Viewpointspring2014

SPRING 2014 • VOLUME 32 • ISSUE 2 INDEPENDENT INSURANCE AGENTS OF IOWA

Branding Your Business

ARE YOU totally

WORRY FREE?

®

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WWW.IMTINS.COM

WEST DES MOINES, IOWA • 800.274.3531 • WWW.IMTINS.COM

PRESIDENT’S REPORT Golf Outing Benefits Students The golf outing benefits students enrolled in the RMI certificate program by providing funding and scholarships for the undergraduates.

Independent Insurance Agents of Iowa 4000 Westown Parkway West Des Moines, Iowa 50266 (515) 223-6060 • FAX (515) 222-0610 800-272-9312 (In-State only)

Advertising Editor Melissa Meiners

BOARD OF DIRECTORS President

by Terry McDonald, CIC Page 5

NATIONAL DIRECTOR’S REPORT Top Priorities What goes on legislatively in D.C. is one of our top priorities.

by Dean Brooks, CPCU, CLU, ALCM Page 7

Terry McDonald, CIC - Iowa City

President-Elect Scott Morningstar, CPCU - Lisbon

Treasurer Jerry Mease - Winterset

National Director Dean Brooks, CPCU, CLU, ALCM West Des Moines

Directors Eldon Hunsicker - Ottumwa Terry Friedman, CPCU - Dubuque Tim English, CIC - Dyersville John Dalton - Council Bluffs Steve Madsen - Marshalltown David Rowley, CPCU, CIC, AU - Spirit Lake Scott Wirtz - Emmetsburg Jamie Krist, CIC, MBA - West Des Moines Luke Horak - Washington

Past President

ADVERTISERS We would like to thank our advertisers for their support. This magazine would not be possible without them.

THANK YOU! 24 Acuity 18 Amerisafe 35 Big “I” Professional Liability 20 Bituminous 4 Burns & Wilcox 14 EMC Insurance Co. 30 Grinnell Mutual 2 The IMT Group

Paul Pohlson - Grinnell

2 7 IMWCA Iowa Municipalities Workers’ Compensation Association

IIAI OFFICE STAFF

26 Insurance Associates of America

Chief Executive Officer

9 Integrity Insurance

Bob Skow, CPCU, CAE bob@iiaiowa.org

21 Iowa Mutual Insurance Co.

Membership Operations Coordinator Melissa Meiners melissa@iiaiowa.org • Ext. 15

6 Liberty Mutual Insurance 18 Mass Mutual 27 Merchants Bonding Co.

Technology & Communications Administrator

22 M.J. Kelly Company

Jeanne Reynolds jeanne@iiaiowa.org • Ext. 17

10 Pekin Insurance

Membership Services Coordinator Marilyn Paul, CPCU, AIT, AAM, CPIW marilyn@iiaiowa.org • Ext. 11

10 Northern States Agency 15 SECURA Insurance Co. 23 West Bend

In This Issue Branding Your Agency Page 11

Iowa Agents Go To Washington, D.C. Page 16

Insurance Day On The Hill Page 17

Insurance Volunteers – Personal Lines

By Bill Wilson Page 19

What Do Companies Want

By Chris Burand Page 25

Tech Talk - Seven Ways To Write Better Emails

By Steve Anderson Page 29

No Such Thing As A Stupid Question

By Richard F. Lund, J.D. Page 31

Large E&O Claims

By David Hulcher Page 34

28 Western National Insurance

Membership Services Coordinator Brenda Kluger, CIC, CISR, CIIP, CRM brenda@iiaiowa.org • Ext. 14

Membership Services Coordinator Megan Kincy, AINS, AIS megan@iiaiowa.org • Ext. 16

Receptionist Cindy Grim cindy@iiaiowa.org • Ext. 12

MISSION STATEMENT: The Independent Insurance Agents of Iowa will be an ­unrelenting advocate of the business, professional and p ­ olitical interests of its members; doing so by working in the p ­ ublic’s best interest and with the highest e ­ thical standards.

Viewpoint is a publication of the Independent Insurance Agents of Iowa. Viewpoint is published quarterly: Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. Viewpoint is mailed to Iowa insurance agents, Iowa Home Office Executives, Affiliate members, and other state associations and organizations.

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president’s REPORT

Golf Outing Benefits Students

I

n the winter issue of Viewpoint, I promoted the importance of getting young people interested in our industry to help perpetuate the independent agency system as well as relying on this generation to purchase our agencies.

An event that promotes the insurance industry as a profession to college juniors and seniors is the Dana C. Ramundt Insurance Education Foundation golf outing held for the benefit of undergraduates attending the University of Iowa and enrolled in the Vaughan Institute of Risk Management & Insurance certificate program through the Tippee College of Business Finance Degree department.

On August 21st the 8th annual golf outing will be held at Finkbine Golf Course in Iowa City. The sellout event is open to the first 144 agents and insurance company executives. So if you are planning to attend, submit your registration in early.

The golf outing benefits students enrolled in the RMI certificate program by providing funding and scholarships for the undergraduates. Each year RMI students who attend this event stand on tee boxes throughout the golf course to meet face to face with insurance company CEO’s and owners of insurance agencies. Over 9 company CEO’s attended last year’s outing.

On one occasion a student was hired at the golf outing by a major

by Terry McDonald, CIC year. For the past several years, Scott Morningstar and I have been invited to speak to the RMI students and promote life as an insurance agent. Once the class is over, we invite students interested in being an independent agent to join us for some pizza at the Airliner. We always have 6-10 students come along to hear more about the insurance industry.

So, if you are looking for new producer or would like to contact past RMI graduates that may be interested in becoming an agent, please contact Dana Ramundt and attend this golf event to learn more.

Again, thank you for all you do for the Independent Insurance Agents of Iowa. insurance company.

The success of this program can be measured by the popularity of students involved. Over 200 RMI students graduated from the program since its inception and 80% of those students are employed in the insurance industry today. The graduates go on to be insurance agents, claims adjusters, actuaries, auditors, underwriters, field reps, insurance marketing professionals etc. The list employed in the insurance industry is staggering.

Currently there are over 100 candidates’ enrolled RMI program, beating the previous enrollment record of 67 students. This proves the RMI program is growing in popularity every

“On August 21st the 8th annual golf outing will be held at Finkbine Golf Course in Iowa City.

The sellout event is open to the first 144 agents and insurance company executives”

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Š 2014 Liberty Mutual Insurance. Insurance underwritten

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national director’s REPORT

Top Priorities

T

he timing of this article is always a bit awkward.

