The Insurance Council of British Columbia is sanctioning Colin Gordon Brown, fining Brown $5,000 and ordering remedial coursework, after agents he was supervising failed to renew a client’s insurance policy before trying to cover up the mistake with falsified documents. 

First licensed as a level 2 general insurance agent in March 1996 and as a level 3 agent in October 2002, Brown’s license was cancelled for non-renewal in August 2024. He has returned to the industry in a management capacity, following a hiatus.

The council began investigating Brown after receiving a complaint from the strata council of a strata property, alleging that Amanprit Singh Ghaug, an insurance agent representing the agency Brown was the nominee for, was not responding to requests to provide proof of insurance coverage for a renewal that should’ve taken place on April 4, 2021.

The intended decision states that the strata had suffered water damage and the property manager was having difficulty opening a claim. “It was not until the strata threatened to involve the police that Ghaug admitted there was a problem and the agency agreed to open a claim through their errors and omissions (E&O) insurance,” the intended decision in the case states.

During the course of the investigation, council examined documents which appeared to be falsified. Among them, on December 6, 2021, the strata produced declaration pages, sent to the strata that same day, by Joshua Krenus, the agency’s sole director, major shareholder and CEO – a level 1 salesperson, being supervised by Brown. The declaration pages indicated that coverage was valid as of April 2021. The insurer later noted inconsistencies in the formatting and information contained in the document and noted that the policy effective date was November 26, 2021 – after the water damage had occurred.

In January 2022 the property manager indicated to the council that “although there had been a miscommunication between all involved, the agency had taken responsibility and repairs for the water damage claim had been completed and their relationship remained in good standing.” 

The council says the evidence suggests that Krenus was conducting business without any meaningful supervision. By his own admission, Brown attended the agency infrequently for lunch and learns and to proctor advisors writing exams.

“Council has concluded that the former licensee, as a nominee of the agency at the material time, shares responsibility for the misconduct that occurred concerning the strata’s unrenewed insurance and the subsequent events,” they write.

In addition to the $5,000 fine, Brown must also pay investigation costs in the amount of $1,468.75 and complete five courses including the council’s rules course for general insurance agents, an E&O course, and courses on ethics, nominee responsibilities and supervision. Additionally, Brown may not serve as a nominee again, until he has been actively licensed for two years.

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