Delaware Primary Agent - March 2017

MARCH 2017 | DELAWARE

PIECING TOGETHER A

PERPETUATION

PLAN

MENTORING QUANTIFIED CLOUD COMPUTING

Renew Online IABforME.com/renew Your membership expires March 31

THERE’S more FOR YOU AT MILLERS.

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Part of our deep expertise in habitational comes from immersing ourselves in the apartment associations world.

We believe that the best way to give you greater value in property & casualty coverage and creative underwriting solutions for habitational properties is to immerse ourselves in that world. The more we learn from property owners and managers the more insight and product enhancements we can use and share with you and your customers.

Ad We’re proud to be active members of the Central and East Chapters of PAA.

Have Questions?

Contact your underwriter or call Millers Mutual’s Jonah Mull (717.237.7273) or Scott Billett (717.237.7202).

800.745.4555 millersinsurance.com Rated A- (Excellent) by A.M. Best Rated A Prime (Unsurpassed) with Demotech ©2017, Millers Mutual Group, Harrisburg, PA

B US IN E S S OW N ER S PO L I C Y | C O MMER C I A L A UT O | COMME RCI AL UMBRE L L A | L E SSORS RI SK | BUI L DE RS RISK

IN THIS

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THE PATH TO PERPETUATION The future of your business depends on the investments in your staff and technology that you make today.

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MENTORING QUANTIFIED A new LIMRA study proves the value in mentorship opportunities for mentees and mentors alike.

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CLOUD COMPUTING FOR AGENCIES – PERCEPTION VS. REALITY Confused about the cloud? Read industry tech gurus’ answers to independent agency owners’ common questions.

IN EVERY ISSUE 2 3 4 6 8 11 32 32 32

Chairman of the Board’s Message Ask Our Experts Preventing Errors & Omissions Coverage Corner State News IA&B Partners Advertiser’s Index My Events Classified Ads

Periodical postage paid at Mechanicsburg, Pa. and at additional mailing offices.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Insurance Agents & Brokers, 5050 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055.

Primary Agent (ISSN 1543-3110), Permit # 638-620, Issue # 2017-3, is published monthly by IA&B Service Group Inc., a subsidiary of IA&B.

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Copyright 2017. All rights reserved. No material may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent of the publisher. The information in this publication is general in nature and not intended to serve as legal, accounting, financial, insurance, investment advisory or other professional advice as to any reader’s particular situation. Users are encouraged to consult with competent legal, financial, insurance, investment advisory and/or other professional advisors concerning specific matters before making any decisions. We disclaim any responsibility for any decisions or actions by readers. Statements of fact and opinion in Primary Agent are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of the officers or the members of IA&B. Participation in IA&B events, activities and/or publications is available on a non-discriminatory basis and does not reflect IA&B endorsement of the products and/or services.

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CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD’S MESSAGE

PRIORITIZING PERPETUATION PLANNING

INSURANCE AGENTS & BROKERS 5050 Ritter Road | Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 800-998-9644 | IABforME.com

OFFICERS Chair of the Board

Michael F. McGroarty Sr

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Vice Chair of the Board

ike it or not, we’re not getting any younger. (I, for one, am reminded of this fact every time I try to keep up with my grandkids….) And whether we’re ready or not, there will come a time when we will bid adieu to agency life.

Chances are that perpetuation planning doesn’t top your list of hobbies – or even top your list of priorities. But the truth of the matter is that planning now can prevent headaches and heartaches down the road.

Don’t feel that you need to go it alone. This is another area where your agents’ association can help. Give this issue of Primary Agent a read, and check out the resources at IABforME.com/agency_perpetuation, including a list of valuation and perpetuation consultants. Then develop a detailed succession plan. If you don’t have the right players on your team (or if the players aren’t ready) to implement that plan, look to the job board at jobs.IABforME.com and the “Strengthening Your Agency Culture” HR management workshops coming to Pittsburgh and Harrisburg later this month.