To meet the publication deadline, I have to write it before the National Legislative Conference and April Board meeting, but the magazine gets to your office after the Legislative Conference.

So while I can’t talk about our April meeting even though it has happened before you read this, there still are a number of exciting things happening with your national association I can talk about.

Naturally, what goes on legislatively in D.C. is one of our top priorities.

Barring something unexpected out of left field, by the time you read this the President will have signed the “Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2013”. This legislation addresses two major legislative priories for our association: flood insurance and agent licensing reform. The bill makes changes to the Biggert-Waters Act of 2012 in order to help with the “sticker shock” some consumers are facing as a result of two provisions that create drastic premium increases in many parts of the country.

The bill will also provide for streamlined non-resident insurance agent and broker licensing while preserving state insurance regulation and consumer protections. Look to your Big “I” as an educational resource to help guide you through key changes you should know

by Dean Brooks, CPCU, CLU, ALCM

when writing flood insurance after this legislation.

Although it is hard to believe, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been law for just over four years now. It continues to create a challenging environment for independent agencies, both as health care consumers and as health insurance advisors. The Big “I” is working to ensure member agencies will continue to be able to offer their employees access to quality and affordable health insurance, while also maintaining the high level of service clients have come to expect. A key issue for IIABA is ensuring a strong agent and broker role in health insurance marketplaces. With the major

changes in the marketplace caused by the ACA, consumers need professional guidance more than ever, not only with the initial purchase but the continued servicing of the policy as consumer needs arise. In tandem with this issue, proper regulation, training and oversight of so-called “navigators” or other similar government-funded entities operating within the marketplaces will continue to be an important issue.

IIABA supports three bills introduced in the House by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), and one in the Senate by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), all of which highlight troubling consumer protection concerns raised by these programs.

The Big “I” has a long and storied history as a strong advocate for the Federal Crop Insurance Program (FCIP). As the largest trade group representing crop insurance agents, IIABA worked hard to see the FCIP retained and strengthened as the central risk management tool for farmers and ranchers within the Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Bill). The Big “I” strongly supported the FCIP, and when discussions for the 2015 Standard Reinsurance Agreement (SRA) renegotiation begin, the Big “I” will continue to advocate for agent participation in the SRA conversations relating to the day-to-day business of agents servicing crop policies for their customers.

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One of the most exciting things to report is that InsurPac finished 2013 as an elite “One Million Dollar” PAC, with $1,007,668 in receipts. This is the second time in our history that InsurPac has topped one million dollars. This puts us at another level in Washington and sends a message of just how serious we are about the Independent agency system. Of course, we need to do it again in 2014, and our success relies on you and every other agent in our association stepping up with a contribution.

For those of you who have already invested in 2014, thanks! For those of you who haven’t yet, we could sure use your contribution now rather than later. The future of your agency is at stake here – it is a small investment to make to ensure our livelihood.

In other news, if you haven’t seen a recent Independent Agent magazine in print or on the web, go look for it.

There have been upgraded design and expanded content improvements across all platforms. The print magazine, website and e-newsletters have all been redesigned with a modern look and feel, and the magazine is now also available via an iPad app (just search “IA magazine” in the iTunes store).

I would recommend you make some time to check out the ACT resources available online at www.independentagent.com/act. There are a number of articles and whitepapers geared to help position you for the future, including videos on “Agency Perspectives on the Future”, “Agency Strategies for Growth” and tools such as the agency prototype information security plan.

Agents are differentiating themselves in the marketplace and are making significant gains in productivity by implementing available technologies, such as Real Time, download, going paperless and building a content rich online presence for both personal lines and commercial lines.

ACT can help you in all these areas.

Agency customers also are changing fast and every agent should review ACT’s “2013 Key Trends Report” for an overview as to how the Social Culture, Connected Society, Mobile & Mobility,

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the Demographic/ Diversity Transformation, Business Intelligence, and the IS YOUR evolving nature of INSURANCE AGENT managing insurance TRAPPED? risk are changing the playing field.

Delivering policies electronically is a hot topic in the industry right now and ACT has produced INDEPENDENT AGENTS HAVE FREEDOM OF CHOICE. its “Best Practices” A Trusted Choice Independent Agent has the flexibility to competitively shop many different providers on your behalf, giving you options and prices you didn’t think were possible. The only one they’re captive to is you. recommendations for Find your independent agent. Find a better deal at trustedchoice.com electronic delivery of policies to agents & insureds to help Free to do what’s right for you. guide agent and carrier thinking on this subject. Further, LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT ACT is charting the insurance prowith content topics including update FREEDOM OF CHOICE cess from the customer’s perspective to commercial crime, business income CAN DO FOR YOU. through its new Customer Experience worksheets, and resolving claim and Work Group in order to identify specific coverage disputes. Also, the VUpoint Jane Sullivan steps independent agents and carriers newsletter has been redesigned to 800-123-4567 can take to deliver a superior customer provide a fresher look and greater ease experience to that of the other of reading. distribution systems.

Finally, we have launched a new On a side note, ACT is actively national ad campaign called the seeking the involvement of additional “Freedom Campaign” It is a consumer agencies interested in working on tested campaign designed to reach ACT’s initiatives to strengthen our disconsumers via print, radio, direct mail, tribution system’s competitive position, and online. The new Agent Resource by harnessing the latest technologies, Website launched at TrustedChoice. workflows, online marketing strategies com/agents houses all the new camand agent-carrier interfaces. If you are paign materials and an Advertising interested in participating, just let me 101 tutorial with video highlights. know.

And here is the best part: there is a The 2013 Best Practices Study has Marketing Reimbursement Program been released and information is revamped to allow you up to $1,600 available on Big “I” website. The Best total reimbursement during 2014 per Practices Gateway is a free online area agency for approved advertising. For that provides interactive method to more information, visit the website or compare agency operations to that of contact our state association office.

Best Practices Agencies for a benchAs always, if you have any quesmark. The link to the gateway is on tions, comments or concerns about Big “I” website. your national association, contact me The VU “Ask an Expert” service at Miller, Fidler & Hinke Insurance continues to be popular with over Agency, direct line 515-868-0484 or 50 questions received weekly. New dbrooks@mfhins.com. content is being added to reflect current industry needs, provide technical updates and provide agency management articles. VU Experts are helping to present national webinars ®

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Branding Your Business

M

embership in Trusted Choice®, the consumer brand of independent agents and brokers, is included with your IIAI membership!

