Flood Assistance Resources
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IIABL STAFF Jeff Albright Chief Executive Officer jalbright@iiabl.com
Need Staff??
Francine Berendson Director of Communications & Events fberendson@iiabl.com
Guarantee A Bright Future Louisiana Teen Golfer Wins
Mike Edwards, CPCU, AAI Director of Education medwards65@aol.com
CE Grandfather Exemption
Kim Jackson Education & Membership kjackson@iiabl.com
Growth Opportunity
Karen Kuylen Director of Accounting kkuylen@iiabl.com
New LDI Requirements for Agency Affiliations
E. Lee Mowe Marketing Representative lmowe@iiabl.com Rhonda Martinez, CIC Director of Insurance rmartinez@iiabl.com Jamie Newchurch Insurance Services jnewchurch@iiabl.com Lisa Young-Crooks Executive Assistant lyoung@iiabl.com
Ask Mike
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IIABL Calendar
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Rate & Rule Filings
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IIABL Partners
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Flood Assistance Resources Many IIABL member agencies, staff, and customers have been devastated by severe flooding in south central Louisiana.
PROGRAM (NFIP) RENEWAL PREMIUMS
FEMA ASSISTANCE
IIABL is here to help!
FEMA LOUISIANA FLOOD RESOURCES
Below is helpful information for your agency.
FEMA AID PROGRAMS FOR LOUISIANA
FLOOD INSURANCE CLAIMS HANDBOOK
SBA ASSISTANCE
ADVANCE PAYMENT UNDER STANDARD FLOOD INSURANCE POLICIES
LOUISIANA STATE GOVERNMENT FLOOD RESOURCES
IIABL AGENCY CATASTROPHE GUIDE
EXTENSION OF THE GRACE PERIOD FOR PAYMENT OF NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE
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Flood Assistance continued from page 4
family members in their communities. Big I financial assistance for your agency and for your staff through the Trusted Choice Disaster Relief Fund. TRUSTED CHOICE DISASTER RELIEF FUND The Trusted Choice® Disaster Relief Fund is available to assist members and their staff in the event of unrecoverable losses caused by a hurricane or other natural disaster. The Big “I” established the fund to assist those who have suffered losses due to natural or man-made disasters. The fund makes cash grants to those in the insurance industry, including Big “I” members, their agency staffs and others, to pay for immediate or ongoing financial needs when other funding sources such as insurance and other grants are not available. In addition, it is also used to fill a gap until other funding sources can be accessed and to provide insurance agents with supplies and resources to aid victims and surviving
If a loss has occurred and meets the fund’s guidelines, please submit a grant application today. Questions may be directed to Madelyn Flannagan (madelyn.flannagan@iiaba.net). Click HERE for the Trusted Choice Disaster Relief Fund Guidelines. Click HERE for a Trusted Choice Disaster Relief Application.
If you would like to make a contribution to the Trusted Choice Disaster Relief Fund to assist other agents in need, that information is also outlined below.
Donate the Trusted Choice Disaster Relief Fund
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IIABL AGENCY ASSISTANCE RESOURCES If your agency is overwhelmed with flood claims, generous agents have volunteered to assist your agency with flood claims. Please contact Jeff Albright, jalbright@iiabl.com, for additional information. Members insured through the IIABL Agents E&O program may be able to receive up to $10,000 Catastrophe Extra Expense, depending upon where your coverage has been placed. For additional information, contact Rhonda Martinez, rmartinez@iiabl.com. The IIABA Virtual University can assist with flood related coverage & technical questions. Click here for additional resources.
The IIABA InsurBanc has short term financing available to help with agency recovery. Click here for the InsurBanc website. If your agency needs assistance in handling an overwhelming number of flood claims, other generous agents are willing to assist you. Please email Jeff Albright, JAlbright@IIABL.com or call Jeff’s cell phone (225) 975-7171 for any assistance you might need.
IIABL IS HERE TO HELP YOU!!! PLEASE LET US KNOW HOW WE CAN HELP.
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Need Staff?? WAHVE can help! IIABL Member Services has Work At Home Vintage Experts on its roster of Preferred Providers
WAHVE takes the stress out of hiring by finding and matching retiring insurance professionals who want to stay productive, with insurance agencies that need to fill positions. Geography isn't a barrier, because all Work At Home Vintage Experts, as the name implies, work remotely.
