Volume 142

OCTOBER 2018

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PF&M ANALYSIS:

ISO COMMERCIAL CRIME COVERAGE FORMS AND POLICIES ANALYSIS

A. INSURING AGREEMENTS

CR 00 21 contains seven insuring agreements. Coverage for a specific insuring agreement applies only if there is a limit of insurance on the declarations beside that insuring agreement. Coverage applies to losses the named insured sustains under the following circumstances:

  • The loss must be the result of an occurrence.
  • The occurrence must take place DURING the policy period on the declarations.
  • The named insured must discover the loss DURING the policy period or the extended discovery period.

All of the above are subject to all of the following:

  • Condition E. 1. g: Extended Period To Discover Loss
  • Condition E. 1. k: Loss Sustained During Prior Insurance Issued By Us Or Any Affiliate
  • Condition E. 1. l: Loss Sustained During Prior Insurance Not Issued By Us Or Any Affiliate
  • Definitions of the terms discovered and occurrence in Section F

·         6. Computer and Funds Transfer Fraud  

·         a. The insurance company pays the following:

·         (1) Loss caused when money, securities, or other property is transferred, paid, or delivered because of a fraudulent computer entry or change or a fraudulent electronic data entry or change. The entry or change must be within a computer system that the named insured owns, operates, or leases. This also applies if the fraudulent entry or change resulted in the named insured’s account at a financial institution being either debited or deleted.

 

 Example: Josie Proust, the top salesperson for Cyberfroot Distributors, was staying in a hotel in Beijing. She regularly conducted business from her room. While at a meeting with a local group of lychee and pomegranate farmers, someone broke into her room, stole some of her valuables and hacked into her laptop to transfer funds from her account. This insuring agreement covers this computer fraud loss.

 

·         (2) Loss caused when money or securities are transferred, paid, or delivered from the named insured’s account at a financial institution based on fraudulent instructions.

·         Related Court Case: Bond’s Exclusion Provision was Conspicuous, Plain, and Clear

·         b. Fraudulent entry or fraudulent change of electronic data or a computer program as described in 6. a. (1) above is broadened to include such entries when made in good faith by employees. However, coverage applies only if the entries are made based on fraudulent instructions received from a computer software contractor. This contractor must have a written agreement with the named insured to design, implement, or service computer programs for computer systems that this insuring agreement covers.

 

 Example: Ken receives an electronic update file from his network provider and is told that it is a required patch. Ken uploads the file as instructed. Charlene’s financial institution informs her that unusual charges are being made against the company account. Ken and Charlene review the timing and realize the patch is actually a program designed to redirect funds. Ken changes network providers and Charlene files a police report and a computer transfer claim.

D. EXCLUSIONS

1. These exclusions apply to all insuring agreements unless stated otherwise.

a. Acts Committed by You, Your Partners or Members

There is no coverage for theft or any other dishonest act the named insured or its members or partners commit. This applies if the named insured, partner or member acts alone or involves others in the dishonest event. Note: The named insured cannot claim coverage for an employee’s dishonest act if the named insured is involved in the same dishonest act. For the purposes of this exclusion, a member is an owner of a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC).

b. Acts Committed by Your Employees Learned of by You Prior to the Policy Period  

This exclusion applies to losses caused by employees with a history of committing dishonest acts. Coverage does not apply to any loss that employee causes if the named insured, its partners, members, managers, officers, directors, or trustees knew about his or her previous dishonest acts that took place prior to the policy period. However, coverage does apply if the member, partner, manager, officer, director, or trustee who knew about the dishonest acts was working with that employee to commit the dishonest act.

 

Example: Trent has a troubled background and Rick, the vice president of operations, knows about it. Rick uses Trent and his shady contacts to help him fence items they steal from their company’s warehouse. When the loss is discovered, the insurance company cannot deny coverage because Rick is the only one at the company who was aware of Trent’s dishonest past.

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c. Acts Committed by Your Employees, Managers, Directors, Trustees, or Representatives

This exclusion applies to all insuring agreements except Insuring Agreement A. 1. Employee Theft.

Coverage does apply to any dishonest act (including theft) any of the named insured’s employees, managers, trustees, directors, or authorized representatives commit. This exclusion applies whether they act alone or with any other persons. It applies whether the perpetrator is providing a service for the named insured at the time of the loss or not.

 

Example: Jeremy is an employee at Jones and Sons. He and three of his friends broke into the Jones and Sons warehouse and stole a substantial amount of electronics. Jeremy’s involvement was captured by the warehouse’s surveillance cameras. Coverage under all Insuring Agreements except for Insuring Agreement A. 1 is denied because Jeremy was an employee of Jones and Sons.

 

d. Confidential or Personal Information (11 15 changes)

The insurance company does not pay for loss that result from either of the following:

(1) Disclosing another person’s or organization’s confidential or personal information. It also does not pay for loss resulting from any use of such information.

 

Example: Marguerite works in Acme College’s Record’s Department. Her boyfriend, Phillip, asks for some information about his roommate, Paul, and uses it to steal Paul's identity. Paul discovers the identity theft when he attempts to secure a student loan. The police track the release of information to Phillip and Marguerite, both of whom have left town. Paul demands that Acme compensate him for the monetary loss due to Marguerite’s actions. One reason the crime coverage written on Acme College does not respond is because of this exclusion.

 

(2) Disclosing the named insured’s confidential or personal information.  However, this exclusion does not apply to coverage that is available in certain insuring agreement when such information is used for dishonest acts.

Examples of such confidential or personal information mentioned in this exclusion are patents, trade secrets, customer lists, processing methods, credit card information, financial information, health information, or any other kind of information that is generally not available to the public. These are only examples and are not meant to restrict the term confidential or personal information.

