Consumer group representatives are asking the NationalAssociation of Insurance Commissioners when they will be able tospeak their peace on a proposed market conduct analysis format.

In a letter today to NAIC President Sandy Praeger, the Kansascommissioner, representatives who have public funding to attendNAIC sessions, noted that they have received no response to a July8 e-mail requesting a chance to express their view and norinformation on the project nor an explanation as to why aconference call to discuss the issue was cancelled.

The letter written by Birny Birnbaum, executive director of theCenter for Economic Justice, Austin, Texas, expresseddisappointment in the Kansas City, Mo., organization's"unresponsiveness."

It read, "I ask that the NAIC show at least the sameresponsiveness to consumer concerns as it does to industryconcerns. I also ask that the NAIC operate with a reasonable levelof public accountability, such that an issue scheduled for publicdiscussion does not simply disappear without explanation."

Mr. Birnbaum said in an interview with that the market conductanalysis project is "of critical importance to consumers. The NAICas an organization needs to be more responsive."

The concern of consumer reps, he says is that the NAIC addressesissues such as speed to bring products to market which areimportant to consumers but ignores consumer issues.

An NAIC spokesperson did not immediately respond to a callseeking reaction to the consumer complaints.

Mr. Birnbaum also questioned the passage of a resolution onmarket conduct analysis by the National Conference of InsuranceLegislators, Troy, N.Y. during its summer meeting last week.

Mr. Birnbaum noted that the resolution came up without inputfrom all parties.

NCOIL discussed the market conduct analysis project on July 11before adopting the resolution which states among other thingsthat:

o No state legislature has required a fundamental change orexpansion in the nature of the insurer annual statement to includemarket conduct data.

o NCOIL has concerns regarding NAIC authority to collect marketconduct data as part of an annual statement filing.

o NCOIL questions whether the costs of compliance might outweighthe benefits to consumers, insurance companies, regulators, andstate legislatures.

o NCOIL has concerns regarding the confidentiality of marketconduct data, since such data has not before been made public.

The resolution commits to working with the NAIC and individualstate regulators.