A. The obligations imposed by this article shall apply to those insurance institutions, agents or insurance-support organizations that:

Terms Used In Virginia Code 38.2-601

  • Accident and sickness insurance: means insurance against loss resulting from sickness, or from bodily injury or death by accident or accidental means, or from a combination of any or all of these perils. See Virginia Code 38.2-109
  • Insurance institution: means any corporation, association, partnership, reciprocal exchange, inter-insurer, Lloyd's type of organization, fraternal benefit society, or other person engaged in the business of insurance, including health maintenance organizations, and health, legal, dental, and optometric service plans. See Virginia Code 38.2-602
  • Insurance-support organization: means any person who regularly engages, in whole or in part, in the practice of assembling or collecting information about natural persons for the primary purpose of providing the information to an insurance institution or agent for insurance transactions, including (i) the furnishing of consumer reports or investigative consumer reports to an insurance institution or agent for use in connection with an insurance transaction or (ii) the collection of personal information from insurance institutions, agents or other insurance-support organizations for the purpose of detecting or preventing fraud, material misrepresentation or material nondisclosure in connection with insurance underwriting or insurance claim activity. See Virginia Code 38.2-602
  • Person: means any association, aggregate of individuals, business, company, corporation, individual, joint-stock company, Lloyds type of organization, organization, partnership, receiver, reciprocal or interinsurance exchange, trustee or society. See Virginia Code 38.2-100
  • Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.

1. In the case of life or accident and sickness insurance:

a. Collect, receive or maintain information in connection with insurance transactions that pertains to natural persons who are residents of the Commonwealth; or

b. Engage in insurance transactions with applicants, individuals, or policyholders who are residents of the Commonwealth; and

2. In the case of property or casualty insurance:

a. Collect, receive or maintain information in connection with insurance transactions involving policies, contracts or certificates of insurance delivered, issued for delivery or renewed in the Commonwealth; or

b. Engage in insurance transactions involving policies, contracts or certificates of insurance delivered, issued for delivery or renewed in the Commonwealth.

B. The rights granted by this article shall extend to:

1. In the case of life or accident and sickness insurance, the following persons who are residents of the Commonwealth:

a. Natural persons who are the subject of information collected, received or maintained in connection with insurance transactions; and

b. Applicants, individuals or policyholders who engage in or seek to engage in insurance transactions; and

2. In the case of property or casualty insurance, the following persons:

a. Natural persons who are the subject of information collected, received or maintained in connection with insurance transactions involving policies, contracts or certificates of insurance delivered, issued for delivery or renewed in the Commonwealth; and

b. Applicants, individuals, or policyholders who engage in or seek to engage in insurance transactions involving policies, contracts or certificates of insurance delivered, issued for delivery or renewed in the Commonwealth.

C. For purposes of this section, a person shall be considered a resident of the Commonwealth if the person’s last known mailing address, as shown in the records of the insurance institution, agent or insurance-support organization, is located in the Commonwealth.

D. Notwithstanding subsections A and B, this article shall not apply to information collected from the public records of a governmental authority and maintained by an insurance institution or its representatives for the purpose of insuring the title to real property located in the Commonwealth.

E. The provisions of this article shall apply only to insurance purchased primarily for personal, family or household purposes.

1981, c. 389, § 38.1-57.4; 1986, c. 562; 2001, c. 371; 2020, c. 264.

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