Oakland Insurance Services

16 Upper Main Street
Larne BT40 1SX
8 Hall Street
Maghera BT46 5DA
154 Castlereagh Road
Belfast BT5 5FS
33 Connell Street
Limavady BT49 0DB
8-10 Irish Street
Downpatrick BT30 6BP

Terms of Business

Amended: January 2020

Accepting our Terms of Business

By asking us to quote for, arrange or handle your insurances, you are providing your informed agreement to these Terms of Business.

We draw your particular attention to:

  • The section headed ‘Processing your personal data’, specifically the sub-section titled ‘Credit checks’
  • The section headed ‘Issuing documentation’ which explains how we will issue documentation to you.

For your own benefit and protection, you should read these terms carefully. If you are unsure about any aspect of our Terms of Business or have any questions regarding our relationship with you, please contact us at 16 Upper Main Street, Larne, BT40 1SX.

The Financial Conduct Authority

Oakland Insurance is a trading style of Oakland Insurance Services Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Our FCA Register number is 310691. Our permitted business is introducing, advising, arranging, dealing as agent, assisting in the administration and performance of general insurance contracts, credit broking and supplementary debt-related administration in relation to insurance instalment facilities You may check this on the Financial Services Register by visiting the FCA’s website, www.fca.gov.uk/register/ or by contacting the FCA on 0800 111 6768.

Our service

Typically, our role is to advise you and, after we have assessed your needs, to provide you with a personal recommendation explaining why the insurance product recommended best meets your requirement. Where we can offer the availability of an instalment facility in order to pay the insurance premium by regular payments, we do not offer advice or make personal recommendations in relation to this but we may ask some questions to narrow down the selection of options available; you will then need to make your own choice about how to proceed. We act as an insurance intermediary, not an insurer. We will usually act on your behalf when arranging your insurances, when helping you make any changes to your policy, when you renew your insurance and in the event of a claim. If there are any circumstances where we act as an agent of the insurer, we will let you know the capacity in which we act before undertaking any relevant transactions on your behalf. We will not in any circumstances guarantee the solvency of any insurer. We provide a personal recommendation and select personal and commercial insurances from a fair and personal analysis of the market, but for certain classes of insurance, we carefully select products from a limited number of insurers or a single insurer, which means we do not give a personal recommendation on the basis of a fair and personal analysis. We will give you further information about this before we finalise your insurance arrangements. This applies to GAP insurance and Key Insurance, where we provide your cover through Sparta and KeyCare Ireland respectively. If we propose using another intermediary to help place your business, we will confirm this to you in good time before any arrangements are finalised. We may also be able to offer finance for insurance through one/a

sole finance provider, Close Brothers Premium Finance. We will give you further information about your payment options when we discuss your insurance in detail.

Issuing Documentation

In agreeing to do business with ourselves you accept that we can issue documentation by email or by post. E-mail is not a secure form of communication and for this reason we cannot guarantee the security of the e-mail or its contents or that it remains virus free once sent.

Complaints and compensation

We aim to provide you with a high level of customer service at all times but, if you are not satisfied, please contact in writing:

Mrs D McCann, Manager,
16 Upper Main Street,
Larne,
BT40 1SX
or phone: 028 2827 9621
or email: insure@oaklandinsurance.co.uk

When dealing with your complaint, we will follow our complaint handling procedures; a summary of these procedures is available on request. If you are still not satisfied, you may be entitled to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service (except in the case of a business: (1) employing 10 persons or more and with a turnover or annual balance sheet total exceeding €2m, or (2) with an annual turnover of 6.5m or more, and 50 employees more or with an annual balance sheet total of £5m or more; a charity with an annual income of £6.5m or more; or trustees of a trust with a net asset value of £5m or more).

Further information about compensation scheme arrangements is available from the FSCS on 0800 678 1100 (Freephone) or 020 7741 4100 or www.fscs.org.uk. We are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) for our insurance mediation activities. You may be entitled to compensation from the scheme if we cannot meet our obligations. This depends on the type of business and the circumstances of the claim. If you are eligible to claim from the FSCS, compensation is available in relation to insurance advising and arranging as follows:

  • 90% of the claim, without any upper limit;
  • 100% of the claim without any upper limit for compulsory classes of insurance (such as Third-Party Motor or Employers Liability); and ‘pure protection’ contracts, professional indemnity insurance, and general insurance claims arising from the death or incapacity of the policyholder owing to injury, sickness or infirmity, all where the insurance intermediary has failed to pay money to an insurer, pay away money it has received from an insurer, or has failed to take steps to allow the insurer to effect the contract of insurance.

Further information about compensation scheme arrangements is available from the FSCS on 0800 678 1100 (freephone) or 020 7741 4100 or www.fscs.org.uk.

