CODE OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT & ETHICS
Adopted by IRES Board July 9, 1990
Preamble:
Membership in the Insurance Regulatory Examiners Society (IRES) is voluntary. By accepting membership and the privilege of using designations bestowed by the Society, members assume an obligation of self-discipline above and beyond the requirements of laws and regulations.
Article I – Responsibilities:
In carrying out their responsibilities as professionals, members should exercise sensitive professional and moral judgments in all their activities. Members have a continuing responsibility to cooperate with each other and other regulatory societies to improve the art of regulation of the insurance industry within the framework of regulatory laws and regulations. The collective efforts of all members are required to maintain and enhance the traditions of the regulatory profession.
Article II – The Public Interest:
Members should accept the obligation to act in a way that will serve the public interest, honor the public trust, and demonstrate commitment to excellence in the performance of their regulatory duties.
Article III – Integrity:
To maintain and broaden public confidence, members should perform all regulatory responsibilities with the highest sense of integrity. Integrity is an element of character fundamental to professional recognition. It is the quality from which the public trust derives and the benchmark against which a member must ultimately test all decisions. Integrity requires a member to be, among other things, honest and candid within the constraints of statutory confidentiality. Service and public trust should not be subordinated to personal gain and advantage. Integrity can accommodate the inadvertent error and the honest difference of opinion; it cannot accommodate deceit and subordination of principle. Integrity also requires a member to observe the principles of objectivity and independence and due care.
Article IV – Objectivity and Independence:
A member should maintain objectivity and be free of conflicts of interest in fact and in appearance in discharging regulatory responsibilities. Objectivity is a state of mind, a quality that lends value to a member’s performance. The principle of objectivity imposes the obligation to be impartial, intellectually honest, and free of conflict of interest. Independence precludes relationships that may appear to impair a member’s objectivity in the performance of regulatory duties.
Article V – Due Care:
A member should observe the profession’s statutory, technical, legal and ethical standards promulgated by their regulatory authorities, strive continually to improve competence and the quality of their services, and discharge professional responsibility to the best of the member’s ability. The quest of excellence is the essence of due care. Due care requires members to discharge their regulatory responsibilities with competence and diligence.