Hawaii Commissioner Warns Producers About Certificates of Insurance

February 2, 2009

  • February 2, 2009 at 1:08 am
    Obvious... says:
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    Doesn’t this happen everywhere? Does anyone go to any E&O seminars? They stress this all of the time! Why are they just telling this to Hawaii? I think this should be a mandatory class for everyone who is licensed to sell insurance!!!! We don’t ever modify COI’s, without an underwriter’s consent, and I’ve worked here for almost 11 years. I’d hate to be the E&O carrier to the agents that modify without consent….hello?!?!?!?! Isn’t that just obvious?

  • February 2, 2009 at 1:17 am
    Certificate Queen says:
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    At least once a week, when I tell someone I can’t provide something on a certificate, I will hear about “other agents” that do it. I recently told a woman there was no such thing as primary on the auto policy and she told me she had 400 certificates in her office that stated the auto was primary. I told her she had 400 incorrect certs! The point is, a lot of agents put anything on a cert, just to get the requestor off their back! Also, certs are often assigned to a clerical person who has little or no knowledge of insurance. I wish more of the commissioners would lay down the law, so we’d have a government official to point to when we say no!

  • February 2, 2009 at 2:49 am
    Doug says:
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    We design our own certs of insurance on our own agency form. That way we can make it say whatever we want. Its always worked for us.

  • February 2, 2009 at 2:52 am
    Obvious... says:
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    WAY TO GO! HOPE YOU’RE PLANNING FOR EARLY RETIREMENT!

  • February 2, 2009 at 2:53 am
    Brokette says:
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    Well, Doug–you know what they say? “You can do whatever you want until you get caught.”

  • February 2, 2009 at 2:57 am
    SFOInsuranceLady says:
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    Amen, Certificate Queen! I call these “requestiors” all the time on it. You should see how fast they back off. Makes me shudder!

    Doug, I can only hope you are being facetious…..I’d hate to be your E & O carrier! :)

  • February 2, 2009 at 3:29 am
    Oz says:
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    This problem will continue to exist as long as there are no penalties to those parties who request COI’s that they know are incorrect. This certificate game is just that – a game. At least the Commissioner in Hawaii is giving the Hawaii insurance agents cover in refusing to issue such COI’s and putting those that do not heed that they do so at their own peril. In some states issuing a COI on other than a state approved form is illegal and as such maybe excluded in the agents E&O policy.

  • February 3, 2009 at 11:25 am
    john says:
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    Many commercial carriers, in order to combat this have issued notices that they do not want to even see copies of certificates, nor do they inspect them and any inaccuracy is the producer’s responsibility. In some states, if a carrier does even a cursury inspection and misses one, they are forced to provide the coverage written on the certificate. I am glad the HAwaii Commissioner clarified it and wish 50 other commissioners did the same.

  • February 3, 2009 at 1:27 am
    Mr. Obvious says:
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    Ladies and gentlemen,

    Doug is what is known in internet parlance as a “troll”. Trolls haunt message boards posting comments mere to incite response.

    Truthfully, I like having him around, as he always makes the converstion more interesting because he takes an unconventional view that everyone overreacts to.



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