Your Rights and Responsibilities: Loans

Insurance on loans

Insurance on a loan is an optional service, offered by a third party: an insurance company. When offering you an optional service, Canadian banks must provide you with information on any charges that will apply. You must also be given the option to opt out of — or cancel — the service.

Canada's banks have agreed to be bound by a voluntary code of conduct that obliges them to provide clear, understandable disclosure in the documents related to authorized insurance products. Each bank is responsible for ensuring that its representatives implement, understand and follow this voluntary code. Each bank has a designated officer responsible for compliance with the code. To see this code, click here.

Banks must provide each eligible customer who is accepted for insurance coverage with disclosure documents that set out the following:

• that the product being applied for is an insurance product;
  
  
• the key terms and definitions related to the insurance;
  
  
• all of the customer fees and charges associated with the insurance product and how they would be payable;
  
  
• that insurance coverage from a specific company is optional, if a separate charge is levied for the coverage;
  
  
• the name of the primary insurance company underwriting the insurance product;
  
  
• how and when the customer will be notified of acceptance or rejection of the insurance coverage;
  
  
• when the insurance coverage would come into effect and when it would terminate;
  
  
• the duration of any "free look" period, during which all premiums charged would be refunded if the customer decides to cancel the insurance coverage;
  
  
• the customer's responsibilities and the right to cancel the insurance coverage at any time;
  
  
• the terms and conditions that might limit or exclude coverage;
  
  
• the claims procedures; and
  
  
• how to obtain additional information about the insurance coverage.