The Insurance Department wants both nominees seeking to succeed Glen Mulready removed from a homeowners insurance proceeding.
OKLAHOMA CITY — An independent hearing examiner is scheduled Tuesday to consider whether both candidates for Oklahoma insurance commissioner should be removed from a proceeding involving the state’s homeowners insurance market.
The Oklahoma Insurance Department is seeking to exclude Republican Bob Sullivan and Democrat Craig MacIntyre, who are running in the Nov. 3 general election to succeed term-limited Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready.
The department argues neither candidate has the direct personal or financial interest required to participate in a hearing that will determine whether Oklahoma’s homeowners insurance market is competitive under state law.
The department acknowledged Sullivan is a licensed insurance producer and surplus-lines broker and that MacIntyre has insurance-industry experience. It argued, however, that neither is an insurer or would be directly affected by the hearing’s outcome.
“Neither candidate has yet to be elected by the citizens of Oklahoma to serve as their representative for the regulation and enforcement of insurance laws in this state,” the department said.
Attorney general opposes removal
Attorney General Gentner Drummond has asked that both candidates be allowed to remain.
His office argued the department applied a legal standard governing who may appeal an agency decision rather than the broader question of who may participate in an administrative hearing.
The department’s original notice invited interested parties with a “direct, immediate and substantial interest” to participate. Sullivan and MacIntyre filed appearances before the deadline.
The attorney general also argued it would be inconsistent to remove the two individual participants while allowing three insurance-industry associations to remain.
In a separate filing, Sullivan and Drummond jointly asked that Mulready and independent hearing examiner John D. Miller be disqualified from decision-making roles in the case.
Their filing alleges the structure and handling of the proceeding raise questions about impartiality. It also cites Mulready’s public support for former state Sen. Marty Quinn, whom Sullivan defeated in the Republican runoff.
The allegations have not been decided.
Oral arguments on the department’s effort to remove Sullivan and MacIntyre are scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15.
Full hearing postponed
The broader hearing on Oklahoma’s homeowners insurance market had been scheduled for Sept. 14 but has been moved to Oct. 26, eight days before the general election.
According to the continuance order, the Oklahoma P&C Advocacy Association requested the delay.
Drummond, Sullivan and two national insurance trade groups opposed postponement. The Insurance Department did not object.
Under current law, a finding that the homeowners insurance market is not competitive would require insurers to submit proposed rates at least 30 days before they take effect. The department could then challenge a rate and, after a separate hearing, disapprove it as excessive.
House Bill 3781, which takes effect July 1, 2027, will require insurers to submit proposed rates and supporting information before the rates take effect and allow the insurance commissioner to challenge rates considered excessive.
The full hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Oct. 26 at the state Capitol.
