New York Codes, Rules and Regulations
Title 11 - INSURANCE
Chapter IX - Unfair Trade Practices
Part 225 - Use Of Senior-specific Certifications And Professional Designations In The Sale Of Life Insurance And Annuities
Section 225.2 - Prohibited uses of senior-specific certifications and professional designations

Universal Citation: 11 NY Comp Codes Rules and Regs § 225.2

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 12, March 20, 2024

(a)

(1) No insurance producer shall use a senior-specific certification or professional designation that indicates or implies in such a way as to mislead a purchaser or prospective purchaser that the insurance producer has special certification or training in advising or providing services to seniors in connection with the solicitation, sale or purchase of a life insurance policy or annuity contract or in the provision of advice as to the value of or the advisability of purchasing or selling a life insurance policy or annuity contract, either directly or indirectly through publications or writings, or by issuing or promulgating analyses or reports related to a life insurance policy or annuity contract.

(2) The prohibited use of senior-specific certifications or professional designations includes use of:

(i) a certification or professional designation by an insurance producer who has not actually earned or is otherwise ineligible to use such certification or designation;

(ii) a nonexistent or self-conferred certification or professional designation;

(iii) a certification or professional designation that indicates or implies a level of occupational qualifications obtained through education, training or experience that the insurance producer using the certification or designation does not have; and

(iv) a certification or professional designation that was obtained from a certifying or designating organization that:

(a) is primarily engaged in the business of instruction in sales or marketing;

(b) does not have reasonable standards or procedures for assuring the competency of its certificants or designees;

(c) does not have reasonable standards or procedures for monitoring and disciplining its certificants or designees for improper or unethical conduct; or

(d) does not have reasonable continuing education requirements for its certificants or designees in order to maintain the certificate or designation.

(b) There is a rebuttable presumption that a certifying or designating organization is not disqualified solely for purposes of subparagraph (a)(2)(iv) of this section when the certification or designation issued from the organization does not primarily apply to sales or marketing and when the organization or the certification or designation in question has been accredited by:

(1) The American National Standards Institute (ANSI);

(2) The National Commission for Certifying Agencies; or

(3) any organization that is on the U.S. Department of Education's list entitled Accrediting Agencies Recognized for Title IV Purposes.

(c) In determining whether a combination of words or an acronym standing for a combination of words constitutes a certification or professional designation indicating or implying that a person has special certification or training in advising or providing services to seniors, factors to be considered shall include:

(1) use of one or more words such as "senior," "retirement," "elder," or like words combined with one or more words such as "certified," "registered," "chartered," "advisor," "specialist," "consultant," "planner," or like words, in the name of the certification or professional designation; and

(2) the manner in which those words are combined.

(d)

(1) For purposes of this Part, a job title held by an insurance producer within an organization or other entity that is licensed or registered by a State or Federal financial services regulatory agency shall not be deemed a certification or professional designation, unless it is used in a manner that would confuse or mislead a reasonable consumer, when the job title:

(i) indicates seniority or standing within the organization or other entity; or

(ii) specifies an individual's area of specialization within the organization or other entity.

(2) For purposes of this subdivision, financial services regulatory agency includes an agency that regulates insurers, insurance producers, broker-dealers, investment advisers, or investment companies as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. New York may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.

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