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Key Person Insurance in Oregon

For a life insurer failure, the published guaranty limit for a policy covering a life in Oregon is $300,000 in death benefits. Ask the broker which insurer will issue the policy and compare its financial strength separately from this limited state safety net. Oregon requires a person who buys coverage on another life to have an insurable interest when the policy is entered into. Ask the insurer to identify the business interest that exists at inception and retain supporting role documentation. Compare your ownership and insured’s role with Or. Rev. Stat. § 743.024. 4,1

What Is Key Person?

Key person insurance pays the business, not the person’s family, when a founder, partner or employee it relies on dies. Disability, overhead expense and buyout funding are separate products to discuss on their own. Read the national Key person guide.

What to Watch for in Oregon

  • Document the Business Interest

    Oregon requires a person who buys coverage on another life to have an insurable interest when the policy is entered into. Ask the insurer to identify the business interest that exists at inception and retain supporting role documentation. 1

  • Complete Written Notice and Consent

    Oregon requires the insured’s application or written consent for an individual life policy except specified cases. Ask the carrier to identify any exception if the employee did not sign the application. 2,3

  • Check the State Guaranty Backstop

    The published Oregon life-association limit is $300,000 per insured life. For a multi-person program, compare the per-life amount with the separate owner aggregate reported in NOLHGA’s model. Include it when assessing exposure to one insurer failure. For issuance, also check Or. Rev. Stat. § 743.024. 4,5,1

Who Regulates Insurance in Oregon

Oregon Division of Financial Regulation

DFR handles complaints about most insurance lines and provides Oregon license checks for agents, agencies, and insurers. You can use its consumer complaint form if an insurer or agent is not following Oregon law or rules. 6,7,8

Surplus-lines tax and stamping office

Reported tax rate: 2% of Oregon-home-state gross premiums, plus 0.3% on premium or fees for fire marshal For Oregon-home-state risks, the surplus-lines licensee must collect a 2% tax on gross premiums and a 0.3% fire-marshal tax on premium or fees, in addition to the premium. Oregon requires the policy to warn that losses will not be paid by the state guaranty fund; the exempt-commercial-purchaser search exception requires admitted-market disclosure and a written request. 9,10,11,12

Surplus Line Association of Oregon

Providers With Documented State Licenses

These providers publish a national listing for Key person; the state records document licenses for the entities and roles shown below. Some records rely on company-reported information rather than independent regulator verification. A national listing does not confirm the product is available in Oregon. Check the regulator’s license lookup and confirm state availability for your business when requesting a quote.

  • VouchVouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLCInsurance producer, Surplus-lines broker · checked 2026-09-28Vouch’s licenses page, effective January 16, 2025, lists producer licenses in all 50 states and DC. Its separate surplus-lines table includes Idaho number 870820, while a footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses. Because those statements conflict for Idaho, this record keeps Idaho producer-only and does not treat the table number as established agency surplus-lines authority. The page is company-reported and does not establish product availability. 19

Questions to Ask Before You Buy in Oregon

  1. What Oregon law supports our business’s insurable interest in this person, and what should we retain to prove the role?
  2. What written notice and consent must the insured receive before this policy is issued, and can coverage continue after employment ends?
  3. How would Oregon’s guaranty-association limit apply to this policy and our other business-owned life policies?

Key Person in Oregon: FAQ

How much of a key person life policy is protected if an insurer fails in Oregon? 4,5

The guaranty report shows $300,000 against death benefits in Oregon. The amount applies to guaranty coverage; ask how your ownership and insured lives are counted. NOLHGA reports an aggregate $5 million limit for one owner’s multiple nongroup life policies. 4,5

Does my business need an employee’s consent for key person insurance in Oregon? 2,3,1

Yes. Federal rules require written notice and consent before issue for the employer-owned life tax exception. Oregon requires the insured’s application or written consent for an individual life policy except specified cases. Ask the carrier to identify any exception if the employee did not sign the application. Ask for a copy of the dated notice before the carrier issues coverage. For state-law details, check Or. Rev. Stat. § 743.024. 2,3,1