This means you have: • Access to the Marketing Reimbursement Program • Access to professionally produced advertising materials • Licensed use of the logo & Pledge of Performance • Your agency listed on the “Find an Agent” locator at www.trustedchoice.com Trusted Choice® is the national marketing brand created exclusively for Big “I” members to help consumers understand the value that an independent agent offers. This is not a market access program but a brand that is designed to highlight the strengths of independent insurance agents: Choice, Customization, and Advocacy.

Trusted Choice agencies benefit from the following: • Licensed use of the consumer tested logo and Pledge of Performance.

• Exposure through national advertising and public relations campaigns.

• Customizable advertising materials.

• Inclusion on the online Agency Locator, so that consumers can find your agency when visiting Trusted Choice.

• Informative consumer articles that can be used in agency newsletters, websites, social media or mailing.

• Customizable press release templates which help garner local press coverage for your agency.

• Syndicated content feed (RSS) for your website or blog.

• Support from many Trusted Choice industry partners.

In an effort to drive Iowa insurance consumers to find their local agents IIAI is excited to announce the placing of over 9 million digital ads starting April 1st on the Internet in the State of Iowa in 2014. Experts indicate that over 60% of Iowans will see these digital ads…focused on the advantage of doing business with an independent agent. The ads will link the consumer to TrustedChoice.com and the agent locator This is the single largest number of Iowans we will ever hit with one of our ad campaigns.

CONTINUED

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EXPLORE THE VARIOUS RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO YOU:​

DIRECT MAIL

These pieces are ready for you to drop in your logo, contact info and mail out to your local market. They are pre-written or you can customize.

Agency Self-Mailer Agency Letter

Agency Postcard

PRINT ADS

Bold…attention grabbing…they show consumers exactly what one-company agents are – CAPTIVE!

National Print Ads

CONSUMER TESTED: 86% “LIKED” the ads 84% Agreed that “after seeing the ads, Independent agents are better suited to fulfill their insurance needs”

Local Print Ads

DIGITAL BANNERS A variety of banner ads are available for you to customize and place online.

We have also put together a Targeted Digital Media package which allows you to purchase advertising at wholesale rates! We will:

} Customize the ads with your agency information. } Place them in your target zip codes (up to 5). } Provide you with monthly reporting. } Each unit will receive minimum of 800,000 impressions

& 400 dick-throughs over a 3 month period.

Local Agency Web Banner

Trusted Choice offers a $750 subsidy, reducing your cost to $2,250! Interested?

Email klescha.cherry@iiaba.net or call 703-706-5443.

RADIO

Several Radio Ads are available for you to download & place with a local radio station. Use the MP3 versions to preview the ads, but the WAV files should be used for your actual spot so you can add your agent tag at the end.

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​ ith its new online quoting capaW bilities and bold, new “Freedom” advertising campaign, the Trusted Choice® brand has gained a whole new level of recognition among consumers.

There has never been a better time to co-brand your agency as Trusted Choice® and the 3 great options above can help you offset your costs while doing so!

You can choose to apply for 1, 2, or all 3 reimbursement options. Certain rules and eligibility requirements apply, so be sure to review the Marketing Reimbursement program guidelines and application first.

APPLYING FOR MRP DOLLARS IS EASY! 1. Take stock of your inventory.

Is it time to re-order anything?

Marketing dollars can be used

towards stationery, business cards, brochures, shirts, folders, a sign, pledge certificates, decals, insurance card holders, newsletters and give-a-ways.

2. Evaluate your Web site or develop a new one. Do you have a Web site?

Does your current Web site lack the Trusted Choice® logo or need a little upgrade? You can use Trusted Choice® dollars to give your Web CONTINUED

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presence a fresh new look and add the Trusted Choice® logo/pledge.

3. Find a vendor. Any local vendor will produce printed materials or your website. Just be sure to forward your vendor of choice the logo signature guide.

4. Fill in the blanks. Download the Marketing Reimbursement application and send the completed application along with a professional proof of your items to Trusted Choice®, attention MRP 127 S. Peyton St. Alexandria, VA. 22314 Or email the information to Trusted.Choice@iiaba.net

TOP 3 REASONS MRP APPLICATIONS ARE DENIED The Wrong Logo: Trusted Choice occasionally receives Marketing Reimbursement Program applications

where the items being co-branded don’t feature the Trusted Choice logo at all, but the Big “I” association logo.

For an item to be eligible for reimbursement it must feature the Trusted Choice logo.

Spacing Issues: Sometimes applications feature items where the logo is placed right up against some other element on the item being co-branded. There needs to be a certain amount of clear space given to the Trusted Choice logo so that it is easily identified.

The Wrong Color: Brands are often identified by their main colors- Coca Cola is red, Starbucks is green, etc.

Consistency of color across the brand/ logo helps people identify the brand when they see it. The primary colors for the Trusted Choice logo are blue

& black, though for situations where it’s more appropriate or necessary for a single color there are a few acceptable single color options (Blue, Black, White or Silver). A fuschia Trusted Choice logo may be unique, but we can’t reimburse you for it.

Generally speaking, if the Trusted Choice logo is being used in accordance with the Trusted Choice signature guide, the agency will be reimbursed 50% of their costs up to a maximum of $500 in co-branding materials, including advertising; and in creating or updating a digital presence to include the Trusted Choice logo, link to the Trusted Choice website and Pledge of Performance. Reimbursements will only be made for the Trusted Choice logo, not the IIABA association logo, which looks similar.

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Home Office: Des Moines, IA

www.emcins.com © Copyright Employers Mutual Casualty Company 2014. All rights reserved.

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© 2013 SECURA Insurance

Let’s be there when they need that little push.

Loving every minute since 1900 Commercial • Personal • Farm-Ag • Specialty

Iowa Agents Go To Washington, D.C. Seventeen Iowa agents joined IIAI CEO Bob Skow, CPCU, CAE for a couple of days in Washington, D.C., attending the 2014 IIABA Legislative Conference and Convention in our nation’s Capitol. Attending were as followed: Terry McDonald, CIC; Scott Morningstar, CPCU; Dean Brooks, CPCU, CLU, ALCM; Eldon Hunsicker; Terry Friedman, CPCU; Tim English, CIC; John Dalton; Steve Madsen; David Rowley, CPCU, CIC, AU; Scott Wirtz; Jamie Krist, MBA, CIC; Luke Horak; Paul Pohlson; Paul Lorber; Forrest Schnobrich and Bill Pearson.

▲ Iowa Agents meet with Congressman Braley. ▼ Congressman King discusses issues with Iowa Agents.

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▼ Representative Loebsack looks at the Big “I” issue booklet.

