Information about our company
SüdwestRing Versicherungsmakler GmbH
Birkenstraße 8/1, 88285 Bodnegg/Rotheidlen, Germany
Phone +49 7520 208000
info@suedwestring.de
Our company was founded in 1962 and therefore has long standing experience and established contacts with the major insurers. As a member of the BDVM, the German Association of Insurance Brokers, we meet the high standards laid down there for the training of our staff and the protection of our clients' interests.
Our service is valued greatly by our clients of long standing: medium sized companies, the self employed, commercial and private clients. A high level of competence, mutual trust, adherence to schedules and reliability form the foundation of our work. New clients come to us regularly on the recommendation of our satisfied clientele.
Obligatory information under the Ordinance on Insurance Mediation
We have been registered since 10 September 2007 with the responsible authority and are entered in the Brokerage Register as an authorised insurance broker licensed pursuant to Section 34d (1) of the Gewerbeordnung under registration number D-44LH-GJCAQ-36.
The responsible authority is the Industrie- und Handelskammer Bodensee-Oberschwaben, 88250 Weingarten, Germany. The entry in the Brokerage Register can be verified with the Deutscher Industrie- und Handelskammertag (DIHK) e.V., Breite Straße 29, 10178 Berlin, Germany, phone +49 30 203080, www.vermittlerregister.info.
There is no partial ownership by an insurance company or by the parent of an insurance company in our company. Nor does our company hold any direct or indirect investment of more than 10 percent in any insurance company.
Remuneration
As an insurance broker we provide advice. The remuneration for our advisory, mediation and support services, known as brokerage commission, is customarily borne by the insurance company and forms part of the insurance premium. Any arrangement differing from this must be expressly agreed between us and the client. In particular when so called net products are mediated, a separate fee agreement is usually made that obliges the client to pay the fee. Net products are products in which the mediation fee is not included in the insurance premium. We do not receive remuneration in the form of other benefits.
Out of court dispute resolution
The following arbitration boards can be contacted to resolve disputes out of court. Under Section 17 (4) of the Ordinance on Insurance Mediation we are obliged to take part in dispute resolution procedures before these consumer arbitration boards:
Versicherungsombudsmann e.V., Postfach 08 06 32, 10006 Berlin, Germany, www.versicherungsombudsmann.de
Ombudsmann Private Kranken- und Pflegeversicherung, Postfach 06 02 22, 10052 Berlin, Germany, www.pkv-ombudsmann.de
Insurance broking
In Germany, arranging insurance through intermediaries is well established. A distinction is made between agents, who represent one or more insurance companies, and insurance brokers, who act on behalf of the policyholder and represent their interests.
We work exclusively as insurance brokers. We hold no participation in insurance companies, and insurance companies hold no participation in us.
Selection criteria for the placing of insurance contracts
More than 120 insurance companies in Germany alone offer tens of thousands of products and tariffs. Including the European market, this becomes hundreds of thousands. In addition, insurers offer exclusive conditions to individual intermediaries.
Unless otherwise agreed or communicated in an individual case, our company works with more than 80 insurance companies on the basis of the following criteria:
- The insurer is licensed in Germany and subject to national financial supervision by BaFin.
- The insurer provides information, processes and contacts geared to the needs of insurance brokers.
- The insurer pays the customary brokerage commission for arranging insurance contracts.
We do not carry out a credit rating assessment of the insurer.
The way we work
The main task of an insurance broker is to arrange the cover requested by the policyholder together with the related advice. Unless agreed otherwise in an individual case, we take a sufficient number of insurance companies into account in order to be able to recommend a suitable product.
To give you the greatest possible flexibility, we recommend annual contracts with a renewal clause. This allows you to react at relatively short notice to changes in the market and in risk assessment.
We use the services of VEMA e.G., a cooperative association of around 1000 insurance brokers operating throughout Germany.
Broker appointment, broker mandate and data protection
Because insurance brokers do not act for an insurance company, they are usually legitimised towards insurers by the broker mandate. It also governs that the broker is authorised to place the agreed cover for the client and to conduct the necessary correspondence.
Many insurers, especially in the case of increased or special risks, only submit offers if the broker states the name and address of the prospective client together with all risk relevant information, in particular previous claims and illnesses, dates of birth, sums insured and turnover. Further information on this subject is contained in our privacy policy.
The scope of our service is described in the broker contract. Mutual trust is the basis of our cooperation, and therefore the broker mandate and the broker appointment can be revoked by either side without observing a particular notice period.
The obligation to cooperate
So that we can advise you properly, we depend on your cooperation. This includes complete and accurate information about your risks, prompt notification of any changes and passing on documents that are relevant for assessing your cover.