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By-laws

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Article A - Order of Business

At the Annual Meeting of the Association the following order of business shall be observed unless the Executive Council votes otherwise at the regularly scheduled Executive Council meeting last preceding the CIU meeting.

  1. Chair's opening remarks.
  2. Greetings from other organizations.
  3. Presentation of FALU and any other award created at the discretion of the CIU Executive Council.
  4. Exhibitions, presentations, panels or other discussions as determined by the Executive Council under the direction of the Vice Chair.
  5. Discussion of papers presented.
  6. Informal discussion of topics of current interest.

A business session of the Institute shall be held at any meeting of the CIU according to a schedule adopted by the Executive Council. At this business session the following order of business shall be observed.

  1. Minutes of the last meeting.
  2. Summary of the business transacted by the Executive Council since the last meeting.
  3. Presentation of financial report.
  4. Committee reports, including an update on CIU membership.
  5. Election of Executive Council members.
  6. Voting by the CIU on matters presented with sufficient notice.
  7. Unfinished and new business.

Article B - Code of Conduct

CIU membership shall be guided by a Code of Conduct.

It is the responsibility of the members to be knowledgeable about the Code of Conduct and commit themselves to acting in accordance with the following principles:

  1. Act promptly, while exercising sound, objective and consistent judgment, in making underwriting decisions.
  2. Follow established risk classification principles that differentiate fairly on the basis of sound actuarial principles and/or reasonably anticipated mortality and morbidity experience.
  3. Treat all underwriting information with the utmost confidentiality, and use it only for the express purpose of evaluating and classifying the risk.
  4. Comply with the letter and spirit of all insurance legislation and regulations, particularly as they apply to risk classification, privacy and disclosure.
  5. Avoid any underwriting action which is in conflict with the obligation to act independently and without bias.
  6. Act responsibly as an employee with scrupulous attention to the mutual trust required in an employer-employee relationship.
  7. Provide information and support to sales personnel to help fulfill their field underwriting responsibilities in selecting risks and submitting underwriting information.
  8. Strive to attain Fellowship in the Academy of Life Underwriting, maintain a high level of professional competency through continued education, and help promote the future education of all underwriters.
  9. Maintain the dignity and sound reputation of the Underwriting Profession.
  10. Increase the public's understanding of underwriting by providing information about risk classification.

Article C - Dues and Registration Fees

  • The Executive Council shall determine the dues payable by the named membership categories and Annual Meeting registration fees.
  • Dues are non refundable and non transferable.
  • Annual meeting registration fees are non refundable unless the attendee requests a refund 15 days prior to the meeting or is unable to attend the meeting due to documented illness.

Article D - Officer Responsibilities and Terms of Office

Vice Chair:

This is the first year of a three year commitment.  Term of office as Vice Chair is one year.  In accepting this position, the candidate acknowledges that he/she shall be nominated as Chair in the following term of office. 

To be eligible to serve in this position, it is strongly recommended that the candidate has served on the Executive Council. The Vice Chair shall be responsible for the annual meeting program including the meeting format, topics, speakers and the coordination of all activities.

Chair:

This is the second year of a three year commitment.  Term of office as Chair is one year and he/she will be nominated as Past Chair in the following term of office.  

The Chair presides over the Annual and Executive Council Meetings. He/she shall call and preside over at least one meeting of the membership and two Executive Council meetings on an annual basis. He/she shall also be responsible for the establishment of special committees as recommended by the Executive Council. The Chair will serve on the ALU board and act as the principle liaison with the CLHIA and other major underwriting Associations such as the AHOU. The Chair is the primary spokesperson and as such is responsible for responding to member's inquiry and those from within and outside the industry.

Past Chair:

This is the third and final year of a three year commitment.  Term of office as Past Chair is one year.

The immediate Past Chair shall chair the Nominating Committee consisting of the Chair, Vice Chair and Past Chair. The Past Chair shall also serve as a CIU representative on the ALU board and shall present an annual report to the Executive Council on the board's activities. He/she is the principal liaison with the CIU Seminar Group, On the Risk, UEC, and CLHIA. The Past Chair will also act as a resource to other Executive Council members regarding historical and traditional issues as relating to the functioning of the CIU.

Secretary:

This is the first year of a three year commitment.  Term of office as Secretary is one year. In accepting this position, the candidate acknowledges that he/she shall be nominated as Convention Secretary in the following term of office.

