From 19th August 2016 further notice.
These terms of business set out the basis on which PJF Insurances Limited will provide services to you, our valued client. These Terms of Business apply to clients who purchase Non-Life Insurance and Life Assurance, Pensions and Investment products from us. By proceeding with your policy through PJF insurances Limited you agree to the terms as per this Terms of Business document. Please ensure that you both read and understand these terms and if there are any aspects you do not understand or if you have any queries whatsoever, please do not hesitate to contact us. This Terms of Business document supercedes with immediate effect any others that we have previously issued to you. In the absence of a signature, your direction to bind cover and/or your payment related to you insurance placement will be deemed your signed, written agreement to be bound by the provisions of this Terms of Business Agreement.
Authorised Status:
PJF Insurances is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland as a multi-agency intermediary. This firm is a member of the Irish Brokers Association (IBA) and Investor Compensation Company Limited (ICCL). This firm is a member of the investor compensation scheme under the Investor Compensation Act 1998. The legislation provides for the establishment of a compensation scheme and to the payment, in certain circumstances of compensation to clients or firms covered by the Act. However, you should be aware that a right to compensation will only arise where money of invested instruments held by this firm on your behalf cannot be returned either for the time being or for the foreseeable future and where the client falls within the definition of eligible investor as contained in the Act. In the event that a right to compensation is established, the amount payable is the lesser of 90 per cent of your loss which is recognised as being eligible for compensation to €20,000. In addition to compensation available under the “Investment Compensation Act 1988”, PJF Insurances is bonded though its membership of IBA for €200,000 with an inner limit of €65,000 per client.
Description of Services:
PJF Insurance provides advice to clients in respect of non- life and life assurance products provided by Product Producers authorised to transact such business in the Republic of Ireland. These services provided include arranging cover, dealing with administration including policy/cover amendments, renewals and claims handling. A list of our Product Producers set out herewith.
PJF Insurances is an independent, impartial proprietor run Insurance Broker. As an independent, impartial Insurance Broker we are in a position to place your Insurance business with a very wide range of product producers in the Irish market. We do not have a “tied” relationship with any product producer therefore we are not compromised in our ability to provide you with impartial advice and choice.
Products:
Our authorisations enable us to provide our clients with a wide range of Insurance and Investment products. A non-exhaustive list of the products we can provide include: General (Non-Life) Insurance Policies including Personal & Commercial Lines products (ie Commercial Property, Public & Employers Liability, Farm Insurance), Investment Bonds, Personal Retirement Savings Accounts (PRSAs) and Life Assurance policies.
Fair Analysis:
We provide all our services on the basis of a fair analysis of the market. This means we will research the market on your behalf and recommend the product(s) that, in our professional opinion, are best suited to your own needs and objectives.
Codes of Conduct:
PJF Insurances is subject to and complies with the following Central Bank of Ireland Codes of Conduct: Consumer Protection Code, Minimum Competency Code and the Fitness & Probity Standards. These codes offered protection to consumers.
Remuneration Policy:
PJF Insurances Ltd is remunerated by commissions and arrangement charges.
Commissions:
We are remunerated by commissions paid to us by Product Producers when placing business with them. This commission compensates us for the work involved in quoting for a product and finalising the product with them on your behalf. The amount of commission earned will vary depending on the product type and the product producer. The amount of any commission received by PJF Insurances will not be deducted from any fee payable.
In relation to Life Assurance and in accordance with the Life Assurance (Provision of Information) Regulation 2001 we will disclose the amount of life commission we receive in respect of any insurance arranged. We set out hereunder the maximum scale of arrangement charges levied by us in respect of non-life insurance arranged with Product Producers from whom we hold letters of appointment.
Fees & Charges:
PJF Insurances is remunerated by a Professional Fee paid directly by the client for work carried out on the client’s behalf. A Professional Fee may be charged by us for:
The initial work and time spent in seeking the best terms, advice, product and product producer for your specific needs;
The work carried out and time spent on the renewal of your policy, ensuring that the policy(-ies) recommended to you are suitable for your needs;
Alterations, amendments and endorsements to you policy;
Duplicate documentation requested by you;
General administration including issuing quotations and advising on products;
Insurance consultancy work, including risk management advice and surveys;
Administration work on payment defaults such as bounced cheques etc;
Claims handling assistance (ie First Notification Service) and general insurance advice and
Any other activity detailed in this Terms of Business or our schedule of charges.
