Section A Flashcards
(226 cards)
List and Describe the Types of insurers
09 - Baer and Rendall
- Individual Underwriters - rare in North America
o Example is Lloyd’s of London
o Does not act as an insurer, nor does it have liability on policies issued by UW
o Similar to a stock exchange (provides a market place and regulates trade practices), except only open to members, not the public - Joint Stock Companies
o For-profit organization, composed of stockholders and is controlled by its officers and a board of directors - Mutual Insurance Carriers
o Corporate enterprises whose voting control rests with policyholders not stockholders
o Some profit is distributed to members as dividends, the rest is retained in reserves - Reciprocal or Inter-Insurance Exchanges
o An organization of individuals who have joined together for the exchange of insurance
o Does not issue policies itself, but no participant can take out insurance unless offering insurance in return
o Members are individually liable, NOT jointly liable
What are the reason(s) insurance is exempt from anti-combines legislation?
09 - Baer and Rendall
• Uncontrolled price competition is not in public’s long term interest
o Insurers would collect less in premiums than necessary to meet future liabilities
o Increases insolvency risk – Bankruptcy could have catastrophic effects
o Special rules are necessary to guarantee their continued solvency
• Industry encouraged to charge adequate premiums, usually through the authorization of rating bureaus
What are the 5 objectives of IBC?
09 - Baer and Rendall
- Discuss General Insurance
- Collect & Analyze statistical info
- Study Legislation
- Research and pilot programs
- Promote better public understanding of insurance
Where are the 5 main areas that Canadian insurance has focused on?
09 - Baer and Rendall
- Solvency – Guarantee the financial solvency of insurers
- Canadianization – Promote Canadian ownership of insurers and Canadian investments
- Government Revenue – Promote revenue collection
- Regulating the Contract – Promote market integrity and improve the insurance contract
- Control over Insurance Intermediaries – Promote honesty and competence of insurance intermediaries
How has Canadian legislation prmoted solvency?
09 - Baer and Rendall
- Controlling the creation of domestic insurers, licensing foreign insurers
- Limiting the types of investments insurers could make
- Requiring periodic filing of financial information
- Creation of rating bureaus and administrative boards to encourage adequate rates
- Giving government authority to ensure compliance
Why does Canada have such strict solvency regulation?
09 - Baer and Rendall
- Loss of public confidence following bankruptcies in the 1860s/1870s
- Aggressive short-term price competition not in the public interest
- Fiduciary nature of insurance - involves the management of large pools of prepaid premiums
Why is the Canadianization of insurance important?
09 - Baer and Rendall
• 1865-77 federal legislation required foreign companies to maintain sufficient assets in Canada to meet Canadian liabilities
o Protects policyholders
o Prevented the expatriation of large amounts of investment capital
• Resulted in the withdrawal of almost half of foreign companies and the expansion of Canadian companies
What are the Forms/Levels of insurance legislation?
09 - Baer and Rendall
- Legislation
- Regulation by lieutenant governor in council
- Guidelines or directives from Superintendent
Why are guidelines favored over other forms of insurance regulation?
09 - Baer and Rendall
- Seen as more flexible
- Less obtrusive – to the extent that they are voluntary
- Less open to judicial interpretation – public is given no rights
- Can be adopted without being vetted by other gov’t departments - quicker to implement
What is the role of the Canadian Council of Insurance Regulation (CCIR)?
09 - Baer and Rendall
- Promotes uniformity in provincial regulation - e.g., drafting legislation
- Encourages uniform practices in the industry - industry-wide rules, common teaching for the licensing of agents
- Has a close working relationship with the industry
- Greater public input than in the case of the Privy Council
Differences between social and private insurance
09 - Baer and Rendall
- Social insurance tends to be universal in application; private insurance is risk selecting
- Social insurance has less need to protect the public from gaming
- Social insurance does not require extensive solvency rules – state is the carrier
- Different supervision of intermediaries in social insurance, as they are civil servants
Similarities between social and private insurance
09 - Baer and Rendall
- Rules to protect the insurance fund and prevent overcompensation
- Problem defining covered events and determining covered losses
- Difficulty establishing a fair and efficient claims settlement process and loss valuation
What are the possible solutions for handling multiple recovery situations?
09 - Baer and Rendall
- Election – Victim can choose his compensation source
o Recourse against the tortfeasor or compensation from collateral source - Cumulation – Insured takes and retains all damages and all collateral benefits
o Permits double recovery - Reimbursement – Tortfeasor must pay all damages and any excess, after making the insured whole, is returned to the collateral source
- Relieving the Tortfeasor – Tortfeasor’s liability is reduced by the amount of collateral benefit received by the injured
o Wrongdoer pays what insurance does not
What is the goal of subrogation?
09 - Baer and Rendall
- The current emphasis for subrogation is on compensation victims rather than admonishment (reprimand/warning);
- Because of insurance, subrogation does not put the ultimate burden on the wrongdoer
- Should ONLY be indemnified - not be able to recover from multiple sources and “gaining” from loss event
What case pertains to the classification of insurance for the purpose of regulating the contract
09 - Baer and Rendall
Regal Films Corporation LTD v. Glens Falls Insurance Company
Which case pertains to the distinction of Indemnity vs. Non-Indemnity insurance?
09 - Baer and Rendall
Glynn v. Scottish Union & National Insurance Company Ltd.
What are the requirements for duty of care to exist? What case does this pertain to?
09 - Baer and Rendall
• Will owe a duty of care if: 1. Reliance 2. Reliance is Reasonable 3. Knowledge of the Reliance • Case Fletcher v. MPI
Describe Fletcher v. Manitoba Public Insurance. What was the verdict?
