第三章 外國單一金融消費爭議處理機制簡介
第二節 新加坡金融業爭議調解中心
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接到許多投資人及連動商品銷售相關當事人之申訴案件,部分案件 FOS 已進行調查,但其數 量相較於整體受影響投資人之數量而言仍相當少。FSA 與 FOS 平時即有聯繫管道,雙方認為 執行「牽涉廣泛爭議案件」處理程序有助於填補雷曼債消費者損害,並可處理比移交評議人 案件數量更多之消費者之關切。於是,FSA 於 2009 年 5 月 6 日去函 FOS,請 FOS 考慮延期 發布初階裁判人或評議人對雷曼債案件之決定,俾 FSA 審慎研議適當之行政措施。FOS 於 2009 年 5 月 7 日函覆表示,同意 FSA 之要求,並通知受影響之消費者及金融機構,同時期望 監理機關對該等案件有解決方式,將視 FSA 之研議進度,3 個月後再審理該等案件。2009 年 8 月 13 日 FSA 再度請 FOS 考慮再延長 3 個月暫緩處理該等案件,俾使 FSA 有充裕時間蒐集 更多資訊研議最有利消費者之處理方式,雖然此將使個案解決有所遲延,但若 FOS 逕行處理 該等個案,對投資人並未有利。FOS 也同意於再延長之 3 個月內不會對相關案件作成評議決 定。168
第二節 新加坡金融業爭議調解中心
第一項 沿革及法律依據
新加坡金融業爭議調解中心(Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre Ltd.以下簡 稱’FIDReC’)係由新加坡金融管理局(Monetary Authority of Singapore,以下簡稱’MAS’)於 2005 年 8 月 1 日成立。組織型態為保證責任有限公司,任務為提供金融消費者一負擔得起之 糾紛解決選擇機制,獨立公正處理金融機構與消費者間之紛爭。FIDReC 已取代原新加坡銀行 公會消費者調處組織(the Consumer Mediation Unit of the Association of Banks in Singapore)及 保險爭議處理機構(the Insurance Disputes Resolution Organization)之業務,成為單一且獨立 中立之金融消費爭議處理機構,169對於無資源尋求法院途徑解決爭議或不願支出可觀之法律 費用之消費者,提供一堪負擔之爭議處理途徑。170
FIDReC 之運作多以其業務規則(Terms of References)為依據,該業務規則由 FIDReC 董事會制定,董事會並有權於有需要時經 MAS(Monetary Authority of Singapore)核准而修正業 務規則規定,及制定與修正相關標準規範(Standards),包括業務規則之附件(Annexes)。業 務規則規定與標準規範衝突時,以業務規則規定優先適用。171FIDReC 必須確保其人員、受僱 人、諮詢顧問、獨立契僱者及其代理人遵守任何行為準則、隱私權政策及任何經董事會採行 之程序規定。172
對於小額無傷亡之車險爭議案件,係適用 2008 年次級法院操作指引第 1 號(Subordinate Courts Practice Direction 1 of 2008)所定之「新加坡金融爭議調解中心處理小額無傷亡車險爭
168 FSA letter to FOS,Wider Implications: Lehman-backed structured products,available at http://www.wider-implications.info/assets/pdf/2010_001.pdf (last visited at 2010/09/19)
169 http://www.fidrec.com.sg/website/mission.html,http://www.fidrec.com.sg/website/background.html,
http://www.fidrec.com.sg/website/jurisdiction.html(last visited at 2011/01/09)。
170 http://fidrec.com.sg/website/processdisp.html, Processes Q7
171 FIDReC Terms of Reference, Rule 7, 3)、4)
172 FIDReC Terms of Reference, Rule 10
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議案件草約」(Pre-action Protocol for Management of Low-Value Non-injury Motor Accident Cases by the Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre Ltd)之規定。173
FIDReC 得將其特定權責授與他人執行,包括調查事證及要求適格申訴人或金融機構或其 代理人提出資訊之權力。174
第二項 組織架構
FIDReC 董事會(Board of Directors)現有 8 名董事(Directors),由業界董事及非業界董事各 半數組成,其中 1 人為主席(Chairman),由退休之最高法院法官擔任。董事會之組成必須確保 FIDReC 的獨立性、公正性、平易性及透明性,並對 FIDReC 之運作進行監督及評估,並有選 任評議人及使其遵循 FIDReC 規則、通過預算及訂立 FIDReC 政策、規則與長期目標之職權,
目前主要目標為促進爭議當事人均能接受並友善地成立和解。175
FIDReC 之評議人(Adjudicator)由董事會任命,176自法官、資深顧問、律師或退休之產 業專家中嚴格挑選,係獨立公正的,並非 FIDReC 之受雇人、機構或約聘人員。目前共有 23 名評議人,另有特別處理結構型商品爭議之 15 名評議人及 23 名專業律師。177
FIDReC 並置有執行團隊(Executive team),由各行政部門及各部門經理人組成。執行長 (Chief Executive Officer)負責領導執行團隊,管理 FIDReC 每日的經營與事務,其本身也是 FIDReC 所指定之評議人(Adjudicator)之ㄧ。178
第三項 適用案件範圍
得提出於新加坡 FIDReC 的案件,必須符合「適格的爭議」 (Eligible Disputes)及「適格 的申訴人」(Eligible Complainants)要件,且非屬「被排除之爭議案件」(Excepted Complaints),
才能進入 FIDReC 之爭議處理程序。
所謂「適格的爭議」 (Eligible Disputes),依新加坡 FIDReC 業務規則(Terms of References)