Professional Fees – Non-refundable
Professional Fees remunerate us for time spent working on behalf of the client and are not refundable in the event that the policy is cancelled. Please note Fees depend on Seniority of person handling your policy as well as the Complexity of the insurance product, renewal process or new business process.
Fees & Charges Scale:
| Product | Minimum Fee | Maximum Fee |
| Private Motor | €50 | 60% of premium |
| Small Commercial Vehicle (upto 3.5 Tonne)
|
€50 | 60% of premium |
| Household | €50 | 60% of premium |
| Other Personal Insurance Products
|
€50 | 60% of premium |
| Commercial Insurance | 10% of premium
(minimum €100) |
60% of premium |
| Consultation Fee | €100 per hour | 60% of premium |
| Cancellation Fee | €50 | 60% of premium |
| Mid Term Adjustment/Administration Fee | €40 | 60% of premium |
| Reinstatement Fee | €40 | 60% of premium |
| Duplicate Documentation/Addl Insurer Letters | €25 | 20% of premium |
| Return of Premium | €40 | 20% of return premium |
| Premium, Transaction or Fee Payments by Debit Card | No additional charge | |
| Premium, Transaction or Fee Payments by Personal Visa Card/Mastercard | 1.5% of Premium | |
| Premium, Transaction or Fee Payments by Business Visa Card/Mastercard | 2.5% of Premium |
Dishonoured Cheques:
PJF Insurances will charge a minimum of €15 for a cheque received from the client which is subsequently dishonoured by the bank.
Return Premium:
PJF Insurances incurs significant administrative costs when processing return premiums for clients and we reserve the right to charge a fee equivalent to 20% of the return premium amount.
Premium Payment:
PJF Insurances will accept payments in cash, by credit/debit, by bank draft and by cheque from clients in respect of all classes of Insurance in the circumstances permitted under Section 25G of the Investment Intermediaries Act 1995. In compliance with Central Bank legislation, PJF Insurances cannot pay insurance premiums to Product Producers, where payment has not been received from clients. Insurance premiums must be paid by the policy inception date or renewal date as applicable. Failure to pay the premium due by the inception date or renewal date will result in the lapse of your policy. If your policy lapses, it can only be reinstated under the following conditions:
The agreement of the Insurer.
Completion of a Gap in Cover letter confirming that there have been no incidents/accidents that would give rise to a claim.
Payment to PJF Insurances of the reinstatement fee of €40
Payment by Debit Card – does not incur any charge.
Payment by Personal Visa/Mastercard – 1.5% of premium
Payment by Business Visa/Mastercard – 2.5% of premium
Premium Payments in Cash:
We reserve the right to round up premium payments to the nearest €5 transaction, where they are in single euro digits, as due to banking procedure changes, the bank will no longer accept coins from the company. Payments by cheque, debit card, credit card or by bank transfer are not affected.
Section 30 Receipt
A Section 30 Receipt is issued for all Insurance transactions and should be kept in a safe place.
Cooling Off Period
A consumer who purchases an insurance policy over the phone or through the internet, without any face-to-face contact with PJF Insurances, has the right to withdraw from that insurance policy with 14 days of the start date of the policy without penalty and without giving any reason, this is known as the Cooling off period. The right of withdrawal may be exercised by notice in writing to PJF Insurance quoting your policy number. Should this right be exercised the Insurance Company may charge a pro rata premium for the period you are on cover. Any Fee or Charge paid by the consumer to PJF Insurances for work carried out prior o cancellation, shall not be refundable. If the policy is for motor insurance, the premium cannot be refunded until the Certificate of Insurance and Windscreen Disc have been returned to PJF Insurances with a declaration that the Insured persons and insured vehicle have not been involved in any accident or incident during the cooling off period.
Cancellation:
You, the client can cancel your policy by notice in writing at any time. Provided that all reasonable Fees & Charges due to PJF Insurance have been paid and provided that no incident giving rise to a claim has occurred in the current period of Insurance, you will be entitled to a proportionate return of the premium for the un-expired period of insurance. The exceptions to this general principle are as follows: 1. If the policy is on a minimum and deposit basis, no return will be allowed on the policy and this will be noted on your policy schedule. 2. if you cancel a commercial insurance policy during the first year of insurance, no return premium will be allowed by your Insurer and 3. if you cancel any other form of policy during the first year, short terms rates will apply, please see your policy
terms and conditions for details.