Like it or not, perpetuation planning is a key component of successful agency management. It’s critical to our employees, our customers and our families.

So make this the year that you prepare, and look to your agents’ association to help make it happen. n

John B. Hollister

Immediate Past Chair of the Board

Robert S. Klinger, LUTCF, CPIA

MEMBERS Emory Stephen Burnett, CIC, ARM Wilmington, Del.

Richard F. Corroon, CPCU Wilmington, Del.

Michael P. Ertel Sr.+ Columbia, Md.

G. Greg Gunn, CIC* Lemoyne, Pa.

Bryan C. Hanes, JD Hagerstown, Md.

David C. King Lancaster, Pa.

Lisa A. Leach Goth, CIC New Bethlehem , Pa.

Douglas A. Loesel, CPCU Erie, Pa.

Crag S. Mader Crofton, Md.

Elizabeth H. Martin, CIC Millersville, Pa.

Mark J. Monroe

West Chester, Pa.

Joseph R. Pastor, CPCU, AAI Oil City, Pa.

Until next time,

Richard M. Rankin, CIC Lancaster, Pa.

April E. Ressler, CIC Altoona, Pa.

Scott C. Rogers, CPIA

Michael “Mike” F. McGroarty Sr. Chairman of the Board

York, Pa.

Glenn R. Strachan

Ft. Washington, Md.

Bryan S. Willey Dover, Del.

Lawrence A. Wilson, CIC, CPIA, CPCU, ARM** Newark, Del.

J. Marshall Wolff, CIC, CPCU Easton, Pa.

* Pa. IIABA National Director ** Del. IIABA National Director + Md. PIA National Director

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Ask Our Experts Question: I just secured an appointment from a carrier that provides market-value policies. Even though I explain the endorsement to the applicants upfront, should I provide a disclaimer in case they blame me for the lack of replacement cost coverage after the loss?

Answer:

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hile market-value policies* are sometimes the only option available as the valuation basis for buildings, handling them with caution is a good call. In order to limit your E&O exposure associated with the limitation in coverage without extending your duty of care, here is a suggestion: You could send the usual cover letter telling the insured to read the policy and let you know if he has any questions.

This type of letter is fairly standard and a good reminder to customers that they are supposed to read their policies (even if most of them don’t). You could then add another paragraph along the lines of: “As we discussed, please note that this policy is written with a 'market value' endorsement which will not afford replacement cost coverage in the event that your dwelling is damaged in a loss. As always, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.”

This will simply establish a record of your discussions with the policyholder and hopefully prevent any claim of

misrepresentation that could ensue if the customer later fails to remember your conversations on the topic. Being overly descriptive in your letter could increase your duty of care to your customers and beg the question of why a specific provision of the policy is highlighted instead of others. The use of a more standard letter, slightly modified to highlight something you already discussed with the customer, is meant to strike a balance between the two demands. n * A market-value policy would allow the loss settlement to be based on an assessed market value rather than Replacement Cost or even Actual Cash Value. In this case, we are dealing with an undesirable neighborhood where the market value is lower than both RC and ACV. The clause can be used in order to prevent a moral hazard.

Claire Pantaloni, CIC, CISR, our senior director of advocacy, provided this month’s answer

Have a question? Ask our experts!

Rely on our experts to answer your most perplexing questions. Visit the Ask Our Experts section of IABforME.com (find the link in the website footer) to submit your question and review answers to other frequently asked questions. Or email your question to us at IAB@IABforME.com.

We look forward to hearing from you.

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PREVENTING ERRORS & OMISSIONS

WHAT IF YOUR CLIENT ASKS YOU IF THEY SHOULD REPORT A CLAIM UNDER THEIR POLICY?

By Daniel J. Hammond, CPCU, AIS, AIC, AINS, ARe

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any Errors and Omissions (E&O) claims involve clients alleging that they told their agents about situations that were then never reported to the client’s carriers. The agent often tells his or her E&O claim adjuster that the client did talk to him or her about the situation and that the client did not want to report it.