Payment for our services

We normally receive commission from insurers, product providers and, where applicable, finance providers. Any commission we receive will be paid by the insurer or product provider from the insurance premium. Any commission we receive from the premium finance provider will be paid from the finance repayment. On request, we will be pleased to provide information to consumer customers about any commission received by us in the handling of your insurances.

For commercial customers - Ingood time before the conclusion of each insurance contract, or upon renewal, we will remind you of your right to be informed of the level of commission which we receive from underwriters and premium finance providers. You are entitled, at any time, to request information regarding any commission which we may have received as a result of placing your insurance business.

We do not charge any additional fees (payable by you) for handling your insurance or arranging premium finance unless we have agreed these with you in advance. Any fees we do charge are set out below:

  • Commercial business will be subject to a maximum broker fee of 15%
  • Mid Term Adjustments £25
  • Additional Administration will be charged at £25
  • Following allocation of charges any amount less than £10 will be non-refundable
  • Cancellation charges 10% of refund premium or £50, whichever is the greater*
  • Cancellation of Motorcycle, Travel, Classic Car and Caravan policies which results in a refund premium of less than £50 is nonrefundable
  • New Business £30
  • Renewal £30
  • Lost Insurance Documentation £25

Premium Instalments costs will be provided prior to setting up any agreement.

*Our cancellation charges will not apply to consumers cancelling within the 14 day cooling off period.

You will receive a quotation which will tell you the total price to be paid, and which identifies any fees, taxes and charges separately from the premium, before your insurance arrangements are concluded.

In good time before the conclusion of each commercial insurance contract, or upon renewal, we will remind our commercial customers of their right to be informed of the level of commission which we receive from underwriters. Commercial customers are entitled, at any time, to request information regarding any commission which we may have received as a result of placing commercial insurance business.

We also draw your attention to the sections headed ‘Cancellation of insurances’ and ‘Ending your relationship with us’. Full payment of premium and fees is due before cover commences, or as otherwise stated under terms of credit, or in the debit note, invoice or statement issued to you. Failure to pay the premium due will mean that your insurance policy might not commence or that it will be cancelled.

Handling money

Our financial arrangements with most insurance companies are on a ‘Risk Transfer’ basis. This means that we act as agents of the insurer in collecting premiums and handling refunds due to clients. In these circumstances such monies are deemed to be held by the insurer(s) with which your insurance is arranged. However, if Risk Transfer does not apply, such monies will be held by us in a Statutory Trust account set up in accordance with FCA rules. Interest earned on monies held in such a Statutory Trust account will be retained by us. For the purpose of some transactions, client money may pass through other authorised intermediaries before being paid to the insurer





Cancellation of insurances

You should make any request for the cancellation of a policy to the contact details included within this Terms of Business, either by letter, email or phone and where requested any relevant certificate of insurance must be returned to us or to the insurer concerned.

We will not be able to process any request for cancellation until that written request is received and we have received the relevant certificate. Refunds may take up to 8 weeks to be processed due to FCA regulation regarding client money. We must receive the refund from your insurance company before we can transfer this amount to you.

In the event of cancellation, charges for our services will apply in accordance with the ‘Payment for our services’ section above.

The terms of your policy may allow insurers to retain the premium in full or to charge shortperiod premiums in the event of cancellation before the policy expires. Details of such charges are contained within the policy booklet.

Ending your relationship with us

Subject to your immediate settlement of any outstanding premiums and fees, you may instruct us to stop acting for you and we will not impose a penalty. Your instructions must be given in writing and will take effect from the date of receipt.

In circumstances where we feel we cannot continue providing services to you, we will give you a minimum of 7 days notice.

Valid reasons may include but are not limited to non-payment of premium or fees, commission clawback by insurers where instructions are given to another party to handle the customer’s insurance(s), failure to provide requested documentation or information, deliberate failure to comply with terms set out within the Terms of Business or insurer’s documentation, deliberate misrepresentation or non-disclosure or attempted fraud, use of threatening or abusive behaviour or language, or intimidation or bullying of our staff. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, if our relationship ends, any transactions previously initiated will be completed according to these Terms of Business. You will be liable to pay for any transactions concluded prior to the end of our relationship and we will be entitled to retain commission received for conducting these transactions, together with all fees charged by us for services provided.

Your responsibilities

If you are a consumer, you are responsible for answering any questions in relation to any proposal for insurance cover honestly and to the best of your knowledge, providing complete and accurate information which insurers will require. This also applies to your responses in relation to any assumptions you may agree to in the process of applying for insurance cover. This is particularly important before taking out a policy but also at renewal or if you make a mid-term amendment to your policy. If you fail to disclose information, or misrepresent any fact which may influence the insurer’s decision to accept the risk or the terms offered, this could invalidate the policy and mean that claims may not be paid.

