Electronic proof of insurance now available, even if regulations aren’t

The Centre for Study of Insurance Operations (CSIO) has launched its My Proof of Insurance eDelivery solution, enabling CSIO members to send consumers digital policy documents (including proof of auto insurance, or ‘eSlips’) for personal and commercial lines.

The announcement comes before many provincial insurance regulators have approved electronic proof of insurance in their jurisdictions.

CSIO developed its solution in collaboration with brokers and carriers, including Gore Mutual, Northbridge Insurance and RSA Canada. The solution allows brokers and carriers to:

• send PDF policy documents and eSlips to consumers via email (consumers are not required to download apps or log into portals)
• leverage existing mobile digital wallets to store and display eSlips
• co-brand emails, including broker and carrier logos, which will be sent from the@myproofofinsurance.ca domain

“We are incredibly excited to make the My Proof of Insurance eDelivery solution available to the broker channel,” says Catherine Smola, president and CEO of CSIO. “I applaud the members of the project team for their vision to develop a solution that creates such a convenient digital touchpoint with their customers. As more regulators join Nova Scotia in approving eSlips, we anticipate that consumer demand for this solution will grow.”

Nova Scotia became the first Canadian insurance regulator to approve eSlips in a bulletin dated Jan. 10, 2018.

The Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators [CCIR], an association of provincial insurance regulators across the country, followed up with a communique in February 2018 that states: “Given today’s advanced digital marketplace, the CCIR recommends that EPAI [Electronic Proof of Auto Insurance] be made available in Canada alongside the traditional paper proof of insurance.”

The CCIR noted that “in some jurisdictions, there are challenges that need to be addressed before moving forward. In particular, jurisdictions must work with their partners to ensure operational concerns identified during…stakeholder feedback are satisfied.”

Ontario’s insurance regulator, the Financial Services Commissions of Ontario (FSCO), told Canadian Underwriter on February 8 that there is no timeline on when it will be in a position to approve EPAI in the province.

“As the regulator, it is important that FSCO balance moving quickly enough to support innovation with taking the time needed to ensure consumer interests are protected,” FSCO said in an email to Canadian Underwriter in February, when asked why it is taking longer than anticipated to implement the solution in Ontario.

How My Proof of Insurance works is available at: www.myproofofinsurance.ca