Key Person in Other States

Other Coverage in Oregon

Sources

  1. Oregon Revised Statutes § 743.024 — Insurable Interest and Beneficiaries. State statute (Justia U.S. Codes and Statutes); Or. Rev. Stat. § 743.024. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  2. 26 U.S.C. § 101(j) — Certain employer-owned life insurance contracts. Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives; 26 U.S.C. § 101(j)(2), (4). Accessed 2026-09-28.
  3. Internal Revenue Bulletin 2009-24 — Employer-Owned Life Insurance Contracts. Internal Revenue Service; Notice 2009-48, Q&A 6–7; written notice and consent. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  4. How You’re Protected: Coverage Levels by State. National Organization of Life & Health Insurance Guaranty Associations; Coverage Levels by State; life insurance death benefits; report current as of May 2025. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  5. Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association Model Act. National Association of Insurance Commissioners; Section 8(A)(2)(d), owner aggregate benefit cap. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  6. oregon insurance regulator. State insurance regulator; DFR homepage identifies consumer, licensing, and complaint services. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  7. DFR Check a License. State insurance regulator; Insurance industry section links Oregon agent, agency, and company license-status search in NAIC SBS. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  8. DFR File a Complaint. State insurance regulator; Online insurance complaint form; DFR says it can review whether a company or agent follows Oregon law and rules. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  9. Oregon Revised Statutes §735.470. Oregon Legislature; Subsections (1)(a)–(c), (4): 2% on Oregon-home-state gross premiums plus 0.3% of premium or fees for fire marshal; licensee collects taxes in addition to premium. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  10. Oregon Revised Statutes §§735.405, 735.410, 735.470. Oregon Legislature; ORS 735.470(1)(a) taxes Oregon-home-state risks; ORS 735.418 authorizes interstate allocation procedures. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  11. Surplus Lines Insurance. Oregon Division of Financial Regulation; Page states surplus-lines insurance through a nonlicensed insurer is not protected by the Oregon Insurance Guaranty Association. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  12. Oregon Revised Statutes §§735.405, 735.410 and 735.415. Oregon Legislature; 2025 Edition online text: §§735.405(6), 735.410(1)–(2), 735.415(1)(b)–(2); current chapter text includes the ECP definition, diligence rule, disclosure/written-request exception, and policy warning against guaranty fund coverage. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  13. Licenses. At-Bay; Current producer introduction and state table; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC; P&C and surplus-lines identifiers. Accessed 2026-09-21.
  14. Licenses and Carriers. Coalition; Licenses and Carriers, re-read 22 September 2026: Insurance Licenses table for Coalition Insurance Solutions, Inc., national producer number 18419475, with producer and surplus-lines numbers for all 50 states and DC including California 0L76155, Georgia 196479, Texas 2199630 and 2205589, Pennsylvania 815731 and 817452, Colorado 539028 and Wisconsin 3000108852. Insurance Carriers table naming, with NAIC numbers, Allianz Underwriters Insurance Company 36420, Arch Specialty Insurance Company 21199, Ascot Specialty Insurance Company 45055, Ascot Insurance Company 23752, Aspen Specialty Insurance Company 10717, Chaucer Insurance Company DAC, Coalition Insurance Company 29530, Fireman's Fund Indemnity Corporation 11380, Fortegra Specialty Insurance Company 16823, Lloyd's of London, MSIG Specialty Insurance USA Inc. 34886, MS Transverse Specialty Insurance Company 41807, Steadfast Insurance Company 26387, Vantage Risk Specialty Insurance Company 16275 and Zurich American Insurance Company 16535. Accessed 2026-09-22.
  15. Insurance Producer Licenses. Corgi Insurance; Current complete Insurance Producer Licenses table for Corgi Insurance Services, Inc.; 50 rows covering 49 states and DC (DC 3003091619); no New Mexico row; no NPN or as-of date shown. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  16. About Hiscox US Insurance. Hiscox; Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. NAIC 10200 as Chicago, IL domiciled insurer admitted or licensed in all 50 states and D.C.; Hiscox Inc. as general agent and Lloyd’s coverholder for Syndicates 33 and 3624; surplus-lines placements through licensed surplus-lines brokers; A.M. Best rating statement. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  17. Licenses. ERGO NEXT Insurance; Current entity-by-state license table reopened 28 September 2026: 50 rows under Next First Insurance Agency, Inc., including Washington, DC; New York rows instead list Next Insurance Services PC-1423070 and AP Intego BR-1198885. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  18. Insurance Licenses by State. TechInsurance; Current state table; identifies TechInsurance as a division of Specialty Program Group LLC d/b/a SPG Insurance Solutions; lists DC 3000041536 and labels Rhode Island “Individual licenses,” without an agency license number. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  19. Licenses. Vouch; Effective 16 January 2025: Vouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLC, NPN 19926463; P&C table (50 states and DC); surplus-lines table includes Idaho 870820; footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses; Idaho retained as producer-only due to conflict. Accessed 2026-09-15.

Updated .

This guide is informational and does not determine whether a policy is available or meets your needs. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, contact Spot with a supporting source.

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