The incumbent shall be responsible for keeping and distributing full and accurate minutes of the Annual and Executive Council Meetings. He/she shall be responsible for sending out the notice of Annual and Executive Council Meetings as well as making sure all convention information on the web site is current. Other duties include manning and coordinating full coverage of the registration desk at the annual meeting, maintaining CIU records, ordering gifts/plaques for out going Executive Council members and engraving the gavel to be presented to the Past Chair.

Convention Secretary:

This is the second year of a three year commitment.  Term of office as Convention Secretary is one year and he/she will be nominated as Past Secretary in the following term of office.   

The incumbent shall have duties pertaining to all convention arrangements at the site of the Annual Meeting The above responsibilities must be closely coordinated with the Chair, Vice Chair and the CIU's professional administrator. He/she is the primary liaison with the convention hotel with primary responsibilities for establishing the room layouts, catering, meals and reservations (including the Monday evening dinner and entertainment).  He/she is also responsible for the registration material including nametags, ordering ribbons for the Executive Council members, and attendee lists.

Past Secretary:

This is the third and final year of a three year commitment.  Term of office is one year.

The incumbent assists the Secretary with primary responsibilities for preparing and distributing annual program booklets, speaker gifts, annual meeting signage, and the gavel.

Incoming Treasurer:

This is the first year of a three year commitment.  Term of office as Incoming Treasurer is one year.  In accepting this position, the candidate acknowledges that he/she shall be nominated as Treasurer in the following term of office. 

The incumbent will apprentice the current Treasurer's job so as to fill it in the following year. In addition he/she will assist other officers as requested.

Treasurer:

This is the second year of a three year commitment.  Term of office as Treasurer is one year and he/she will be nominated as Membership Director in the following term of office.   

The Treasurer is responsible for maintaining the content of the CIU Financial Management Policy. The incumbent shall work closely with the administrator and audit or supervise the audit of all financial activities as they apply to the CIU. The Treasurer shall receive, disburse and account for all the funds of the CIU and shall open and maintain an account in the name of the CIU in such chartered bank or trust company as the Executive Council may approve.  He/she shall annually present a report of the CIU's financial activities to the Executive Council and the Membership. In addition he/she is responsible for developing an annual budget for the CIU operations and the annual meeting. He/she liaises with the education seminar Treasurer.

Membership Director:

This is the third and final year of a three year commitment.  Term of office as Membership Director is one year.

The incumbent shall work directly with the CIU professional administrator in reference to membership issues relative to keeping the database up-to-date, the membership categories per application correct and the web site current. The incumbent will conduct a random audit of the Full Members for adherence to the continuing education requirements. The incumbent will make a report to the Members at the annual meeting regarding the membership and the audit result. This position will be the main contact for continuing education issues.

Executive Council Members:

The current Chair of the CIU Education Committee will be named as Executive Council Member.  Term of office in this position is one year.

One to three other incumbents will be named as Executive Council Members.  Term of office is two years. 

The incumbents will be available to accept assignments from other Executive Council members who have specific duties.  They will also provide input on matters of CIU policy and future direction.  One Executive Committee Member will serve as liaison to the A-V consultant and will assist in preparing the presentation material for the Annual Meeting.  One Executive Committee Member will be responsible for organizing the Fall Education event.

Article E - Committees

  • Nomination Committee

The Nomination Committee shall be chaired by the Past Chair and will be made up of the Past Chair, Chair and Vice Chair. The slate of new Executive Council members will be presented to the Executive Council for their input 60 days prior to the annual meeting.  If necessary, the Nomination Committee may accept to advance an Executive Council Member to a different position prior to the time commitment noted above, in order to fill a vacant position on the Executive Council.

  • Education Committee

The committee's primary purpose is to make recommendations to the Executive Council concerning education seminars and related activities. The Education Committee shall organize at least one education seminar per year. The committee shall be made up of no less than 4 CIU members, where the Chair of the committee will serve as Executive Member on the Executive Council.  The Executive Council can choose newly appointed members by majority vote.  Term of office on the Education Committee can be up to 4 years, where in the final year of serving on this committee, the incumbent will serve as Chair of the committee. In the event of 2 members serving their final year, the Chair of the committee will be appointed by a majority vote of the Executive Council.     

  • The Chair, subject to the Executive Council approval, shall appoint committees as are considered necessary.

Article F - Amendments

These by-laws may be amended at any Executive Council meeting by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the entire Executive Council provided that any proposed amendment shall have been sent to each member of the Council in advance of the meeting.

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