STANDARDS OF CONDUCT
I. Background
The Risk & Insurance Education Alliance (The Alliance) exists to promote professional excellence and improve professional standards through comprehensive education in the insurance and risk management industries. With these goals in mind, The Alliance offers and develops programs that teach understanding and analysis of complex insurance contracts and risk management techniques through several series of courses.
Participants who pass each respective series of challenging exams earn prestigious designations and secure the right to use those designations with pride and proper conduct. The Alliance, through the Boards of Governors and Directors, has exclusive authority to determine who may use its trademarked designations. The Boards grant individuals permission to use these designations based upon their agreement to abide by certain terms and conditions specified by the Boards, including those stated in this policy.
As a part of the designation process and the terms and conditions imposed upon designees and participants, the Boards require professional standards necessary for competency, which include currency and awareness of ever-present changes. Thus, for retention of all current designations, The Alliance, through its Boards, requires the fulfillment of continuing education requirements.
Furthermore, The Alliance upholds the principles of legal, ethical, and moral practices in fields where professionals are responsible for the financial well-being of individuals and corporations. These principles form the basis for the Boards’ Rules of Conduct, which establish a level of professionalism required of all designees to maintain all current designations.
Designation Programs
Although various levels of knowledge and experience are requisite for success, matriculation in any The Alliance program is open to anyone in the insurance and risk management fields: insurance company and agency staff, captive and direct writer agents, independent agents and brokers, wholesalers, surplus lines brokers, consultants, adjustors, actuaries, attorneys, and risk management professionals.
From the more basic Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR) and Certified School Risk Manager (CSRM) to the more technical Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC), Certified Risk Manager (CRM), and Certified Personal Risk Manager (CPRM) designation programs, and other programs to be developed in the future, The Alliance courses address practical applications for everyday use by insurance and risk management professionals.
Timeframe: For The Alliance designation conferment, each candidate must complete all of the prescribed series of courses, passing the exam given at the end of each classroom or online course, all within the established timeframe as outlined in website pages, promotional materials, and publications.
Requirements for Maintenance of Designations
Once an Alliance participant attains a designation and experiences the recognition, prestige, and career fulfillment associated with that designation, the participant must attend at least one program annually to maintain the designation. This annual update must be one of the sanctioned programs offered by The Alliance and associated with that designation, as outlined in various website pages and publications.
No tests are required to maintain a designation. However, some of the update options are available only to dues-paying members of The Alliance.
II. Rules of conduct
All persons who have heretofore been granted the rights and privileges of an Alliance designation shall conduct themselves in an ethical and professional manner. The Rules of Conduct (which include, but are not limited to, the following) govern all designees who have rights to use the designations.
A. A designee shall not engage in conflicts of interest.
B. A designee shall not violate state insurance and risk management laws or statutes.
C. A designee shall not violate Federal insurance law involving the Risk Retention Act, the Privacy Act of 1974, HIPAA of 1996, Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999, USA Patriot Act, Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or other discrimination, unfair competition, or intellectual property laws.
D. A designee shall not infringe upon copyright or trademark regarding any materials published by the Alliance.
E. A designee shall not act in a manner that causes the designee’s risk management license, consulting license, or insurance-related license or permit to be cancelled, revoked, suspended, or restricted by an official regulatory body or court.
F. A designee shall not violate obligations to the Alliance and its Boards:
A designee shall abide by the terms of all agreements as established by the Alliance and its Boards, including but not limited to using the designations properly and cooperating fully with copyright, trademark, and professional review operations and requirements.
A designee shall meet the continuing education requirements to retain the right to use the designation.
III. Alliance Exam Policy
I acknowledge that I understand and agree to the following:
I will follow the proctor requirements set forth by the Alliance.
I will not use outside resources such as websites, Learning/Study Guides, notes, etc., while taking my exam (unless stated otherwise by my instructor).
I will not cheat or commit fraud of any kind in relation to my courses and exams.
I am aware that the Alliance conducts routine audits of submitted exams to maintain a high level of integrity across all course and designation offerings.
I understand that if I violate any of these policies, I may be disqualified from the exam without a refund for the course.
I understand that if I violate any of these policies, any designations I already have or am working toward may be in jeopardy. In addition, my eligibility to take courses in the future will be at the discretion of the Alliance.
I understand that if I am in need of additional time to complete the final exam due to a loss of internet connectivity or other comparable complication, my responses for the exam attempt will not be saved and I will need to reach out to examhelp@riskeducation.org for an additional attempt.
IV. Designation Disciplinary policies and Procedures
Violations of the Rules of Conduct outlined in this policy may subject a designee or registrant to disciplinary action. The Alliance and its Boards are the certifying and standards-setting bodies for those individuals who have fulfilled the requirements of the designation program and must continue to fulfill those requirements.
These Rules of Conduct contain professional and ethical standards and form the basis of a fair process for the conferment and maintenance of designations granted by the Alliance, which through its Boards reserve the right to exercise disciplinary actions or to revoke designations as circumstances dictate.
The Rules of Conduct are not designed to be a basis for legal liability to any third party.
V. Action Prior to designation Revocation
Before instituting revocation procedures, appropriate Alliance personnel may implement processes to allow a designee who has failed to meet requirements to maintain the designation. The Alliance works responsively with designees to determine the appropriate process to maintain or reinstate a designation, with revocation remaining the last resort.
(Full subsections: A. Failure to Annually Update, B. Failure to Comply with Attendance Requirements, C. Alternative Disciplinary Procedures — retained with updated Alliance references.)
VI. Designation Revocation Policy and Procedures
Pursuant to the authority granted by the Bylaws of the Alliance, the Boards establish the following Rules of Conduct policy, which must be followed for retention of designations.
(Full subsections: A. Breaches of Requirements, B. Revocation of a Designation, C. Reinstatement of Revoked Designation — retained with updated Alliance references.)
VII. Evidentiary Matters
The Boards, in making their decision regarding revocation or reinstatement of a person’s designation, shall be allowed, but shall not be required, to make independent investigation of the facts and receive oral presentations from any persons. The Boards are not bound by any particular rules of procedure or evidence.
VIII. Duty to Investigate
Other than ongoing disclosures of update requirement breaches as reported by Alliance personnel, the Boards shall not be required to make ongoing or periodic investigations of the conduct of persons holding Alliance designations. The Boards may, at their discretion, investigate allegations of violations of ethical or professional standards if they receive actual notices or complaints.
X. Finality of Decisions and Discretion of the Boards
The decision of the Boards regarding revocation or reinstatement shall be final and not subject to judicial review. All decisions and actions of the Boards shall be at the complete and sole discretion of the Boards.
XI. Referral to Committees of the Boards of Governors and Directors
The Boards may refer any action to a committee. Once referred, the committee may proceed to final resolution without further action by the full Boards, unless otherwise required by the Bylaws.
XII. Notices
All notices to be given by the Boards pursuant to this Policy on Retention of designations shall be given by mail addressed to the person’s last known address shown on the Alliance’s records. Notice shall be sent by certified mail.
Passed by the Boards on the 26th day of February 2008 and superseding all previous Board Policies concerning the Revocation and Retention of Designations.
