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Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Election 2018
The office of the insurance commissioner in Oklahoma is an elected position. The current commissioner, John D. Doak, is term limited and cannot run again; his successor will be determined in the general election that takes place on Nov. 6, 2018. The two major party candidates vying for the post are Kimberly Fobbs, Democrat, and Glenn Mulready, Republican. Interviews with both candidates were excerpted and edited for length and clarity from recorded conversations with Insurance Journal that took place in September. A podcast created from the interview with Fobbs may be accessed online at https://www.insurancejournal.tv/videos/16992/.
Kimberly Fobbs
Kimberly Fobbs has long been active in Tulsa county politics and currently serves as chair of the Tulsa County Democratic Party. Fobbs also has held management and leadership roles at the insurance and financial services company, MetLife.
Insurance Journal: What are the primary functions of the Oklahoma Insurance Department?
Kimberly Fobbs: The primary functions are enforcement and regulation of the insurance laws of our state. There should be a [focus on] consumer protection; we need to make sure we have a competitive marketplace; insure solvency of the entities that we regulate; and there are eight primary agencies that fall under the regulation of the insurance department and the insurance commissioner's responsibilities.
… The financial support is critical, we need to have strong financial examinations. The legal division, clearly the biggest part that faces the marketplace has to do with licensing and education. Then rate compliance, real estate appraiser division, and also focusing on ISO review, which, I believe, is an underutilized focus today, which...