Former insurance agent, Sean Ronson Nethercott finds himself the subject of another Alberta Insurance Council order, this time fining the former agent $5,000 for falsely declaring that he’d completed certain continuing education credits when he had not.
It is also alleged that the former agent declared himself as a course instructor, which resulted in double CE credits when he was not the instructor of the course. “As such, it is alleged that the former agent misrepresented information and has acted in a fraudulent, deceitful, dishonest or untrustworthy matter as contemplated by the (Insurance) Act.”
The insurance council says it randomly selected agents for audit when Nethercott was audited and asked to produce a CE record for a specific course in November 2019. Nethercott had already been suspended at that point, over other allegations that he misled two clients, leaving one of them uninsured. At that time, the council found that “the agent’s conduct was intentional and is dishonest or untrustworthy.”
Nethercott claims that he already had sufficient CE credits without falsely claiming the credits in question. “The council considered the former agent’s version of events. Specifically that the agent satisfied the CE requirements to renew his certificate of authority,” they write. “Council turned to the mental element to examine whether the former agent’s misstatement was intentionally false, misleading or evidenced dishonesty.” The order goes on to state that the council finds Nethercott deliberately deceived or mislead the Alberta Insurance Council on his renewal application. More, they add, “the council acknowledges that the former agent has previously appeared before this council on matters of conduct and, as such, the council agrees that a significant penalty is warranted under the circumstances.”
