Petitioner: DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES
Respondent: TROY CHARLES WHITT
Judges: LISA SHEARER NELSON
Agency: Department of Financial Services
Locations: Ocala, Florida
Filed: Dec. 15, 2008
Status: Closed
Settled and/or Dismissed prior to entry of RO/FO on Tuesday, March 3, 2009.
Latest Update: Nov. 14, 2024
FILED
MER-20 200
ALEX SINK
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Docketed by:
STATE OF FLORIDA
IN THE MATTER oF DY ’a3! PL
CASE NO.: 87880-07-AG
TROY CHARLES WHITT
ADMINIS COMPLAINT
TO: TROY CHARLES WHITT
1107 East Silver Springs Blvd., #5
Ocala, Florida 34470
TROY CHARLES WHITT
4900 S.E. 11th Avenue
Ocala, Florida 34480-6663
TROY CHARLES WHITT
Central Florida Insurance Systems
202 N.E. 8th Avenue
Ocala, Florida 34470
You, TROY CHARLES WHITT, are hereby notified that, pursuant to Chapter 626,
Florida Statutes, the Chief Financial Officer of the State of Florida has caused to be made an
investigation of your activities while licensed as an insurance agent in this state, as a result of
which it is alleged:
GENERAL ALLEGATIONS
1. Pursuant to Chapter 626, Florida Statutes, you, TROY CHARLES WHITT,
License I.D. #A283816 are currently licensed in this state as a Life Agent (2-16), Life & Health
Agent (2-18), and Health agent (2-40).
2. At all times pertinent to the dates and occurrences referred to herein, you, TROY
CHARLES WHITT, were licensed in this state as an insurance agent.
3. Atall times material to the matters alleged herein, you, TROY CHARLES
WHITT, were associated with one or more of the following agencies: “Diversified Health
Services,” “Professional Insurance Systems,” “Advanced Senior Services,” “Rex Huffman &
Associates,” and/or “Central Florida Insurance Systems.”
4. In June, 1990, you, TROY CHARLES WHITT, were subject to a Settlement
Stipulation and related Consent Order issued by the Florida Department of Financial Services
(the “Department”), Case #90-L-322WWT, in which you were subject to administrative
supervision for a period of six months and a $500 administrative penalty stemming from charges
that you misrepresented the terms and conditions of health insurance coverage to Florida
consumers.
5. Two years thereafter and while still a licensed agent in Florida, in or around June,
1992, you, TROY CHARLES WHITT, applied for a supplemental Variable Annuity License. At
that time, and in direct response to a question on the application regarding whether your license
had ever been subject to an administrative penalty, you, TROY CHARLES WHITT, did answer
under oath in the negative. You, TROY CHARLES WHITT, knew or reasonably should have
known that this answer was materially false, given that your license had been subject to
discipline by the Department just two years prior in Case #90-L-322WWT. In July, 1992, you,
TROY CHARLES WHITT, signed and submitted an affidavit acknowledging your misstatement
under oath relative to this supplemental application, and further acknowledging that any future
violations of the Insurance Code or Rules of the Department by you would result in
administrative action to suspend or revoke your license(s).
6. Pursuant to Chapter 626, Florida Statutes, the Department has jurisdiction over
your insurance licenses and appointments.
COUNT I
7. The above General Allegations are hereby realleged and fully incorporated by
reference.
8. In or around early 2003, you, TROY CHARLES WHITT, without an objectively
reasonable basis for believing such a transaction would result in an actual and demonstrable
benefit to the policyholder, caused the surrender of an elderly Florida consumer’s in-force whole
life insurance policy and, in its place, the creation of a new universal life insurance policy written
through that same insurer.
9. You, TROY CHARLES WHITT, were first introduced to Lady Lake, Florida
consumer O.M. by your partner, insurance agent John Dennis Below. On or around February 23, .
2003, you, TROY CHARLES WHITT, and insurance agent John Dennis Below met with O.M.,
who was at that time approximately 81 years of age. During that meeting, and with the ultimate
goal of soliciting your elderly client to purchase an unsuitable insurance policy and/or annuity
contract paying high dollar commissions, John Dennis Below and you, TROY CHARLES
WHITT, convinced O.M. to allow you to review her in force investments and insurance.
