Hear from IA&B Education Consultant Cathy Trischan. She shares how her career progressed, why she values insurance education, and what the new Insuring Careers Certification Program – which she helped to develop – has to offer industry newcomers, including new agency employees.
Contemplating bringing on an intern? Then learn how IA&B’s recently released guidebook can help take the guesswork out of the process.
February is Insurance Careers Month, which highlights rewarding career opportunities in insurance. You may be asking if IA&B has much to contribute to this month-long campaign. To that I would respond with, “hold my beer…”
First, did you hear that IA&B hired an industry recruiter? In this edition of Primary Agent, learn about the efforts of Director of Career Services Heather Ulrich. Heather is tasked with attracting diverse new talent into the industry. She is forging relationships to recruit recent graduates and those seeking a new career – from teachers to veterans to stay-at-home parents.
IA&B launched the Insuring Careers Certification Program (ICCP) for these new recruits. Additionally, this program is perfect for your new, unlicensed employees. IA&B often hears from members that training green employees can be a major drain on resources. ICCP provides a solution.
ICCP is an online training program designed to help industry newbies earn their Property & Casualty license (in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware) and learn insurance basics and business soft skills, all within six months. IA&B Education Consultant Cathy Trischan was heavily involved in developing the ICCP curriculum. Check out her interview on page 8.
In summary, IA&B has a recruiter to bring folks into the industry, plus a new certification program to get them licensed and off to a great start. And it’s all powered by IA&B - an organization that is nationally recognized for its educational offerings. This Insurance Careers Month, I’d say that IA&B is a leader in the effort to introduce new and diverse talent into the insurance industry. With these initiatives in place, I hope you see the value in belonging to IA&B. It certainly makes me a proud member!
Until next time,
Sarah Brown, CIC, CRM, AFIS Chair of the Board
INSURANCE AGENTS & BROKERS
650 Wilson Lane, Suite 200 Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
191 Main Street, Annapolis, MD 21401 800-998-9644 | IABforME.com
Sarah Brown, CIC, CRM, AFIS - Chair
Keller Brown Insurance Services | Shrewsbury, PA
Andrew Enders, Esq. - Vice Chair Enders | Harrisburg, PA
Greg Bennett Famous & Spang Associates Aberdeen, MD
Kate Dawson, CPIA Ferri Dawson Insurance Murrysville, PA
Michael Gaetano
The Hartman Group Montoursville, PA
Bruce D. Kraft, AAI, CIC Arbor Insurance Group Allentown, PA
Debra McAfee McAfee Insurance Agency, LLC Wilmington, DE
Michael McGroarty, Jr., CIC McGroarty & Bradburn Insurance Pittsburgh, PA
Shayne McIntosh, CIC JPI Insurance Associates Dillsburg, PA
Chris Miller, CIC
Miller Insurance Protection Team Jonestown, PA
Michael Papa, CIC, MBA Diversified Insurance Industries, Inc. Hunt Valley, MD
Lisa Parry, CPIA Parry Insurance Langhorne, PA
Bill Purdy Purdy Insurance Agency, Inc. Sunbury, PA
Kent Reynolds, CIC Blue Ridge Risk Partners LLC Hagerstown, MD
David Rivell, CIC, CRM Element Risk Management West Chester, PA
Jason Rodriguez, CIC Prominent Insurance Svcs Wilmington, DE
Donna Roper E K McConkey & Company York, PA
Ashley Stafford, CPIA Williams Insurance Agency, Inc. Rehoboth Beach, DE
Michael Thomas Lighthouse Insurance Svcs Gambrills, MD
Mike Ertel (PIA)
The Jacobs Company | Columbia, MD
Diana Hornung, CIC (IIABA)
IOA National, Inc. | Wilmington, DE
Mark Monroe (IIABA)
Element Risk Management | West Chester, PA
Are you a member with a question?
IA&B Vice President - Advocacy Claire Pantaloni, CIC, CISR
Contact Claire to find the answer at 717-918-9202 or ClaireP@IABforME.com.
