ob体育 is seeking stakeholder feedback on a proposed product intervention order on the sale of add-on insurance and warranty products sold with motor vehicles.
ob体育 is considering using its product intervention powers to address significant consumer detriment in this market.
Today鈥檚 release follows ob体育鈥檚 earlier consultation through Consultation Paper 324 Product intervention: The sale of add-on financial products through caryard intermediaries (CP 324), published in October 2019. The initial consultation sought views on ob体育鈥檚 proposal to use the product intervention power in Pt 7.9A of the Corporations Act 2001 to introduce a deferred sales model for the sale of add-on insurance and warranties by caryards.
ob体育 also undertook additional work to consider the impact of the COVID-19 environment on the market in recent months.
The consultation process
Before making a product intervention order, ob体育 must consult persons who are reasonably likely to be affected by the order: see s1023F of the Corporations Act.
In response to the submissions received to CP 324, ob体育 has made a number of changes to the proposed product intervention order.
These changes are set out in detail in the attached documents and include a number of specific questions to assist consideration.
ob体育 invites stakeholder feedback on these changes. The feedback will help ob体育 consider whether, and if so how, to exercise the product intervention power.
Stakeholders who have difficulty meeting the timeframe for feedback please contact ob体育 via the email below.
Comments should be sent by Wednesday 19 August 2020 to: [email protected].
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Background
In February 2016, ob体育 released Report 471 The sale of life insurance through car dealers: Taking consumers for a ride (REP 471). Following this, ob体育 released Report 492 A market that is failing consumers: The sale of add-on insurance through car dealers (REP 492) in September 2016. These reports set out a detailed analysis of how this market is failing consumers in the design, pricing and sales of add-on insurance.
Insurers have acknowledged the extent to which unfair sales occurred by agreeing to pay refunds to consumers, improving product coverage and reducing commissions paid to caryard intermediaries. ob体育 has secured remediation with 11 insurers, one underwriting agency and one warranty provider. As at June 2019, ob体育 has announced refunds of over $130 million to more than 245,000 consumers.
In August 2017, ob体育 released Consultation Paper 294 The sale of add-on insurance and warranties through caryard intermediaries, which sought views on whether or not a deferred sales model should be introduced for the sale of add-on financial products through caryard intermediaries. ob体育 is considering using the product intervention power to help address ongoing significant consumer detriment in this market.
The proposed product intervention order would complement the proposed industry-wide deferred sales model for add-on insurance to be implemented as part of the Government鈥檚 response to the Financial Services Royal Commission (recommendation 4.3). The deferred sales model and additional obligations set out in the draft order are tailored to the unique risks consumers experience when offered add-on products in relation to the sale of motor vehicles.
Editor鈥檚 note:
18 March 2021:聽After careful consideration, ob体育 has decided not to proceed with an order for either motor vehicle add-on insurance or warranties at this time.聽聽
Under the Financial Services Reforms (Hayne Royal Commission Response) Act 2020 an industry-wide deferred sales model will apply to the sale of motor vehicle add-on insurance from 5 October 2021.
ob体育 strongly encourages warranty providers to voluntarily adopt a deferred sales model for their products, aligned in design to the forthcoming add-on insurance deferred sales model.
ob体育 will continue to closely monitor the motor vehicle warranty and add-on insurance markets. We will collect data and information from industry to assess consumer outcomes from the design and sale of these products. If we identify consumer harm, we will take action to address this using our range of regulatory tools including reconsidering the need for a mandated DSM.聽