Insurance Day On The Hill On a snowy day over 50 Iowa agents weathered the storm to lobby at the state Capitol. Each year the Big “I” visits state legislators in Des Moines on the issues that impact our business. Lobbyist Bob Skow, CPCU, CAE and Larry Blixt spend countless hours at the Capitol champing independent issues.

▲ Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstol (standing in front of the Iowa flag) meets with agents. ▼ House Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer (left) and Speaker of the House Craig Paulson (right) discuss issues.

House Minority Leader Mark Smith in discussion with the Big “I”. u

t Iowa Senate Minority Leader Bill Dix in discussion with group on the issues.

▲ Senate President Pam Jocham visits with Terry Friedman of Dubuque.

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Insuring Volunteers – Personal Lines

by Bill Wilson MARK YOUR CALENDARS BILL WILSON WILL BE AT THE 108TH IIAI CONVENTION

M

any people are often asked to serve in a volunteer capacity as board members on non-profits, school PTA organizations and booster clubs, church boards, and civic organizations, or they may serve as Scouting leaders, athletic coaches, or in other volunteer capacities. Do they have any coverage under their personal lines policies?

A Wisconsin woman ran a red light and collided with another vehicle, resulting in severe injuries to the driver, including the amputation of his leg. She was a member of a local church and also a volunteer for a volunteer service organization consisting of members of that church. At the time of the accident, she was in the process of delivering a religious statue for the volunteer organization to a family that had requested one. She was driving her own car. In the ensuing court case, the jury found that her negligence was the sole cause of the accident and that she was driving her vehicle on behalf of her church and/or the volunteer organization.

The jury awarded the injured driver $558,366.06 for past medical expenses; $750,000 for future medical expenses;

and $10,000,000 for past pain, suffering and disability; and $5,000,000 for future pain, suffering and disability.

The jury also awarded the driver’s wife $500,000 for the loss of consortium.

The final judgment totaled $18,000,000.

Heikkinen v. United Services Automobile Association, Margaret E. Morse, Catholic Mutual Relief Society of America, and Archdiocese of Milwaukee, 724 N.W.2d 243, 296, Wis.2d 438, 2006 WI. Are such awards unusual? Yes, as to the size of the judgment. As for the frequency of these types of claims, no.

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Of the millions who volunteer in various capacities, there are some whose participation might be ongoing, as in a church elder position; intermediate, as with a year to four-year service on a high school booster club; or short term, as with a one-day stint building a home for Habitat for Humanity.

Some of these activities are physical and present a bodily injury or property damage exposure; some involve decision making in financial matters where poor decisions and mistakes can lead to financial losses; and many involve the use of autos to transport kids from school to sporting events or senior citizens from their homes to church, stores, or medical facilities. If sued, would these volunteers have any coverage under their personal lines policies? Would they have any coverage under the organizations’ commercial lines policies?

If injured, would they have any coverage for their own injuries under personal or commercial lines policies?

In this article, we’ll examine some personal lines basics.

Let’s focus our attention on the two main personal lines policies typically insuring most volunteers…

HOMEOWNERS In general, an ISO homeowners policy will respond to claims against insureds while acting in an uncompensated volunteer capacity. The biggest drawback is that the unendorsed ISO HO 00 03 10 00 only covers liability for bodily injury and property damage. If a board member’s temper gets out of control at a homeowner’s association meeting

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and that person is sued for slander, the HO policy will not respond. It is a good idea, if not already included in your carriers’ HO forms, to include the HO 24 82 04 02 – Personal Injury coverage endorsement in the homeowners package.

Another deficiency in the HO (and pretty much any) policy is the lack of coverage for losses deemed to be expected or intended. For example, most courts consider sexual harassment and molestation to be an intentional or expected loss and, thus, excluded by insurance policies. It is not uncommon for Scout leaders or athletic coaches to be accused of such offenses. Even if entirely innocent, defense costs can amount to tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

With the coverage, the unlimited defense costs in HO policies do no good.

For more common claims for mismanagement, errors, omissions, or mistakes that result in something other than bodily injury or property damage (e.g., pure financial loss), the homeowners policy is again of no value. While it’s conceivable that some personal umbrellas might cover losses not covered by the HO policy, given that there is no standard umbrella, determining what exposures might be covered would require a careful and thorough review of the umbrellas provided by carriers represented by the agency.

One other HO exclusion that could apply is the one for “professional services,” a term undefined in the ISO policy.

This might exclude activities for volunteer EMT, police or firefighting activities or even work as a hospital candy

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striper. It depends on the nature of the work, the training of the insured, and your insurer’s interpretation of the meaning of the term.

On the specific issue of volunteer athletic coaching, one of our risk management consultant faculty members, Jim Mahurin, provided the following anecdotal information in response to a recent “Ask an Expert” question where an agent was preparing to speak to a group of volunteer coaches about their liability exposure and potential coverage under their homeowners policies: A few years ago I was involved in a study of high school sports traumatic injuries. While serious incidents are uncommon, there are more bad ones than the public realizes. Some of the reports would curl your hair.

When talking to the group, please don’t use a broken leg as an example of an injury. You can fix a broken leg. Use head trauma with resultant brain injury, brain injury resulting from heat stroke, a broken back or neck with resultant paraplegia or quadriplegia, or severe burns. Tell the audience to assume they have an incident where the medical bills the first six months are $250,000 to $500,000 and the child will require permanent assistance. If someone is in an extended coma, the medical bills may exceed $1,000,000.

Then stop and notice how quiet the room gets. While they are quiet, mention that the studies find nearly all of the catastrophic sports related injuries were preventable.

The real tragedy from the catastrophic injury studies is that

about 95% of the major injuries were preventable.

Also mention the very high percentage of children without health insurance. This varies materially by neighborhood, but people are floored when they do the surveys, even in wealthier neighborhoods.

Some sponsored programs have low limit accident policies, i.e., $1,500, $3,000, or $10,000 per accident limits. This helps on small bills, but they are useless for anything serious.

Many, if not most, athletic programs have a sponsoring organization. The sponsors are as diverse as municipal governments. YMCA programs, Little League, etc. with few exceptions these organizations have liability insurance and the majority include volunteers as insured individuals. But make sure that’s true in your case. You need to make sure the sponsoring organization policy has no limitations for injury to participate under the liability part. Many have such exclusions.

The first suggestion is to (a) determine the limits available from the sponsoring organization, (b) address the participant exclusion, and (c) make sure volunteers are covered for whatever is available. The inquiry should include CGL (extended to include volunteers if necessary), automobile liability, and a workers’ compensation equivalent if available.

