Guide for Completing a
List of Distributors
Template
April 2013
For distribution without a representative (DWR), insurers must provide the Autorité des marchés
financiers (AMF) with a list of distributors through which they distribute their insurance products. They
must also immediately provide the AMF with the contact information of any new distributor through
which they offer insurance products. They must also inform the AMF when they cease doing business
with a distributor.
In order to ensure that information provided is consistent, the AMF has made a list of distributors
template available to insurers on its website. Use of the updated template has been required since
December 1, 2012.
To help those who are creating a list of distributors, the AMF has prepared this guide on how to
complete this template.
General Information :
We are asking that you provide us with separate lists of distributors for each distribution guide, that is,
one Excel file per DWR file.
Furthermore, we will automatically, and without any further verifications, return lists of distributors
we receive:
-
That use a format that is different from the AMF template;
If the template format has been changed;
If the field lengths have not been respected;
If mandatory cells are empty;
If the name of the guide is missing;
If the AMF file number is missing;
If lines or columns are masked;
If the Excel file includes more than one list of distributors.
The following cells are required information:
-
Name of the file;
AMF file number;
Distributor's Québec Enterprise Number (NEQ);
Distributor's reference number (required when distributor is a branch);
Distributor’s full name;
Street number;
Street name;
City name;
Province;
Postal code.
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1. Name of the file :
Diagram 1
a. This information is required.
b. It is important to write the file name under which the product is marketed, and as it appears in
the distribution guide, so we can match the list of distributors to the correct file.
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2. AMF File number:
Diagram 2
a. This information is required.
b. This number is assigned by the AMF when a new distribution guide is received.
File names can be similar, so it is important that you provide the file number assigned by the
AMF in order to help us tell them apart.
EXCEPTION
When you send a new distribution guide with its list of distributors, you do not have to enter the AMF
file number on the template as it has not yet been assigned. This is the only time you are not required
to include your file number on the template. It must be included on every subsequent list.
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3. Please be sure to always start your list of distributors on line 4 (Diagram 3):
Diagram 3
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4. The distributor's Québec Enterprise Number (NEQ):
Diagram 4
a. This information is required.
b. The NEQ is assigned by the Registraire des entreprises du Québec (Québec enterprise
registrar or REQ) to the head office of a corporate entity.
c. The REQ only assigns one NEQ per corporate entity.
d. When there is information in a given line, there must be a NEQ in field A.
e. Make sure that the NEQ is written in full and that no numbers have been reversed.
f. Maximum of 13 characters per cell. Numbers only.
ATTENTION
g. If the distributor cannot have a NEQ, please contact us before sending us your list of
distributors.
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5. Reference or transit number for distributors’ branches:
Head offices :
Lines 4, 5, 8 and 10.
Lines 6 and 7:
branches for line 5;
Line 9: branch for
line 8;
Lines 11 and 12:
branches for line 10.
Diagram 5
Please provide the reference number for each branch acting as a distributor, as it is entered in the
REQ database (Diagram 5, lines 6, 7 and 9):
a. Each branch of a corporate entity has the same NEQ as its head office. In addition, the branch
receives a reference number (assigned by the REQ).
b. The REQ does not assign reference numbers to a corporate head office. In these instances,
the corresponding "reference number" cell will be empty (Diagram 5, lines 4, 5, 8 and 10).
c. The REQ assigns a separate reference number to each head office branch (Diagram 5, lines
6 and 7).
d. You cannot include a branch if you have not already entered its head office on a separate line
(Diagram 5, lines 5, 8 and 10), even if the head office does not act as a distributor.
e. The head office's NEQ must be repeated on the line of each of its branches (Diagram 5, lines
6, 7, 9, 11 and 12).
f. Each branch must have its own separate line (Diagram 5, lines 6 and 7).
g. Check that the reference number has been fully entered, without any reversed numbers.
h. Maximum of 20 characters. Numbers only.
EXCEPTION
i. For deposit-taking institutions only, you are not required to enter the reference number for
branches. Instead, please provide us with the transit number (excluding the institution
number) for each branch distributing the insurance product, as assigned by the deposittaking institution (Diagram 5, lines 11 and 12).
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6. Distributor’s full name:
Diagram 6
a. This information is required.
b. Please enter the distributor’s official name, as it appears in the REQ register (Diagram 6,
column C). This will prevent the distributor from being confused with another and becoming the
unintended subject of AMF intervention.
c. Maximum of 160 characters per cell. It may contain numbers and letters.
d. “Other names” used by the distributor are not entered under this heading. Please refer to item 7
regarding these.
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7. Distributor’s other names ("also known as"):
Diagram 7
a. You must write the distributor's “other names” ("also known as") that it wishes to use when
offering insurance products from the insurer under column D (see Diagram 7, lines 4 to 8).
b. Only the distributor’s “other names” that are actually used by the distributor when offering the
insurer’s insurance product must be entered.
c. You can check these names on the REQ website.
d. Be careful not to enter a name (“Other name”) that is no longer valid or that does not exist (you
can check on the REQ website).
e. The wording of the "other names" entered in the template must match the REQ record.
f. If a distributor uses more than one "other name" at the same address, please enter all of these
names in the same cell, separating them with a carriage return (see example in Diagram 7,
line 4).
g. Maximum of 160 characters. It may contain numbers and letters.
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8. Address of the distributor and its branches:
Diagram 8
Please check that the addresses you indicate match the REQ record.
a. The street number:
i. Is required;
ii. Numbers only;
iii. Does not include the office/suite or apartment number, or post office box, which will be
entered in the "Suite/Apartment/P.O. Box" column;
iv. If there are letters in the street number (for example, 540B Commerciale), please enter the
letter at the beginning of the Street name (Diagram 8, column F, line 12), followed by a
comma;
v. When there is no street number, please enter “0” (zero).
b. The street name:
i. Is required;
ii. May contain numbers and letters;
iii. Can be abbreviated, such as "Blvd.," "Rte.," "Ave.," etc.;
iv. The street number and the street name together cannot exceed a total of 68 characters.
c. The suite/apartment/P.O. box:
i. Cannot exceed 10 characters. It may contain numbers and letters (do not enter "#").
d. The city name:
i. Is required;
ii. Can be abbreviated, such as "St-Jean," "Qué.", "Mtl," etc.;
iii. Cannot contain more than 30 characters.
e. The province:
i. Is required;
ii. Can be abbreviated (Diagram 8, column I);
iii. Maximum of 30 characters.
f. The postal code:
i. Is required;
ii. Can be entered with or without a space (Diagram 8, column J);
iii. Can contain up to 7 characters (including a space). It may contain numbers and letters.
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9. Distributor’s telephone number:
Diagram 9
a. It is optional.
b. It can be entered with or without spaces, hyphens, or parentheses.
c. This cell cannot contain less than 10 numbers excluding the country code (such as “1”), unless
it is completely blank.
d. If a telephone number contains more than 10 numbers, excluding the country code, the
numbers that follow will be considered an extension number.
e. Can contain up to 20 characters. Numbers only.
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