What is the role of the state insurance commissioner?

The state insurance commissioner (sometimes titled 'director' or 'superintendent') is the chief insurance regulator within a state. Insurance in the US is regulated primarily at the state level under the McCarran-Ferguson Act of 1945. Commissioner duties include: (1) licensing insurance producers and insurance companies that operate in the state; (2) approving insurance rates and policy forms before they are sold; (3) examining insurer financial condition and solvency; (4) investigating consumer complaints and producer misconduct; (5) enforcing state insurance code through fines, license suspension, and revocation; (6) participating in the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) to coordinate with other state regulators. Commissioners are appointed in some states, elected in others.