Public entity WC programs may include medical expenses for volunteers but they may find limits on wage loss.

The volunteers’ personal insurance should be secondary to the sponsoring organization. Tell them how an umbrella

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works and the wording related to unpaid community service For personal use of nonowned autos, the “private passenorganizations. It is important for them to understand unpaid. ger auto, pickup, van, and trailer” limitation does not apply A major issue with volunteers in children’s sports is vehicin the ISO program. In other words, as long as the vehicle is ular injuries. If the volunteer is using a an “auto” in the broad sense, the insured personal vehicle to haul children, they need has coverage for the personal use of such “Many of these laws have significant limits via auto and/or umbrella. arisen out of the need for our vehicles. As a volunteer, that might include A separate issue is the obnoxious or increasing senior population driving a fire truck, school bus, bookmobile, abusive parent or member of the audience. to be able to get to medical parade float, etc., if no other exclusions There is a remarkable number of injuries to apply (see below). The volunteer organizaappointments, religious coaches, referees, and other volunteers from tion is also covered by the volunteer’s policy services, shopping, and the most obnoxious people you can imagine. for the volunteer’s acts or omissions IF the social events” There are also highly effective procedures organization does not own the vehicle. available to defuse these folks. Incorporate Keep in mind, though, that many non-ISO these procedures into the program. personal auto policies may limit the size of the vehicle covered. While ISO’s form does not define “auto,” some carriers PERSONAL AUTO define it to include only vehicles less than 10,000 lbs. GVW. In general, the ISO PP 00 01 01 05 – Personal Auto Policy Needless to say, while the ISO form provides liability covers the use of “your covered auto” for both personal and coverage for nonbusiness use of any “auto,” there are still business reasons, not to imply that being a volunteer is a exclusions that might apply. For example, there is no coverbusiness activity, because it’s usually not as long as it has at age for autos furnished or available for an insured’s regular least an arms-length disconnect from an insured’s business use. While driving a fire truck or school bus on a volunteer or employment. In either case, though, the PAP usually basis might be covered under the personal auto policy’s provides coverage for business use of private passenger insuring agreement, it’s possible the “furnished or available autos, pickups, vans, and trailers. In addition, under the for your regular use” exclusion might apply. Case law in definition of “insured” in the liability section, the volunteer your jurisdiction could provide guidance on this, but you’d organization is covered for its legal liability for the voluncertainly want to confirm it with your carriers. teer’s acts or omissions involving the auto.

Another exclusion to be wary of is the one for use of an auto as a “public or livery conveyance” or while “transporting persons or property for a fee.” Some carriers have tried to use these exclusions for the transportation of seniors or “Meals on Wheels” types of programs. However, if the volunteer is not being compensated, these exclusions should not apply. Even if compensated, if the work is being done for a specific organization the “public or livery conveyance” exclusion should not apply.

Finally, keep in mind that some states have enacted laws to protect volunteers and encourage volunteerism. Many of these laws have arisen out of the need for our increasing senior population to be able to get to medical appointments, religious services, shopping, and social events. In a 2004 Beverly Foundation survey of nonprofit volunteer programs, fully 40% reported problems with volunteers’ personal insurance protecting them. Some volunteers are told they need “business use” coverage, something that often doesn’t track with the language of the auto policy.

As a result of these issues, a number of states like Maine and Michigan have enacted legislation to foster volunteerism. For example, Maine’s law (Code 2902-F Volunteer Drivers) prohibits insurers from refusing to insure, cancel, nonrenew, or surcharge volunteers on their auto policies.

Similarly, Michigan’s law (Insurance Code 500.2118) prevents an insurer from refusing to insure or limiting coverage for a volunteer. Legislation in South Carolina was directed specifically to volunteer transport of seniors and persons with disabilities to limit liability to the driver’s auto insurance except for gross negligence.

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What Do Companies Want?

by Chris Burand President of Burand & Assoicates, LLC MARK YOUR CALENDARS CHRIS BURAND WILL BE AT THE 108TH IIAI CONVENTION

M

any agents possess a significant fear that they are not big enough. To some degree, this feeling of inadequacy is nothing new. No matter if an agency has $500,000, $1 million, $5 million or $100 million, I’ve had agency executives tell me they do not have enough volume to please their carriers.

The carriers simply have an insatiable appetite. With such insatiable appetites, no one ever has enough and size in and of itself is the wrong goal.

This is actually proven by most, though absolutely not all, carriers’ contingency contracts. Very few contingency contracts actually pay materially more for pure size once the $1 million threshold is crossed. Instead, the majority pay materially more for higher growth rates without regard for initial volume. The carriers are telling agencies that growth is more important than volume, but agency owners are not listening.

Growth is different than volume and maybe this is where the confusion originates. Growth is a percentage. Volume is a dollar based measure. Again, once the $1 million threshold is crossed, the dollar basis is generally less important than the percentage of growth. Another reason agency owners may be confused is that company reps are not always clear themselves so they send confusing messages.

This is why agencies of all sizes feel inadequate. No matter how large they are the companies always want more.

Many carriers are downright gluttonous. In years past, some companies have told their most profitable agents they want more growth completely regardless of loss ratio. I saw some examples of companies completely unappreciative of quality loss ratios.

They were basically telling their agents with 30 percent loss ratios, “If you can’t grow more quickly, you can take your loss ratios elsewhere!”

Times seem to be changing for some carriers though. I am seeing some carriers express urgency now toward

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improved loss ratios. The market is now growing faster contingencies because these agencies use one code rather than any time in many years. This enables them to focus on than five codes? The company is getting $0 additional loss ratios and simultaneously, the poor quality of business volume, no improvement in loss ratios, and an even worse written the last few years is beginning to perpetuation problem. I am not writing haunt and scare them. This would likely about the firms that deliver a truly better “Agents have been have occurred no matter what, but recent set of results to the companies. Companies brainwashed that volume years’ catastrophe claims and the severe will always be king. Adjusting should pay more to these firms, but these under-reserving in workers’ compensation firms are few and far between. will be difficult. The result is have accentuated the rush.