第 4 條第 1 項規定,所有與金融業者間之爭議類型符合下列條件者,均可提出於 FIDReC 處 理:179
173 FIDReC Terms of Reference, Rule11B
174 FIDReC Terms of Reference, Rule 8
175 http://www.fidrec.com.sg/website/mgmtboard.html 最後瀏覽日:2010 年 8 月 29 日
176 FIDReC Terms of Reference, Rule 2, i) ‘Adjudicator’ means a person appointed by the Board in accordance with Rule 22 to act as an adjudicator of disputes referred to FIDReC and a ‘panel of Adjudicators’ refers to a panel appropriately convened pursuant to Rule 22.
177 http://www.fidrec.com.sg/website/adjudicators.html http://www.fidrec.com.sg/website/adjust_structured.html 最後 瀏覽日:2010 年 8 月 29 日
178 http://www.fidrec.com.sg/website/mgmtboard.html 最後瀏覽日:2010 年 8 月 29 日
179 FIDReC Terms of Reference, Rule4,1):All types of Disputes with a FI may be brought before and dealt with by FIDReC (known as “Eligible Disputes”) subject to the following conditions:Ⅰ)the complainant must be an Eligible Complainant;Ⅱ)the FI involved in the Dispute must be one which is subject to the jurisdiction of FIDReC by reason of it being a subscriber or by reason of it having consented to submit itself to the jurisdiction of FIDReC;Ⅲ)save in case of insurance dispute, the activity or Dispute arises out of matters relevant to the Eligible Complainant being or having been a customer of the FI;Ⅳ) the activity to which the Complaint relates must be subject to the jurisdiction of FIDRe, and in the case of Complaints relating to activities prior to the setting of FIDReC, subject to the jurisdiction of the Insurance Disputes Resolution Organization and/or the Consumer
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(一)申訴人必須是適格的申訴人(Eligible Complainants)。
(二)爭議所涉金融服務業必須是 FIDReC 之捐助人而受 FIDReC 管轄,或已同意自願受 FIDReC 管轄
(三)於保險爭議案件之生存者,爭議或活動係產生自與金融服務業客戶之適格申訴人有 關之事務;
(四)爭議所涉活動必須係受 FIDReC 管轄之範圍;於 FIDReC 設立前,爭議案件所涉活動 必須係受新加坡銀行公會消費者調處組織或新加坡保險爭議處理機構管轄之範圍。
(五)金融服務業未於接獲適格申訴人申訴後 4 週內令申訴人滿意地解決爭議;
(六)爭議之受訴金融服務業必須於爭議涉及之行為或過失時係 FIDReC 之捐助人或同意 讓 FIDReC 處理此爭議,且須於爭議提出於 FIDReC 時未撤回其捐助。
惟依 FIDReC 業務規則第 5 條規定,下列爭議案件為「除外爭議案件」(Excepted Complaints),不得提出於 FIDReC:180
(一)商業判斷。
(二)定價政策及其他利率或費用等之政策。
(三)任何於法定機構調查中之案件,包括涉及詐欺或其他刑責,且案件已移由警察單位 調查中。
(四)涉及總代理機構之爭議案件。
(五)金融機構回覆申訴處理結果後已逾 6 個月之爭議案件。
(六)業經新加坡銀行公會消費者調處組織或新加坡保險爭議處理機構之處理機制審查或 已解決之爭議案件。
(七)業經申訴人與金融機構私下和解之爭議案件。
(八)業經法院審理且已作成裁判或命令之案件。
而上述(一)所謂之「商業判斷」,依 FIDReC 業務規則第 2 條第 1 款之定義,係包括但不 限於借貸、證券承銷或保險契約核保所為之風險評估以及金融、商業標準或客戶屬性等事項 之判斷或評估。181
所謂「適格的申訴人」 (Eligible Complainants),依 FIDReC 業務規則第 6 條規定係指:
182
Mediation Unit oh the Association of Banks oh Singapore;Ⅴ)the FI has failed to resolve the Complaint to the satisfaction of the Eligible Complainant within four weeks of receiving it; and Ⅵ) the FI about which the Complaint is made must be a Subscriber at the time of the act or omission to which the Complaint relates or has agreed to let FIDReC consider such Complaints, and must not have withdrawn from being a Subscriber at the time when the Complaint is referred to FIDReC.
