Disciplinary committee

The Disciplinary Committee is a standing body of the Association of Insurance Agents and Brokers. It considers complaints and appeals against members of the association relating to violations of the Code of Professional Ethics and professional service standards. For each specific appeal, the committee forms a Disciplinary Council. The committee's purpose is not punishment for its own sake, but maintaining trust in insurance intermediaries and uniform rules of professional conduct.

Committee tasks

• Receiving and preliminarily reviewing complaints and appeals against insurance agents and brokers who are members of the association.
• Forming a Disciplinary Council to consider each appeal on its merits.
• Ensuring the right of the member against whom a complaint has been filed to know its content and to give explanations.
• Applying disciplinary measures when a violation is confirmed.
• Summarizing disciplinary practice and preparing guidance on the application of the Code of Professional Ethics and service standards.

Committee goals

The committee seeks to ensure that every member of the association follows the same rules of professional conduct, and that clients and colleagues can count on an objective review of a complaint. A fair and predictable procedure protects both the consumer and the conscientious intermediary: an unfounded complaint should have no consequences, and a confirmed violation should not go unaddressed.

Regulations on the Committee

The status, functions and procedures of the committee are defined by the Regulations on the Disciplinary Committee. Key provisions of the document:

• the committee is a standing body of the association and reports to the Board;
• the grounds for consideration are a complaint or appeal concerning a violation of the Code of Professional Ethics or professional service standards;
• for each appeal, a Disciplinary Council of at least three members with no conflict of interest is formed;
• the member against whom a complaint has been filed is notified and has the right to give explanations and submit documents before a decision is made;
• disciplinary measures: admonition, warning, suspension of accreditation, removal from the association's register (withdrawal of the membership mark);
• decisions of the Disciplinary Council may be appealed to the Board.

Complaints are submitted via the “Contacts” section and are considered in accordance with the Rules for the Consideration of Appeals by the Disciplinary Council, published in the “Documents” section. The full text of the Regulations on the Committee and the Memorandum of Cooperation are available below in PDF format.

Committee structure

• The Committee Chair organizes the work, distributes appeals and forms the composition of Disciplinary Councils.
• Committee members are representatives of association members with an impeccable professional reputation; Disciplinary Councils are formed from among them.
• The Committee Secretary registers appeals, notifies members, keeps minutes and stores case materials.
• The Disciplinary Council is a temporary panel created to consider a single appeal, which ceases its work once a decision is made.

Reporting line

The committee reports to the Board of the association. The Committee Chair is appointed or elected by the Board, which also approves the committee's decisions. The Board considers complaints against decisions of Disciplinary Councils and makes final decisions on them within the association.

Role of the committee

The committee ensures compliance with professional standards within the community of insurance intermediaries. It acts impartially: a committee member connected with the applicant or with the member against whom the complaint was filed does not sit on the Disciplinary Council for that case. The committee works with the Committee for the Protection of Insurance Consumers' Rights, which refers materials to it when signs of violations are detected, and with the Accreditation Committee on matters of suspending accreditation.

The disciplinary procedure does not replace an appeal to the regulator or the courts. It complements them and helps the association maintain a high level of trust in insurance agents and brokers. The committee's summarized and anonymized practice serves as a guide for members: it shows which actions are considered violations and how to avoid them in day-to-day work with clients.