Minnesota shutdown threatens insurance regulators, could put consumers at risk

The government of Minnesota is on the verge of a shutdown, which does not bode well for some of the state’s insurance regulators. According to Judge Kathleen Gearin of Ramsey County, whom is overseeing state spending during a shutdown, insurance investigators are not to be considered critical to the function of the state’s government. Gearin has denied requests to fund fraud investigation upon the recommendation of Kathleen Blatz, special master in the shutdown hearings. Minnesota’s shutdown has loomed on the horizon for several months now, yet neither Democrats nor Republicans…

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Government shutdown halts licensing activity from Minnesota Department of Insurance

Following the closure of the government in Minnesota on July 1, 2011, the state’s Department of Insurance announced that its licensing activities would be disrupted. As of the start of July, the shutdown of the state government – which has now occurred twice in six years – has led to a cessation of construction, a closure of state parks, and to the sending home of 22,000 state employees. The Minnesota Department of Commerce is responsible for the regulation of insurance within that state. It sent out a letter to insurance…

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