09 - Baer and Rendall
Duty of Care
• Background of the case
o Insureds suffered severe injuries in an automobile accident, at-fault driver had inadequate coverage
o The victim thought they had purchased the maximum available coverage, but did not have underinsured motorist coverage (The renewal notice had the words “not applic” typed in for UMC which the victim believed meant it did not apply to him since he already had maximum coverage)
• Is there a Duty of Care owed to inform of all available coverages, their purpose, and cost?
o Will owe a duty of care if:
1. Reliance – Plaintiff relied on information provided
2. Reliance is Reasonable – Contractual right to rely on the offeror
3. Knowledge of the Reliance – MPI ought to have known of the reliance
o MPI owed a duty of care but did not fulfill it
• Verdict: Plaintiffs were awarded, in negligence and in contract, for the damages in the amount of the shortfall.
Describe the Broadhurst & Ball v. American Home Assurance Co. Case. What was the verdict? Why?
09 - Baer and Rendall
Duty to Defend
• Background of the case
o Defendant was sued for conspiracy, breach of fiduciary duty, and negligence
o Policies of both the primary (American Home) and excess professional liability insurers (Guardian) agree to provide defence against covered suits and pay associated expenses
o Excess insurer contends that the insureds were aware of the claims when they obtained insurance and thus no coverage is provided
• Three issues to be determined:
1. Coverage Issue – Should the judge have waited until after trial to decide if coverage of the claims existed?
o Allegation claims were known beforehand dismissed for lack of evidence
o Resolution of coverage issue not improper as remote possibility anything in the trial would affect coverage
2. Obligation to Defend Issue – Does the excess insurer have a concurrent obligation to defend when a primary insurer also has that obligation
o No discussion
3. Allocation of Defense Costs Issue – If an obligation to defend exists, should the excess insurer have to pay a proportion of defense costs
o Primary insurer to cover defense costs until the policy limit has been exhausted
o Potential judgment above primary limit puts excess carrier at risk (should not excuse itself)
o Equitable distribution of costs not justified on a contractual basis but by the principles of equity and good conscience
• Verdict: The cost of defense should be shared equally between insurers since both have a duty to defend and can create the best defense together. Appeal dismissed; cross-appeal allowed.
Describe the Standard of Absolute Liability. What case does this pertain to?
09 - Baer and Rendall
- Standard of Absolute Liability - If an insurer can settle a claim against an insured within policy limits and rejects it, the insurer is liable to reimburse its insured for claim above the limit
- Case: Dillon v. Guardian Insurance Co.
Describe the case of Dillon v. Guardian Insurance Co.
09 - Baer and Rendall
Standard of Absolute Liability
• Background of the case
o Dillon injured a child in a car accident and was sued for 100K but had policy limits of 50K
o Insurer fails to agree to a settlement within policy limits and is sued for the excess loss
• Standard of Absolute Liability – If an insurer can settle a claim against an insured within policy limits and rejects it, the insurer is liable to reimburse its insured for claim above the limit
o Avoids problem of determining if settlement was reasonable
o Eliminates the danger of an insurer, when faced with a decision near policy limits, gambling with the insured’s money to further its own interests
o Since insurer may reap the benefits of not settling, it should also suffer the detriments
• Verdict: Insurer did not use reasonable care in refusing to settle and is guilty of bad faith
Describe the Glynn v Scottish Union & National Insurance Company Case. What were the issues? What precedence was set?
09 - Baer and Rendall
Indemnity & Non-Indemnity Insurance
• Background
o Insureds were injured in a car accident as a result of negligence by another driver
o Insureds won a settlement from the other party AND from his own insurer for medical expenses
o The insurer appealed, Glynn double-recovered his losses
o The insurer believes that the contract was one of indemnity and that the insured should not benefit from the accident
• Each contract needs to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine whether it is a contract of indemnity
o Indemnity Contract – Based upon the happening of an event that results in the insurer’s liability and loss to the insured, measured by the extent of the assured’s pecuniary loss
o Contracts which are not contracts of Indemnity – The amount recoverable, a fixed or calculable sum, is payable upon the happenings of some contingent event, irrespective of whether the assured in fact sustains a pecuniary loss
o The principle of subrogation applies only to contracts of indemnity - The assured, in case of a loss, shall be fully indemnified but shall never be more than fully indemnified
• Judge ruled that this was indemnity contract and subrogation was allowed
Describe Regal Films Corporation LTD v. Glens Falls Insurance Company. What was the verdict? Why?
09 - Baer and Rendall
Classification of Insurance for the Purpose of Regulating the Contract
• Background of the case
o The insurer issued a policy titled “Inland Marine Policy” protecting against fire, lightning, windstorm, tornado, theft, robbery, burglary, hail, explosion, etc.
o Plaintiff filed a fire claim
o Insurer resisted b/c the plaintiff had not provided proof within 60 days as per the policy
• Part IV of The Insurance Act on Fire Insurance states only that proof shall be delivered as soon as “practicable”
o Prohibits any “variation or omission of or addition to any statutory condition”
• Insurer argued the policy does not come under Part IV of the Act because it is headed “Inland Marine Policy”
• Contract fails to suggest that the loss by fire insured against is “incident to marine adventure”
o Verdict: Plaintiff received all payments for their loss and costs
Describe the difference between Valued Policies and Non-Indemnity Policies
09 - Baer and Rendall
- Valued policies involve payment of an agreed value if an insured proves occurrence of a loss - Contracts of indemnity
- Nonindemnity insurance provides a fixed sum or calculable amount based on the happening of some contigent event, regardless of whether the insured suffers a pecuniary loss