The RCCAQ (Regroupement des cabinets de courtage d’assurance du Québec) is the provincial organization that designates insurance brokers in the province. It is a prominent participant in broker education.
RCCAQ’s self-controlled online courses Broker 101 (personal P/C insurance) and Broker 102 (commercial P/C insurance) enable those interested in become insurance brokers in preparing for the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) examination.
To sell financial products and services in Québec, you must first obtain a representative’s certificate in damage insurance from the AMF. Candidates must complete specific training through the AMF’s education alternatives for damage insurance, such as a Diploma of Collegial Studies from Québec or a more generic bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree from a Canadian university, in order to be eligible for tests. There are, however, a plethora of possibilities from which to choose.
Following the completion of the educational component, potential insurance professionals must pass examinations specific to the sector or sector class in which they wish to work, such as personal lines damage insurance, damage insurance, or commercial lines damage insurance.
After completing the exams, the candidate must enter a probationary term during which they can begin working in the insurance industry under the supervision of a certified representative. They must work 28 hours per week in this capacity for a sector or six weeks for a sector class within the 12-week period. After completing this prerequisite, the individual must apply to the AMF for a representative’s certificate before the examination’s validity expires.
Candidates who want to offer life insurance (personal insurance) must meet the following requirements:
Step 1: Satisfy the minimum qualifications.
Minimum qualifications include, but are not limited to, a Quebec diploma of collegial studies, a DCS in Insurance and Financial Advisory Services, a University-level certificate in insurance of persons recognized in an agreement to that effect between the AMF and a university, and so on.
Step 2: Pass the AMF examinations
Future professionals must pass their examinations in order to verify that they have the requisite abilities to provide suitable advice to clients, according to the AMF.
Step 3: Complete a probationary period
After passing all of the appropriate exams, you must complete a 12-week probationary period during which you will apply the information and abilities needed to perform your profession in a supervised context. Trainees are required to work a minimum of 28 hours each week. When the probationary term begins, all completed exams must be valid.
Before the validity period of your examinations expires, you must submit an application to the AMF. You have thirty days from the conclusion of your probationary period to apply if the validity expires during your probationary period.
The probationary certificate will be in effect for a maximum of 45 days after the AMF has completed its processing of your application and you have received information to that effect from the AMF.
How do I become an insurance broker in Canada?
You may be about to complete your education and enter the workforce. It’s possible that you’re ready for a professional change. You could also be a recent immigrant settling into your new neighborhood. Each person brings their own set of talents, knowledge, and abilities to the table, all of which will help them succeed.
How much do insurance brokers make a year in Canada?
In Canada, how much does an insurance broker earn? The average annual compensation for an insurance broker in Canada is $41,950, or $21.51 per hour. The starting salary for entry-level positions is $35,075 per year, with most experienced workers earning up to $58,500 per year.
Can an individual be an insurance broker?
A customer’s policy is secured by an insurance broker, who is either an individual or a firm. An insurance company would pay a commission to insurance brokers for the many types of policies they provide to customers. A company that wants to become an insurance broker must apply for a license with the Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India (IRDAI).
How much do life insurance brokers make in Canada?
In Canada, the average annual income for a life insurance agent is $78,000, or $40 per hour. Starting salaries for entry-level employment start at $60,000 per year, with most experienced individuals earning up to $100,000.
Who is the highest paid insurance agent?
Meet the highest-paid insurance agent on the planet. What exactly is this? Gideon du Plessis missed his tenth grade and did not attend college. He is now the world’s highest-paid insurance agent, with annual commissions of more than Rs 7 crore (Rs 70 million).
Complete a bachelor’s degree
To become a stockbroker, you must first earn a bachelor’s degree in economics, finance, accounting, global business, or business administration from a postsecondary institution. Various bachelor’s degree programs are available at universities across the country that provide a solid basis for a career as a stockbroker. A bachelor’s degree is usually required for employment in the finance field, thus this step will ensure your long-term success. Consider earning a Master of Business Administration if you wish to expand your options (MBA). Many financial firms hire MBA graduates and offer them greater job possibilities with better pay and promotion opportunities.
Complete the CSI Global Education’s Canadian Securities Course (CSC)
You must complete the Canadian Securities Institute’s (CSI) Global Education’s Canadian Securities Course after earning a bachelor’s degree. You can do this before you start working or have your company sponsor you through the program. While you may have learnt about these topics in college, the CSC offers in-depth and specialised knowledge for people interested in becoming stockbrokers. The following are some of the topics covered in the course:
Gain work experience
You must have a minimum of twelve months of hands-on experience within three years of preparing to complete your securities registration. Working in a legal, accounting, or consulting profession related to securities can provide valuable experience in the investing industry. You could also work for a registered dealer, advisor, or investment fund manager, or in investment-related fields such securities trading or research, portfolio management, investment banking, or investment advice.