Another factor I do not believe company that perfectly good agents Yet, agents have been brainwashed that are now making significant executives get, is that most agencies of any volume will always be king. Adjusting will mistakes in an effort to finally size (I am excluding really small agencies) be difficult. The result is that perfectly good that join these organizations cannot sell achieve adequate volume agents are now making significant mistakes insurance. They are not sales organizaonce and for all” in an effort to finally achieve adequate tions. They have no true sales culture. volume once and for all (which will never They are account babysitters. actually occur). For example, some are beginning to make This is not a bad characteristic. It just is not a characterismore acquisitions. All else being equal now is a good time tic that generates sales. So if a company wants growth, this to buy agencies because prices are lower. However, many of is not where they will find it unless a consolidation strategy the sellers are under duress which is why prices are lower. between the cluster and carriers are part of the deal. This of Being under duress, some sellers’ prices are still too high course, is not necessarily good ethics. because their retention will be less than expected and buyCompany executives advise they see many of their ers who do not adequately consider this will be sorry. After agencies happy to belong to such organizations and these all, what is the point to buying an agency to get volume if agencies should be happier for the time being because: the business is not retained?

1) their responsibility to grow has been diminished at least Tired BACK Sandra 1_14:AIA 02.10.10 PCexample.

BACK 1/8/14 6:05forAM 1 Clusters are probably the most common I am the Page short-term; 2) the company marketing rep is not completely perplexed by most companies’ attitudes toward focused on them, but on their cluster; 3) the members feel clusters. For example, why do some companies pay more in safer because the cluster has so much more volume than the

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agency could ever achieve on its own. This mindset obviously ignores the fact that growth is more important than volume, but nonetheless, they feel safer and feeling safer is worth a lot to most people.

We’re already seeing evidence that some companies are belatedly realizing or maybe just now feeling enough pain to act on the reality that not only are they getting $0 extra dollars and 0% extra growth, their loss ratios are also deteriorating because loss ratios tend to suffer when an agency’s contingency is no longer dependent on their personal loss ratio. The way most clusters are designed, contingencies are doled out based on volume. Rarely ever is loss ratio a component to the individual members. This is a great example of the economic lesson contained in what is commonly known as the “Death of the Commons.”

When individuals do not own the property, when it is held in common, little incentive exists to take care of the commonly owned property. In fact, it pays to exploit the property to its fullest extent. As a result, some carriers are already pulling out of specific clusters leaving all those agencies that joined in far worse situations than before they

joined. They not only lost their contract, they have no way to get another one on their own.

My advice? Do not worry about figuring out what companies want. Agencies that have good organic growth rates and loss ratios will always find smart companies wanting to do business with them. Such companies may not be the hot company de jour. Such companies may be few and far between.

But this industry is a slow growth industry in which steady, methodical, profitable growth ultimately will win. Focus on what you can control. Focus on the opportunity presented by others’ mistakes. Focus on one quality sale at the time and the agency will achieve enormous success.

NOTE: None of the materials in the article should be construed as offering legal advice, and the specific advice of legal counsel is recommended before acting on any matter discussed in the article. Regulated individual/entities should also ensure that they comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations.

TM

Common Sense Surety Since 1933

www.imwca.org | 800.257.2708

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Seven Ways To Write Better Emails Steve Anderson, Editor techtip@steveanderson.com MARK YOUR CALENDARS STEVE ANDERSON WILL BE AT THE 108TH IIAI CONVENTION

H

ow to effectively manage email continues to be a hot topic. I’ve said for a long time that email is the biggest productivity drain in an agency today.

I seldom get people disagreeing with that statement. In past Tech Tips, I have talked about many different strategies you can use to regain control over your email inbox.

One strategy is to learn how to write better emails. Improving the emails you send can have a major impact on reducing the emails you receive and make it much easier for you to respond. Here are seven suggestions that are simple yet can be very useful”

will be able to choose a different option without having to reply and ask for additional insurance.

This will cut down on the number of times they need to ask more detailed questions.

6. Don’t send “me too” emails unless absolutely necessary.

1. Include only one request per email.

This may sound counter-intuitive because you may end up sending more emails. But, multiple requests slow things down. When you only have one topic in an email, the individual can reply to that email with the information you need. When you make multiple requests in one email, the recipient may need to keep that email longer in their inbox so they can answer each of the requests you have made.

2. Use a subject line that reflects the topic and urgency.

Most people will scan the subject line to get an idea of how important and how urgent your email is. By putting the topic and the urgency in the subject line you will help them be able to prioritize when and how fast they need to answer your email.

3. Get to the point quickly.

The first sentence in your email should be a clear explanation of the request you are making. Any explanation for reason for the request should be included in subsequent paragraphs.

4. Keep the email as brief as possible.

You are trying to help the individual to whom you are sending this email to be able to respond to your request or provide the information that you need as quickly and easily as possible. Keeping the details as brief as possible will help them save time and, hopefully, provide you a quicker response.

5. Provide “if-then” options.

If there are multiple possibly outcomes or ways to provide the information then give the recipient a list of the options that you know are possible. Then they

This is especially true when sending emails to a group of people.

There is little that’s more annoying for others than to read a string of emails that all say “me too!” This applies to “thank you” emails also.

I seldom send a reply to an email simply to thank the individual.

7. Proof you emails before sending them.

To make sure you have time to proof your emails you may want to set up your Outlook to not automatically send emails immediately. Or, save your emails as a draft and let them sit for a few minutes before you click Send so you can reread them to make sure they are actually saying what you intended. This will cut down on the number of questions and/or clarifications you may have to deal with later.

Email is great communication tool— when managed well. I hope these tips will help you write better emails and take you one more step toward regaining control of your email inbox.

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Big insurance coverages for small businesses.

No Such Thing As A Stupid Question ?

?

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?

By Richard F. Lund, J.D., Vice President, Senior Underwriter, Swiss Re®

“There are naive questions, tedious questions, ill-phrased questions, questions put after inadequate self-criticism. But every question is a cry to understand the world.

There is no such thing as a dumb question.”

— Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

“T

here’s no such thing as a stupid question so feel free to ask whatever you want.” That is one of the first things you hear from a teacher, professor or educator when you go into any learning environment once you reach the high school level. As a matter of fact, I say the very same thing when I’m presenting at an E&O risk management seminar. How many times have you been in a seminar where you’re afraid to ask a question, because you think it seems so obvious, that you’re afraid other people will think you’re foolish for asking it? Trust me, if you are thinking it there are probably at last 3 other people who are thinking the same thing but THEY ALSO don’t want to ask because THEY don’t want to appear to be foolish. So, let’s forget about the risk of appearing foolish and ask the question! It’s been said before that pride goeth before a fall so if you fail to ask the question, you might just be opening yourself up to an E&O claim.

