Exceptional measure due to rain and violent winds on October 31 and November 1, 2019 - AMF temporarily eases its rules in order to support consumers and the industry by allowing supernumeraries to act as claims adjusters

QUÉBEC CITY, Nov. 7, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - Claims resulting from the exceptional weather event experienced in Québec this past October 31 and November 1 quickly exceeded twice the usual volume, reaching a record high. Consequently, the number of claims adjusters is insufficient to meet the needs of all claimants.

Given this situation, the Autorité des marchés financiers ("AMF") is, as it did in April 2019 in response to the flooding and other losses related to the heavy precipitation that occurred during the previous winter, implementing point 2.1 of the Implementation Directive of the Autorité des marchés financiers pertaining to the definition and exclusive activities of claims adjusters ("Directive") in order to allow firms to use the services of supernumeraries.

In accordance with the Directive and subject to the conditions below, the AMF will allow a firm or independent partnership duly registered in the claims adjustment sector ("firm") to use, for a period of 60 days, the services of supernumeraries who are not certified claims adjusters to carry out activities ordinarily reserved for claims adjusters. 

The AMF will therefore allow, from November 7, 2019 to January 5, 2020 ("exemption period"), (i) a person authorized to act as a claims adjuster in another province or territory of Canada ("out-of-province claims adjuster"), (ii) a person who has held a claims adjuster certificate in Québec for at least five of the last seven years, or (iii) a firm's employee ("supernumerary") to act as a claims adjuster for a firm in Québec, subject to the following conditions:

• The firm on behalf of which the supernumerary acts, in accordance with this news release, is wholly responsible for the activities carried out by the supernumerary under the exemption;
• A supernumerary who is (i) an employee of a firm or (ii) an out-of-province claims adjuster who has not been authorized to act as a claims adjuster for at least five of the last seven years must not act at a location where a loss has occurred and must act under the direct supervision of a claims adjuster duly certified in Québec;
• The firm on behalf of which the supernumerary acts carries liability insurance as required under the Regulation respecting firms, independent representatives and independent partnerships, which covers the activities carried out by the supernumerary under the Directive;
• Each supernumerary must be assigned to a claims adjuster, who will be in charge of the file once the exemption period is over in order to ensure that there is continuity in its processing after January 5, 2020;
• The supernumerary complies with all regulatory requirements applicable to the carrying out of claims adjuster activities in Québec when performing such activities.

The AMF will allow, during the exemption period, the value of claims that may be processed by employees working by phone to be increased to $7,500, in accordance with point 2.2 of the Directive.

Each firm must send the AMF by e-mail ([email protected]) a list of supernumeraries acting on its behalf and obtain confirmation that the AMF has received the list before it begins to use the services of a supernumerary. A sample list illustrating how to declare the experience of  supernumeraries and of the claims adjusters responsible for their supervision is available on the AMF's website.

Each firm must also complete the activity report available on the AMF's website and send it by e-mail to [email protected] within 30 days of the end of the exemption period. The report must indicate the number of claims processed by supernumeraries and by employees working by phone during the exemption period.

AMF Information Centre agents are available to answer consumers' questions and assist them with the steps to be taken with insurers.

The Autorité des marchés financiers is the regulatory and oversight body for Québec's financial sector.

Information:

Media only: 
Sylvain Théberge: 514-940-2176

Information Centre: 
Québec City: 418-525-0337
Montréal: 514-395-0337
Toll-free: 1-877-525-0337

www.lautorite.qc.ca 
Twitter: @lautorite

SOURCE Autorité des marchés financiers