When a customer leaves, what are the legal requirements for continuing access to policy documents through a company portal?
First, note that emailing policy documents and giving access to those documents through a portal are both considered electronic transactions and subject to the federal ESIGN and the state version of the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act. (To learn more, access IA&B’s resource: IABforME. com/electronic-transactions)
Prior to conducting transactions electronically, entities generally must:
1) Disclose specific characteristics of the electronic transaction setup, and
2) Secure consent from the consumer before transacting electronically.
If you use a vendor for your electronic transactions, note that the disclosure can be embedded and the consent secured through an “I agree” check box. As alluded to above, specific elements must be included in the disclosure:
▲ The right or option to have paper copies;
▲ The right to withdraw consent to electronic transactions, as well as consequences of withdrawing consent;
▲ The process for withdrawing consent and for updating contact information;
▲ The process to obtain a paper copy after having consented to the use of an electronic record and whether a fee will be charged;
▲ Whether the consent applies to a particular transaction or to identified categories of records; and
▲ What hardware and software are necessary to access and retain the electronic records (e.g. Adobe for pdfs).
To answer the question about continued access post policy termination, it is likely necessary to first review that disclosure.
If your customers use an agency portal access, first check the disclosure/consent form to see what provision, if any, discusses continued document access when the policy is cancelled. If the disclosure is silent on this, look to the provision that describes the consumer’s right or option to receive paper copies of the electronic documents. Once you determine your stated policy, consider sending a reminder on the ability to either download or print or receive a paper copy of the documents within a reasonable timeframe before access is blocked.
If your customers use a carrier portal access, the insurer likely embedded a disclosure for access. You may want to ask the carrier about their process for customers whose policy is being or has been cancelled: whether access continues for a set period and if any communication goes out directly to the customer on the subject.
In both cases, this will give those customers who simply used the portal to view documents an opportunity to download the files and retain a copy for their records before losing access. Whatever your process is, it should be applied consistently among all customers.
Finally, note that the consent requirement is more formal for transactions for personal, family, or household purposes. Personal Lines would squarely fall in that category.
This document is not a legal opinion and should not be relied upon as such. The intent of this document is to provide a general background regarding the topic or topics discussed, not to provide legal advice. Producers and agencies should consult an attorney regarding specific situations and specific questions with respect to the topic or topics covered in this document. Neither the Insurance Agents & Brokers nor any of its employees shall be responsible for any errors or omissions regarding any statements made in this document, nor any errors or omissions regarding any statutes, regulations, court rules, and/or any other government documents cited in this document.
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Also available in audio format at IABforME.buzzsprout.com
By Bill Wilson
Here is the short answer to the question posed by this article: Maybe. Using the ISO Personal Auto Policy as an industry standard model form, while being aware that there are many variations of this language in the marketplace, here is the liability exclusion applicable to most delivery scenarios:
We do not provide Liability Coverage for any “insured”...
For that “insured’s” liability arising out of the ownership or operation of a vehicle while it is being used as a public or livery conveyance. This includes but is not limited to any period of time a vehicle is being used by any “insured” who is logged into a “transportation network platform” as a driver, whether or not a passenger is “occupying” the vehicle.
This exclusion (A.5.) does not apply to:
a.A share-the-expense car pool; or
b.The ownership or operation of a vehicle while it is being used for volunteer or charitable purposes.
“Transportation network platform” means an onlineenabled application or digital network used to connect passengers with drivers using vehicles for the purpose of providing prearranged transportation services for compensation.
This exclusion also applies to all other coverages in the ISO policy, not just liability. Again, be aware that non-ISO forms may treat delivery exposures differently, many of them specifically excluding delivery of certain products such as food.
Note that the exclusion, with a couple of specific exceptions, applies to the ownership or operation of a vehicle while it is being used as a “public or livery” conveyance to transport people or property. Over the years, courts have generally found that “public or livery” refers to, for example, “a vehicle held indiscriminately for hire to the general public,” but not for using the vehicle to transport persons or property for a private entity.