As the risk management coordinator for the Swiss Re Corporate Solutions/ Westport Insurance Corporation Insurance Agents Errors and Omissions

Professional Liability program, I am asked questions all the time about any number of E&O subjects. While I may have answered the same questions many times, I treat each one as if it’s a brand new question. The reason is simple: if the person knew the answer, they wouldn’t be asking and while it may be old hat to me it’s new to them. The have never run across the subject before because they might be new to the insurance industry, be a new agent, a new E&O insured, or maybe even a more seasoned insurance veteran. My experience has been

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that they are really asking because something is going on in their business that could ultimately lead to an E&O incident and they don’t know what to do.

So what kind of questions do I get asked? The questions may be simple, complex and anything in between.

While some might be general in nature, some my also depend on a specific state law or regulation. But I don’t rely on just my knowledge, I’ll ask our claims team and insurance experts I know, for their opinion, before I provide an answer. Why do I do that?

Because I’m not afraid to ask a stupid question.

Here are just a few of the most common:

Q: Do I really have to document

every phone call with my customers? I know which are important and which aren’t. I’ll remember.

you should document every A: Yes, phone call, even if it is just a short note. If your customer is calling you, it’s because they are having an issue that may or will involve their insurance policy. Why else would they be calling? Even if it is something so innocuous as to ask what the limits are on their policy or what their premium is, what is the underlying reason why they are asking? If it is about limits, have they had a claim? Why do they need to ask about that?

If it’s about their premium, do they owe it? Are they trying to reduce it? Are they looking for another quote? If they call about their auto policy and ask who is listed on it, why do they want to know? Little things can mean a lot when it come to an E&O claim and consistency, especially when it comes to documentation can be the key to making it defensible. heard at an E&O seminar that I Q: Ishouldn’t call my customers who have company direct bill policies

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when their premium is due. But I know they won’t remember to pay the bill if I don’t call them.

They just expect that as part of my customer service. Do I really have to quit calling them? yes, a thousand times yes.

A: YES, If you haven’t stopped called them, stop immediately. But before you do, send a letter to all of your company direct bill customers, preferably certified mail-return receipt requested, that effective immediately you will no longer be calling them to advise them when their premium is due. The reason is simple, by calling them you have created a duty that you did not otherwise have. And the one time you forget or miss calling them is the one time they don’t pay their premium, their policy is canceled for non-payment, they then have an uncovered claim, and they blame YOU because they didn’t get your call telling them the premium was due. We recently had a claim where an agency didn’t call any of their direct bill customers, except one. It was a big account and they knew that they would only pay their premium when the agency called them. Of course, the agency person who was responsible for calling the customer was on an extended vacation, and no one called the customer when the premium was due. The customer received the direct bill notice of payment, but ALWAYS waited to pay it until they received the call from the agency. Since they didn’t get the call, they forgot to pay the premium, the policy cancelled, they had an uncovered loss of $65,000 and made a claim against the agency. The agency is clearly in error but had they not taken on that duty, they would not have been responsible. The agency has now sent a letter to the customer, certified mail, and return receipt requested, that

they will no longer be notifying them when their premium is due. do they want to send the Q: Why letter certified mail with return to receipt requested? document in you file that your A: Toclient received the letter advising them that they would no longer be notified by the agency. office has recently gone Q: Our paperless, i.e. we scan and store all documents electronically. Do we still need to retain the paper files and documents? once you have scanned the A: No, documents and stored them electronically, the original documents should be shredded and disposed of. The underlying question from an E&O standpoint here is whether an electronic copy of an original document can be used as evidence when there is a claim, and the answer is yes. The Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) was developed by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCSL) in the late 1990’s and has been adopted by all states except Illinois, New York and Washington, which developed their own laws regarding electronic transactions. Among the basic tenants of the law is that any document that is electronic is the same as a paper document and as such, is admissible as the original of the document. In addition, in 2000 the United States Congress enacted the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (E-SIGN) which established the validity of electronic records and signatures under federal law.

The key to remember is that once you create an electronic record, you should immediately destroy the paper document.

SIDEBAR:

If you would like to ask a question about anything involving insurance agents errors & omissions, you have many resources available to you.

If you have a question about your E&O Policy or would like more information about the Swiss Re Corporate Solutions E&O Policy, contact your state IIABA and ask for the E&O Administrator. If you are a Big “I” member and have a question about how to prevent E&O claims or have a question about E&O Risk Management, go to the E&O Happens website at www.IIABA. net/eohappens. You can also contact Richard Lund at richard_lund@swissre. com. If you have questions about insurance in general, go to the IIABA Virtual University at www.iiaba. net/vu and use the search tool. If you can’t find an answer and are a Big “I” member, you can use the VU “Ask An Expert” and utilize the shared experience of the VU faculty to find an answer. If you have a technology question, go to the Agents Council for Technology www.iiaba. net/act. Regardless of what your question is, if it has anything to do with insurance, you have a wealth of resources available to you.

And here is the most recent question I received. agency is trying to get our Q: Our arms around some social media opportunities to help promote our agency. When we started our website redesign last year, I recall that we went through some hoops with our E&O carrier about what was permissible and what was not. This year we are crawling into Facebook and Twitter and wonder about the E&O implications, if any. Do you have any information about that?

Re Corporate Solutions A: Swiss and IIABA have a module that specifically addresses Social Media in the new E&O seminar materials, “E&O Risk Management: Meeting the Challenge of Change.” Those materials are available on the E&O Happens website. I also went to the E&O Happens website and entered “social media” in the search tool and got 30 responses. I then did the same thing on the IIABA main site and got 150 responses that are throughout the website including E&O Happens, ACT, and Virtual University, some of which specifically reference Facebook and Twitter. I recommend you go to the websites and do the same and take a look at those that are of particular interest to you.

places in all three of those locations where the answers can be found.

The reason I do this is not necessarily because I don’t know the answer, but because I want to know if there is a place for you as an agent and member of the IIABA and a Swiss Re Corporate Solutions policyholder to locate that information in the quickest manner possible and then to be able to pass that on to you.

So remember, there’s no such thing as a stupid question. The only stupid question is the one left unasked.

This article is intended to be used for general informational purposes only and is not to be relied upon or used for any particular purpose. Swiss Re shall not be held responsible in any way for, and specifically disclaims any liability arising out of or in any way connected to, reliance on or use of any of the information contained in this article. The information contained or referenced in this article is not intended to constitute and should not be considered legal, accounting or professional advice, nor shall it serve as a substitute for the recipient obtaining such advice. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of the Swiss Re Group (“Swiss Re”) and/or its subsidiaries and/or management and/or shareholders. *Richard F. Lund, JD, is a Vice President and Senior Underwriter of Swiss Re/Westport, underwriting insurance agents errors and omissions coverage.

