The Maine Bureau of Insurance has set a public hearing for February 23, 2026, at 10am EST, and a written comment deadline of March 10, 2026, at 5pm EST, for the repeal of existing Rule 160 or the adoption of proposed Rule Chapter 161.
In an earlier notice, the Superintendent of the Maine Bureau of Insurance, within the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, proposed to repeal Rule 160: “Eligible Surplus Lines Insurers Summary Requirements for Eligibility Status to Transact ‘Export Lines’ of Insurance Regarding Risks Resident Located or to be Performed in Maine.” In its place, the Department would adopt Rule Chapter 161: “Surplus Lines Insurers." The Bureau of Insurance states that the new rule will replace Rule 160 and update provisions relating to surplus lines insurers to reflect changes made in statute by PL 2025, Chapter 53 (LD 1837); a measure signed on June 17, 2025 as Public Law 2025, Chapter 348, including the repeal and replacement of 24-A M.R.S. § 2009 revising Maine’s surplus lines notice requirements, effective September 24, 2025.
According to the notice, newly proposed Rule Chapter 161 sets the standards and requirements for insurers issuing surplus lines insurance when the State of Maine is the home state of the risk that is insured. The Maine Bureau of Insurance indicates that the rule is proposed under 24-A M.R.S. § 212 and 24-A M.R.S. § 2003(7), and that the primary source of information relied upon in developing the proposal is Bureau staff’s professional judgment. A copy of the proposed rule text is available on the Bureau of Insurance website, and the Superintendent invites interested persons to provide oral comments at the February 23, 2026 hearing in Gardiner, Maine, or to submit written comments to the Bureau by the stated March 10, 2026 deadline.