Reviewing case law from around the country going back over 40 years, a number of courts have opined that delivering pizzas for firms like Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Papa John’s, etc. did not constitute holding the vehicle out to the general public for hire.
On the other hand, individuals delivering food for multiple entities using apps for services such as Uber Eats, DoorDash, and GrubHub might find that a claim arising while using one of these apps is denied by their personal auto insurer.
If this happens, one issue is whether the “transportation network platform” language applies to food delivery, given that the policy definition of this term refers to “passengers” and not property delivery per se. However, even if this language is deemed by a court not to apply, the insurer might still consider this to be a “livery” exposure since the insured is delivering food for multiple entities rather than a single entity.
Given that “maybe” is not a productive answer to a policy coverage question, agencies might be advised to consult with the claims departments of the personal auto carriers they represent and document how they believe these various exposures should be insured.
Bill Wilson, CPCU, ARM, AIM, AAM is the founder and CEO of InsuranceCommentary. com and the author of six books, including “When Words Collide…Resolving Insurance Coverage and Claims Disputes,” the highest rated insurance book on Amazon and, according to BookAuthority, the #1 insurance book of all time. He can be reached at Bill@ InsuranceCommentary.com.
Get a complete, customizable manuala collection of electronic documents that your agency can use to formalize business procedures and policies.
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IABforME.com/additional-services 800-998-9644, option 1
Rather listen?
Also available in audio format at IABforME.buzzsprout.com
IA&B works on your behalf to ensure that state legislators and regulators understand the issues affecting agents.
And your financial support amplifies your message. Please consider contributing. More information at iabforme.com/political_advocacy
IA&B members in Pennsylvania and Delaware: You are eligible for the Trusted Choice Marketing Reimbursement Program through our affiliation with the Big I.
What is this program?
The Marketing Reimbursement Program helps member agencies offset the cost of various marketing activities to grow their businesses.
How does it work?
Reimbursements are made at 50% of cost with a maximum reimbursement amount of $1,000 per agency for 2025 expenses. You can use the funds for DIY digital marketing, working with a Trusted Choice preferred vendor, or marketing education.
All members qualify for the program, even if your agency used it in the past. Funds are limited, so Trusted Choice recommends applying early for reimbursements.
Where can I learn more?
Visit the Trusted Choice website for more information, or contact trusted.choice@iiaba.net.
Last chance! Apply by Feb. 7 for the next round of insurance education scholarships. IA&B will award scholarships for member agencies to send employees to CIC and CISR courses, as well as live CE webinars.
Questions? Contact IA&B
Administrative Assistant Sarah Haas at SarahJ@IABforME.com or 800-998-9644, ext. 104.
Apply today.
IABforME.online/scholarships
Do you have a new employee who is just starting in the industry and needs licensed? Let IA&B help you develop and prepare them for the licensing exam and more through the Insuring Careers Certification Program (ICCP) – the perfect program for newcomers to the insurance industry.
Learn how your agency can benefit from the ICCP from our recorded introductory webinar, presented on Jan. 27 by IA&B VP-Membership Tim Wonder, Education Senior Director Jessica McWilliams, and Director of Career Services Heather Ulrich. The webinar also features IA&B Education Consultant Cathy Trischan who designed the ICCP curriculum. Watch the recording. YouTube.com/@IA_and_B
Learn more about ICCP. IABforME.online/insuringcareers-agencies
Join IA&B for the Big “I” National Legislative Conference, April 30May 1 in Washington, D.C. The annual event brings together independent agents from across the country to meet with their elected Representatives and Senators on Capitol Hill.
For registration information, contact IA&B Government Affairs Director John Savant at JohnS@IABforME.com or 717-918-9214.
Top: IA&B's Delaware members met with U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (center) during the 2024 National Legislative Conference.
Bottom: Two of IA&B's 2023 Young Agent Movers & Shakers – Jessica Entwistle (left) and Ashley Stafford –represented independent agents at the 2024 National Legislative Conference.