Please note that your Insurer may require you to return your policy documents prior to cancellation. In the case of motor insurance you must return the Certificate of Insurance and Windscreen Disc to PJF Insurances before the policy can be cancelled.
PJF Insurances reserve the right to cancel your policy at any time by notice in writing to your last known address. A non-exhaustive list of reasons for cancellation includes:
You fail to pay the premium due at policy inception, at renewal date or following a mid-term alteration or adjustment
Your bank returns your payment cheque due to insufficient funds or any other reason or
You fail to disclose material facts in accordance with Insurance law or
Any other reason outlined in your policy terms and conditions.
We recommend that your read your policy documents in full in order to familiarise yourself with these terms & conditions and if there is any aspect that you don’t understand, please contact us.
Complaints Procedure:
Any complaints regarding the service you have received from any member of staff should be addressed to PJF Insurances Ltd. Each complaint will be acknowledged by us within 14 days of receipt and we will conduct a thorough and air investigation into all written complaints. A written update on the progress of such investigation at intervals of not greater than two months will be given and within seven days of the completion of such an investigation you will receive in writing a report of the outcome of the investigation.
Financial Services Ombudsman:
If we have not resolved your complaint within 40 days, or if you have received a final response from us and you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman, 3rd Floor, Lincoln House, Lincoln Place, Dublin 2 Lo call: 1890 88 20 90 or email: enquirires@financialombudsman.ie
Data Protection:
PJF Insurances is a data controller as defined in the Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003. We collect your personal details in order to provide you with the highest standards of Insurance services. Any personal data you provide to us will be treated as private and confidential, held securely and in accordance with current Date Protection law.
We may need to collect sensitive personal information relating to you and anyone else to be named on your policy and/or residing in your household in order to process your order eg convictions, penalty points, medical conditions. We will be required to disclose your personal details in the following circumstances 1) where it is necessary to do so in order to provide our services to you (this might involve us disclosing information which you consider confidential or sensitive to insurers, premium finance companies and other product producers and 2) to the extent we are required to do so by law or a regulator or 3) at your request or with your consent.
In agreeing to the Terms of Business you authorise PJF Insurances to accept instructions on you policy from person (s) acting on your behalf. The information and other data provided to our office may be used to advise you of products and services we may offer from time to time. In particular, we may use any contact details that you provide to us phone/mobile number/email address) to contact you in relation to insurance products and services we may wish to offer you. Should you wish opt out of receiving future marketing material from us please tick this box □ and we will add you to our marketing opt-out list.
You have the right to request a copy of any personal data, within the meaning of the Data Protection Acts, that we hold about you and to have any inaccuracies in that information corrected. To request a copy of the personal date held on your file, please write to: The Compliance Officer, PJF Insurances Ltd, 27 Pearse St, Kinsale, Co Cork. A fee of upto €20 may be charged to cover administration expenses.
Duty of Disclosure:
It is your responsibility to provide complete and accurate information when arranging an insurance policy or making an application for premium finance. Any failure to disclose any “material facts” to PJF Insurances either when making the application or subsequently, may render your insurance cover void. A “material fact” is a fact so important that its disclosure would influence the decision of an Insurer, either with respect to writing coverage, settling a loss or determining a premium. A non-exhaustive list of material facts would include: all previous claims, accidents and incidents; convictions; driving licence endorsements and penalty points; whether you property is of non-standard construction, whether your property is unoccupied, whether your property is within 200m of any body of water etc. If in any doubt as to whether a fact must be disclosed, please ask us.
Your Responsibilities:
You are responsible for providing the complete and accurate information which insurers require in connection with any proposal for insurance cover. This is particularly important before taking out a policy and at renewal, but it also applies throughout the life of a policy. If you fail to disclose information, or misrepresent any fact which may influence the insures decision to accept the risk or the terms offered, this could invalidate the policy and mean that claims may not be paid. In addition, your policy may be cancelled by your Insurer from inception, meaning you had no insurance. You may face huge difficulty trying to place cover again with another insurer. In relation to Motor Insurance you may be in breach of the Road Traffic Acts and in relation to property insurance you may be in breach of your Mortgage/Loan agreement. You must check all details on any proposal form or statement of facts and pay particular attention to any declaration you may be asked to sign. It is important that you read all documents issued to you and ensue that you are aware of the cover, limits and other terms that apply. Particular attention must be paid to any warranties and conditions as failure to comply with them could invalidate your policy. You must inform us immediately of any changes in circumstances which may affect the services provided by us or the cover provided by your policy. It you are unsure about any matter, please contact us for guidance.
