FAQ's - Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is there any way to tell how long a policy record has been in Policy Terminator?

Refer to the "Policy Record Activity" fields on the Policy Information page for either Commercial or Personal Lines. The Policy Record Activity information will tell you when a record was created and by whom. This field also includes information regarding the last change made on a Policy Record.

2. What does Underwriting Period mean on the Basic Notice Information page? Also, why is there information regarding the Underwriting Period on some notice pages but not on all notice pages?

Underwriting Period only applies to cancellation notices. If a policy is newly issued and has never been renewed, then the policy is considered "New". Some states have a specified period of time during which a new policy may be cancelled with fewer regulations applying to the cancellation. This specified period is referred to as an "Underwriting Period". If a policy is not tagged as new or if the mailing date of the notice is not within the specified Underwriting Period from the inception date of the policy then the Underwriting Period does not apply and a user will not see the Underwriting Period field on the Basic Notice Information page.

3. What is the difference between a Policy Question and a Popup?

Policy Questions are asked depending on the applicable state and
policy type in order to ascertain if a specific coverage is included on a
policy. The answer to a Policy Question determines whether the
State's Insurance Code regulates the selected policy type with the
additional coverage. A popup is asked during the notice process. A
popup may simply be a yes/no question or it could ask for information
that will be printed on a notice.

4. Why can't I find the Notice History on a policy that I know has had notices generated?

You are probably "editing" a Policy Record. Notice History may only be seen when viewing a Policy Record in read-only mode.

5. The NAIC/Company name I need for this notice is not in the pick list. Why not and what do I do to get it added?

NAIC/Companies are available based upon your contract with ODEN. Our customers are licensed to issue notices for only the companies included in our contracts. If you need to add another company, simply contact an ODEN Client Services Representative at 1-800-327-8829, Option 6, Option 3 (Oden Customer Support).

6. I received a message saying that our information is out of date or expired. How do I get Policy Terminator updated?

Contact your System Administrator to ascertain whether your subscription to Policy Terminator has expired or the latest release needs to be installed. If you are a System Administrator and you do not know whether your subscription is current or how to get updates, please contact ODEN at 1-800-327-8829, Option 6, Option 3 (Oden Customer Support).

7. We tell our Policy Terminator users to always answer "No" to all popups. Is that a good practice?

Generally speaking, always answering "no" to popups is not a good idea. Popups requiring a Yes/No response should always be answered based upon information pertaining to the policy being terminated. Answering "no" to these popups regardless of the coverage on a policy may result in a non-compliant notice.

8. Why isn't Refusal To Write in my list of notice options?

If the Policy Record has had a policy number assigned to it then Refusal to Write is not a notice option. If a policy number has been assigned you should issue a Cancellation notice to terminate the coverage.

9. I have a mortgagee applicable to a policy that I am non-renewing. Why aren't I getting a copy of the non-renewal notice for the mortgagee?

Simply adding the Mortgagee on a Policy Record does not guarantee that a copy of the notice will be generated for the Mortgagee. On the "Additional Interest Detail" page you need to click "yes" for non-renewal notices in the "Notices Applicable to This Interest" section.

10. What is the difference between the state listed in Applicable State and the state listed in the address of the First Named Insured? Wouldn't it always be the same state?

The Applicable State field allows the selection of the state laws that apply to the issuance of the notice. The Applicable State may or may not be the same state as shown in the address of the First Named Insured. The state in the Applicable State field could be the insured's "state of domicile" or where the policy was delivered.

11. I have more than one producer that is applicable to a policy. Can I choose more than one producer as being applicable to a policy?
If not, how can I get a copy of the notice printed for the other producer?

Policy Terminator allows for only one applicable Producer to be selected per policy. If you need to notify an additional producer, you may generate another copy of the notice by listing the additional Producer as an "Other Party of Interest" under "Additional Interests" on the Policy Information page.

12. What is the difference between "Policy Premium" and "Premium Amount Due" in the Policy Profile?

Policy Premium is the total premium for the policy. If a policy is written for a one year period, then this would be the annual premium. The Premium Amount Due is the amount of the installment premium due.

13. There are some words on the Policy Information page that I do not understand. For example, how do I find out what Surplus Lines and Retrospective Rating mean?

We have supplied a Glossary in our Help files. Access Help and look for the Glossary at the bottom of the Table of Contents.

14. How do I know what changes have been made to Policy Terminator when I get an updated version?

You will find Release Notes on the Main Menu page. PT Application Release notes include changes made to the functionality of Policy Terminator. PT Rule Release Notes include a list of notice changes by State and by Commercial or Personal Lines.

15. I have more than one Consumer Reporting Agency that is applicable to the notice I am doing. Can I have more than one and if so, how many can I have?

Yes, you may have up to four Consumer Reporting Agencies per notice.

16. I have some policy types that are not listed in Policy Terminator.
How can I issue a notice for one of these policy types?