If clients ask you whether they should report a claim, the answer is that their insurance policy spells out the claim reporting requirements and that they likely need to report the claim right away and provide the details specified in the

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reporting provisions of their policy.

If it is the client’s decision not to report a claim, document this in writing to the client and include it in your file.

Remember the following when dealing with agency client claim reporting: • Do not tell a client not to report a claim.

• Do not take it upon yourself to make an insurance coverage decision as a reason to not report a client’s claim.

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• Be sure to report to all applicable policies (primary, umbrella, etc.).

If you are uncertain as to whether a policy is applicable, report the claim.

• When submitting a loss notice form on behalf of a client, consider placing the carrier on notice with a cover sheet that the agency accepts no responsibility for reliance upon, and has not undertaken verification of, the information contained in the loss notice and that the carrier needs to verify all information with the agency client.

If it is the client’s decision not to report a claim, document this in writing to the client and include it in your file.

• Many policies require reporting claims directly to the carrier.

Consider from an E&O perspective whether it may benefit the agency to have clients report directly to their carriers rather than having your agency accept the responsibility and potential liability surrounding claimreporting issues.

Daniel J. Hammond, CPCU, AIS, AIC, AINS, ARe provided this article on behalf of Utica National Insurance Group. Our sales center is the exclusive agent for the Utica E&O program in Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania. For questions regarding this article or your E&O coverage, contact IA&B at 800-998-9644 or IAB@IABforME.com.

• Keep your agency file well documented.

Whether it is reporting a claim or reporting a potential claim under your E&O policy, or fielding a claim-reporting question from a client, a good rule of thumb is to immediately submit a claim to the carrier and let the claim adjusters take care of the rest. n

PROTECT YOUR CLIENT, PROTECT YOURSELF IF YOU or your employees hold the CISR designation, take note of this year’s William T. Hold seminars, including “Protect your client, protect yourself.” The course will address the most frequent charge in E&O claims against agents: You didn’t give me the right insurance.

The program explores coverage claims, as well as E&O claims, to learn the cause of the problem and what could have been done to better protect the client and the agency. The course kicked off last month and will be held at the following locations throughout the year.

March 7 – York, Pa.

Aug. 23 – Reading, Pa.

Oct. 24 – Altoona, Pa.

March 8 – Wilmington, Del.

Sept. 20 – Mechanicsburg, Pa.

Dec. 6 – Hagerstown, Md.

March 29 – Mechanicsburg, Pa.

Sept. 21 – Allentown, Pa.

Dec. 7 – Baltimore, Md.

May 24 – Pittsburgh, Pa.

Oct. 11 – Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

June 7 – Philadelphia, Pa.

Oct. 12 – Lancaster, Pa.

IABforME.com/CISR

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COVERAGE CORNER

THE DUAL CAPACITY DOCTRINE

By Jerry M. Milton, CIC

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orkers’ compensation was originally developed to be the exclusive remedy between employers and employees for work-related injuries.

The exclusive remedy provision of a state’s workers’ compensation act bars all tort actions by an employee against an employer for work-related injuries. The employee gives up the right to sue the employer in exchange for certain benefits, which are paid by the employer, regardless of fault. A few months ago we discussed how this exclusive remedy provision has slowly been eroded and in many states the injured employee can sue the employer

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for the employer’s or a co-employee’s intentional acts, retaliatory discharge, or the employer’s failure to procure workers’ compensation insurance.

Well, there’s another hole in the exclusive remedy dam. It’s known as the Dual Capacity Doctrine. The Dual Capacity Doctrine has evolved over the years to allow an injured employee to sue the employer who, in addition to acting as the employer, also acts in another capacity.

