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 Industry News

Big “I” Professional Liability
Free Risk Management Webinar: Avoiding E&O Pitfalls in E&S Business

Swiss Re Academy and the Big “I” Professional Liability Program will present a free risk management webinar for Swiss Re agency E&O policyholders on May 15 from 2-3 p.m. EST. The webinar is appropriate for all agency staff and covers the E&O issues of placing insurance in the excess & surplus lines market and working with E&S brokers.This is the first webinar in a series addressing knowledge of E&O risk management that will be held throughout 2009.
 
The highly knowledgeable panel will include: an experienced E&S broker, a respected Big “I” state executive director with years of E&S experience, an attorney who has handled numerous cases involving independent agents and their E&S placements, a Swiss Re underwriter who works with E&S placements and a Swiss Re claims attorney who works with Swiss Re E&O insured agents.
 
Attendees will learn more about where E&O claims occur with the placement of E&S risks; when and why to use the E&S market; laws affecting E&S markets, such as cancellation requirements, coverage changes and guaranty fund protection; how to select an E&S broker; the duties of the producing agent or broker and more.

Click here to register now. Swiss Re policyholders can also find more valuable agency E&O risk management information by visiting www.independentagent.com/EOhappens.

Legislative Conference & Convention
Rep. McCarthy Addresses Young Agents

Yesterday, Chief Deputy Republican Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) addressed the Annual Young Agents & InsurPac State Chairpersons Legislative Luncheon at the Big “I” Legislative Conference & Convention.

During his presentation to hundreds of Big “I” Young Agents and InsurPac contributors, McCarthy discussed taxes, the current state of the economy, health care reform and the state of the Republican Party.

McCarthy noted that he is opposed to much of what the Democrats and the Obama administration are proposing regarding health care. “They want to create a health care system with the compassion of the IRS; the efficiency of the post office,” he said. He also said that the Democrats will try to pass health care legislation in September but noted that he thinks the real decisions will be made in the next few months. He told agents that they came to Washington at a good time to stress their views to their members of Congress.

McCarthy serves on the powerful House Financial Services Committee, which oversees the insurance industry. Prior to his election to Congress, McCarthy was a small business owner and served as the top Republican in the California Assembly. He is in his second term and represents the 22nd district which includes most of Kern and San Luis Obispo Counties, and northeastern Los Angeles County. 

“Rep. McCarthy’s insightful presentation demonstrated his understanding and proven record on issues important to independent insurance agents and brokers,” says Charles E. Symington, Jr., Big “I” senior vice president for government affairs. “The Big ‘I’ is honored that Rep. McCarthy, a rising star in Congress, addressed our Young Agents and InsurPac leadership teams.”

“Big ‘I’ Young Agents are the next generation of independent agency system leaders and InsurPac is the largest property-casualty political action committee,” says Robert A. Rusbuldt, Big “I” president & CEO. “These two forces are among the most influential in the industry and Rep. McCarthy’s presentation touched on many important points that impact them directly such as taxes, small business and health care reform. We look forward to continuing our efforts to build involvement in and activism for legislative issues vital to the future of our industry.”

Legislative Conference & Convention
InsurPac Presents Annual Awards

Yesterday, during the Annual Young Agents & InsurPac State Chairpersons Legislative Luncheon, InsurPac presented its National Championship awards, Young Agent of the Year and Eagle awards. The 2008 winners are:

InsurPac National Championship Award – Florida: This award goes to the state whose agents contribute the most money for InsurPac in a calendar year. Florida agents contributed $65,977.

Young Agent National Championship Award - North Carolina: This recognition honors the state whose young agents donate the most money to InsurPac. Young Agents from North Carolina contributed $13,592.

InsurPac Young Agent Award: The 2008 winner, Tee Atkins, serves as the New Jersey InsurPac chairman. Under his chairmanship, InsurPac receipts from New Jersey reached an all-time high. Tee’s dedication to raising InsurPac money and passion for political involvement has inspired New Jersey's young agent program for years to come.

InsurPac Eagle Awards: This award is given annually to states that surpass a fundraising average of $100 per member agency. The 2008 recipients are Arkansas, South Carolina and Washington.