WAHVE hires, supports, and manages the workers, saving firms between 40 and 50 percent on personnel costs and overhead. From customer service to underwriting, there's a WAHVE for whatever job you need to fill. Staffing services—available on a dedicated full- or part-time basis, and for long-term projects—include:
Live customer service representative
Sales and marketing assistant
Claims representative
Underwriter
Hard to place or niche lines of business expert
Mentors and trainers
Preparation of new and renewal business applications
Quoting and proposal preparation
Loss run ordering and analysis
Policy checking
Premium audits
Certificates issuance
Change requests/endorsements
Indexing of scanned documents
Claims support
Excess and surplus lines filings
Accounting and finance
Exclusive for IIABL Members & Associate Members! 50% discount of the one time setup fee!
GET STARTED TODAY!!
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How to Guarantee a Bright Future for Your Independent Agency by Myrna Estrada, Vice President and General Manger, Central Region, Safeco Insurance
Over the past several years, we have all heard and read dire predictions about the future of the independent agent. Most of those predictions were based on assumptions about the fearsome technological and financial power of huge, highly competitive companies who use their might to target consumers directly. But the IA is still here, still relevant, and still a force to be reckoned with. In a recent internal research study, Safeco Insurance found that the distribution of auto insurance, by channel, was virtually unchanged from 2010 to 2015. That’s a huge accomplishment when you consider what we were up against during each of those five years. As widely reported, the big-brand captives and direct-to-consumer carriers spent a combined total of about $6 billion on
consumer advertising. This massive spend, particularly from directs, is designed to commoditize the product and compete on the strength of web sites and mobile apps. And yet they gained virtually no ground from the independent agent — not even enough to register outside the margin of error. At the same time, Google — one of the largest and most powerful companies on the planet — entered and then quickly withdrew from the market, having made little to no progress toward its early ambitions. We can all relax now, right? Not so fast. There is still plenty of risk for the independent agent to be disrupted by increasing competition. Our study also indicates that 60% of customers would consider leaving their independent or exclusive agent and going direct the next time they shop for auto insurance. Meanwhile, 40% of direct customers would consider an IA the next Continued page 10
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time they decide to change insurance plans. That’s a lot of potential movement, enough to change the complexion of the market if it ever becomes a reality. So what’s the upshot? How do independent agents remain competitive and thrive in a market where the landscape is fluid and threats seem to grow and multiply? By doing what we do best, and learning a few new tricks. Where did the IA channel get the strength to resist a $30 billion attack for five years? From decades of building relationships, providing value beyond price and running smart, disciplined businesses. In order to weather tomorrow’s storm, we must start preparing today. Only this time, we don’t have decades to do it. LOCAL IS A STRENGTH In our study, the number of consumers who selected “company is local” as an important factor when shopping for auto insurance grew a whopping 72% from 2010 to 2015. So we know that “local” is a selling point of growing importance. We also know that taking advantage of that fact remains a huge, upside opportunity for most of us. Showing your face regularly at community events will remind people that you’re a living,
breathing member of the local business community. Taking part in the community is a long standing tradition at Bourg Insurance, based in Prairieville. The agency first opened its doors in 1958 and supports a wide range of organizations including local schools, churches, rotary clubs and numerous civic projects. Brad Bourg, the agency’s president, recently told me, “We do very little traditional advertising. That might create brand awareness, but it doesn’t really drive business. Insurance is a relationship business. Participating in meaningful social, civic and charitable events helps you get to know people and for them to get to know you.” “LEAN IN” ON DIGITAL We all know about the new rules and tools of engagement— social media, email drip campaigns, mobile apps and 24x7 access to digital tools are markers of the “new normal” in business, even small business. The team at Bourg Insurance made the commitment to have a robust website and a strong social media presence. The agency uses a combination of Facebook, blogging and Twitter and the focus is almost always something of human inContinued page 11
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terest. “We post about upcoming LSU games, highlight employees, talk about the charity dance contest or call out weddings and birthdays. We try to put a face out there so people will feel comfortable with us,” said Brad. INDEPENDENT BUT NOT ALONE Even though IAs are “independent” by definition — and there are many strengths that come with independence — the truth is, we’re all part of a community with shared interests and shared risks. If a customer has a bad experience with one IA, the reputation of every IA suffers a tiny bit. Likewise, every time an independent agent delivers ease, choice and advice (a combination that no other distribution channel can match) to a customer, it’s a small victory for all of us. Sharing ideas that work and stories that inspire is to everyone’s advantage. There are so many opportunities to teach and learn from each other — from the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of Louisiana to online communities like the Independent Agent Community by Safeco on Facebook. If everyone contributed just a fraction of the ideas they consume, the entire community would grow stronger.