The first court to adopt the Dual Capacity Doctrine was the California Supreme Court way back in 1952. The

MARCH 2017

employee was a nurse who was injured on the job and was negligently treated by a co-employee chiropractor. The employee sued the employer, and the court ruled that “an employee injured in an industrial accident may sue the attending physician for malpractice if the original injury is aggravated as a result of the doctor’s negligence, and that such right exists whether the attending doctor is the insurance doctor or the employer.”

Since that ruling, a few other states, not a majority, have adopted the Dual Capacity Doctrine.

When the employer manufactures, modifies, distributes, or installs a product that causes an employee injury, courts have considered whether the employee may bring a product liability claim against the employer. As of now, the majority of states have rejected the Dual Capacity Doctrine in cases involving products made by the injured employee’s employer.

Thus far the courts of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware have ruled against the application of the Dual Capacity Doctrine and have upheld the workers’ compensation exclusive remedy concept for work-related injuries.

Jeffrey Gross suffered a work-related injury at a health care facility. He later suffered another injury when undergoing treatment by his employer for his initial injury. Mr. Gross filed a claim against his employer, alleging the Dual Capacity Doctrine would allow for both workers’ compensation and medical malpractice liability to apply for the two separate injuries he sustained. He further argued that although he was an employee when he was initially injured, he was not an employee when he suffered the second injury during treatment for the first injury.

the requirement under the Workers’ Compensation Act that workers’ compensation provides the exclusive remedy for work-related injuries.

MORE FROM MILTON

By the way, if you do encounter a dual capacity claim, they are covered under the Employers Liability section of the Workers Compensation And Employers Liability policy. But I’m sure y’all already knew that.

COVERAGES EXPERT – and monthly Primary Agent contributor – Jerry Milton will make the rounds later this year to present “Insuring Contractors.” The eight credit seminar will get attendees up to speed on CGL and Commercial Property coverages, including revisions brought forth by case law and ISO changes.

Y’all take care! n

May 11 – Wilmington, Del.

Jerry M. Milton, CIC, teaches and consults on industry issues. The legal profession recognizes him as an expert on insurance coverages. He also serves as our education consultant, working with our CISR, CIC and continuing education programs.

Catch him at one of our upcoming seminars: IABforME.com/MyTraining.

June 15 – Mechanicsburg, Pa. Aug. 16 – Baltimore, Md. Aug. 29 – Pittsburgh, Pa. Oct. 4 – Philadelphia, Pa.

IABforME.com/MyTraining

The Superior Court of Pennsylvania disagreed with Mr. Gross. The court held that, as a matter of longstanding practice under the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act, a second injury incurred while being treated for an earlier work-related injury is in itself subject to workers’ compensation. The court applied the “but for” test (but for the first work-related injury, the worker would not have sought treatment that led to the second injury) which means that the second injury is derivative of the first and thereby still subject to

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STATE NEWS

ALERT COLLEGE-BOUND STUDENTS TO OUR $1,500 JOANN SCOTT SCHOLARSHIPS Now is the time to reach out to Delaware families with college-bound kids to inform them of the two $1,500 scholarships available through the Delaware Association of Insurance Agents & Brokers (IA&B). These annual scholarships are awarded to deserving students in memory of Joann Scott who is fondly remembered for her dedication to our association and her profession.

Delaware agents Jim Watkins, of Pfister Insurance; Steve Burnett, of IFS; Mary Rowland of USI Insurance Services; and Bryan Willey, of Harrington Insurance, attended last year’s NLC.

JOIN US FOR THE 2017 NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE With the new administration came a significant shift in power in Washington, D.C., as well as the prospect of major legislation which will impact the independent agent and broker community in the years to come. Make sure your voice is heard by joining us for the Big “I” National Legislative Conference (NLC) to be held May 3-4 at the Renaissance Washington, D.C. Downtown Hotel.

This is a one-of-a-kind legislative event for the independent agency community, where you can educate members of Congress on issues important to you and your clients.

IA&B will pick up the tab for your conference registration and hotel the night of May 3, and Travelers hosts your May 3 dinner with legislative guests. All you have to do is get to Washington D.C.

