It is likely that most of your commercial accounts have some form of benefit program for their employees and that you are used to adding Employee Benefit Liability Insurance routinely to the General Liability coverage. What about this coverage called Fiduciary Liability? Do you know the differences between the two and when your insured needs one or the other or both? Come to class and find out.
Marjorie Segale, Director of Education for the Insurance Community. Marjorie brings several decades of insurance experience, from producer, agency owner, educator and consultant.
3. Presents Monthly Webinars Free to
Community Members.
Community webinars are archived on the
Community homepage under the right hand
tab titled: Webinar Archive
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4. In addition the community has unique
business networking opportunities.
Enjoy the Weekly Newsletter on a specific
topic with a tip of the week; claim; quiz flash
and articles
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5. One Flat Fee per Office includes
Monthly webinars approved for CE in California
for a total of 28 hours
Test and Learn
Audio Presentations on insurance topics
Checklists
Power point presentations for client and/or peer
training
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6. Marjorie L.
Segale, AFIS, CISC, RPLU, CIC, CRIS, ACSR
, CISR
Insurance Community Center, LLC
6 Director of Education
10. No obligation to provide benefits
When provided, must do so within the law
Most employers today provide some form of benefits
• Group health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Pension, retirement or profit sharing programs.
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11. Balance need for skilled
Employees have little to
staff with risk attached
lose by suing
to providing benefits
• New laws and new • If they win their
regulations creating case, lawyer fees are
additional unknown almost always
risk assigned by the court
• Increased # of lawyers
entering this field
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12. Employers may • Section 409 of this
not be aware of federal law imposes
personal liability
the risk imposed upon many persons
upon them by within the
ERISA organization
All employers face
this expensive
litigation
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13. The plan sponsor (employing company)
The company management
• Executive officers or managing employees
• Board of directors
Investment committees
The plan administrator
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14. Named fiduciaries
The plan trustee
HR administrator/manager
Investment manager(s)
Consultants, including Accountants and Attorneys
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16. Establishes the Makes changes
plans to the plans
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17. Exercises
Has
discretionary
discretionary
authority or Gives
authority over
control over the investment
plan
plan advice for a fee
administration
management or
or
plan assets or
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18. An individual may have either one
or the other or both roles
Class action suits typically name all
parties connected to an ERISA plan
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19. The Fiduciary Liability policy requires that a
claim must include a demand for damages
arising out of the insured’s breach of
FIDUCIARY duty or administrative duties –
does not include settlor duties
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20. Welfare benefit plan includes
Medical plans
Disability benefit plans
Vacation plans
Pension benefit plan is any plan that
Provides retirement income to employee
Defers income to periods beyond termination
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21. Frequent loss
Denial of benefits
Improper reimbursement
Miscalculation of benefits
Surviving spouse did not receive proper benefits
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22. Severe loss
Plan fiduciaries imprudently offered employer
stock and/or misrepresented risk of investment
Excessive plan fees
Promised benefits were cut
Change in post-retirement medical benefits
Premiums charged for insurance were excess
Fiduciaries failed to scrutinize cost vs. benefit
ratio properly
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25. Errors and Omissions coverage
for negligent errors or
omissions in administration of
employee benefit plans
Typically a Claims-Made and
Reported type of coverage
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26. Pays only the benefits that
should have been paid had
no error or omission occurred
Often provided as a
coverage addition to the
Commercial General
Liability policy
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28. This is ISO’s language - most insurers’ forms follow similar language
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29. 1.Insuring Agreement
a. We will pay those sums that the insured
becomes legally obligated to pay as damages
because of any act, error or omission, of the
insured, or of any other person for whose acts
the insured is legally liable, to which this
insurance applies. We will have the right and
duty to defend the insured against any "suit"
seeking those damages.
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30. b.This insurance applies to damages only if:
(1)The act, error or omission, is negligently
committed in the "administration" of your
"employee benefit program";
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31. The amount paid shall not exceed, and will be
subject to, the limits and restrictions that
apply to the payment of benefits in any plan
included in the "employee benefit program".
This is a critical restriction and can leave a
gap between the financial loss to the
employee and the coverage amount
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34. Broad definition of insured
Broad definition of employees
Broad definition of “administration”
Broad definition of “employee benefit plan”
Group life and medical expense plans, as well as
pension and retirement plans, are within the
scope of the law
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36. “Insured” is variously defined as a trust or
employee benefit plan, any trustee, officer or
employee of the trust or employee benefit
plan
The employer (company)
Any other individual or organization
designated as a fiduciary
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38. Advising
Counseling
Giving notice to employees
Providing plan interpretations
Handling records
Effecting enrollment
Terminating or canceling employees,
participants, or beneficiaries under any plan
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39. Any benefit plan, whether or not subject to
ERISA sponsored for the sole benefit of the
“employees”
Fringe benefits and excess benefit plans
New or proposed plans – automatic coverage
All plans – US or foreign
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40. To include written demand for monetary or
non-monetary or injunctive relief
A criminal proceeding
A formal administrative or regulatory
proceedings
A fact-finding investigation by the DOL,
USPBGC, or any similar authority located
outside the US
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41. Duty to defend
In addition to limit
Some policies include within the limit
Twelve-month or longer discovery period
The cost for an ERP should be shown in the policy
The discovery clause should be bilateral
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42. Specific language extending coverage to
managed care liability claims
Specific language extending coverage to
HIPAA claims, fines and penalties and COBRA
claims
Punitive damages and exemplary damages
where permitted by law
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43. Automatic coverage for voluntary settlement
Often a sub-limit
Pollution coverage extension
Waiver of recourse provisions (no provision
for recourse by insurer against fiduciary)
Non-cancelable except for non-payment of
premium
90 Days notice of non-renewal
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45. Fiduciary Liability Employee Benefit
Covers Liability Covers
A mistake, error or
Damages and omission in
defense costs handling of
arising out of a administrative
“wrongful act” matters
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47. The Federal Code refers to the necessity of a
fidelity bond to cover the employee plan
assets against fraud or theft
An ERISA Bond may be provided separately
or the plan may be listed as a Named Insured
on the Employee Dishonesty Insurance Policy
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48. Federal law requires the plan sponsor to
carry employee dishonesty coverage that
extends to protect the plan assets from any
person handling the plan assets.
A TPA providing employee dishonesty coverage
for their employees should be viewed as a
contractual obligation and not fulfillment of the
above obligations
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49. $1,000 minimum limit per plan
10% of plan assets up to
$500,000 coverage
$1,000,000 coverage if the plan contains the plan
sponsor’s stock
No deductible
One year discovery period for loss
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50. ERISA requires the fidelity coverage to be
purchased and reported
ERISA does NOT require the purchase of
Fiduciary Liability insurance, but the law
allows the purchase of this coverage
Fiduciary Liability can include the EBL
administrative coverage
EBL will NEVER include the Fiduciary Liability
coverage
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51. This area is developing law around the
country in both state and federal courts
Help your client understand that their risk is
great and growing
ALWAYS offer Fiduciary Liability IN WRITING
Get a rejection signed
Give them insurance guidance but don’t step
over the line into the area of law
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