FEDERAL INSURANCE OFFICE FIO

A federal-level national office proposed by the Obama administration to address critical gaps in insurance regulation in 2009. The Federal Insurance Office (FIO) would be housed under the U.S. Treasury Department. It would not have regulatory authority, but it would monitor the industry and coordinate industry policy. The FIO's initial goals would be to expand federal level knowledge of state-related insurance regulation issues and challenges for state regulators when representing the U.S. in multinational legal affairs.

The suggestion of a federal office on insurance was spurred on in part by the financial markets meltdown of 2007 and 2008. The failure of insurance behemoth AIG has been cited as a contributing factor to the financial crisis.