The Insurance Council of British Columbia (ICoBC) has fined Apollo Insurance Solutions Ltd. (AIS) and the Apollo Insurance Agency Ltd. (AIA), along with the agency’s nominee after the agency, on at least three occasions, needed to be reminded not to hold itself out as an insurer.

AIS has held an active corporate general insurance license with the council since May 2019 while AIA has held an active corporate general insurance license since March 2021. The agency’s nominee, Randy David Carroll, licensed as a level 3 general insurance agent since September 2020, has also been fined and had his license downgraded to a level 2 general agent license and will not be allowed to apply for a level 3 license until June 2026. Carroll is also licensed in eight other provinces, as well.

“Before opening the investigation file that has led to the making of this intended decision, council opened two prior files based on two separate complaints that council received in 2021 concerning inappropriate holding out by the agencies,” the intended decision in the case states.

The complainants each brought it to the council’s attention that the agencies had represented themselves as an insurance company on the agency’s public website and in other locations around the internet. “The complainant specifically raised the concern that the agencies’ representations were misleading.” After receiving each complaint, the council contacted Carroll and advised him that revisions to the company’s website were needed. In both cases the council elected not to further pursue any action on the file.

In August 2023 council staff again discovered that the agencies were calling themselves “a new kind of insurance company.” At the committee meeting held to discuss the case it was shown that the company’s website continued to refer to itself as Canada’s leading online insurance company. 

Inappropriate representations 

“The nominee blamed the inappropriate representations published on the agencies’ website on the overzealousness of the agency’s marketing department,” the intended decision states. Carroll reportedly told the council that the website is updated monthly and that he is part of the committee consulted on intended updates, but that he does not personally review and approve every change.

“After the nominee and the agencies had received the first reminder letter and the second reminder letter, they knew it was inappropriate for the agencies to publicly represent themselves as being an insurance company, and that any further holding out by the agencies that they were an insurance company would give rise to a serious regulatory controversy,” the intended decision states.

In addition to having his license downgraded, Carroll was fined $5,000 and ordered to complete remedial education including the Council Rules Course for General Insurance Agents, Salespersons and Adjusters and the Nominee Responsibilities and Best Practice Course for General Insurance Agents & Adjusters.

The two agencies were jointly and severally fined $20,000 and jointly and severally assessed the council’s investigation costs totalling $1,337.50.