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United States V. The South-Eastern Underwriter Association

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Definition of 'United States V. The South-Eastern Underwriter Association'

A United States Supreme Court case involving the federal antitrust statute and the insurance industry. United States v. The South-Eastern Underwriter Association (322 U.S. 533), which was decided on June 5, 1944, determined that the insurance industry is subject to regulation by the United States Congress, under the Commerce Clause.

The case came before the Supreme Court on appeal from a Northern District of Georgia court. The South-Eastern Underwriters Association had control of 90% of fire and other insurance markets in six southern states and was believed to have an unfair monopoly, brought on through price fixing. The case focused on whether or not insurance was a type of interstate commerce that should fall under the United States Commerce Clause and the Sherman Antitrust Act.

Investopedia Says

Investopedia explains 'United States V. The South-Eastern Underwriter Association'

The Supreme Court held that insurance companies that conduct significant portions of their business across state lines, were in fact engaging in interstate commerce. The ruling held that the insurance industry could be regulated by Federal law, rather than only state laws.

The following year, in 1945, Congress passed the McCarran-Ferguson Act (Public Law 15), overruling the Supreme Court decision and prescribing that insurance regulation was a matter for the states and not the Federal government. The McCarran-Ferguson Act exempted the insurance industry from most Federal regulation, including anti-trust laws.

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