Regina, SK (Dec. 2, 2013) – Canadian consumers and insurance industry participants will now have access to the names of persons and firms disciplined within the insurance industry through the Canadian Insurance Regulators Disciplinary Actions (CIRDA), a new database designed to be a single point of access for decisions taken by multiple Canadian insurance regulators.
This joint initiative of the Canadian Insurance Services Regulatory Organization (CISRO) and the Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators (CCIR) has created a repository of public actions taken since 2008 by insurance regulators against insurance companies, insurance intermediaries and individuals licensed to sell insurance products.
While most insurance regulators have been publishing disciplinary actions for many years, some have only recently been granted the legislative authority to publish, and others have no authority to publish. The process followed for publishing decisions varies by jurisdiction, and it is a best practice to check with the local jurisdiction as part of your due diligence in researching an insurance company or an insurance broker/agent. If you wish for further clarification on actions posted on CIRDA, please contact the issuing regulator.
Disciplinary actions in the new database will be presented in the same format as they currently appear on individual regulatory websites.
This database can be accessed at http://decisions.cisro-ocra.com/ as of December 1, 2013.
A link to the database will also be provided on the CCIR website. Individual insurance regulators that comprise the membership of CISRO and CCIR may also provide a link to the disciplinary decision database.
RSS subscriptions will be available free of charge and will provide near real-time notification of new disciplinary actions as they are posted by participating insurance regulators.
“We are very pleased to offer the public this significant improvement in search capabilities”, said Ron Fullan, Chairperson of CISRO and Executive Director of the Insurance Councils of Saskatchewan. “Further, by eliminating the need to search across multiple databases to obtain regulatory decisions, each provincial insurance regulator will have improved access to timely information that may enable them to make better decisions about their own registrants and applicants.”
“We expect the CIRDA database to be a great assistance to consumers, industry members and regulators alike to find information about insurance agents and brokers,” said Carolyn Rogers, Chair of CCIR. “CCIR is very pleased to have played an integral part in this project. CIRDA is the result of members of CCIR and CISRO working together for everyone’s benefit, and I want to thank everyone who has been involved.”
About the Canadian Insurance Services Regulatory Organizations
CISRO is an inter jurisdictional group of regulating authorities who are dedicated to developing consistent standards of qualifications and practice for insurance intermediaries dealing in insurance of persons and property.
Its goals and objectives include creating a common voice to deal with issues that may be of interest to other financial services regulators, consumers and intermediaries.
Visit www.cisro-ocra.com/ for more information.
About the Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators
CCIR is an inter-jurisdictional association of insurance regulators. The mandate of the CCIR is to facilitate and promote an efficient and effective insurance regulatory system in Canada to serve the public interest. We work together to develop solutions to common regulatory issues.
Visit www.ccir-ccrra.org for more information.