Pass your Canadian Securities Course exam
You can take your examination once you have completed your Canadian Securities Course and have a minimum of twelve months of work experience. As a stockbroker, you must achieve a minimum score of 60% on this exam. The exam consists of 100 multiple-choice questions and takes four hours to finish. They send a certificate to hang on the wall once you pass the Canadian Securities Course exam.
You must pass the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) Series 37 or Series 38 exam if you want to operate in both Canada and the United States. These tests look at securities processes, protocol, and best practices in both Canada and the United States.
Register as a stockbroker
You must register as a stockbroker with the National Registration Database after passing the CSC exam (NRD). This registration database also collaborates with provincial and territorial regulatory organizations to verify you have the essential qualifications to work as a stockbroker in your own province or throughout the country. It is suggested, but not required, to register with the Investment Industry Regulation Organization of Canada (IIROC).
What do top insurance brokers make?
Health Insurance Broker salaries in the United States range from $32,203 to $739,134, with a median pay of $156,713. Health Insurance Brokers in the center earn between $156,713 and $350,626, while the top 86 percent earn $739,134.
DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS
- At least two directors/partners must sign the declaration and the application form.
- In the case of a company, the Memorandum and Articles of Association, or in the case of a partnership firm, the Partnership Deed.
- The auditor has duly reviewed and validated a detailed statement of the company’s shareholding pattern, which includes the names of the shareholders, the number of shares held, share certificate numbers, and folio numbers.
- Individual shareholders’ IT returns for the previous three years, coupled with their net worth certificates and affidavits proving the source of invested funds
- The shareholder firm’s board of directors passed a resolution on the investment in the company.
- If the shareholding company is an NBFC (non-banking finance company), the RBI NA will issue a No Objection Certificate.
- Detailed CV and documented testimonials, including the Principal Officer’s training certificate.
- The qualifications and training of the individuals, as well as their testimonies and training certifications.
- List of people in charge of obtaining insurance business, together with their references.
- Revenue account, profit and loss account, and balance sheet projections for the following three years.
- Affidavit stating that you have not been disqualified under Section 42 D of the Insurance Act.
- The company’s directors and staff agree not to hold any directorships or employment in any other insurance firm.
- Any director/employee who does not hold an agency/surveyor/TPA license must sign an undertaking.
- Assurance that no one related to the applicant has ever been denied a license by the authorities.
- The Principal Officer swears that the code of conduct will not be broken.
- Undertaking that the applicant is not involved in any other company save the purposes stated in the MOA/Partnership Deed.
POINTS TO CHECK
- Whether the organization complies with the minimum capital requirements as set forth in the Regulations.
- Is the Fixed Deposit of 20% of the initial capital made in a scheduled bank?
- The principal officer possesses the necessary qualifications, has passed the Brokers exam, and has undergone the necessary training.
- At least two people with the necessary qualifications and training are hired by the company.
- It has the necessary infrastructure and skilled personnel to operate an insurance brokerage firm.
- The people in charge of obtaining insurance business are qualified and well-trained.
- Two directors should sign the declaration that is part of the application format.
- Payment of the required fee, as determined by the kind of insurance broker, by demand draft payable in Hyderabad, as required by Schedule II of the IRDA (Insurance Brokers) Regulations, 2002.
- The Registrar of Companies has produced a printed copy of the Memorandum and Articles of Association. Regulation 9(2) (H) of the IRDA’s (Insurance Brokers) Regulations, 2002 shall be the major goals of the Memorandum and Articles of Association. (It must be verified that the MOA/principal AOA’s objectives are strictly limited to insurance brokerage activity.) Furthermore, the capital clause prohibits the corporation from having capital in any form other than equity, and there shall be no voting power differentiation.)
- The applicant should take steps to ensure that the training requirements outlined in regulation 9 (2) are met (F). The training requirement set forth in section 9 (2) (F) of the IRDA (Insurance Brokers) Regulations, 2002 must be met before any application for a license can be considered.
- In a broking firm that meets Regulation 9’s standards, one Principal Officer must be present.
- (1) The applicant certifies that the Principal Officer has not broken the code of conduct set forth in Schedule III of the IRDA (Insurance Brokers) Regulations, 2002, and that no complaint has been filed against him as of the date. (2) The Principal Officer is appointed only to carry out the activities of an Insurance Broker under Regulation 2 (1) (k) and is not a director, employee, or agent of any other insurance-related or other company, either full-time or part-time.
