保險消費者保護與公司治理──公平待客原則與其界限

Insurance Consumer Protection and Corporate Governance: Principles of Treating Consumer Fairly and Their Boundaries

金融消費者保護一向是國家金融法制進步之指標，世界經濟合作暨發展組織（OECD）於2011 年10 月所發布「G20 高層次金融消費者保護原則」（G20 High-Level Principles on Financial Consumer Protection）即揭示「金融服務業於金融商品或服務之整體交易過程，應以公平合理之方式對待金融消費者。公平對待消費者應係金融服務業公司治理及企業文化之核心價值。」。有鑑於此，金融監督管理委員會於2015 年12 月發布「金融服務業公平待客原則」後，並於2019 年起實施「金融服務業公平待客原則評核機制」，促使業者自我檢視內部控制及內部稽核應加強之處，提升公司治理效能。
然而，公平待客原則實際上是金融監督管理委員會透過不同法規範，督促金融業者形塑出保護金融消費者之企業文化，其性質上屬於不具有法律上拘束力的行政指導，此時在公平待客原則統整下的保險消費者保護是否有其界限，自有研究之必要。因此，本文著重於金融消費評議爭議案件數量較多的訂約階段，並分析公平待客原則中的「廣告招攬真實原則」、「告知與揭露原則」及「業務人員專業性原則」與相關爭議案例，同時檢視金融消費評議中心實際操作公平合理原則之事例，並釐清彼此間與私法之關係。

Financial consumer protection has always been an indicator of the progress of any given country’s financial law. In October 2011, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (the “OECD”) released G20 High-Level Principles on Financial Consumer Protection (the “High-Level Principles”), and emphasized that, “All financial consumers should be treated equitably, honestly and fairly at all stages of their relationship with financial service providers. Treating consumers fairly should be an integral part of the good governance and corporate culture of all financial services providers and authorized agents.” In view of the High-Level Principles, the Financial Supervisory Commission (the “FSC”) launched Treating Consumer Fairly Principles (the “TCF Principles”) in December 2015. Furthermore, in order to encourage financial institutions to self-examine the areas where internal control and internal audit should be strengthened to enhance the effectiveness of corporate governance, the FSC have implemented the assessment mechanism of the compliance of the TCF Principles since 2019.
However, the TCF Principles, which are comprised of provisions of different laws and regulations to prompt financial institutions to form the corporate culture of financial consumer protection, are in fact administrative guidelines with no legal binding forces. It’s necessary to clarify whether the insurance consumer protection established by the TCF Principles has its boundary. Owing to the relevant importance of huge amounts of financial disputes, this article will therefore focus on the contracting stage of insurance contracts and analyze “the principle of truth in advertising solicitation”, “the principle of notification and disclosure” and “the principle of professionalism of business personnel” under the TCF Principles and related cases and controversies. Simultaneously, this article will also review the cases which applied the Fairness and Reasonable Principles (the “FR Principles”) by The Financial Ombudsman Institution, and examine the relation among the TCF Principles, FR Principles and private law.