CALIFORNIA AND LOUISIANA TEEN GOLFERS WIN 48TH ANNUAL TRUSTED CHOICE® BIG "I" NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP Tournament is one of nation’s largest junior stroke-play golf tournaments. Emilee Hoffman of Folsom, California, and Jacob Bergeron of Slidell, Louisiana, won the girls and boys divisions, respectively, at the 48th annual Trusted Choice® Big "I" National Championship in Sacramento, California. The tournament featured 152 players from 39 with girls and boys under the age of 19 and was played at the Del Paso Country Club. The girls division was played at a course rating of 73.7/140 and 5,823 yards, while the boys played the course at a 73.3/141 course rating and 6,876 yards. Each summer more than 2,000 junior boys and girls nationally vie to earn a place in the final tournament. Approximately 70 state and local Continued page 13
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qualifying events determine the final roster.
“For 48 years, the Trusted Choice® Big ‘I’ National Championship has provided teenage golfers a rewarding opportunity to compete at a national level in a supportive atmosphere that cultivates sportsmanship,” says Steve Cocke, Big “I” chief financial officer. “We are proud of the tournament’s long-standing success and congratulate Emilee Hoffman, Jacob Bergeron, the finalists and the thousands of junior golfers across the United States who participated in the local and state tournaments this year.” Hoffman’s final round of 1-over-par 72 resulted in her four day total of 279 for the tournament, to claim the girls’ division title and the Mayerstein Trophy. Bergeron’s final round of 7 -under-par 64 resulted in his four day total of 266 for the tournament, to claim the boys’ division title and the Robert Trent Jones Trophy. In the girls division, Leila Dizon of Los Angeles placed second with a final round score of 5over-par 76 and a total tournament score of 284. Dominique Galloway of Rio Rancho, New Mexico, placed third with a final day at evenpar 71, and a tournament total score of 288.
In the boys division, the second place winner was Nicholas Lyerly of Salisbury, North Carolina, with a total score of 10-under-par 274. The following five boys finished at 5-under par 279 and tied for third place: Nick Willis of Cowpens, South Carolina; Jacob Bridgeman of Inman, South Carolina; Simms Abney of Madison, Mississippi; Chad Sewell of Conroe, Texas; and Mark Reppe (2017) of Dallas, Texas. The Trusted Choice® Big "I" National Championship has proven to be a critical test for many of today’s golf professionals. PGA and LPGA fields include numerous past champions and participants, including: Billy Andrade, David Duval, Charles Howell III, Cristie Kerr, Candie Kung, Justin Leonard, Phil Mickelson, Grace Park, Craig Stadler, Bob Tway, Cheyenne Woods, Tiger Woods and Fuzzy Zoeller. The annual tournament is sponsored and supported by Trusted Choice®. The tournament began in 1969 and every year, more than 150 (90 local) agents help organize and administer the qualifying tournaments that lead to the national championship. Independent agents donate valuable time, effort, and in many cases, personal resources to conduct successful local events.
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Insurance Producer “Grandfather” Exemption from Continuing Education Louisiana law provides for exemption or waiver of continuing education requirements for insurance producers and adjusters in certain circumstances.
To request this exemption a producer must complete the 65A Exemption Form and return it to the Department. Click HERE for the 65A Exemption Form
Age 65 Exemption
This exemption from continuing education requirements is granted for life and no additional filings are required from the producer to extend the exemption. The producer must continue to submit a renewal application each renewal period.
Insurance producers may request an exemption from continuing education requirements if the producer meets these requirements:
is age 65
has a minimum of 15 years experience as a licensed producer
is either (a) no longer actively engaged in the business of insurance or is (b) engaged in the business of insurance and is appointed by at least one Louisiana licensed insurance company.
PLEASE NOTE: This exemption does not apply to the training required for all producers who sell, solicit or negotiate long -term care insurance products. These producers must continue to obtain no less than four hours of training in each renewal period. This exemption is NOT available for an insurance adjuster in Louisiana
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Why Use A Trusted Choice Agent? Spread with word that you—as a Trusted Choice independent agent—are better equipped to handle consumers’ needs that direct writers and captive agents. A new, two -minute video simplifies the message and directs insurance shoppers to TGrustedChoice.com to find their local independent agent.
The online video, Why use a Trusted Choice agent? Follows the trend if incorporating clean, hand-drawn graphics with a bright voiceover. Like other recent Trusted Choice videos, it’s cleanly produced, entertaining to watch and consistent with Trusted Choice brand. The video is also available to be tagged (at no charge) with your agency’s logo and a list of the carriers you represent. Contact Madeleine Stern, madeleine.stern@iiaba.net.
