Section 26-A203. SALE OF INSURANCE TO FEDERAL AND DISTRICT GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES

 

203.1It is the purpose of this section to establish standards for the sale of insurance to Federal or District government employees.

 

203.2No company, agent, or broker shall make any implication, either verbal or written, which conveys the impression that any insurance program being offered by the company, agent, or broker, is affiliated with the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance or any other insurance or retirement program for government employees established pursuant to federal law (hereinafter collectively referred to as "FEGLI") or that the insurance is sponsored or endorsed by any agency, department, or arm of the Federal or District Government.

 

203.3No agent or solicitor shall make any representation that he or she represents any insurance agency if that insurance agency does not hold a current, valid license issued by the Commissioner of Insurance of the District of Columbia.

 

203.4No company, agent, or broker shall fail to divulge the role of the bank, savings bank, savings and loan association, or similar institution, or Federal or State Chartered credit union, (hereinafter referred to as "a financial organization") and of the government, with respect to any arrangement which utilizes a financial organization as an intermediary for purposes of collecting insurance premiums.

 

203.5No company, agent, or broker shall fail to inform prospects that the financial organization's willingness to continue its role in the savings account-allotment arrangement throughout the entire premium paying period or the entire term of the prospect's Federal or District government employment cannot be guaranteed by that company, agent, or broker.

 

203.6No company, agent, or broker shall make any representation to the effect that a salary allotment to a financial organization is an exclusive arrangement between the federal or District government and that insurance company, agent, or broker, or that the availability of the allotment arrangement is indicative of government endorsement of the insurance for which the solicitation is being made.

 

203.7No agent, solicitor, or broker shall make any representation to the effect that he or she is a "counselor", "advisor", or similar designation, for any association or group of government employees, so as to obscure his or her true role with respect to the solicitation or sale of insurance.

 

203.8No company, agent, or broker shall make any quotation or reference to premiums on a basis of intervals more frequent than those actually being specified in policies or contracts of the kind which would be issued by the company if the solicitation is successful. For example, a statement such as "Premium as low as $1.00 weekly" is misleading if the most frequent premium mode interval specified in policies or contracts for which the solicitation is being made is monthly.

 

203.9Any unfair discrimination between the rates charged for policies sold under a savings account-allotment arrangement with a financial organization and those charged by the same company for similar policies issued under the company's regular premium plans shall be prohibited.

 

203.10Any act for the purpose of inducing an applicant to sign a form in blank shall be prohibited.

 

203.11Any inaccurate or misleading description of FEGLI including any omission of the fact that an employee's life insurance coverage increases through the years as his or her salary increases, shall be prohibited.

 

203.12No company, agent, or broker shall make any attempt to arrange a sales interview with a prospect by conveying the impression that such insurance company, agent, or broker has been officially authorized by the federal or District Government to contact that prospect for the purpose of reviewing, modifying, or discussing his or her existing FEGLI program. This prohibition shall also apply to any statement or act which implies that the company, agent, or broker has access to official federal or District government records pertaining to the employee's FEGLI insurance or his or her employment.

 

203.13Use of the initials "FEGLI" or any other reference to FEGLI as a part of the title of any insurance program utilizing a financial organization as an intermediary in a salary allotment arrangement or the use of any other title which is so similar as to create confusion between the plan being offered and FEGLI, shall be prohibited.

 

203.14The use of any facsimile of any FEGLI certificates or other official documents in connection with the solicitation or sale of insurance shall be prohibited.

 

203.15Any implication that the insurance being solicited would serve to increase the federal or District government employee's FEGLI, as opposed to constituting a separate and distinct policy of insurance, completely unrelated to FEGLI, shall be prohibited.

 

203.16Any act of aiding or abetting a person or company in the solicitation or sale of insurance when that person or company does not possess a current valid license issued by the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs shall be prohibited.

 

203.17No company, agent, or broker shall make any statement to the effect that the insurance company for which the insurance is being solicited is "participating in the Program" so as to create confusion as the company's possible role as an official participating reinsurer in the FEGLI program as opposed to the same company's role in the sale of insurance under its own program.

 

203.18The making of any misrepresentation, by commission or omission, to any person insured in any company, for the purpose of inducing or attempting to induce a policyholder in any company, including the FEGLI program, to lapse, forfeit, or surrender existing insurance, either directly or indirectly, shall be prohibited.

 

203.19Nothing contained in this section shall be construed as prohibiting or restricting any insurance company, agent, broker, or other person from performing any act which has been duly authorized by the federal or District government.