628.04 Issuance of license. (1) CONDITIONS AND QUALIFICATIONS. Except as provided in s. 628.095 or 628.097, the commissioner shall issue a license to act as an agent to any applicant who: (a) Subject to s. 601.31 (2m), pays the applicable fee; (b) Shows to the satisfaction of the commissioner: 1. That if a natural person, the applicant has the intent in good faith to do business as an intermediary or, if a corporation, partnership or limited liability company, has that intent and has included that purpose in the articles of incorporation, certificate of limited partnership or general partnership agreement or limited liability company operating agreement; 2. That if a natural person, the applicant is competent and trustworthy, or that if a partnership, limited liability company or corporation, all partners, members, directors or principal officers or persons in fact having comparable powers are competent and trustworthy, and that it will transact business in such a way that all acts that may only be performed by a licensed intermediary are performed exclusively by natural persons who are licensed under this section; and 3. That the applicant intends to comply with s. 628.51 with reference to compensation for effecting insurance upon the applicant’s own property or other risk; and (c) If a nonresident, executes in a form acceptable to the commissioner an agreement to be subject to the jurisdiction of the commissioner and the courts of this state on any matter related to the applicant’s insurance activities in this state, on the basis of service of process under ss. 601.72 and 601.73. (1c) FINGERPRINTS. The commissioner may by rule require an applicant under sub. (1) who is a resident and a natural person to provide fingerprints as an additional condition for the granting of a license to act as an agent. The commissioner may use the fingerprints, if required, to conduct a state criminal history background investigation of the applicant and a national criminal history background investigation of the applicant with the federal bureau of investigation. (1m) AGENT MAY ACT AS BROKER. A licensed agent may act as an agent or as a broker. (2) SURPLUS LINES AGENTS OR BROKERS. Except as provided in s. 628.095 or 628.097, the commissioner may issue a license as an agent or broker authorized to place business under s. 618.41 if the applicant shows to the satisfaction of the commissioner that in addition to the qualifications necessary to obtain a general license under sub. (1), the applicant has the competence to deal with the problems of surplus lines insurance. The commissioner may by rule require an agent or broker authorized to place business under s. 618.41 to supply a bond not larger than $100,000, conditioned upon proper performance of obligations as a surplus lines agent or broker. (3) CLASSIFICATION AND EXAMINATION. The commissioner may by rule prescribe classifications of intermediaries in addition to agent and surplus lines agent or broker, by kind of authority, or kind of insurance, or in other ways, and may prescribe different standards of competence, including examinations and educational prerequisites, for each class. The commissioner may by rule set prelicensing and annual continuing education standards, but may not require a licensed intermediary to complete a course of study requiring more than 30 hours, per license, of approved continuing education, including continuing education programs approved by the commissioner and presented by the insurers, in
May 22, 2026, are designated by NOTES. (Published 5-22-26)
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Updated 23-24 Wis. Stats.
any 2-year period. The commissioner may approve courses or programs that an applicant for an intermediary’s license may attend to fulfill a prelicensing education requirement, or that a licensed intermediary may attend to fulfill a continuing education requirement, and may approve organizations that may offer approved courses or programs. The commissioner may, by rule, exempt any class of intermediaries from the continuing education requirements. So far as practicable, the commissioner shall issue a single license to each individual intermediary for a single fee. (4) INTERMEDIARIES REPRESENTING NONPROFIT SERVICE PLANS. Intermediaries dealing with or representing nonprofit service plans must be licensed under ss. 628.03 and 628.04, and are subject to all provisions of this chapter. (5) MANAGING GENERAL AGENTS AND REINSURANCE BROKERS AND MANAGERS. The commissioner may, by rule, require every managing general agent that is not a natural person, every reinsurance broker and every reinsurance manager to obtain a license in order to do business in this state or with an insurer doing business in this state. The commissioner may, by rule, prescribe classifications for reinsurance brokers and managers, exemptions from the license requirement for managing general agents that are not natural persons, reinsurance brokers and reinsurance managers and grounds for suspension or revocation of a license. The commissioner shall consider the applicable model acts adopted by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners before promulgating rules under this section. History: 1975 c. 371, 421; 1977 c. 363; 1979 c. 154; 1981 c. 38; 1991 a. 269; 1993 a. 112; 1995 a. 27, 400; 1997 a. 191; 2007 a. 169; 2011 a. 209. Cross-reference: See also chs. Ins 26, 28, 42, 45, and 47, and s. Ins 6.59, Wis. adm. code.
628.05
Licensing of town mutual agents. (1) GENERAL EXEMPTION. Except as otherwise provided in sub. (2), or by rule promulgated by the commissioner, persons engaged in soliciting insurance exclusively for town mutuals are not subject to the licensing requirements of s. 628.03 (1). (2) AGENTS SOLICITING INSURANCE REQUIRING REINSURANCE. No person may solicit any application for a contract providing coverage of the kind specified in s. 612.31 (3) unless the person first obtains a license to do so under this chapter. The license need be only for those coverages the town mutual is authorized to write and any examination of applicants shall be appropriately limited. History: 1975 c. 371, 421; 2011 a. 224.
628.06
Licensing of fraternal agents. (1) GENERAL PROVISION. Subject to sub. (2), an agent of a fraternal is subject to the same licensing requirements as an agent for any other insurer doing the same lines of business, unless the agent was an agent for a fraternal immediately prior to October 2, 1963, and is still such an agent on June 19, 1976. The agent’s authority under this exception ceases upon ceasing, for however short a period, to be an agent for a fraternal. (2) PART-TIME FRATERNAL AGENTS. An agent for one or more fraternals who devotes or intends to devote less than halftime to the solicitation of insurance business is not subject to the requirements of sub. (1). A person is presumed to have devoted half-time to the solicitation of insurance business if in the preceding calendar year the person procured life insurance contracts in a face amount in excess of $50,000, or, in the case of other kinds of insurance, on the persons of more than 25 individuals, and if the person received compensation therefor. History: 1975 c. 373, 421. Legislative Council Note, 1975: These subsections continue the general thrust of s. 208.21. The grandfather clause is considerably restricted. The part-time exception in sub. (2) reflects the informal and nonprofessional nature of some of the marketing methods of the smaller fraternals; some question may be raised about the merits of the exception, but it reflects strongly held views. It clearly permits nonpro-
INSURANCE MARKETING
628.095
fessional solicitation of new members by existing members, when no compensation is involved. [Bill 643-S]