Westport Insurance Corporation Enhances Policy Big “I” E&O Form Effective 9/1/2016 Westport Policy Form Insurance Industry Professional Liability Coverage for Insurance Agencies SP 4 584 1215 available only to members of IIAI has new features and enhancements.
The Liberalization Clause in the current policy form confirms that the broader terms and condition of the new policy will apply to all policies in force as of the date the new policy form is effective. You will receive a summary of the enhancements with your renewal.
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IIABL Director of Education, Mike Edwards is your source for technical questions. Contact Mike at medwards65@aol.com or 678.513.4390
Subject: Dad hitches his trailer to daughter’s auto...Uh-Oh!
Q.
We are dealing with one of those
messy intra-family claims that usually end up making everybody mad with everybody. This is a very nice personal lines account, and the husband and wife own an upscale sporting goods store which we also insure. Their daughter and her husband came for a visit last week, and to borrow their camper for a few days’ vacation at a nearby state park. While the camper trailer was being towed, it somehow became uncoupled, and the tongue of the trailer rammed the rear of their new Ford Expedition, causing several thousand dollars damage. Luckily, no other cars were involved in the accident. Dad says he must have forgotten to properly secure the coupler latch on the trailer, and does remember getting a phone call while he was getting the camper ready to be hooked up. So it’s understandable that he feels responsible, and expects his auto insurance to cover the damage to her Expedition. We submitted the claim under his PAP. The adjuster’s initial response was that the daughter is responsible, since she was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident, and her policy is primary, since the
trailer was attached to her vehicle. He said the daughter should submit a collision claim to her PAP. In addition, he said that the dad’s PAP does not apply, since the trailer was owned by the dad, but not declared on his PAP.
We have not received a formal, written denial yet, but I wanted your thoughts.
A.
It is difficult to give you a de-
tailed coverage analysis, given the diversity of personal auto policies (PAP) in the marketplace today. In recent years, competition has driven prices down to the point that some offerings provide significantly reduced coverage, compared to the ISO (Insurance Services Office) PAP. More on that later. But here are my thoughts on how the ISO PAP would respond. This should give you a basis to compare the PAP of your insured. Assume Jack and Jill Smith are your insureds, and their daughter Jillette borrowed the camper trailer. Issue #1: Who is responsible? The adjuster’s comment that the daughter (Jillette) was responsible “because she was driving the vehicle” might just be an off-the-cuff comment, and is certainly not the final word on whether or not Jack’s PAP liability coverage will Continued page 18 Louisiana Agent 16
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respond. Note how broad the insuring agreement is: PP 00 01 01 05 Part A – Liability Coverage Insuring Agreement A. We will pay damages for "bodily injury" or "property damage" for which any "insured" becomes legally responsible because of an auto accident.
insurance we will pay only our share of the loss. Our share is the proportion that our limit of liability bears to the total of all applicable limits. However, any insurance we provide for a vehicle you do not own, including any vehicle while used as a temporary substitute for "your covered auto", shall be excess over any other collectible insurance.
Comments:
Comments:
(1) There are, of course, situations where legal liability is so obvious that it is not necessary to wait for a court to make that determination. I don’t think this is one of those cases.
(1) In the last sentence, note that Jack’s PAP is excess for non-owned vehicles. Since the trailer is owned by Jack, his PAP is primary. The fact that it is hitched to his daughter’s auto is not relevant, where primary/excess is concerned.
(2) That’s not to say that Jillette did not cause, or contribute to, the trailer becoming uncoupled. Had the accident involved third party bodily injury, a court might be called on to determine what percentage Jack and Jillette each had as tortfeasors. But given the relatively small amount of physical damage to Jillette’s Expedition, and the fact that that Jack admits that he probably did not secure the camper trailer to Jillette’s Expedition properly, there would seem to be no doubt about this being a valid PD (property damage) liability claim under his PAP. Issue #2: Whose PAP is primary? Here is how Jack’s ISO PAP describes the primary/excess issue: PP 00 01 01 05 Part A – Liability Coverage Other Insurance If there is other applicable liability
(2) That’s not to say that a proprietary non-ISO PAP has the same provision. Issue #3: Does Jack’s camper trailer have to be declared (scheduled) on his PAP in order for liability coverage to apply? PP 00 01 01 05 Part A – Liability Coverage B. "Insured" as used in this Part means:
1. You or any "family member" for the ownership, maintenance or use of any auto or "trailer". 2. Any person using "your covered auto". Definitions J. "Your covered auto" means: 1. Any vehicle shown in the Declarations. Continued page 20 Louisiana Agent 18
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2. A "newly acquired auto".
