Any business, agency or individual that has a state insurance license needs a national producer number. Like a Social Security number for individuals, the NPN is a unique identifier in the insurance world. You can look up NPNs in the National Insurance Producer Registry's (NIPR) online registry.
In the words of the NIPR, anyone engaged in "insurance related activities regulated by a state insurance department" needs an NPN. That includes, but isn't limited to:
Every licensed, regulated insurance professional needs an NPN. Usually, it's assigned as part of the licensing process.
Insurance licensing operates at the state level. If someone in, say, Texas, wants information about a licensed insurer, they can go to the Texas Department of Insurance and use the TDI agent lookup page.
If they have the name of the individual or agency, they can use the search engine for insurance license lookup or find an individual by the license number. A licensed producer can look up how long they have before they renew their license.
Licensing state by state has its limits. If someone racks up a string of violations in Colorado then starts over with a new license in North Carolina, the Colorado issues could slip through the cracks. Neither insurance officials nor customers might know about it.
The NPN allows the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) to track information about producers, negotiators, adjusters and other licensed professionals on a national basis. If someone applies for a license in New Jersey, for example, the insurance commissioner can enter them in the national producer number database. That will turn up any previous licensed activity.
Likewise, individuals looking to buy insurance can use the NPN to gather more information about the person or business they're dealing with.
For an agent or adjuster working in only one state, their state license is more important than their national producer number. Some licensed insurance professionals don't even know their NPN. If they need to provide it to someone, they can look it up in the database.
Some states make it simpler. In 2017, Arizona changed all its license numbers to match the licensees' NPNs. It's possible, eventually, that all states will do the same.
If you live in a state that works like Arizona, you can find the NPN easily. Enter the business or individual's number in the Department of Insurance's search page and you'll get back the license. That equals the national producer number.
For other states, you can go to the NIPR search page. There are three ways to search for an NPN:
Whichever method you use, if the information you enter is accurate, you'll get back an NPN.
If you're looking for complaints on an agency's record, you may be able to find that information without the NPN. The NAIC maintains a national database of complaints. All you need is the company's name. Enter it, and NAIC lists any complaints.
Fraser Sherman has written about every aspect of business: how to start one, how to keep one in the black, the best business structure, the details of financial statements. He's also run a couple of small businesses of his own. He lives in Durham NC with his awesome wife and two wonderful dogs. His website is frasersherman.com
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