State insurance departments monitor the marketplace to protect consumers from prohibited marketing and sales conduct. Which of the following actions by a licensed producer represent statutory Unfair Trade Practices? (Select all that apply)
- Promising a prospective client a partial refund of the producer's commission as a financial incentive to purchase a life insurance policy.Answer
- Stating that the future payment of non-guaranteed policy dividends is strictly guaranteed in order to convince a client to surrender an existing policy.Answer
- CExplaining to a client that they may receive an annual dividend based on the insurer's surplus because they are purchasing a participating policy.
- DDistributing a marketing brochure that accurately and objectively compares the guaranteed benefits of the producer's policy with those of a competitor's policy.
Answer
The correct answers are the actions involving promising a commission refund (rebating) and guaranteeing non-guaranteed dividends to induce replacement (twisting/misrepresentation).
The correct answers highlight two specific Unfair Trade Practices: rebating (offering an extra-contractual financial incentive like a commission refund) and twisting via misrepresentation (falsely guaranteeing non-guaranteed dividends to force a replacement). Both actions are strictly prohibited under state insurance regulations to protect consumers from deceptive sales tactics.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Identifying Unfair Trade Practices