Heather Ulrich (seen in photos at left) joined IA&B as Director of Career Services in late 2023. In this newly created position, Ulrich oversees industry recruitment efforts, including recruitment for the new Insuring Careers Certification Program (ICCP).
Over the past year, Ulrich began forging relationships with students, business educators, and guidance counselors at high schools, community colleges, and universities throughout IA&B’s three-state footprint. She also represented the industry at numerous job and career fairs.
In the months ahead, Ulrich will target three particular categories of job seekers – those looking for a career change, recent graduates, and those looking to rejoin the workforce. Ulrich will spread the word about insurance industry careers, job opportunities within our member agencies, and the ICCP.
Follow Insuring Careers on social media:
Cathy Trischan, CPCU, CRM, CIC, ARM, AU, AAI, CRIS, MLIS, TRIP is IA&B’s commercial lines education consultant and bimonthly contributor to Primary Agent magazine. Also a faculty member for the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance, she teaches in the Certified Insurance Counselors (CIC) and Certified Insurance Service Representatives (CISR) programs as well as Ruble Graduate Seminars.
Most recently, Cathy partnered with IA&B to develop the Insuring Careers Certification Program (ICCP) curriculum – online modules that teach the basics of insurance and then, after participants pass the state licensing exam, another set of lessons that focus on the technical side of insurance, digging deeper into the insurance policies as well as business skills training.
Q. Tell us how you got your start in the insurance industry and how your career progressed.
A. Like many in the industry, I fell into insurance. I graduated from college without a clear idea of what I wanted to do. I was offered a good job in an insurance company claims department, so I took a chance. I didn’t love the claims side of the business and left to work for an agency in the commercial lines department. From there, I never looked back. I held a variety of positions in insurance agencies starting as an assistant CSR and ending as Director of Commercial Underwriting. I started teaching insurance classes in the early 1990s and continued to grow my training and consulting practice over the years. In 2023, I left agency life to focus full time on my business.
Q. As a collector of designations, you obviously value insurance education! What motivates you to keep learning?
A. I have always loved being a student. I want to understand how things work and why they are the way they are. And the more I learn, the more I want to learn. As an insurance professional, I also recognize how important it is to keep up with all of the changes that happen in our industry.
Insurance doesn’t stand still. The best way for me to stay on top of things is to make the effort to keep learning.
Q. Thank you for all your work on the ICCP! How would you summarize the curriculum – who is it designed for and what do participants walk away with?
A. You’re welcome. Working on this project has been so rewarding!
The program is designed to help those who are new to the insurance industry develop the skills they need to be successful. It is so hard for people working in an agency to find the time to train new employees on everything they need to know. This program helps to fill that need. In addition, this program is perfect for someone just entering insurance and not yet in an agency. It allows them to work at their own pace and around other life responsibilities.
We begin with a four-part introduction to the basics of insurance. This introduction will help the learner get excited about the industry they are entering. It will also give them a head start in preparing for the state licensing exam. Once the learner is licensed, the real fun begins.
The program dives deeply into the primary policies they’ll be working with, both personal and commercial policies. We teach them the technical skills they’ll need to be insurance professionals. We’ll also teach them the business skills they’ll need to work well with clients, insurers and brokers, and others.
Q. Admittedly, the soft skills training component of the ICCP is atypical in insurance training. Tell us what it covers and why it’s included.
A. This is one of my favorite parts of ICCP and what makes the program so special. It is important for insurance professionals to be technically proficient and to understand the products they sell. We’ve got that covered in ICCP. But we need to remember that insurance is a people business. Without good business skills, the knowledge one has about insurance coverage doesn’t translate into helping a client. The skills training section covers several key areas including time management, communication, problem solving and negotiation, presentation and sales. These are the skills that most people are never taught; they learn them on the job, often by trial and error. Our graduates will be better prepared from the start!
Q. After ICCP participants pass the state licensing exam, they move onto more technical modules and applications. What will they learn in this final segment of the program?
