NEW YORK (Reuters) - US state insurance regulators will hold a hearing this month to probe the role that rating agencies played in assessing insurers' credit-worthiness in light of the financial crisis. Credit rating agencies, insurers, pension funds and other industry participants have been been asked to take part in the meeting, scheduled for September 24 in National Harbor, Maryland.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) said in a statement yesterday that participants would discuss the insurance industry's reliance on credit ratings, particularly for structured securities and municipal bonds.