Study guide
1.1 Alaska Division of Insurance
Alaska Life & Health Insurance State
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1 Introduction: Alaska Life & Health Insurance Exam Overview
Alaska Life & Health Exam Overview
2 Chapter 1: Alaska Insurance Regulation & Licensing
1.1 Alaska Division of Insurance 1.2 Alaska Producer Licensing Requirements 1.3 License Maintenance and Continuing Education
3 Chapter 2: Alaska Life Insurance Laws
2.1 Alaska Life Insurance Policy Requirements 2.2 Alaska Annuity Regulations 2.3 Alaska Replacement Rules
4 Chapter 3: Alaska Health Insurance Laws
3.1 Alaska Health Insurance Policy Requirements 3.2 Alaska Medicare Supplement (Medigap) Regulations 3.3 Alaska Disability and Long-Term Care Insurance
5 Chapter 4: Alaska Insurance Ethics & Prohibited Practices
4.1 Unfair Trade Practices 4.2 Producer Conduct and Fiduciary Duties 4.3 Alaska Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association
1.1 Alaska Division of Insurance
Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI
The Alaska Division of Insurance regulates all insurance under Title 21 of the Alaska Statutes (the Alaska Insurance Code)
The Director of Insurance is APPOINTED by the Commissioner of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development — never elected and not chosen by the Governor
The Division sits inside the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (DCCED) and has offices in both Anchorage and Juneau
Director powers include licensing, rulemaking, financial/solvency examinations, rate and form review, and enforcement with fines, suspension, and revocation
Consumers and producers reach the Division at (907) 269-7900 (Anchorage) or (907) 465-2515 (Juneau); the public website is commerce.alaska.gov/web/ins
Last updated: June 2026
Important : This guide covers Alaska state-specific Life & Health content only. Complete the national Life & Health exam preparation first — it teaches the foundational policy, contract, and product concepts that make up the majority of your scored questions.
What the Division Is
The Alaska Division of Insurance is the state agency that regulates every insurer, producer, and adjuster doing business in Alaska. It is a division of the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (DCCED) , not a stand-alone cabinet department. On the exam, the correct name is Division of Insurance — distractors such as "Department of Insurance" or "Office of Insurance Regulation" describe other states and are wrong for Alaska.
The Division maintains two staffed offices, reflecting Alaska's geography: a main office in Anchorage ((907) 269-7900) and a second office in Juneau ((907) 465-2515). Producer filings, fingerprint cards, and many statutory mailings are directed to the Juneau office.
The Director of Insurance
The Director of Insurance heads the Division and is appointed by the Commissioner of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development . This is the single most-tested fact in this section.
- Detail Alaska Rule
- Selection Appointed by the Commissioner of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development
- Reports to The Commissioner of DCCED
- Term Serves at the pleasure of the Commissioner (no fixed term)
- Not Not elected by voters; not appointed directly by the Governor
Common trap : Several states elect their insurance commissioner. Alaska does not . If an option says the regulator is "elected" or "appointed by the Governor," it is the wrong answer for Alaska.
Director Powers and Duties
The Director's statutory authority under Title 21 is broad. The exam expects you to recognize each category:
- Power What It Means
- Licensing Issue, renew, suspend, and revoke producer, adjuster, and insurer licenses
- Rulemaking Adopt regulations (the Alaska Administrative Code, Title 3) interpreting Title 21
Examination Conduct financial (solvency) and market-conduct exams of insurers — at least once every 5 years for domestic insurers
Rate & Form Review Review policy forms and rates so they are not inadequate, excessive, or unfairly discriminatory
- Enforcement Investigate violations and impose fines, cease-and-desist orders, suspension, or revocation
- Receivership Petition the court to take over (rehabilitate or liquidate) an insolvent insurer
- The Alaska Insurance Code — Title 21
Alaska insurance law lives in Title 21 of the Alaska Statutes (AS) , known as the Alaska Insurance Code . Regulations interpreting it are in Title 3 of the Alaska Administrative Code (AAC) . Key chapters you may see referenced:
- Citation Subject
- AS 21.06 Administration and the Director's office
- AS 21.27 Licensing of producers, adjusters, and managing general agents
- AS 21.36 Unfair trade practices and consumer protection
- AS 21.42 Life insurance contracts and required provisions
- AS 21.54 Health (disability) insurance contracts
- Insurer Authorization and Solvency Oversight
No company may sell insurance in Alaska without a certificate of authority from the Director. The exam distinguishes among carrier classifications:
- Term Meaning
- Domestic insurer Organized under Alaska law (home state is Alaska)
- Foreign insurer Organized in another U.S. state
- Alien insurer Organized outside the United States
- Admitted (authorized) Holds an Alaska certificate of authority
- Non-admitted (surplus lines) Not authorized; may write only hard-to-place risks through a surplus-lines broker
The Director examines the financial condition of domestic insurers and reviews annual statements so that carriers maintain required reserves and capital. If an insurer becomes financially impaired, the Director may seek a court order for rehabilitation (an attempt to restore solvency) or liquidation (winding the company down).
Funding and the Guaranty Association
The Division is funded largely through licensing fees and premium taxes collected from insurers. Separately, the Alaska Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association protects policyholders if a member insurer becomes insolvent, paying covered claims up to statutory limits (commonly $300,000 in life death benefits and $100,000 in cash surrender value ). Membership is mandatory for licensed life and health insurers. Producers may not advertise or use the Guaranty Association's existence as an inducement to buy a policy — doing so is a prohibited practice.
Unfair Trade Practices the Division Enforces
Title 21 (AS 21.36) lists prohibited acts the Division polices. Recognize these on the exam:
- Misrepresentation — false statements about policy terms, dividends, or benefits
- Twisting — using misrepresentation to induce a client to drop one policy for another
- Churning — replacing a policy using the existing policy's own values, to the client's detriment
Rebating — giving any part of the premium or other valuable consideration not stated in the policy as an inducement to buy
- Defamation — false statements that injure another insurer
- Unfair discrimination — different rates or terms for individuals in the same actuarial class and hazard
Violations can draw cease-and-desist orders, fines, and license action — the same enforcement toolkit listed among the Director's powers above.
- Quick Reference — Contacts
- Anchorage office : (907) 269-7900 — 550 West 7th Avenue, Suite 1560, Anchorage, AK 99501
- Juneau office / mailing : (907) 465-2515 — P.O. Box 110805, Juneau, AK 99811-0805
- Website : commerce.alaska.gov/web/ins
- Email : insurance@alaska.gov
Exam Tip : When a question names a regulatory function — approving a rate, ordering a cease-and-desist, examining a carrier's books — the answer is the Director acting through the Division of Insurance , exercising authority granted by Title 21 .