180 FIDReC Terms of Reference, Rule5:The following Complaints cannot be brought before FIDReC: i)Commercial Decisions; ii)pricing policies; iii)cases under investigation by any law enforcement agency, including cases where allegations of fraud or criminal activity have been made, and where the matter has been referred to the police for investigation; iv)cases concerning principal agent issues; v) Complaints that are more than six months old after the FI’s final reply; vi) Complaints arising under a Former Scheme and which have been considered by or resolved under that Scheme; vii) Complaints that have been settled privately or otherwise between the Eligible Complainant and the FI; and viii)cases which have been subjected to a court hearing and for which a court judgment and/or order has been passed.
181 ‘Commercial Decision’ including but is not limited to an assessment of risk (such as in lending, taking security or insurance underwriting), and assessment of financial and commercial criteria or of character of a customer.
182 FIDReC Terms of Reference, Rule6:The following persons (known as “Eligible Complainant”) may bring
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(一)與金融服務業有客戶關係之個人消費者。
(二)與金融服務業有客戶關係之獨資者。
(三)與金融服務活動有利益關係之人,包括:
1.信託或資產之受益人;
2.保險契約授與或欲授與利益之人;
3.於保險契約下就爭議所獲法律上權利已依契約、法規或代位而移轉之人;
4.集合投資計畫受益權單位之受益所有人且金融服務業係計畫之經理人或保管人。
(四)財產受託人或代表人。
(五)被保險人。
(六)擴張相關第三人範圍之保險契約所賦予得提起爭議之第三人。
由上述規定可知,新加坡 FIDReC 可處理之爭議案件範圍非常廣泛,僅有負面列舉之「除 外爭議案件」(Excepted Complaints)不能提出於 FIDReC 處理,幾乎所有金融消費者與金融機 構間所生之爭議均得使用 FIDReC 機制解決紛爭,且 FIDReC 對於適格申訴人亦不似英國 FOS 於企業、團體及信託方面設有一定年營業額以下之資格條件限制。
第四項 處理程序
FIDReC 對於金融消費爭議之處理係採先「調處」(Mediation)後「評議」(Adjudication)
之二階段程序。183
申訴人有需要請求 FIDReC 開始調查並調處爭議案件時,必須依 FIDReC 所定格式填寫 並提出申請書(Dispute resolution form,’DRF’)。此申請必需符合下列期間限制:184
(一)金融業者內部爭議處理單位已處理該爭議案件但處理結果未達雙方滿意程度,或於 申訴人向金融業者提出申訴後金融業者逾 4 週仍未進行處理,二者發生在前者。
(二)自金融業者就申訴案件對適格申訴人提出「最後回覆」(final reply)之日起,不得逾 6 個月。「最後回覆」係指金融業者對適格申訴人所發出之信函或其他書面,載明此 係其最後回覆,申訴人得於收到此信函或書面文件後 6 個月內向 FIDReC 提出調處 申請,並敘明如何向 FIDReC 提出調處申請之細節。對於金融業者發出之信函或其 他書面文件是否屬最後回覆有爭議者,由 FIDReC 裁奪之,FIDReC 之裁奪對雙方 當事人有拘束力。
由上述申請要件可知,FIDReC 雖係採先「調處」後「評議」之二階段處理程序,但亦如
Complaint before FIDReC:i)individual consumers having a customer relationship with a FI;ii)sole proprietors having a customer relationship with a FI;iii)a person who has benificial interest in the activity, including the following persons:a)a person who is a beneficiary under a trust or estate;b)a person for whoes benefit a contract of insurance was taken out or was intended to br taken out;c)a person on whom the legal right to benefit from a claim under a contract of insurance has devolved by contract, statute or subrogation;d)a beneficial owner of units in
Complaint before FIDReC:i)individual consumers having a customer relationship with a FI;ii)sole proprietors having a customer relationship with a FI;iii)a person who has benificial interest in the activity, including the following persons:a)a person who is a beneficiary under a trust or estate;b)a person for whoes benefit a contract of insurance was taken out or was intended to br taken out;c)a person on whom the legal right to benefit from a claim under a contract of insurance has devolved by contract, statute or subrogation;d)a beneficial owner of units in