3. Any "trailer" you own. Comments: (1) Jack is an insured for the “ownership, maintenance, or use of any auto or trailer” (declared or not). [See B.1.] (2) Jillette is an insured under Jack’s PAP while she is “using” his trailer. [See B.2.] Note that coverage applies to persons “using...’your covered auto’,” which includes “Any trailer you own.” [See Definition J.3.] (3) Proprietary forms may be different. To that point, I read a proprietary non-ISO PAP some time ago that provided liability coverage for an owned trailer “only while attached to Your Covered Auto.” (Yikes!)
Issue #4: ISO PAP vs non-ISO PAP.
As I mentioned earlier, given the diversity of personal auto policies (PAP) in the marketplace today, this claim could be handled in very different ways. While product diversity and competition in a marketplace (insurance or otherwise) is the beating heart of free enterprise, consumers must never forget “caveat emptor.” (Merriam-Webster Unabridged notes that the earliest known use of that phrase is 1523, so it’s hardly a new concept.) However, the more “consumer expert” articles and websites on insurance I read, the more I am concerned that important factors such as the coverage provided by different policies is being totally overshadowed by price. In addition, a growing number of insurance industry experts have expressed alarm about how insurance today is being treated as a mere commodity, particularly personal lines, and most especially – personal auto. Continued page 21
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Ironically, the dictionary definition of “commodity,” read in the context of an insurance policy, exactly describes this dynamic: “Commodity: (1) a mass-produced unspecialized product; (2) a good or service whose wide availability diminishes the importance of factors other than price.” (Merriam-Webster Unabridged.) Since the vast majority of “consumer expert” articles I’ve read seem to consistently generalize, misstate, or ignore important coverage issues, which are often repeated in other forums, my own view is that the only “commodity” in insurance is actually the “consumer expert.” A typical example: A consumer posts a question, such as, “Does my auto policy cover...”, to which the consumer experts writes a lengthy response, without ever citing specific policy language. I doubt seriously that these “experts” have even read their own auto insurance policy, much less compared coverage between various other auto policies.
well as 31 articles from other sources. In addition, there are 3 recorded webinars, and links to 10 insurance industry discussion groups.)
“Price Check” (Comments: This is one of the best articles posted on the VU website, regarding the issue of price and the commoditization of insurance. It includes 16 specific examples of key coverage differences in certain insurance forms.)
These materials are intended for educational purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal advice. Please consult a qualified attorney for legal advice.
A colleague of mine recently coined a phrase that is the modern insurance version of “caveat emptor”: “The bitterness of no coverage is remembered long after the sweetness of low price has been forgotten.” (John Eubank, CPCU, ARM.) John often uses this phrase in E&O classes, as a reminder to agents that we also must read and understand the coverage forms we sell, as a vital part of both properly serving our insureds, as well as following sound E&O loss control procedures.
For additional information. “Is Insurance a Commodity?” (Comments: This is posted on the IIABA’s Virtual University (VU). It is a new resource section on the VU, which provides links to many articles on the subject. It is frequently updated, and at present, it has 20 VU articles, as Louisiana Agent 21
WHY THE UNDESIRABLE INTERNET INSURANCE SHOPPER IS A
BY: Ryan Hanley
“We don’t want shoppers.” I can’t tell you how may agents have shared this perspective with me over the last six years. But before we get there, let’s first set agree on what an insurance shopper is.
Insurance Shopper: Consumer (interested in personal, business or life insurance) without a strong current agent relationship, requesting quotes from multiple sources before making a buying decision. The above definition will serve as the baseline definition of “in- surance shopper” for this essay. Why Insurance Agents Hate Shoppers There is no doubt independent insurance agents HATE, (notice the capital letters to capture the degree of hate), insurance
“shoppers.” The “Why” of this hate is something I’ve misunderstood for a long time. There are a few different reasons independent agents will give for their dislike of insurance shoppers:
Price sensitive
Do not value relationship
Not interesting in coverage
In essence, insurance shoppers are low quality prospects. At face value these reasons seem valid. From my own experience
as producer, I remember the twinge of anxiety which follows Continued page 23 the statement, “I’m
Continued page 24
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just looking for a quote.” No insurance agent likes to hear those words. For a long time I believed that the anxiety produced by an insurance shopper, “just looking for a quote,” was the result of the reasons above. It’s not. Insurance shopper induced anxiety is the result of our awareness that we might not get the business. We might do work and not get the sale. We’re afraid of wasting time. We’re scared we won’t win the business. The reason independent agents hate the insurance shopper is because of their own ego. There is inherent risk in working with an insurance shopper. So we make excuses, using return on investment as our crutch. This has to stop. The Shared Risk of Shopping Insurance I’m not arguing that insurance shoppers come without risk. There is no doubt, compared to a referral, an inbound lead, “shopping” their insurance will often demand a more skilled sale. This is why we build our businesses on referrals. Referrals are easy to sell. The trust and relationship
building aspect of the sale is already done before we talk to the prospect. Referrals come with significantly less risk. The mistake is believing agents are the only ones at risk. As Seth Godin explains, “For many peoples, shopping is nothing but a risk. The risk that one might buy the wrong thing, waste money, waste time, become indebted…” The insurance shopper feeling the same anxiety telling you she’s shopping her insurance as you feel hearing it. Here in lies the opportunity. Isn’t our value proposition as independent agents to be the Trusted Advisor? Yet we’re so willing to discard insurance buyers who are feeling the anxiety of risk in making the wrong insurance purchase. This has to stop. Susan Ray, of the Florida Association of Independent Agents, shared How-to Put Yourself in Your Customers’ Shoes. Everyone needs to read this.