10. During that February, 2003 visit, you, TROY CHARLES WHITT, and your
partner convinced O.M. to allow you to review her existing life insurance portfolio. At that time,
O.M. owned a whole life insurance policy written through Manufacturers Life Insurance
Company, Contract #40 137 234 (the “Manufacturers Whole Life Policy”), which had been in
force for approximately 10 years and carried a death benefit of approximately $500,000.00.
11. As a whole life policy, each year it was in force the Manufacturers Whole Life
Policy paid significant dividends which purchased additional paid-up insurance and increased the
death benefit of O.M.’s policy. At the time of your meeting with O.M. in February, 2003, you,
TROY CHARLES WHITT, knew or reasonably should have known that O.M.’s Manufacturers
Whole Life Policy carried a death benefit of approximately $500,000.00. Notwithstanding this
sizeable and growing death benefit and the continued dividends O.M.’s Manufacturers Whole
Life Policy provided, and without regard to the fact that the annual premiums for the policy
would never increase, you, TROY CHARLES WHITT, and your partner, John Dennis Below,
insisted to O.M. that her whole life policy would “lose value” and that it would “be worth much
less in later years.” Contrary to M.N.’s best interests and with no objectively reasonable basis
for doing so, you, TROY CHARLES WHITT, recommended to O.M. that she allow you to
surrender her Manufacturers Whole Life Policy and replace it with another policy, a new
universal life policy issued by the same company, Manufacturers Life. You, TROY CHARLES
WHITT, made this recommendation to O.M. without disclosing to her that there were inherent
risks involved in such a transaction.
12. Based upon the trust she placed in you and believing you, TROY CHARLES
WHITT, to be acting in her best interests, O.M. did agree to allow you and your partner to
surrender her in force Manulife Whole Life Policy for the purpose of creating a new universal
life policy, Manulife Contract #59-164-996 (the “Manulife Universal Life Policy”).
13. Additionally, to effectuate this transaction in the way most financially beneficial
to your own interests, you, TROY CHARLES WHITT, and your partner further insisted to O.M.
that instead of directly investing the cash value proceeds from her Manufacturers Whole Life
Policy into the new Manufacturers Universal Life Policy, she should use those cash value
proceeds to purchase from you a third contract, an immediate annuity, written through Fidelity &
Guaranty Life (“F&G”). As you, TROY CHARLES WHITT, and your partner, John Dennis
Below, explained to O.M., this new immediate annuity contract was to be created by you solely
as a vehicle to fund O.M.’s new Manufacturers Universal Life Policy. You, TROY CHARLES
WHITT, falsely represented to O.M. that doing so would be in her best interests and would, in
fact, benefit her. You, TROY CHARLES WHITT, and your partner, John Dennis Below,
insisted to O.M. that the payments generated by this immediate annuity would be sufficient to
pay in full her annual premiums on a new universal life policy, and that in 7 years the policy
would be “paid up,” and she would have to make no further premium payments. In order to make
the proposal still more attractive to your elderly client, you, TROY CHARLES WHITT, and
your partner, John Dennis Below, further explained to O.M. that once her policy was “paid up”
in 7 years, she would then receive from the F&G Annuity nearly $25,000 per year in
supplemental income for the rest of her life.
14. Based upon the trust she placed in your partner and in you, TROY CHARLES
WHITT, O.M. did in fact agree to allow you to use the cash proceeds from her surrendered
Manufacturers Whole Life Policy to create a new immediate annuity, F&G Contract #LS00467
(the “F&G Annuity”), for the purpose of funding the new Manufacturers Universal Life Policy.
15. The inception of the F&G Annuity generated approximately $7,259.00 in
commissions for your partner, John Dennis Below, or your agency on his behalf. Paperwork
submitted to the carrier names you, TROY CHARLES WHITT, as the writing agent for the
Manufacturers Universal Life Policy, which generated approximately $1 1,904.00 in
commissions. These transactional occurrences generated for you, TROY CHARLES WHITT,
and your partner, John Dennis Below, or your agency on behalf or each of you, approximately
$19,163.00 in commissions.
16. By using an annuity as the funding vehicle for the new universal life policy, you,
TROY CHARLES WHITT, and your partner, John Dennis Below, were able to more than
double the commissions that would have been generated had the proceeds of O.M.’s
Manufacturers Whole Life Policy been used to directly fund the new Manufacturers Universal.