Candidates have until April 15 to apply, so members are encouraged to get the word out now. Please direct customers and coworkers to IABforME.com/ scholarship for information and an application.

Winners will be invited to attend our Annual Awards Luncheon on June 1 (day two of our 60th Annual Convention) in Rehoboth Beach.

NEW TOOL PROVIDES NATIONAL ACCESS TO LOST LIFE INSURANCE With an estimated $1 billion in benefits from life insurance policies unclaimed, state insurance regulators are stepping up their efforts to help consumers locate lost policies and annuities.

The Delaware Department of Insurance (DOI) late last year announced its partnership with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) to unveil a new life insurance policy locator service. This came on the heels of the launch of DOI’s own process for simplifying the search for missing policies.

IABforME.com/NLC

The NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator provides nationwide access for assistance

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MARCH 2017

with finding life insurance policies and annuities. How it works: 1. Consumers submit requests, which are encrypted and secured to maintain confidentiality.

2. Participating insurers compare requests with available policyholder information and report all matches to state insurance departments through the locator.

3. Companies then contact beneficiaries or their authorized representatives. https://eapps.naic.org/life-policy-locator

DELAWARE DIPS IN ANNUAL REGULATORY REVIEW Insurance carrier and product accessibility are impacted greatly by the strengths and weaknesses of a state’s regulatory body.

As in years past, the R Street Institute released its Insurance Regulation Report Card – a study that grades state regulators on a series of metrics. For 2016, the Delaware Department of Insurance (DOI) received a “D” and ranked 43rd among states.

The R Street study named the DOI’s strength as creating a “low tax and fee burden” but identified a number of weaknesses: highly politicized, large regulatory surplus, large runoff liabilities, concentrated auto insurance market, little underwriting freedom For perspective, the R Street Institute graded Delaware with a “C” in 2015 and a “C-” in 2014.

The R Street Institute’s annual Insurance Regulation Report Card grades state regulators on politicization, fiscal efficiency, solvency regulation,

auto insurance market, homeowners’ insurance market, residual markets and underwriting freedom.

ISO ENDORSEMENTS ADDRESS HOMESHARING If your customers engage in homesharing to make extra money, you may want to reach out to your carriers. Delaware homeowners who rent their properties through homesharing services (e.g.

Airbnb, HomeAway) may have better options to address their insurance coverage needs. ISO recently filed a series of related endorsements.

• Some of these endorsements simply reinforce the longstanding scope of coverage and clarify that homesharing may be viewed as a business exposure, in which case it is not covered by a traditional unendorsed homeowners’ policy; • O ther endorsements make available optional broadened coverages for homesharing activities by an insured.

The endorsements, which are approved in Delaware, carry an edition date of 02 17.

As with all ISO filings, implementation varies by carrier adoption.

DCRB TO REALIGN RATING EFFECTIVE DATES Delaware has joined the countrywide initiative to eliminate the concept of anniversary rating date (ARD). The change will take effect May 1, 2017.

We reached out to our contacts at DCRB for an explanation of and rationale for the change. Here’s what they had to say: The original intent of using an ARD to price workers’ compensation was

to ensure that no policy of insurance was cancelled, rewritten or extended to avoid or take advantage of any changes in rules or rates. Under the ARD provision, if a policy cancelled mid-term, the rewritten policy would use the carrier rating values approved for the insurer on the ARD, not the new policy effective date. Anniversary rating has long been a source of confusion to employers and agents and is a concept that does not exist in other types of insurance.

Elimination of the ARD approach will allow rules, classifications and carrier rates to be applied on the effective date of the policy and remain constant throughout the policy period. Although elimination of the ARD rule may prompt cancellation of policies mid-term, consideration should always be given before cancelling and changing an employer’s policy effective date.