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 insurance documents issued to you and ensure 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 or mean that claims may not be paid. 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. If you are unsure about any matter, please contact us for guidance.

If you are a commercial customer you have a duty to give a fair presentation of risk to the insurer. This means that you should disclose every material circumstance relevant to the risk being insured following a reasonable search within your business to identify and verify such information. This should include information which you and where applicable your senior management, persons responsible for arranging your insurance or other relevant third parties know or ought to know and should include all information that would influence the judgement of the insurer or that would put the insurer on notice that it needs to make further enquiries. Examples of material circumstances are:

  • Special or unusual circumstances relating to the risk
  • Any particular concerns which led you to seek insurance cover for the risk; and
  • Anything which those concerned with the class of insurance and field of activity in question would generally understand as being something that would be dealt with in a fair presentation of risks for this type of insurance.

The information must be presented in a way which would be reasonably clear and accessible to a prudent insurer. If you are unsure whether to disclose any information you should speak to us. You need to take into account the size & complexity of your business, and allow yourself sufficient time before your renewal date to consider and / or assess your insurance requirements. Failure to provide a ‘fair representation’ may result in a number of remedies by the insurer. If the breach was deliberate or reckless the insurer can void the contract and keep the premium. If the breach was not deliberate or reckless the insurer can void the contract, proportionately reduce a claim settlement or amend the insurance policy terms and conditions then review the merits of a claim on this basis. You should therefore always provide complete and accurate information to us when we ask you about the insurance risks your business faces before taking out a policy, at renewal and throughout the life of the policy. This also applies to your responses in relation to any assumptions you may agree to in the process of applying for insurance cover.

Processing your personal data

In your dealings with us you may provide us with information that may include data that is known as personal data. Where we process personal data, we comply with statutory data processing requirements as set out by the Data Protection Act 2018. The personal data we will collect will include information relating to your name, address, date of birth, contact details and ‘health’ or ‘criminal offences’

We will process your personal data to allow us to provide you with our services as your insurance broker in quoting for, arranging and administering your insurances and in arranging insurance premium finance where applicable. Your personal data will also be used to manage future communications between ourselves. Where you have agreed, or in circumstances where to do so will be in our mutual interests, your personal data will be used to provide you with further information about our wider products and services. You can opt out from receiving such communications by e-mailing insure@oaklandinsurance.co.uk.

In processing personal data for insurance purposes about health or criminal offences, we will only do so to enable us to provide our service to you and on the basis of it being in the public interest. We will only use your data for the purpose for which it was collected. We will only grant access to or share your data within our firm/other firms associated with us/other authorised third parties and product and service providers such as insurers and premium finance providers where we are entitled to do so by law under lawful data processing.

The Data Protection Act 2018 provides you with Access Rights that allow you to gain an understanding on the data being processed, who we share it with, for what purpose, why we need to retain it and retention periods, to object to the processing and to place restrictions on the processing, to request copies of your data and to request the deletion of your data.

If you require further information on how we process your data or you wish to exercise your rights, please contact our General Manager by emailing insure@oaklandinsurance.co.uk, by writing to our Head Office at 16 Upper main Street, BT40 1SX or by telephoning 028 9570 4035. How we process your personal data is detailed further within our Privacy Notice.

Credit checks

We, and other firms involved in arranging your insurance (insurers, other intermediaries or premium finance companies) may use public and personal data from a variety of sources including credit reference agencies and other organisations. The information is used to help tailor a price, to ascertain the most appropriate payment options for you and to help prevent fraud. Any credit reference search will appear on your credit report whether or not your application proceeds. If you have any questions about this or any other matter, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Conflict of Interests

Occasions can arise where we, or one of our associated companies, clients or product providers, may have a potential conflict of interest with business being transacted for you. If this happens, and we become aware that a potential conflict exists, we will write to you and obtain your consent before we carry out your instructions and we will detail the steps we will take to ensure fair treatment.

Claims handling arrangements

You should take note of the required procedures in the event of a claim, which will be explained in the policy documentation. Generally, insurers require immediate notification of a claim or circumstances which might lead to a claim. In the event of a Motor or Household claim we will /may pass your details to the relevant Claims Management Companies with whom we work. They will employ due care and skill whilst acting on your behalf in respect of a claim.

Arrangement of Finance

Our role is to advise customers in relation to the insurance and, after we have assessed their needs, to make a suitable recommendation. We offer the availability of an instalment facility in order to pay the insurance premium by regular payments, but we do not offer advice in relation to this. We will provide customers with information about the facility we can introduce them to but customers will then need to make their own choice about how to proceed.

We only introduce customers to one finance provider for insurance instalments, Close Brothers Premium Finance. We will give you further information about this before we finalise your instalment arrangements.

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