Life Policy. In addition, it is presumed that the use of an immediate annuity as a funding vehicle
for the new Manufacturers Universal Life Policy ultimately would have also made it less likely
that internal regulatory controls against churning at Manufacturers Life would be triggered by
the egregiousness of this transaction.
17. Moreover, you, TROY CHARLES WHITT, knew or reasonably should have
known at the time you recommended to O.M. that she surrender her in-force whole life policy
and purchase a new universal life policy that there were inherent risks involved in sucha —
transaction. These risks included, but were not limited to: the risk that the new policy would be
issued at a higher insurance cost to O.M., based on her new attained age and possibility of
change in health; lower policy dividends; the danger that the universal life policy premiums may
increase over time, whereas the premiums on O.M.’s. whole life policy would have remained
level, and the dividends she earned on her whole life policy, had it been left in force, would
likely have soon been substantial enough to offset the cost of the policy’s premiums; and, the
threat that the income stream generated by the immediate annuity would, at some point, be
insufficient to pay the policy premiums on O.M.’s new universal life policy, placing the policy’s
continued existence in jeopardy.
18. Within two years of inception, the $24,610 annual annuitization payment from the
F&G Annuity that you, TROY CHARLES WHITT, and your partner sold to O.M. was no longer
enough to pay the $37,580 in annual premiums required to keep her new Manufacturers
Universal Life Policy in force. In or about July, 2005, O.M.’s Manufacturers Universal Life
Policy lapsed.
IT IS THEREFORE CHARGED that you, TROY CHARLES WHITT, have violated or
are accountable under the following provisions of the Florida Insurance Code and Rules of the
Department of Financial Services which constitutes grounds for the suspension or revocation of
your licenses and eligibility as an insurance agent:
(a) Demonstrated lack of fitness or trustworthiness to engage.in the business of
insurance. [Section 626.611(7), Florida Statutes];
(b) Demonstrated lack of reasonably adequate knowledge and technical competence
to engage in the transactions authorized by the license or appointment. [Section 626.61 1(8),
Florida Statutes];
(c) Willful failure to comply with, or willful violation of, any proper order or rule of
the department or willful violation of any provision of this code. [Section 626.611(13), Florida
Statutes];
(d) —_ In the conduct of business under the license or appointment, engaging in unfair
methods of competition or in unfair or deceptive acts or practices, as prohibited under part X of
this chapter, or having otherwise shown himself to be a source of injury or loss to the public
interest. [Section 626.621(6), Florida Statutes];
(e) Willful misrepresentation of any insurance policy or annuity contract or willful
deception with regard to any such policy or contract, done either in person or by any form of
dissemination of information or advertising. [Section 626.611(5), Florida Statutes];
® Fraudulent or dishonest practices in the conduct of business under the license or
appointment. [Section 626.611(9), Florida Statutes];
(g) | Knowingly making any misleading representation or incomplete or fraudulent
comparisons or fraudulent material omissions of or with respect to any insurance policies or
insurers for the purpose of inducing, or tending to induce, any person to lapse, forfeit, surrender,
terminate, retain, pledge, assign, borrow on, or convert any insurance policy or to take out a
policy of insurance with another insurer. [Section 626.9541(1)(1), Florida Statutes];
(h) 1 Churning is the practice whereby policy values in an existing life insurance
policy or annuity contract, including, but not limited to, cash, loan values, or dividend values,
and in any riders to that policy or contract, are utilized to purchase another insurance policy or
annuity contract with that same insurer for the purpose of earning additional premiums, fees,
commissions, or other compensation:
a. Without an objectively reasonable basis for believing that the replacement or
extraction will result in an actual and demonstrable benefit to the policyholder;
b. Ina fashion that is fraudulent, deceptive, or otherwise misleading or that involves a
deceptive omission;
# * *
d. Without informing the applicant that the replacing or additional policy or contract will
not be a paid-up policy or that additional premiums will be due, if this is the case.
Churning by an insurer or an agent is an unfair method of competition and an unfair or
deceptive act or practice. [Section 626.9541(1)(aa), Florida Statutes];
(i) The business of insurance is hereby declared to be a public trust in which service
all agents of all companies have a common obligation to work together in serving the best
interests of the insuring public, by understanding and observing the laws governing Life
Insurance in letter and in spirit by presenting accurately and completely every fact essential to a
client’s decision, and by being fair in all relations with colleagues and competitors always
placing the policyholder’s interests first. [Rule 69B-215.210, Florida Administrative Code].