Some of the base policy types in Policy Terminator may be used for
policy types that are not specifically listed. For example, a Garage
Liability policy is the same as the base policy type of Automobile
Liability and Physical Damage. A Garage Keepers policy would be an Automobile Physical Damage policy. Liquor Liability would be the same as General Liability (either Claims Made or Occurrence). A Business Owners policy (BOP) is a Package policy. If you are not sure which Base Policy Type to use for the policy type you are terminating, please call the ODEN Research Department at 1-800-327-8829, Option 6, Option 3 (Oden Customer Support).

17. What determines the reason codes listed in Policy Terminator and how do I know which one to select?

Only those reasons that require different advance days notice, mailing
requirements, or specific wording to be on a notice are listed in Policy
Terminator. The list of reason codes is specific to the state, policy type, insurance type, etc. Choose the reason code that most closely relates to the specific reason you are doing a notice. Choose "None of the Above Apply" whenever the listed reason codes are not applicable to your reason for the notice. If you choose "None of the Above Apply", you should also refer to ODEN State Rules and Regulations to be certain that your reason for the notice is acceptable. For example, some states do not allow a policy to be terminated due to "Underwriting Reasons".

18. Does ODEN always pre-fill Advance Days Notice?

ODEN makes every effort to pre-fill the Advance Days Notice based upon statutory requirements for as many notices as possible. We recommend that you always refer to policy provisions regarding Advance Days Notice when that field is not completed by ODEN. Also, there are 4 commercial policy types for which we never pre-fill Advance Days Notice. Those policy types are Motor Carrier Liability, Motor Cargo, Workers' Compensation, and Excess Workers' Compensation. The reason we do not pre-fill Advance Days for those types is because termination of filings to State Authorities must be considered when determining the Advance Days Notice to the Insured. In some states a policy termination to the Insured is not effective until the State filings have also been terminated. You should refer to ODEN State Rules & Regulations Commercial summaries regarding termination of insurance for the four listed policy types.

19. Since ODEN does not always pre-fill Advance Days Notice, is there any way that we can pre-fill Advance Days according to our company and/or policy requirements?

Yes, ODEN Policy Terminator has a feature in Utilities that allows you to do that. Under the" Utilities" menu option, select "Data Setup" and then either "Commercial Lines Setup" or "Personal Lines Setup". You will then see an option called "Custom Advance Days" in which you can add Advance Days Notice requirements. Please be advised that the Advance Days Notice field will always pre-fill with any requirements that are statutorily required and that ODEN has pre-filled. If ODEN has not pre-filled the Advance Days Notice for a particular policy type or notice type, then your Custom Advance Days data will be used and you will see a warning that explains that the Advance Days came from the Custom Advance Days table. In addition, you can set a Default for Advance Days in "Group Options" in the "Security" section of Utilities. Please note that this Default option will apply to all States, notice types, policy types, etc. and does not have the flexibility that Custom Advance Days has.

20. Why do some notices look different than most of the notices that are generated in ODEN Policy Terminator?

Some states require that a special form other than the standard notice in ODEN Policy Terminator be used to notify an Insured about a termination. Some of those required forms included in ODEN Policy Terminator are: NCCI Form WC 890609B that is required by The Minnesota Workers' Compensation Insurers Association for all terminations of Workers' Compensation coverage; North Carolina's required form for cancellation or non-renewal of personal auto coverage; and the premium increase notices required by Maryland that must be used for Policy Change or Conditional Renewal notices involving a premium increase for personal auto coverage.

21. Our company practice is to inform the Insured of the premium amount due and the premium due date on cancellations due to nonpayment of premium. Is there any way that ODEN Policy Terminator can automatically include that information on those notices?

ODEN Policy Terminator has a "Custom Reasons" feature located in both the "Commercial Lines Data Setup" and "Personal Lines Data Setup" sections in "Utilities". Setting up a variety of Custom Reasons enables you to select verbiage that is frequently used on notices without having to retype that verbiage on each notice. The Custom Reasons feature also allows you to include "Data Tags" in your verbiage. The premium amount due and the premium due date fields in the "Policy Profile" section on the "Policy Information" page are required to be completed for all policies. The data tags for the premium amount due and premium due date may be included in a Custom Reason so that they appear on the notice without the need to re-key the data. A word of caution: There are four states that require the premium amount due and premium due date be on the notice, i.e., including this information is not at the discretion of the Insurer. In those states, you should avoid using a custom reason that includes data tags for the premium amount due and premium due date, otherwise the premium amount due and premium due date will appear twice on the notice. The four states that require the premium amount due and the premium due date on notices are listed below with the applicable notice types, reasons, and policy types.

Minnesota - Commercial cancellation notices for nonpayment of premium
New Jersey - Commercial cancellation notices for nonpayment of premium and Personal cancellation notices for nonpayment of premium of policy types including property coverage
North Dakota - Commercial cancellation notices for nonpayment of premium and Personal cancellation notices for nonpayment of premium for Farm Owner-Ranch Owner
Pennsylvania - Personal cancellation and non-renewal notices for nonpayment of premium for All policy types except Auto Liability & Physical Damage, Auto Physical Damage, and Package - Homeowners including Auto

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