Governing Law & Language:
The laws of Ireland form the basis for establishing relations between you and PJF Insurances. All contracts, terms, conditions and communications relating to any policies you may enter with us will be in English
PJF Insurances Ltd hold agencies with the following Insurers (This is a non-exhaustive list)
Companies Products
Friends First Life Assurance Life Assurance, Investment Bonds, Annuities, Ethical Investments, Personal
Retirement Savings Accounts (PRSA’s)
Irish Life Assurance Company Life Assurance, Investment Bonds, Annuities, PRSA’s
New Ireland Assurance Life Assurance, Investment Bonds, Annuities, PRSA’s
Standard Life Assurance Company Life Assurance, Investment Bonds, Annuities, PRSA’s
Phoenix Ireland Assurance Life Assurance, Investment Bonds, Annuities, PRSA’s
Caledonian Life Life Assurance, Investment Bonds, Annuities, PRSA’s
Zurich Insurance Life Assurance, Investment Bonds, Annuities, PRSA’s
Aviva Life & Pensions Ltd Life Assurance, Investment Bonds, Annuities, PRSA’s
Chubb Insurances High Value Home Insurance
Ecclesiastical Insurance Heritage Insurance & Liability Insurance
Royal & Sun Alliance Motor, Property & Liability Insurance
Aviva Insurance Motor, Property, Liability, Farm & Commercial Insurance
Zurich Insurance Motor, Property, Liability, Farm & Commercial Insurance
Axa Broker Insurance Company Motor & Property Insurance
Allianz Insurance Motor, Property & Liability Insurance
Setanta Insurance Motor Insurance
ARB Underwriting Services Motor & Commercial Property Insurance
Aquabroker Ltd Pleasure craft & Fishing vessels
FBD Insurance Business Insurance, Home & Motor Insurance
Kidd Insurances Rental Property & Home Insurance
Frost Insurance Guesthouse & Commercial Property Insurance
Yachtsman Euromarine Insurance Yachts/Sailing Dinghies
Capital Insurance Brokers Public & Employer’s Liability Insurance
Willis Insurance Services Property & Liability Insurance
O’Donoghue Insurance Brokers Ltd Holiday Home Insurance
Specialist Underwriting Services Commercial & Liability Insurance
Wrightway Underwriting Ltd Property & Motor Insurance
Sertus Underwriting Ltd Motor Insurance
Optis Insurance Liability & Shop Insurance
Blue Insurances Pet, Travel & Gadget Insurance
Thomond Underwriting Ltd Liability & Commercial Property
IPORS Rental Property & Apartment Block Insurance
Optis Liability & Property Insurance
AIG Commercial Shop & Apartment Block Insurance
Dolmen Insurances Commercial Property & Home Insurance
XS Direct Ltd Motor Insurance
AON Insurance Brokers Commercial Property & Liability Insurance
The Underwriting Exchange Professional Indemnity & Commercial Property Insurance
Fingal Insurance Brokers Special Types Insurance
Corporate Underwriting Ltd Goods in Transit Insurance
Finsure Property Insurance
Eversure Insurance Home Insurance
KBIS Equestrian Insurance
Citynet Professional Indemnity & Commercial Property Insurance
Securus Insurance Professional Indemnity & Medical Malpractice Insurance
Aiken & Co Ltd Events Insurance & Professional Indemnity Insurance
Liberty Insurance Commercial & Liability Insurance
Professional Insurance Agents Professional Indemnity Insurance
Leaden Hall Insurance Professional Indemnity Insurance
HSB Engineering Engineering Insurance
Travellers Insurance Commercial Property & Professional Indemnity Insurance
Patrona Underwriting Ltd Liability, Commercial Property & Motor Insurance
Prestige Underwriting Commercial Property & Home Insurance
Please note: This Terms of Business letter supercedes with immediate effect any others that we have previously issued to you.
I/we acknowledge receipt of this Terms of Business letter that I/we have read through and understand these terms. I/we accept the Terms of Business offered to me/us by PJF Insurances Limited and agree to be bound by those terms in all my/our dealings with this firm.
Terms of Business as updated, valid from 19th August 2016.