COUNT IT
19. The above General Allegations are hereby realleged and fully incorporated herein
by reference. .
20. Asalicensed insurance agent in Florida, you, TROY CHARLES WHITT, have a
duty to notify the Department within sixty (60) days after a change of residence address,
principal business street address, or mailing address. The two addresses that you, TROY
CHARLES WHITT, maintained on file with the Department as your mailing and home
addresses, respectively, until February 28, 2008, were 2337 E. Silver Springs Boulevard, Ocala,
Florida, 34470-6910; and 7014 S.E. 12th Circle, Ocala, Florida 34480-6653. Neither of these
two addresses was a valid current address for you, TROY CHARLES WHITT, since some time
prior to March, 2006. You, TROY CHARLES WHITT, failed to notify the Department of
changes in your addresses as required under the Insurance Code.
IT IS THEREFORE CHARGED that you, TROY CHARLES WHITT, have violated or
are accountable under the following provisions of the Florida Insurance Code and Rules of the
Department of Financial Services which constitutes grounds for the suspension or revocation of
your licenses and eligibility as an insurance agent:
(a) Demonstrated lack of fitness or trustworthiness to engage in the business of
insurance. [Section 626.61 1(7), Florida Statutes];
(b) Demonstrated lack of reasonably adequate knowledge and technical competence
to engage in the transactions authorized by the license or appointment. [Section 626.611(8),
Florida Statutes];
(c) Willful failure to comply with, or willful violation of, any proper order or rule of
the department or willful violation of any provision of this code. [Section 626.611(13), Florida
Statutes]; .
(d) Violation of any lawful order or rule of the department, commission, or office.
[Section 626.621(3), Florida Statutes];
(e) Every licensee shall notify the department in writing within 60 days after a
change of name, residence address, principal business street address, or mailing address. Any
licensed agent who has moved his or her residence from this state shall have his or her license
and all appointments immediately terminated by the department. Failure to notify the department
within the required time period shall result in a find not to exceed $250 for the first offense and,
for subsequent offenses, a fine of not less than $500 or suspension or revocation of the license
pursuant to s. 626.611 or s. 626.621. [Section 626.551, Florida Statutes].
WHEREFORE, you, TROY CHARLES WHITT, are hereby notified that the Chief
Financial Officer intends to enter an Order revoking your licenses and appointments as an
insurance agent or to impose such penalties as may be provided under the provisions of Sections
10
626.611, 626.621, 626.681, 626.691, 626.692, and 626.9521, Florida Statutes, and under the .
other referenced Sections of the Florida Statutes as set out in this Administrative Complaint. You
are further notified that the Department intends to seek aggravation of the total applicable
penalty against you, TROY CHARLES WHITT, in consideration of the willfulness of your
conduct, your motivation and financial gain, the age or capacity of the victim, and the degree of
injury to your victim. Additionally, you are notified that any order entered in this case revoking
or suspending any license or eligibility for licensure held by you shall also apply to all other
licenses and eligibility held by you under the Florida Insurance Code.
Ne F RIGHTS
You have the right to request a proceeding to contest this action by the Department
pursuant to Sections 120.569 and 120.57, Florida Statutes, and Rule 28-106, Florida
Administrative Code. The proceeding request must be in writing, signed by you, and must be
filed with the Department within twenty-one (21) days of your receipt of this notice. Completion
of the attached Election of Proceeding form and/or a petition for an administrative hearing wiil
suffice as a written request. The request must be filed with the General Counsel, acting as
agency clerk, at the Florida Department of Financial Services, 612 Larson Building, 200 East
Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0333. Your written response must be received by the
Department no later than 5:00 p.m. on the twenty-first day after your receipt of this notice.
Mailing the response on the twenty-first day will not preserve your right to a hearing.
YOUR FAILURE TO RESPOND IN WRITING WITHIN
TWENTY-ONE (21) DAYS OF YOUR RECEIPT OF THIS
NOTICE WILL CONSTITUTE A WAIVER OF YOUR
RIGHT TO REQUEST A PROCEEDING ON THE
MATTERS ALLEGED HEREIN AND AN ORDER OF
SUSPENSION OR REVOCATION WILL BE ENTERED
AGAINST YOU.