For those employers eligible for experience rating, changes to the policy effective date potentially may impact the rating effective date. The rating effective date is the earliest date that a specific experience rating or merit rating adjustment is applied to a policy. In most cases, the rating effective date will be the same as the policy effective date. Unlike the policy effective date, the rating effective date determines a risk’s experience period to be used in the calculation of an experience rating modification.

In the months ahead, the DCRB will publish additional information at dcrb. com. In the meantime, direct specific questions regarding the elimination of the anniversary rating date to DCRB Rating Rules and Policy Reporting by calling 302-654-1435 ext. 4421 or by emailing Robin Strauss-Schneider at rstrauss@pcrb.com.

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PLATINUM PROFILE

Insurance Agents & Brokers proudly recognizes Penn National Insurance as one of its Platinum Partners. IA&B Platinum Partners dedicate the highest level of sponsorship to our organization.

WE’RE IN THE PEOPLE BUSINESS.

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t Penn National Insurance, our employees have one common focus: building relationships. From listening and responding to our agents’ feedback to mentoring a newly employed staff member, we believe that it is our relationships on all levels that make our company stand out from the rest.

Relationships are critical to our business model, because we believe that the independent agent channel provides the absolute best means of delievering our services and products. We want to be our agents’ first choice in providing their clients with insurance coverage and we promise delivery of superior services when needed.

We focus our time, attention, and resources on delivering superior financial strength and stability, a comprehensive product portfolio, and most of all, doing what’s right for policyholders.

OUR STRENGTHS A regional insurance company serving 11 states with a broad range of commercial and personal insurance products. We employ approximately 850 people in offices in Harrisburg, Pa. (headquarters), and offices thoughout our territory. We have earned Best Places

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to Work designations in Insurance, IT, Pennsylvania and two regional programs.

A financially strong company with a Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) from the A.M. Best Company. The company wrote $666 million in direct written premiums in 2015, and had total assets of over $1.7 billion.

A commitment to seamless automation enhancements that allow our agents and policyholders to interact with us effortlessly.

A community-service oriented company known for generous philanthropy, including $3 million to public schools during the last decade.

A business partner that sells its products only through local, independent agents, supporting local business growth and stability.

OUR MISSION We deliver superior property and casualty insurance products and services through independent agents. In doing so, we provide financial security to businesses and individuals that assists them in managing their risk. n

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FOCUSED ON RELATIONSHIPS FEATURED PARTNER Penn National Insurance HEADQUARTERS Harrisburg, Pa. A.M. BEST RATING A- (Excellent) OUR OPERATING TERRITORY

PARTNERS PROGRAM

Listed below are those companies that strongly support the independent agency system and Insurance Agents & Brokers.

Thank you for your continued sponsorship.

WHAT IS IA&B PARTNERS? The IA&B Partners program gives company and allied businesses the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment of support to independent agents and receive maximum market exposure. As an IA&B Partner, you will also realize the benefits of IA&B membership to help you succeed in the insurance industry.

PLATINUM LEVEL

BRONZE LEVEL

ACUITY

Aegis Security Insurance Co.

Amerisafe

Agency Insurance Company

Berkley Mid-Atlantic Group

AmWINS Program Underwriters Inc

Donegal Insurance Group Erie Insurance Group Insurance Agents & Brokers Service Group Inc Liberty Mutual Insurance

Auto-Owners Insurance Company Bailey Special Risks Inc Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies Brethren Mutual Insurance Company Briar Creek Mutual Insurance Company

MAPFRE Insurance

Conemaugh Valley Mutual Insurance Co

MMG Insurance Company

Countryway Insurance Company

Millers Mutual Group

Encompass Insurance

Mutual Benefit Group

GMI Insurance

Nationwide

Goodville Mutual Casualty Company

Penn National Insurance

Grinnell Mutual Reins Company

Swiss Re The Main Street America Group

DO YOU SEE YOUR NAME?

United Fire Group

To become an IA&B Partner, choose the sponsorship package that matches your commitment of support.

Contact the Member Sales Center at 800-998-9644, 717-795-9100 or visit us online at IABforME.com to get started.

