Compensation

This Compensation Disclosure covers how Orion Financial Services LLC receives compensation for products and services rendered.

Orion Financial Services LLC’s primary mission is to provide insurance products and any related services of Insurance Carriers directly or indirectly as a Broker for our customers or an Agent of our appointed carriers.

We recognize the important role we play to individuals, business owners, and managers, and as a result of our efforts, we receive compensation in a variety of ways.

When functioning as an Agent we function as a representative of our admitted carriers for the facilitation of risk placements.

When functioning as a Broker we function as a representative of you the client to any authorized or unauthorized carrier within the states in which our agents or our entity has a license.

In both of these instances, we may receive either fixed or variable compensation because of our business relationships with our appointed Carriers or our Brokerage Partners.

The compensation we receive will vary depending on a number of factors including but not limited to the type of contract, the volume of business we generate, and the profitability of policies placed with insurance carriers.

In addition, due to our volume and profitability metrics, we may also receive contingent compensation of an unknown amount by meeting certain sales thresholds.

Because of the variable nature of our compensation, we can only provide an estimate on compensation we may receive at the point of sale.

We do not receive compensation for quotes we provide, we typically absorb the costs of preparing quotes internally for our existing customers. (Certain Exclusions Apply)

Commissions

Important Information on Commissions and our Compensation Disclosure

  • If we receive commissions on a policy the commission we receive is subject to any audit provisions which may exist, any such commissions can be adjusted after audit based on the actual exposures developed or reported during the audit period. The compensation we receive can, therefore, either increase or decrease based upon final audit results, and the commission percentage(s) applicable to each respective line of coverage subject to audit on an annual basis.
  • Commissions, in certain lines of coverage; primarily worker’s compensation may be paid to us based upon a sliding scale commission plan. If for any line of coverage, our commission is developed and paid on a sliding scale basis we will note it within our proposal to you. We will also explicitly identify the scale and commission amounts where applicably required and include them for your reference, with a copy of the plan & proposal.
  • Within most insurance filings with each state, commissioner insurers include payable Commissions, as a filed portion of an insurance company’s expenses, they are an indivisible part of the insurance premium.
  • Commissions cannot be legally reduced unless the insurance company maintains a filed expense reduction plan with the Connecticut or New York State Insurance Department.
  • We do not receive commissions on mandatory state surcharges and assessments.
  • In areas where we may function as a broker for personal lines, commercial lines, specialty risk, excess risk, or in the surplus market. We will pass all costs including taxes and fees through to you the customer including those of third parties where we may place your risk.
  • In our business, our Members, Officers, and Directors (Executive Management), Producers, and/or our Employees may, from time to time, receive or accept from insurance organizations or other vendors, non-monetary rewards, or tokens of appreciation for the business relationship we enjoy.
  • These non-monetary rewards or tokens of appreciation typically consist of business lunches or dinners; non-logo gift items or prizes; trips, cultural or sporting event invitations, or event sponsorship.
  • The executive team as a matter of policy, transparency, and ethical responsibility are obligated to avoid any potential conflicts of interest and do not accept non-monetary rewards, gifts of appreciation that could be construed to be linked to the placement of any client risk with any specific Insurer or business partner.
  • At any time as a client, you may request an estimate of the commissions we receive as it relates to our business relationship with you.

Policy Fees

In the case where an agency policy fee is assessed, the fee will be a separate fee negotiated with the insured not to exceed any statutory amount. In the case where a carrier/insurer asses a policy fee the fee will be payable by the insured and is treated as a pass-through cost to the insured.

The policy fee assessed may include any and all costs to provide service to the customer and further disclosure may be provided upon request including itemized costs. Where a policy fee is assessed by the agency it is likely that any commission earnings do not offset the cost to provide service to the customer and as such the fee has been applied to cover the cost of service. The policy fee is another component of our compensation and as such is included in this disclosure.

Agency Fee

Our agency may assess a fee to you as a pass-through for costs incurred as a function of placing your risk regardless of successful risk placement. If such a fee is assessed you must consent prior to any activity being taken on your behalf. Costs such as retrieving your MVR record, and verifying insurance coverage are just some of the costs that may be assessed.

Service Fees

The state of CT has implemented a fee schedule by statute, for specific risks in Sec 38a-707-1 to Sec 38a-707-9. These charges will be assessed on a case-by-case basis if a specific client meets the statutory requirement.

Interest

There are instances where you, our customer, may pay our agency policy premium for insurance policies you have in force with the insurers we represent. These policies are considered Agency Billed “Agency Bill” instead of Direct Billed policies where you pay the insurer directly.

Our agency may receive a modest amount of income from interest accruing on amounts held for payment to insurers. In addition, the agency charges interest on past-due receivables from these agency-bill customers.

Other Income

In increasingly rare instances, state law requires a resident agent to receive a commission for countersigning a policy issued by an agent from another state. We may provide other services to you as a client, which will be quoted, and invoiced separately from any insurance products. You may Contact Us if you have any questions regarding our compensation or would like to discuss your specific case.

Important Notice:

This overview provides generalized information about how we may receive compensation. Because this is an overview, there are exceptions not addressed within the scope of the above statement. If you would like additional information about a commission paid on your policy, please contact our office. Also, please check this website periodically for updated information on this subject.