Mit dem Ausstieg aus dem Binnenmarkt verlieren Finanzdienstleister aus Großbritannien die Möglichkeit des sogenannten Passporting. Eine einmalige Zulassung in einem EU-Mitgliedsland machte bisher den Vertrieb eines Finanzproduktes in der gesamten Union möglich. Umgekehrt wird auch für Anbieter aus dem verbleibenden Kreis der EU27 der Vertrieb auf der Insel komplizierter. Viele Versicherer verlieren die Zulassung im jeweils anderen Rechtsraum das Bestandsgeschäft weiterzuführen.
Über den Brexit-Stichtag, den 29. März 2019, hinaus laufende Versicherungsverträge drohen dann nichtig zu werden oder können im Schadensfall nicht länger legal bedient werden.
Verbliebt ein Versicherungsvertrag in Großbritannien, kann es bei einem ungeregelten Brexit zu einem Zahlungsverbot für Versicherungen an Kunden außerhalb Großbritanniens kommen. Besonders kritisch müssen Versicherungen unter die Lupe werden, die für einen konkreten Schaden zahlen, wie zum Beispiel Yacht-Haftpflicht-, Unfall- oder Kaskoversicherungen. Kommt es im Schadensfall zu Rechtsstreitigkeiten, müssen diese dann vor einem britischen Gericht ausgefochten werden. Hohe Kosten und ungewisser Ausgang eingeschlossen. Hier sollte rechtzeitig ein Wechsel ins Auge gefasst werden.
In jedem Fall ist es dringend ratsam, bestehende Yacht-Versicherungen aus dem UK-Raum auf ihre Gültigkeit nach dem 29.3.2019 zu prüfen. Manche Versicherungen suchen bereits nach Lösungen über einen neuen EU-Stützpunkt, aber darauf sollte man sich nicht einfach verlassen. Der Worst Case wäre eine ungedeckte Yacht nach dem 29.3..
Mich erreichte z.B. folgende Stellungnahme einer Versicherung als Beispiel möglicher Maßnahmen:
Changes to be implemented as a result of the UK leaving the European Union (“EU”)
We are writing to you in respect of your current insurance arrangements with ZZ using the trading name Y (“Y”), and the expected impact of the UK leaving the EU (commonly referred to as “Brexit”). The purpose of this letter is to explain how these changes will affect any insurance policy renewal or other policy change.
Y is currently permitted to arrange insurance policies for our EU1 customers because of so-called ‘passporting rights’ which exist between the UK and the rest of the EU. After Brexit, the UK will no longer be part of the EU and passporting rights will no longer be available to the Y business. We therefore need to make some changes to the way in which we provide your insurance services.
What is happening?
Since you are a customer located in the EU, the services currently provided to you from the UK by Y relating to the arrangement of your insurance will – post Brexit – need to be provided to you through another Gallagher company based in the EU. This will not affect our ability to arrange your insurance cover but we will need to engage with you slightly differently.
That other company is X (“X”), which is authorised as an insurance broker in Sweden by the Swedish regulator, the Finansinspektionen.
As an established Swedish broker, X holds the appropriate passporting rights to operate in all EU territories post-Brexit. This will allow Y, acting through X’s UK branch, to provide you with a seamless continuation of relationships and services. X, trading as Y, will become your named broker so despite the legal entity change, policy documentation and other communications that you receive will continue to reflect the Y brand that you have become accustomed to seeing.
The exact date from which services will need to be performed by the X entity (the “Effective Date”) is still uncertain owing to the UK political process, but we are writing to you now to explain our future arrangements to you.
How does this affect me?
At this time we do not yet know when our UK businesses will cease to have the passporting rights to operate in all EU territories as a result of Brexit. Around that time though, we will start to invite policy renewals in the name of ‘Y as a trading name of X’. You will also see references in documentation to ‘Y, a trading name of X’ for any mid-term policy changes you make that will take effect around the time our UK businesses cease to have EU passporting rights. We can confirm that the earliest date on which the X entity will invite renewal (or deal with any mid-term policy change) is 01 March 2019 (a reasonable period in advance of when we anticipate, based on current circumstances, Y will lose its passporting rights). However, it may also be the case that the loss of passporting rights takes place much later, should any delay to Brexit or an interim transitional period be agreed by the UK and EU.
Your broking team will not be changing
Above all, please be assured that despite these changes, there will be no obvious impact in respect of your day to day business interactions, including any potential claims submissions. The same teams will continue to provide expert insurance and risk management advice and you will still be able to contact them in the same way, albeit that they will perform their services as ‘Y, a trading name of X’
In good time ahead of the next renewal of your policy (when these start to be invited by Y as a trading name of X), X will send you revised Terms of Business, in compliance with Swedish regulatory requirements. Other than in respect of your current rights to access the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and ability to refer disputes to the Financial Ombudsman Service, which will change to match Swedish regulation, you will continue to have the same rights, benefits and obligations and be subject to largely the same terms and conditions.
What do I need to do now?
You need do nothing now. Your change of broker will be apparent when you first receive a renewal invitation (or other official communication) as it will be in the name of Y as a trading name of X. Should you need to make a mid-term policy change prior to your next renewal, please contact us as usual and we will advise you whether it is ZZ or X providing the service.
What about my insurance policy?
This letter is about our arrangements with you as your broker, not your insurance policy itself (which is a contract between you and your insurance company).
Your existing insurance policy terms and conditions are not affected by our plans but you may notice that some insurers are making similar arrangements to ensure they hold the appropriate regulatory permissions to underwrite policies with EEA exposure post-Brexit. If you would like further information regarding your insurer, we will be happy to discuss this with you when your policy renews or you make a mid-term change.
Your personal information
Until the date on which services will need to be performed by X, ZZ will be the data controller of any personal information that you have provided to us. This personal information was used to provide you with our insurance broking services. In some cases this involved sharing it with selected third parties.
From the Effective Date, the personal information we hold will be transferred to X in order for our team to continue providing insurance broking services to you and X will become the data controller of your personal information.