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Shopper Culture Consumerism is woven into the fabric of America. “Shopping” is the method we use to get the things we need. Though shopping malls are on the decline in the US, the shopper culture built over the last hundred years is not. We shop. That’s what we do when we need things. The idea of making one call, to one provider and not questioning their proposal is ludicrous. Yet this is what insurance agents believe every consumer should do when considering to do business with their agency. Why” “Because Insurance is Not A Commodity.” I’ve heard this gem even more often over the last six years. So the logic goes, insurance is not a commodity and insurance agents are professionals therefore no only should every “shop” them. Wait. If you needed a new car, would you
go to only dealer? If you needed an attorney, would you call only one for their guidance> If you needed an engagement ring, would you visit only one jeweler? No. You would be crazy to not shop for these products. Yet, every car salesman is going to tell their cars are not a commodity, every attorney will tell you legal are not a commodity, every attorney will tell you legal services are not a commodity and every jeweler will tell you engagement rings are not a commodity. Furthermore, each would argue they provide professional services. Here’s the question: If over the course of a lifetime, consumers are conditioned to shop for everything they need in their life, how can we expect them not to shop insurance? We can’t. We can embrace the shopper culture or die fighting it.
Continued page 25
Insurance Shopper as Growth Opportunity Why do we fight the shopper culture? Fear. We are afraid the shopper won’t choose us. James Altucher recently wrote about fear versus growth-based decision making. “A growthbased decision becomes the story of your life later. A fear-based decision turns into regret.” My concern, (the impetus for this essay), is that we are allowing fear to limit our access to modern insurance consumers.
Insurance shopper does not mean price is all that maters.
Insurance shopper does not mean relationships do not matter.
Insurance shopper does not meant coverage does not matter.
The insurance shopper is an opportunity. Insurance shoppers have an insurance problem. That is why they are shopping! Shopping is the process, not the person. The person isn't a “shopper.” They are simply working through the
cultural process assed down from generation to generation. We cannot fight this and ignoring it is either ignorant or naïve. Independent insurance agents solve insurance programs. Who better for an independent insurance agent to talk with than an insurance buyer with an insurance problem? We must think of ourselves as insurance problem solvers and not just insurance salespeople. This is where growth happens. Growth means work, failure, fear and also, abundance and longevity. The question we must ask ourselves in regards to insurance shoppers is this: Will growth or fear dictate our future? What will you choose? Learn 7 Ways to Stop Begging and Start Attracting Ideal Clients
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Webcasts E&O Risk Management September 6 & 15 October 4
Ethics September 15 & 21
Flood September 22 October 13
Commercial & Personal Lines Courses Click above title for courses & dates for 2016
E&O Risk Management October 11th—Bossier City October 12th—Lafayette October 13th—Covington October 14th—Kenner
Free Flood Seminars November 8—10, 2016
IIAGNO Alvin Shepherd Charity Golf Tournament September 16, 2016 Audubon Golf Course
IIABR Fall Social October 13, 2016 Drusilla Catering
Fall Education Conference Shreveport 3 Hours Ethics 3 Hours Flood October 20th
CSR Training: The Customer Service Representative is key employee in every agency and is a difficult commodity to find.
Environmental Strategists (eS) Becoming a certified environmental Strategist™ (eS) will equip you with the knowledge to identify, manage and transfer environmental exposures impacting everyday business.
Cyber Risk Manager (cyRM) Completion of the Cyber Exposures & Insurance – Training for Agents & Brokers course qualifies you to register for the cyRM certification for FREE.
Seminars
Events IIABR Company Appreciation Event Mango’s Volleyball September 9, 2016
On-Demand Webcasts Masters Series: The Master Series are unique agency management courses from industry experts. in the Masters Series.