Note: This exclusion was rewritten to clarify that only loss due to the disclosure of the named insured’s personal and confidential information is not covered. Coverage provided in an insuring agreement that is due to the use of the named insured’s personal or confidential information could still be covered.

e. Data Security Breach

Coverage does not apply for any expenses or costs the named insured must incur or for any fines, fees or penalties it must pay because access was provided to another person or organization’s personal or confidential information or that information was somehow disclosed. The personal or confidential information examples are the same as described in Exclusion d. above.

 

Example: Acme College is reprimanded by its accreditation board and both the state and local governments for permitting Paul’s identity to be stolen. The college must perform an audit, review and update its procedures, and add levels of security to protect student information. The college must also pay fines. None of these costs are covered.

 

f. Government Action

Coverage does not apply to loss that results when property is taken or destroyed because of an order from a governmental authority.

 

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Example: The owner of Shot Docks Bass Boat Rentals files a claim for the loss of a boat. The boat is valued at $37,000 and the owner states that “some official persons” took it from her premises. The claims adjuster investigates and learns that the boat was confiscated under a federal controlled substances law. The claim is denied.

 

g. Indirect Loss

There is no coverage for loss that is an indirect result of an occurrence that this insurance covers. The following are examples of such excluded indirect losses but the exclusion is not limited to just these:

·         Loss of income as a result of not being able to use money, securities, or other property.

Note: This means that coverage does not apply to loss of interest income on money that could have been invested. There is no coverage for loss of income on stock holdings that could have appreciated during an upturn in the market. Finally, loss of profit due to the loss of a chance to sell product stolen from an insured is excluded. Business income coverage available in commercial property forms pays for the loss of income on property other than money or securities.

·         Damages for which the named insured is legally liable. The only exception is for any direct damages that this insurance covers.

·         Costs, fees, or other expenses the named insured incurs in order to establish that a loss actually happened or to determine the amount of a loss.

Note: These costs, fees, or expenses can be substantial.

 

Examples:

  • The expenses to hire auditors to examine books that an employee “cooked”
  • The costs to hire independent investigators to ferret out the scope of a financial loss and who caused it
  • The costs to hire forensic or other specialists to determine the part of missing inventory that was stolen and the part that was simply part of an inventory shortage

Coverage for these costs and expenses is available by attaching CR 25 40–Include Expenses Incurred to Establish Amount of Covered Loss.

 

Related Article: ISO Commercial Crime Coverages Available Endorsements and Their Uses

h. Legal Fees, Costs, and Expenses

There is no coverage for any legal fee, cost, or expense the named insured incurs. However, there is an exception explained under Insuring Agreement A. 2.

i. Nuclear Hazard

There is no coverage if nuclear reaction or radiation causes loss or damage. Radioactive contamination is also excluded. This exclusion applies regardless of how such losses occur.

j. Pollution

Loss or damage caused by or that results from pollution is excluded. Pollution means any release or escape of any solid, liquid, gaseous, or thermal contaminant or irritant. These include vapor, smoke, acids, fumes, chemicals, alkalis, and waste. Waste includes materials to be reclaimed, recycled, or reconditioned.

Note: This definition of pollutant is identical to the one used in ISO Commercial Property Coverage Forms.

k. Virtual Currency (11 15 addition)

Any loss that involves virtual currency is excluded. Virtual currency is any type of electronic currency such as digital or crypto currency. The name of the currency and whether it is actual or fictitious is irrelevant to this exclusion.

Note: Coverage is available for this type of currency through CR 25 45–Include Virtual Currency as Money.

 

Example: Justine sells products only online and accepts many forms of payment, including bitcoin. A recent audit reveals that Chris, one of her employees, has been siphoning the bitcoin payments to his personal bitcoin account. Justine submits an Employee Theft claim that is denied because the loss is entirely in virtual currency.

 

l. War and Military Action

There is no coverage for loss or damage that results from war, undeclared war, or civil war. This includes a military force’s warlike actions or actions to hinder or defend against an expected or actual attack by any governmental authority that uses military personnel or other agents.

Loss or damage due to rebellion, insurrection, usurped power, revolution, or action a governmental authority takes to defend against or hinder any of these is also not covered.

Note: This wording is identical to the wording in ISO Commercial Property Coverage Forms.

4. The following exclusions apply to Insuring Agreement A. 6: Computer and Funds Transfer Fraud.

a. Authorized Access

Coverage does not apply when the loss results from actions of any party that is authorized to access that computer system. The only exception is described in Insuring Agreement A. 6. b. which explains that when an employee acting in good faith takes an action based on fraudulent information of a specific type of contractor there is coverage. 

b. Credit Card Transactions

Coverage does not apply when a loss is due to any type of credit, debit, charge, or other similar card being used. There is also no coverage when the loss is the result of information that was contained on any of those cards.

c. Exchanges or Purchases

There is no coverage for loss that occurs because property was relinquished as a part of a purchase or an exchange.  

Note: There is no standard endorsement available to "buy back" this exclusion or to purchase this coverage.

d. Fraudulent Instructions

There is no coverage when an employee or financial acting on false or fraudulent instructions transfer, pay or deliver money or securities or other property. This exclusion applies even if the named insured’s account is debited or deleted based on those instructions.

The only exceptions are described in Insuring Agreement A. 6.a.(2) and 6. b. These both describe very specific fraudulent instruction situations that are covered. 

Note: This exclusion appears to be a way to clarify the exact circumstances when coverage is provided and then to eliminate all others.

e. Inventory Shortages

There is no coverage when the fact that a loss has occurred is based solely on an inventory shortage or a profit and loss statement. The inventory and profit and loss can be used to calculate or substantiate a loss but other evidence of the actual physical loss must be provided.