He has been an insurance agents E&O claims counsel and has written and presented numerous E&O risk management/loss control seminars, mock trials and articles nationwide since 1992.

Copyright 2014 Swiss Re

These are just a few of the questions that have come to me in the last year. The first three I have been asked several times before and the answers are readily available on several different IIABA resources, including the E&O Happens website, the Virtual University, and the Agents Council for Technology. As you can see from the last question, many times I’ll take the subject that is being asked about, enter it in the “search” feature on the main page of the IIABA website or on the E&O Happens page, and I’ll get numerous results pointing to different

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Large E&O Claims Can Happen Could your agency survive a $48 million E&O Claim?

By David Hulcher

R

ecently, industry news publications covered the settlement of the largest E&O claims that we’ve have heard – a whopping $48 million claim. That’s bigger than the total written premium that some agent’s E&O programs write in a given calendar year. The claim involved a broker being sued for failing to secure coverage requested. The underlying policy driving the claim involved international political risk coverage stemming from an Argentina natural gas operation. At this point details on this claim are scarce but it is a good reminder to agents to reevaluate the limits of liability carried as well as an opportunity to think about some things your agency can do to mitigate E&O exposure.

E&O claims are not settled overnight they can take several years to settle and in general an accident year is fully mature sometime around the eighth year of development. It is a considered a long-tailed business. Avoiding claims altogether can save you from a long and stressful ordeal. While an E&O carrier with plenty of expertise and experience may make the claim process easier, you are still involved in assisting them and following the proceedings. It can detract from focusing on your core business. In addition, the length of time from when an incident occurs and when it finds its way to the agent’s doorstep may be awhile so make sure your agency maintains an appropriate records retention policy.

Finally, it is good policy to make your E&O carrier aware of any incident that may reasonably give rise to a future E&O claim. Many E&O carriers will consider the incident reported under the current policy year, which is bene-

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ficial for eliminating potential gaps in coverage from known prior acts when you are changing E&O carriers.

There are so many potential areas within the procurement of insurance where an agent can make a mistake.

These areas include failure to procure the coverage requested, not offering adequate limits, and not reviewing the applications. Failure to procure coverage can be looked at on macro and micro levels. On a macro level a best practice for agents is to review the individual’s or business’s operation to determine their potential exposure to loss and any prescription of coverage available to transfer that exposure.

Agents can use risk exposure checklists and questionnaires to get a better understanding of the client’s operation and insurance needs. On a micro procurement level, the insured may specifically ask you to add someone or something to coverage, in which case you must make sure that the addition is made and coverage is procured.

The accurate completion of applications by the client is another area to carefully address. It is prudent that agency personnel review all new business and renewal applications prior to forwarding to the carrier in a timely manner. Misrepresentations on the application can provide an opening for primary carriers to deny claims; and we know that agent E&O claims are generated as a second resort to lack of primary coverage. Keep an eye out for questions on applications that ask about prior claims or losses of the customer. You may realize that a client has a claims history and they incorrectly completed the application.

Another thing to consider from a risk management perspective is to be

careful how you market your services.

Quite frankly, this is a balancing act because you want your marketing materials and website to be eye-catching and to attract clients, but you also don’t want to over promise above your current skill level. Holding yourself out to have special expertise may bring a higher standard of client care depending on the state.

So could a $48 million E&O claim happen to your agency? Do you have adequate limits on your E&O policy to insure the long-term viability of your agency? The limits that your agency carries depend on the agency itself.

You ultimately need to make that decision in a similar way in which you work to assist your clients. A couple of guidelines to consider are: the make up of your book of business including the maximum limits of the exposures that you write, the mix of personal and commercial lines, and the territory of risks. You should buy as much insurance as you think you can afford.

Big “I” state associations offer high limits, including an Umbrella product that also goes over the agency’s primary E&O. The reality is that E&O claims are going to happen. They can happen even if your agency hasn’t done anything wrong. The key is putting your agency on the best footing to avoid claims and to defend those that are made. Create a culture within your agency that embraces E&O risk management. Assigning someone within your agency to review files to make sure proper and consistent procedures are being followed from a quality control standpoint will instill an E&O mindset that can help you avoid E&O claims.

WHEN YOU KNOW your agency is protected by the best E&O PROGRAM in the nation, you can focus on

hunting for business.

Swiss Re Corporate Solutions policyholders: Don’t miss out on the invaluable risk management resources available exclusively to you. Log in to www.iiaba.net/EOHappens to access claims statistics, prevention tools, insightful articles and more.

the Big “I” Professional Liability Program Prevent.

Our exclusive risk management resources help your agency avoid making common preventable mistakes.

Protect.

Our superior coverage through Swiss Re Corporate Solutions and our experienced claims teams are in your corner in the event of a claim.

Prosper.

When you know you have the best agency E&O Protection, you can focus on growing your most important asset–your business.

The Big “I” and Swiss Re Corporate Solutions are committed to providing IIABA members with leading edge agency E&O products and services. The IIABA and its federation of 51 state associations endorse the comprehensive professional liability program offered by Swiss Re Corporate Solutions.

Visit www.iiaba.net/EOContact to connect with your state association today.

Insurance products underwritten by Westport Insurance Corporation, Overland Park, Kansas.

Westport is a member of Swiss Re Corporate Solutions and is licensed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. © 2012 Big “I” Advantage, Inc. and Swiss Re .

INDEPENDENT INSURANCE AGENTS OF IOWA 4000 Westown Parkway, Suite 200 West Des Moines, Iowa 50266

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2014

INDEPENDENT INSURANCE AGENTS OF IOWA PROGRAMS SPONSORS A Special Thank You To The Following Sponsors For Supporting IIAI’S Conferences and Programs in 2014.

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PLATINUM Allied Insurance EMC Insurance Company The IMT Group Independent Agents Service Corporation Iowa Mutual Insurance Company Pekin Insurance Progressive United Fire Group

BRONZE Accident Fund/United Heartland ACUITY Auto-Owners Insurance Diversified Insurance Services Hastings Mutual Insurance Company International Ag Insurance Solutions Liberty Mutual Insurance M.J. Kelly Company of Iowa North Star Mutual Insurance Company

Continental Western Group Grinnell Mutual Integrity Insurance Rain & Hail, LLC

S I LV E R Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Company Great American Insurance Companies GuideOne Insurance LeMars Insurance Company Merchants Bonding Company QBE-NAU

QBE Regional Insurance Secura Insurance Selective Insurance Group Society Insurance State Auto Insurance Travelers Insurance West Bend Mutual Western National Insurance Westfield Insurance