A. Aside from the soft skills we just discussed, they will learn the mechanics of how some of the most commonly written insurance policies work. It is so important that agents understand the policies they are selling, and so many don’t because they haven’t been taught how to read and analyze policies. Many don’t get that kind of education until they are further along in their careers and possibly pursuing a designation. Pre-licensing is great, but it is just the starting point. The insurance training modules will help learners understand how policies work and what coverage to look and ask for. That knowledge will help them to feel more confident when discussing coverage with insurers, brokers, and clients.
Q. What advice would you give to new insurance producers just getting their start in our industry?
A. I was hoping you’d ask me this one. First, we have the most amazing people in our industry – get to know them. Network within your organization and outside of it. If you’re
as lucky as I’ve been, you’ll make great friends as well as professional contacts. Second, take every opportunity to learn as much as you can about this business. The more you know, the more exciting the field of insurance becomes. Take classes, read industry journals, talk to those with more or different experience and learn from them. Lastly, know that there are so many opportunities in our industry. If you don’t like one facet of the business, chances are good there is another role that may be a better fit. I was not meant to be a claims adjuster, but once I got into an agency, I knew I’d found a lifelong career.
Q. When you’re not teaching (or writing, or consulting, or building curriculum!), how do you enjoy spending your time?
A. That list doesn’t leave me a lot of time these days. At this point, my priority is making time to spend with family, especially my grandchildren who are growing up so quickly. I don’t want to miss any of that. I also love to travel and want to see as much of the world as I can. And when I can’t do either of those things, you’ll usually find me in the middle of a good (non-insurance) book.
Contemplating bringing on an intern? Check out IA&B’s recently released guidebook –The Independent Agent’s Guide to Creating a Successful Internship Program – to help take the guesswork out of the process. It contains an assortment of best practices, intern activities, and more.
“A strategic initiative for IA&B is to attract diverse new talent to our industry, and specifically to independent insurance agencies,” said IA&B President & CEO Jason Ernest, Esq. “This guide was developed to support that on a micro level, as our member agencies introduce young people to our industry through internships.”
The Guide aims to help agencies seamlessly incorporate interns into their operation. It contains fillable templates including:
▲ a contract with intern expectations,
▲ a form for providing feedback to your intern,
▲ offer letter templates, and
▲ sample schedules.
The Independent Agent’s Guide to Creating a SUCCESSFUL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
It also helps supervisors stay on track with important education topics, so interns get the most out of their experience while cultivating the professional skills necessary to become a successful independent agent – or to consider other career paths within the insurance industry.
“While it can feel overwhelming to add an intern, this guidebook addresses common concerns about finding interested students and structuring an internship,” said IA&B Director of Career Services Heather Ulrich. “Our team queried agencies with successful internship programs, studied market trends, and evaluated best practices to simplify the process for interested agencies.”
To access The Independent Agent’s Guide to Creating a Successful Internship Program, visit IABforME.com/HR-resources. Questions? Contact IA&B Director of Career Services Heather Ulrich at HeatherU@IABforME.com or 800-998-9644, ext. 407.
Save the date of Thursday, July 31 to send your interns to IA&B’s fourth annual Intern Day. Held each year on National Intern Day, the event brings together interns from IA&B member agencies and company partners for a day of learning about the insurance industry, brushing up on their employment skills, and making connections.
Registration will open this spring at IABforME.com/intern-day.
Questions? Contact IA&B Director of Career Services Heather Ulrich at HeatherU@IABforME.com or 800-998-9644, ext. 407.
A thriving independent insurance agent community.
To serve as a driving force to champion independent agency success by educating, consulting, advocating, and fostering community in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and beyond.
Editor: Karen Robison KarenR@IABforME.com 717-918-9209
Contributing editors: Jennifer Ross, Megan Fioretta, Sarah Haas
Sales Account Executive: Rebecca Sieg | 717-430-2351 rebecca.sieg@theygsgroup.com
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