We appreciate your business. As your Independent Insurance Broker, we purchase insurance products and services on your behalf that are available, affordable and understandable.
Our role is to provide you with the best insurance value that combines coverage, service and price. We also provide personalized, quality service that includes professional insurance advice, ongoing policy maintenance and claims support. When any issue arises regarding your insurance coverage, we are your advocate, using our professional experience to best represent your individual interest.
Brokerage compensation is part of your insurance premium. For commercial policies premiums can range from Nil to 20%. For your benefit, we have listed below both the Personal Automobile and Personal Property Insurers the brokerage represents and have included the range of compensation each provides as a percentage of overall premiums:
| Berkley Canada | 10-20% | Jevco Insurance Company | 5-15% | |
| Canada World Wide Underwriting Agencies Inc. | 10-17.5% | Moore-McLean Corporate Insurance Ltd. | 15% | |
| CFI Underwriting Managers | 5-17.5% | Optimum Frontier General Inc. | 15-20% | |
| Chutter Underwriting Services | 10-15% | Premier Marine Managers Group (West) Inc. | 10-15% | |
| Elliott Special Risks LP | 15% | South Western Group Limited | 10-15% | |
| Encon Group Inc. | 15% | The Boiler Inspection & Insurance Company | 10-15% | |
| Facility (Royal) | 6-10% | *The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company | 5-20% | |
| $250.00 plus tax cap on most lines of business | ||||
| *Intact Insurance Company | 5-20% | Trisura Guarantee | 15-25% |
This commission percentage is paid annually for both new business and renewals. Should there be any change in the commission schedule we receive from your Insurer or any other material change that affects compensation arrangements, we will notify you. All Suppliers that are not listed above may include Wholesalers and Managing General Agents. Wholesalers/Managing General Agents pay a commission of 5%-20% and policies can be placed with the markets above including Lloyds of London.
In order for us to maintain strong relationships with quality Insurers, we work with each to provide the type of business they desire. The Insurers with an asterisk noted above recognize our efforts through a Contingent (Profit) Commission contract. Payment of this Contingent (Profit) Commission may depend on a combination of growth, profitability (loss ratio), volume, retention and increased services we provide on behalf of the Insurer. Contingent (Profit) Commission is not guaranteed. For detailed information on Contingent Commission, please go the individual Insurance Company website.
If you have any questions regarding this or any other aspects of your insurance please contact us.
Legislation
Federal legislation known as the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and similar provincial legislation ("privacy legislation") govern Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. in collection, use and disclosure of personal information. Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. has practices and procedures that satisfy the standards set out in privacy legislation.
In accordance with privacy legislation, Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. follows Information Principles.
Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc.’s Privacy Officer is accountable for compliance with standard Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act.
Where required, Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. will explain why the collection of personal information is necessary.
Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. will obtain your consent prior to collecting, using or disclosing your personal information. Exceptions arise where use or disclosure is required or permitted by law - for example, in the course of a criminal investigation.
Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. collects the personal information necessary to administer insurance policies and fulfill the insurance placement requests.
Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. will not use or disclose personal information for a reason other than the purpose for which it was collected. Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. will retain personal information as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected and as required by law. In the even of financial/credit information the client/potential client can request to submit those items directly to the insurance carrier and will be provided the appropriate individual’s contact information to forward the information to.
Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. makes best efforts to monitor and update the accuracy of personal information as needed to provide insurance coverage and respond to claims.
Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. takes reasonable steps to safeguard personal information by using safe storage procedures and technological measures, which limit access to unauthorized employees, third parties not authorized by the client/potential clients and those who wish to do harm with the information.
Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. recognizes your right to access your personal information. If access must be denied, according to privacy legislation, Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. will provide an explanation of the denial.
Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc.’s Privacy Officer welcomes enquiries about our Privacy Policy and privacy practices.
What is "Personal Information"?
Personal information is defined in legislation as information about an identifiable individual, excluding the name, title, business address or telephone number of an employee of an organization. Some examples of personal information Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. may collect include your address, date of birth, e-mail address, medical history or driving record as well as other pertinent information.
When and Why Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. Collects Personal Information
Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. Collects Personal Information
All consumers who purchase insurance (or consider purchasing insurance) from Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. do so with the guidance and assistance of a professional, licensed and independent insurance broker. Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. collects your personal information to assess your insurance needs. Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. may recommend that you consider a number of products from different companies. In order to recommend products, Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. provides insurance companies with your personal information. Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. will explain that this exchange of personal information is necessary for Insurers to assess your risk profile and provide an accurate quotation regarding the cost of the policy being considered.
The information collected by Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. is dependant on the insurance coverage you should have. Some examples are provided to explain the type of information necessary to provide automobile and property insurance.
