval, or modification.

(c)        Repealed by Session Laws 2009-472, s. 1.

(d)       When the Association files rates, classification plans, rating plans, rating systems, or surcharges, the procedures of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 58-40-25 through N.C. Gen. Stat. § 58-40-45 shall apply, and the appeal procedures of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 58-2-80 and N.C. Gen. Stat. § 58-2-85 shall apply to filings under this section, except as otherwise provided.

(e)        The Association shall file no later than May 1, 2010, a schedule of credits for policyholders based on the presence of mitigation and construction features and on the condition of buildings that it insures. The Association shall develop rules applicable to the operation of the schedule and the mitigation program with approval by the Commissioner. The schedule shall not be unfairly discriminatory and shall be reviewed by the Association annually, with the results included as part of the Association’s annual report to the Commissioner.

(f)        The Association shall file not later than May 1, 2010, with the Commissioner an installment plan for premium payments and shall accept other methods of payment that are the same as those filed by the North Carolina Rate Bureau. The Association shall collect an installment fee if premiums are paid other than on an annual basis.

(g)        The Association shall consider the purchase of reinsurance each calendar year in order to maintain the ability to pay losses and expenses from a named storm or combination of named storms. ?(1967, c. 1111, s. 1; 1969, c. 249; 1979, c. 601, s. 4; 1987 (Reg. Sess., 1988), c. 975, s. 24; 1991 (Reg. Sess., 1992), c. 784, s. 2; 1997-498, ss. 7, 8; 1999-114, s. 7.1; 2003-158, s. 3; 2009-472, s. 1.)