Pre-Licensing Online prelicensing 3 optional study packages available Click here for additional information
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Company
Coverage Type
Overall % Impact:
Overall $ Impact:
Number of Policyholders:
Changes
Foremost P&C
19-Private Passenger Motorcycle Program
+7.00%
$9,568
283
New: 9/1/2016 Renewal: 10/1/2016
Hanover American Massachusetts Bay Ins
Private Passenger Non-Connections Auto Program
+4.000%
$115,827
1196
New: N/A Renewal: 9/30/2016
Bankers Insurance Co
Businessowners LA Business Pride Program
-4.1%
-$371,879
2937
New: 9/1/2016 Renewal: 9/1/2016
State Farm Fire & Casualty
Commercial Mulit-Peril
1.8%
$1,213,986
19,904
New: 12/1/2016 Renewal: 2/1/2017
Foremost P&C Foremost Signature Ins Co Foremost Ins Co.
Commercial Auto Precision Specialty Contractors Program
+9.600%
$51,322
73
LA Farm Bureau Southern Farm Bureau
General Liability
+5.35%
$251,539
12,078
New: 9/1/2016 Renewal: 9/1/2016
ANPAC LA Insurance Co
Rental Owners Program
+9.968
$54,109
880
New: 9/6/2016 Renewal: 9/6/2016
Mitsui Sumitomo Ins Co of America Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance USA
Commercial Inland
-56.9%
-$4,461,567
51
Praetorian Insurance Co
Preferred & Standard Homeowners Program
+10.03%
$120,103
396
New: 10/1/2016 Renewal: 10/1/2016
Sentinel Insurance Co
Commercial Package Spectrum Policy Program
+6.0%
$184,730
1,995
New: 9/10/2016 Renewal: 9/10/2016
Atlantic Specialty Insurance
Commercial Property (Fire & Allied Lines)
-8.9%
-$65,493
86
New: 12/1/2016 Renewal: 12/1/2016
Foremost Insurance Co
Personal Inland Marine Boatowners/Personal Watercraft Family Boater’s program
9.0%
$61,843
1,045
New: 12/1/2016 Renewal: 12/1/2016
EMC P&C Company EMCASO Ins Co Employers Mutual Casualty
Commercial Inland Marine
-15.6%
-$265,327
881
New: 1/1/2017 Renewal: 1/1/2017
New: 9/15/2016 Renewal: 12/15/2016
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New LDI Requirements for Agency Affiliations Agency Affiliations Act 315 of the 2016 Regular Legislative Session made changes to agency affiliation requirements. In addition to requiring the affiliation of every individual personally engaged in the soliciting or negotiating of insurance, every member, partner, officer, director and person who controls directly or indirectly ten percent or more of the applicant is required to be affiliated under the entity license, regardless if that person holds a producer license in Louisiana pursuant to La. R.S. 22:1546 B. "Control” has the same meaning as provided for in R.S. 22:691.2. Changes in an agency’s affiliations must be reported by the entity
within 30 days of the change. How to File an Affiliation Affiliations for licensed agency personnel should be filed electronically through Industry Access. Industry Access is the LDI’s web-based portal interface used to facilitate a variety of electronic filings from industry. The Affiliations module provides agencies the ability to make a real-time direct update to our database. No paper form filing is required. When you open the affiliations module, you will see a listing of the affiliations currently on record with the LDI. You can add new individuals to the affiliation list or inactivate those who have left your organization. Hint – an agency must have at least one licensed designated responsible pro-
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ducer at all times. The module will not allow you to inactivate an affiliation if the inactivation will leave the entity without an active designated responsible producer. You will need to add the individual’s replacement first. If you have trouble using Industry Access to submit your affiliations you may contact Producer Licensing at (225) 342-0860 for an alternate way of providing the submission, Please note that online filing through Industry Access is currently available only for licensed affiliates. Until online filing is available for unlicensed individuals, please file updates for unlicensed officers/owners using the following form: Affiliation Form – Unlicensed Officers/Owners
AIRBNB’s Limited Insurance Coverage Are any of your insureds partnering with Airbnb? Airbnb hosts are covered by an insurance policy provided by the homesharing service, but not everything is covered. Airbnb’s Host Protection Insurance covers hosts with up to $1 million of liability and property damage claims from third parties. Airbnb's insurance does not cover the personal property of the host. Airbnb is not responsible for any issues with a listed property that might cause damages to a guest or the guest’s property. Sander and defamation are also excluded.