The Collection of Personal Information for Automobile Insurance
If you want to purchase automobile insurance, provincial governments require that you provide information set out on the Automobile Application form. This application form is used by all insurance companies and is approved by government. The Automobile Application form varies from province to province but all provincial governments gather similar information, such as your name, address, how the vehicle will be used, accident history and your history of convictions arising from operating an automobile. In some provinces you will be required to answer questions about your health, with respect to your ability to safely operate a vehicle.
The Collection of Personal Information for Property Insurance
To provide property insurance, insurance companies require information regarding the property, as well as your past experience renting and owning property. Where there is a mortgagor or any other person with an interest in the property, you must disclose this information.
Consent
Implied Consent
Consent can be implied or express. Implied consent is inferred from the circumstances, including the relationship between the parties and the nature of the interaction. For example, when you contact an insurance broker to obtain automobile or property coverage, it is reasonable for the broker to presume your implied consent to share personal information with the insurer to assess and meet your insurance needs. Similarly, it is reasonable for the Insurer to presume your implied consent to disclose your personal information to your broker, in order to assess an application or administer an insurance policy.
What is Express Consent?
When Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. handles sensitive personal information, Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. obtains express written or verbal consent. Sensitive information includes medical information or financial records for claims involving personal injury or income loss. In these circumstances, the sensitive personal information is not required or collected until a claim is made and it becomes necessary to obtain such information to determine entitlement to benefits. Express consent is obtained at the time of the claim.
Exceptions to Consent
Privacy legislation sets out situations in which consent is not necessary. Some examples of when it is not necessary for Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. to obtain consent include when the information is:
· disclosed to our lawyers;
· used to collect debts owed by policyholders; or
· used during an investigation of potential fraud, other policy breaches, or other illegal acts.
Withholding or Withdrawing Consent
You may withhold or withdraw your consent upon reasonable notice to Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc., however, this may affect Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc.’s ability to provide insurance or seek necessary insurance. Where the withdrawal of consent or withholding of personal information prevents Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. from providing adequate customer service, Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. may be unable to process your claim for payment, may cancel an existing policy, or may be unable to honour the withdrawal or withholding of consent.
How Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. Uses and Discloses Personal Information
Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. uses and discloses the personal information collected for various purposes:
· to assess an application for a property and casualty insurance product;
· to communicate with a customer regarding an insurance policy;
· to confirm information provided by a customer;
· to evaluate and settle a claim;
· to detect and prevent fraud;
· to offer and provide products and services to meet customer needs;
· to analyze risk and business results; and
· as may be required or authorized by law.
Additional examples of Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc.’s use and disclosure of personal information are provided below:
· Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. may use personal information to conduct statistical studies on information of groups of policyholders to improve understanding of claim trends, price adequacy and financial results and forecasts.
· As part of the front line underwriting and claims handling process, Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. also transfers personal information to other insurance companies/statistical bodies to verify the accuracy of information provided in an application for insurance or to help identify insurance fraud.
· Unfortunately insurance fraud is a reality that leads to higher insurance premiums for everyone. Where circumstances suggest a false or exaggerated claim we will conduct a careful investigation.
· When a claim arises, Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. uses personal information to investigate the claim, assess damages and make the appropriate payments. Where legal action arises, Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. may need to share personal information with its legal counsel.
· Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. is required by various provincial statutes to provide information regarding automobile applications, claims and premiums to the Superintendent or an appointed statistical agency. Such data is used by regulators to conduct statistical studies and research. This provides regulators with a better understanding of consumers' experiences with insurance.
· Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. may also use aggregate data to conduct statistical studies. For example, we may analyze claims data to determine the proportion of accidents involving vehicles in one area compared to another.
Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. never sells personal information, or other information relating to you, to any organization, including charities or direct marketing groups.
Requests to Access Personal Information
You may request access to your personal information that is held by Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc.. To do so, please contact the Privacy Officer by letter or e-mail as set out below. Access requests must be in writing. We will reply to your request within 30 days.
Please note, Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. may charge reasonable costs in providing access to and copies of personal information and will inform you if such costs arise.
Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. may refuse access where:
· such access would hinder an investigation relating to the enforcement of any law, including alleged fraud;
· the information is protected by solicitor-client and/or litigation privilege;
· to do so would reveal confidential commercial information - where possible, Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. will provide access after severing the confidential information;
· it is prohibitively costly to provide the information;
· the information contains references to other individuals - where possible, Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. will provide access after severing the references to other individuals; or
· the information was created in the course of a formal dispute resolution process, such as mediation or arbitration.
For Further Information
This Privacy Policy sets out Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc.’s commitment to safeguarding your personal information. The examples clarify Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc.’s collection, use and disclosure of personal information, however, do not represent a complete list of circumstances in which Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc. must collect, use and disclose information to administer insurance policies.
We may update our Privacy Policy to adhere to changes in legislation or to improve service to our policyholders. Please contact our Privacy Officer for changes and further details.
If you would like more information regarding Distinctive Insurance Solutions Inc.’s Privacy Policy and practices, please do not hesitate to contact our Privacy Officer.