- Information on whether any person linked with the application company holds an insurance agency or insurance surveyor’s license in his or her role as a director, shareholder, promoter, key management staff, or employee. If so, please provide all relevant information. According to the rules, no agent or surveyor can act as a broker. The applicant should take steps to close the agencies and provide documentation to the Authority to prove it.
- All of the directors’ CVs are detailed, showcasing their history and current activity.
- Detailed CVs and attested copies of testimonials of the principal officer’s and key management personnel’s educational qualifications.
- The applicant (directors, principal officer, key management staff, and employees of the company) must provide an affidavit, duly notarized, verifying that none of the disqualifications stated under sub-section 42 D of the Insurance Act, 1938 apply to them.
- List of all present and proposed shareholders of the application company.
- Employees who will be in charge of seeking and obtaining insurance business, as well as their qualifications
- Details of statutory auditors and principal bankers, as well as the applicant’s bank account number.
- If the shareholder is a firm or a group of firms, determine whether they are Non-Banking Finance Companies. If yes, send a Reserve Bank of India No Objection Certificate for marketing and investing in Applicant Company. If not, a certificate from the statutory auditors is required.
- Provide the Board Resolution made by it/them in promoting and investing in Applicant Company if the shareholder is a firm/firms.
- If the shareholder is a firm or a group of firms, send an audited annual report, a three-year balance sheet, and verified copies of income tax returns.
- Individual promoters must present certified copies of their income tax returns, balance sheets duly certified by auditors for the last three years, and net worth certificates certified by CA.
- Explain the applicant company’s current activities in detail.
- Clarification on how the applicant company intends to handle its existing clients, business, and liabilities after it enters the insurance broking sector.
- The company’s name must include the terms ‘Insurance Broker’ or ‘Insurance Broking’ to indicate its line of business, which is insurance broking.
- Details of the registered office’s infrastructure, including ownership/lease agreement paperwork for office space/equipment/trained manpower, and future plans for creating branch offices in other locations across the country, as well as the projected time frame with images of the premises.
- The revenue account, the profit and loss account, and the balance sheet for the projected three years are drawn from projections of administrative expenses, salaries and wages, and other expenses.
- The organization chart depicts the company’s many functions, such as IT, underwriting, risk assessment, claims settlement, marketing, accounts, and back office.
- List of experienced employees with good knowledge and experience working in the fields of risk assessment, underwriting, and claims management, etc., who have been inducted from a general and life insurance background. To the Authority, submit a complete CV, copies of educational qualifications, and appointment/joining letters for the candidates who have been chosen.
- Any involvement by any other Regulatory Authority on the Promoters / Management / Applicant Company as of the date must be declared by the applicant.
- Confirmation that the contents of Circular Ref: 063/IRDA/Memo/07-08, dated March 18, 2008, have been followed ( if applicable)
- Any other information relevant to the kind of services given by the applicant for the growth and marketing of the insurance business should be recorded.
- Following the completion of the prerequisites, the applicant must appear before the Authority for a presentation of business plans related to the application.
- The applicant business must present a document, fully attested by the auditors, detailing the names of the shareholders, the number of shares owned, the percentage of shares held, share certificate numbers, folio numbers, and other information, as well as its authorized and paid-up capital position.
- The applicant company must present a certificate from the auditors detailing its current resource deployment.
- A bank certificate showing the current balance in the applicant company’s account must be submitted.
- The company’s directors/employees must provide an undertaking that none of the company’s directors/employees are directors/employees of, or represent, any other insurance-related firm.
- The Director and Principal Officer must sign an agreement stating that the broking premises, including branch locations, shall be utilized solely for the broking company.
- Take out a single FD in accordance with Regulation 22 for a minimum term of three years for a sum equal to 20% of the initial capital and submit a letter from the bank stating that the Authority has a lien on the FD and that no amount shall be released without the Authority’s prior permission, and no loan shall be released against it.
- To achieve compliance with Regulation 10, the minimum Paid Up Capital for Direct Brokers, Reinsurance Brokers, and Composite Brokers will be Rs.50, Rs.200, and Rs.250 lakhs, respectively.
- After receiving in principle approval, the applicant must present documentation of surrender of agency licenses/corporate agency licenses, as well as confirmation from insurers. (When appropriate)
How many types of insurance brokers are there?
Ans: Insurance brokers are classified into five categories: I Direct Broker (Life), (ii) Direct Broker (General), (iii) Direct Broker (Life & General), (iv) Reinsurance Broker, and (v) Composite Broker.