Utica National Insurance Group

HM Workers’ Compensation Insurance Alliance of Central PA Inc Insurance House Insurance Placement Facility of PA Lackawanna Insurance Group

GOLD LEVEL

Lebanon Valley Insurance Company

Progressive

Merchants Insurance Group

Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company

Mercury Casualty

Westfield Insurance

PennPRIME Municipal Insurance

SILVER LEVEL

CM Regent Insurance Company Cumberland Insurance Group Farmers Mutual Insurance Company of Western Pennsylvania Frederick Mutual Insurance Co Juniata Mutual Insurance Co

Millville Mutual Insurance Co Reamstown Mutual Insurance Company Rockwood Casualty Insurance State Auto Mutual Insurance Company Strategic Comp TAPCO Underwriters Inc The Motorists Insurance Group The Mutual Service Office Inc Travelers

Keystone Insurers Group Inc

Tuscarora Wayne Group of Companies

Selective

Zenith Insurance

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PATH TO

PERPETUATION 3 STRATEGIES TO REACH YOUR END GOAL

By Sarah Lucas

One of the great things about having your own business is the legacy you create having built it from the ground up. When you’re ready to step back from the helm, you can then either sell it, or pass it down to your chosen candidate to run. In particular, when it comes to perpetuation, our research shows that the insurance industry is lagging behind.

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S

o what can you do to help ensure that you have as many options as possible when it comes time to let go of the reigns? We believe the key lies in positioning – you need a plan, before it becomes too late to create one. Then you’ll need to stick to it.

Start by thinking in the long-term. The future of your business is more than just next year’s sales figures. It also includes investments that make the changes now that will show dividends later in the two most critical factors of your business: your staff, and your technology. Regardless of whether or not you choose to perpetuate or sell externally, by ensuring that you invest well here, you’ll help give yourself the best possible options and outcomes.

The future of your business … includes investments that make the changes now that will show dividends later in the two most critical factors of your business: your staff and your technology.

In our experience, by running your agency at optimal efficiency now, you’ll reduce the challenges and increase your agency’s value when it comes time to sell.

STEP 1: REINVESTING IN STAFF Investing in your staff starts with hiring the right people, for the right roles. This may seem simple, but according to our proprietary benchmarking system, Perspectives for High

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MARCH 2017

HOW TO STRENGTHEN YOUR AGENCY CULTURE AUTHOR SARAH Lucas touts the importance of reinvesting in your staff as a core component of perpetuation planning. Learn tips to hire, inspire and retain peak performers in our “Strengthening Your Agency Culture” workshop, coming to Pittsburgh and Harrisburg later this month.

The interactive, solutions-driven workshop will cover: • Defining and creating your culture • Defining and describing jobs • Effective hiring • Employee assessment • Development/retention of top performers

Performance (PHP), only 1 in 5 producers work out in the long-term. Since producers are at the heart of your business, this is an area that requires some sound decision making, financial investment and patience. So why do it? You may have 3, 10, or 50 producers working for you, and maybe you think that’s enough. They all do their work well, and things seem okay.

That’s great, and things probably are okay, but is there anyone that stands out as a potential candidate for perpetuation? This is why we believe that investing in your staff is critical. If you eventually want to sell your agency internally, the first thing you’ll need is a buyer, and it’s never too early to start preparing your staff so that a good one is already lined up when you’re ready to sell.

Dates & locations: March 21 – Marriot Pittsburgh North, Cranberry Township, Pa. March 22 – IA&B Conference Center, Mechanicsburg, Pa.

IABforME.com/HRseminar

Your producers can be your pool of candidates when you’re looking to perpetuate, so you’ll want to invest significantly in hiring the right people. I’m sure at this point, your main question is, “Who are the right people?” To answer that, start by looking at your current roster. What percentage of your producers are over 50? If you want to create a candidate to buy your business that will be ready when you need them to be, you’ll need to invest in hiring younger individuals.