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By: Steve Anderson
Does Your Office Play “Where’s Waldo?” How does your office keep track of where employees are and when they will be back? Unfortunately, too many agencies are still stuck on using old-fashioned “analog” in/out boards to monitor the whereabouts of employees. It is probably time you give up the old and explore new options available to you with a Windows-based electronic in/out status board. It can be a great solution for saving your employees time and, at the same time, letting everybody know who is where.
Features to look for in an electronic in/out board: Geo-fencing: It should have an onscreen map that can be used to designate a virtual boundary around your office. So when an employee comes in or leaves that particular area, the GPS on his smartphone automatically updates their status accordingly.
This solves one of the biggest issues of ensuring that staff uses the electronic in/out board. With geo-fencing, you do not have to run after your employees. Also, remember that the iOS and Android apps don't go beyond the given location while tracking, so any privacy concerns are taken into account. Continued page 31
It is still helpful to keep track of who is coming and going. To do this accurately, we need to shift from the old and out of date tools and adopt tools that are up to date. With the help of an electronic in/out board, your staff’s status, availability, and location are now just a few clicks away. Instantly, you receive the information that you need! The modern versions of the in/out board are typically Web-based, which leverages every employee smartphone for quick and automated updates of their location. It is easy to get started: create an account and then add the users. As a user signs in through his Web browser, iPhone, or Android phone, it takes just a few clicks to update their status. There are many other options where you can add status messages such as Out for Lunch or Unavailable. The electronic in/out board will automatically reflect the updated information to all users.
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Usernames and passwords: Adding users can be a tedious job so you can request employees add themselves by sending email invites. Once they receive the information, they can set their usernames and password individually. Reasons to use in/out status board software: Staff collaboration and management: This information improves collaboration among employees within a company. Many services have a built-in private social network enabling you to create public and private groups. Improves customer service: The two aspects that make a business or company successful are exceptional customer service and fast response. It is easy to let people know the status of an individual and when they are scheduled to return to the office.
manage them. It covers the working status of the used resources, the user it is assigned to, and precise schedules of those resources in the Calendar. Attendance tracking and time: It gives precise data for when an employee arrives and leaves the office. Mobile device accessibility: Employees can use mobile devices to update and maintain their current location and status.
Using an in/out board continues to be sound management practice. Translating it to an electronic version enhances its usefulness. I have included a spreadsheet with information on a few vendors. I have not done an in-depth review on any of the products but included it as a tool you can use to start your research.
Tracks available resources: The software helps you track the resources and
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GOLD LEVEL
SILVER LEVEL
BRONZE LEVEL AMERISAFE
AMERICAS INSURANCE
AMTRUST GROUP
BANKERS INSURANCE
CNA INSURANCE
EMC INSURANCE
FOREST INSURANCE
GULFSTREAM P&C
HOMEBUILDERS SIF
LANE & ASSOCIATES
MAISON INSURANCE
MARKEL FIRST COMP
ASI
LUBA WORKERS’ COMP RPS COVINGTON
SUMMIT CONSULTING
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IIABL 2016—2017 BOARD OF DIRECTORS & OFFICERS Richard D. Jenkins President Moore & Jenkins Insurance—Franklinton Neil Record President Elect Record Agency, Inc.—Clinton
John L. Beckmann, III Secretary/Treasurer J. Everett Eaves—New Orleans H. Lee Schilling, Jr. National Director Schilling & Reid Insurance—Amite David Dethloff Past President Dethloff & Associates—Shreveport Derek Canchola Young Agent Representative Blumberg & Associates—Baton Rouge Byram H. Carpenter, III Moreman, Moore & Co—Shreveport Brenda Case Lowry-Dunham, Case & Vivien—Slidell Joseph Cunningham, Jr. Cunningham Agency—Natchitoches Donna DiCarlo Riverlands Insurance Services—LaPlace Morris Funderburg Reeves, Coon & Funderburg—Monroe
Ross Henry Henry Insurance Service—Baton Rouge Bret Hughes Hughes Insurance Services—Gonzales Philip McMahon Paul’s Agency—Morgan City Joe King Montgomery Thomas & Farr Agency—Monroe Joseph A. O’Connor, III The O’Connor Insurance Group—Metairie Paul Owen John Hendry Insurance Agency-Zachary Martin Perret Quality Plus—Lafayette David T. Perry Arthur J. Gallagher RMS—Baton Rouge Robert Riviere Riviere Insurance Agency—Thibodaux
Armond Schwing Schwing Insurance Agency—New Iberia Michael D. Scriber Scriber Insurance Services—Ruston Donelson P. Stiel David H. Stiel, Jr. Agency—Franklin
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