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An insurance policy with an annual premium of $1,200 is cancelled by the insured exactly 6 months into the term. The insurer's "Short Rate Table" indicates that for a 6-month cancellation, the insurer is entitled to keep 60% of the annual premium as an administrative and earned cost. How much of a refund will the insured receive?
This question requires the application of Critical and Analytical Thinking to a financial transaction. The RIBO Level 1 Blueprint expects brokers to understand the difference between Pro-rata and Short-rate cancellations, as this directly affects the client's 'indemnity' and financial outcome.
Under Statutory Conditions (and general contract law), when an insured requests a cancellation mid-term, the insurer is permitted to use a 'Short Rate' calculation. This calculation allows the insurer to retain more than just the daily proportion of the premium to cover the fixed costs of issuing and servicing the policy.
In this scenario:
Total Premium: $1,200.
Insurer's Retention (60%): $1,200 x 0.60 = **$720**.
Refund Amount: Total Premium ($1,200) - Earned Premium ($720) = $480.
If this had been a Pro-rata cancellation (e.g., if the insurer had cancelled), the refund would have been exactly 50% ($600). The Short-rate penalty in this case cost the client an additional $120.
A broker's duty in Consulting and Advising is to warn the client of this 'Short Rate' penalty before they sign the cancellation request. This is part of the Fair Treatment of Consumers---ensuring the client knows that moving their insurance purely for a small price saving might actually result in a net loss once the cancellation penalty is applied. This mathematical proficiency is a core requirement of the Information Management competency, ensuring that all financial figures provided to the client are accurate and compliant with the insurer's filed rating rules.
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