Legislative Conference & Convention
Soto Wins Woodworth Award

This morning, Big “I”  Chairman Brett Nilsson presented the Woodworth Memorial Award, the highest honor the Big “I” bestows on one of its members, to Alex Soto of Insource, Inc. in Miami. This prestigious award recognizes the meritorious and outstanding contributions of an independent agent or broker to the national association, to his or her Big “I” colleagues and to the insurance industry.

Throughout his more than 35 years in the industry, Soto has been an advocate for independent agents on Capitol Hill, in the media, in the White House and many other venues. Called by many “the Great Communicator” of the Big “I”, he served as IIABA’s Branding Task Force chairman and was there at the inception and development of Trusted Choice^®. He still serves on the Trusted Choice^® Board today. He knows the power of a consumer brand and he has been relentless in educating the industry on the necessity and importance of Trusted Choice^®.

During his tenure on the national executive committee, Soto was a motivator, a consensus builder and a true leader. During his term as chairman, he led the charge on certificates of insurance, natural disaster reform and other important issues for agents. He also provided a steady voice in a difficult period of turmoil involving producer compensation when strong leadership was crucial.

This year’s winner has served the industry beyond his extensive role for the Big “I”. He worked with the Governor’s Commission of Florida Insurance Crisis and also served as vice chairman of the Florida Property Casualty Joint Underwriting Association. He represented agents at an economic summit with former President George W. Bush and he recently participated in the Treasury Department’s National Roundtable on Insurance Literacy.

He is also active in his local community, serving as a trustee of the Archdiocese of Miami Trust and he is the immediate past president the Two Hundred Club of Greater Miami, Inc., which provides monetary assistance to the families of fallen police officers, firefighters and other law enforcement and emergency responders. He also served as chairman of the Miami-Dade Water Authority, chairman of the City of Coral Gables Cable Television Board and as a member of St. Hugh Catholic Church Parish Council. 

IIABA News
Big “I” to Host Free Webinar on E-mail Security

The Big “I” Agents Council for Technology (ACT) recently announced that it will be hosting a free webinar entitled “Protecting Independent Agent Clients with Secure E-mail Using TLS (Transport Layer Security)” on May 13 from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. EST.

“Regular unsecured e-mail is like sending an open postcard through the mail,” says Jeff Yates, ACT executive director. “It is not an appropriate tool where confidential consumer information may be included, such as when sending commercial lines applications.”

“ACT recommends independent agents and carriers implement TLS e-mail encryption wherever possible to protect the sensitive client information being sent between carriers and clients,” Yates adds. “Taking such steps positions the agency well with regard to the various federal and state privacy, security and data breach laws.”

TLS is available on most up-to-date in-house e-mail servers (such as Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes). It is not currently available on hosted e-mail such as Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo. Once implemented by the agency’s technology professional, TLS is transparent to the user and the only cost is for the security certificate. It provides a better agent workflow than proprietary e-mail solutions imposed by the carrier. Many carriers are already enabled with TLS.

Yates will serve as moderator for the hour-long webinar, and panelists will include Jim Rogers, director of distribution at The Hartford, and Tim Woodcock, president of Courtesy Computers. The first 30 minutes of the webinar are designed for agency business leaders to explain the risks of unsecured e-mail and how TLS works. The second half will be a more technical discussion regarding implementation of TLS on Microsoft Exchange servers. To register for the webinar, click here.
 
ACT has produced the article “Protect Your Clients with Secure E-mail using TLS,” as well as  agents’ frequently asked questions about TLS, which can be found at www.independentagent.com/act at the “Agency Security/Customer Privacy” link.


IIABA News
Big “I” Advertisement Against Federal Regulation Runs in Hill Newspaper

The Big “I” is reinforcing its message of state regulation of insurance this week by advertising in Washington, D.C.’s Politico newspaper. Politico reaches more than 25,000 decision makers on Capitol Hill, in the White House and other federal agencies.

The ad, which features a picture of a fender bender, asks readers whether they would call the federal government in the event of a minor car accident and argues independent agents and state regulators are more prepared to meet customers’ needs than federal regulators. In addition, the ad informs readers on Capitol Hill that, “This week, more than 1,400 independent agents and brokers from across the country will visit members of Congress to explain why local insurance regulation works best.”

Click here to see a copy of the ad.