11
If you request a proceeding, you must provide information that complies with the
requirements of Rule 28-106.2015, Florida Administrative Code. As noted above, completion of —
the attached Election of Proceeding form conforms to these requirements. Specifically, your
response must contain:
(a) . The name, address, and telephone number, and facsimile number (if any) of the
respondent (for the purpose of requesting a hearing in this matter, you are the "respondent").
(b) The name, address, telephone number, facsimile number of the attorney or
qualified representative of the respondent (if any) upon whom service of pleadings and other
papers shall be made.
(ce) Astatement requesting an administrative hearing identifying those material facts
that are in dispute. If there are none, the petition must so indicate.
(d) Asstatement of when the respondent received notice of the administrative
complaint.
(e) A statement including the file number to the administrative complaint.
If a hearing of any type is requested, you have the right to be represented by counsel or
other qualified representative at your expense, to present evidence and argument, to call and
cross-examine witnesses, and to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of
documents by subpoena.
If a proceeding is requested and there is no dispute of material fact, the provisions of
Section 120,57(2), Florida Statutes, apply. In this regard, you may submit oral or written
evidence in opposition to the action taken by the Department or a written statement challenging
the grounds upon which the Department has relied. While a hearing is normally not required in
the absence of a dispute of fact, if you feel that a hearing is necessary, one will be conducted in
Tallahassee, Florida, or by telephonic conference call upon your request.
12
However, if you dispute material facts which are the basis for the Department’s action,
you must request an adversarial proceeding pursuant to Sections 120.569 and 120.57(1), Florida
' Statutes. These proceedings are held before a State administrative law judge of the Division of
Administrative Hearings. Unless the majority of witnesses are located elsewhere, the
Department will request that the hearing be conducted in Tallahassee, Florida.
Failure to follow the procedure outlined with regard to your response to this notice may
result in the request being denied. All prior oral communication or correspondence in this matter
shall be considered freeform agency action, and no such oral communication or correspondence
shall operate as a valid request for an administrative proceeding. Any request for an
administrative proceeding received prior to the date of this notice shall be deemed abandoned
unless timely renewed in compliance with the guidelines as set out above.
Mediation of this matter pursuant to Section 120.573, Florida Statutes, is not available.
No Department attorney will discuss this matter with you until the response has been received by
the Department. ,
DATED and SIGNED this a G day of A pu \ , 2008.
IN CHANDLER
Deputy Chief Financial Officer
13
. CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE ;
’ THEREBY CERTIFY that a true and correct copy of the foregoing ADMINISTRATIVE
COMPLAINT and ELECTION OF RIGHTS has been furnished to: TROY CHARLES WHITT,
1107 East Silver Springs Blvd., #5, Ocala, Florida 34470; 4900 S.E. 11th Avenue, Ocala,
Florida, 34480-6663; and at Central Flori ce Systems, 202 N.E. 8th Avenue, Ocala,
Florida, 34470, by Certified Mail this day of 2008.
200 East Gaines'Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0333
(850) 413-4230
(850) 488-0697 facsimile
14
Docket for Case No: 08-006221PL
Issue Date |
Proceedings |
Mar. 05, 2009 |
Settlement Stipulation for Consent Order filed.
|
Mar. 03, 2009 |
Order Closing File. CASE CLOSED.
|
Mar. 02, 2009 |
Motion to Relinquish Jurisdiction filed.
|
Feb. 17, 2009 |
Order (Respondent`s Motion for Continuance is denied).
|
Feb. 03, 2009 |
Motion for Continuance and/or Rescheudling(sic) of Hearing Set for March 4, 2009 filed.
|
Jan. 26, 2009 |
Order of Pre-hearing Instructions.
|
Jan. 26, 2009 |
Notice of Hearing (hearing set for March 4, 2009; 11:00 a.m.; Ocala, FL).
|
Jan. 14, 2009 |
Respondent`s Response to Initial Order filed.
|
Jan. 09, 2009 |
Petitioner`s Response to Initial Order filed.
|
Dec. 15, 2008 |
Initial Order.
|
Dec. 15, 2008 |
Administrative Complaint filed.
|
Dec. 15, 2008 |
Answer filed.
|
Dec. 15, 2008 |
Election of Proceeding filed.
|
Dec. 15, 2008 |
Agency referral filed.
|