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that interact with clients, rather than concentrating the bulk of the customer relationship in the producers’ hands.

AGENCY PERPETUATION RESOURCES

Specialization means that you can have a ladder system whereby your service staff supports your producers by interfacing with clients and handling service requests and other more administrative work while your producers concentrate on bringing in new business. Consider implementing intermediary roles like account executives. They can interact with clients on a day-to-day basis, leaving producers free to focus on bringing in new business. This model takes the pressure off producers and allows you have dedicated staff that can give clients the personalized service they need. This makes workflows more efficient, as customers have a variety of ways to get information, access and update their data and file claims. With account technicians/processors to work on any additional administrative work, your customer service representatives (CSRs), as well as your producers can focus on providing the customer service that can help grow your business.

REVIEW ADDITIONAL insight on perpetuation planning by visiting our online resource center. Among other tools, the collection includes an explanation of valuation methods, list of valuation/perpetuation consultants, and our recorded Power Hour webinar on key financial ratios.

IABforME.com/agency_perpetuation

Often, producers under 50 will be in a better position to take on the debt that comes with buying stock in your agency because they’re likely more able to take risks. To make those risks look more attractive, you’ll need to introduce the best candidates to the idea of purchasing stock in the agency earlier on in their careers. The more comfortable they are with their options, the more likely they will be the ones to help you ensure your option to perpetuate. From there, you also need to make sure that your business is attractive from an investment standpoint.

STEP 2: REINVESTING IN TECHNOLOGY Take a look at the technology your agency is utilizing. Making use of current software that handles the automation of your business, and leveraging laptops and tablets to create mobility, can help you attract younger producers looking for modern, digital workplaces. If your website hasn’t been updated in a few years, then refreshing the layout and overall site design should be a priority. Younger producers – and most of your customers – will start learning about your business by looking at your website. A professional, well organized site will make a much better first impression.

Organizational structure can also go a long way toward helping you find, train and keep the most promising talent. We are seeing that more successful agencies are moving away from the traditional producer-controlled workflow toward a more teambased, specialized system. This could mean hiring additional staff, or reassigning and readjusting workflows, to create teams

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STEP 3: FOLLOW YOUR PLAN AND TRACK KPIS Now that you have a plan, you’ll need to track it to ensure that you’re reaching your long and short-term goals. In our opinion, there are five key performance indicators (KPIs) that will give you a good idea of where you are: • New Business Production • Organic Growth Rate • Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) • Total Commission and Fees per Employee • Weighted Average Owner Age These KPIs are some of the essential methods of determining the overall health of your business, and will likely be important for helping you quickly spot issues in your plan such as hiring or staff problems, untapped growth potential, or compensation discrepancies that might otherwise hinder your efforts. If you review each factor periodically, you should be able to make any necessary changes well in advance, and increase your eventual valuation as profitable systems will already be in place within your business. You can easily extract this data directly from your management system where some of the figures will have been pre-calculated for you. You can then use the rest in the form of financial statements or production reports to create a dashboard of vital statistics that you and your stakeholders can review

MARCH 2017

Provide more than protection for your clients. Offer them the added value of EMC’s no-fee loss control services, which could help reduce the cost of their insurance. It’s just one of the many reasons policyholders Count on EMC ®.

JIM JANAK, CSP Risk Improvement Manager EMC Charlotte Branch

REDUCING LOSSES ADDS

VALUE FOR CLIENTS.

CHARLOTTE BRANCH OFFICE Phone: 800-333-3622 | Home Office: Des Moines, IA

www.emcins.com © Copyright Employers Mutual Casualty Company 2017. All rights reserved.

regularly. Doing this will help enable you to make and meet short-term goals that feed into your overall plan.

You don’t have to view perpetuation as the only option for the future of your business. You may not have come to a decision yet as to what your agency’s future will be, but we believe that ensuring that you have the option to perpetuate is critical. Many agency leaders find themselves forced to sell externally because the chance to perpetuate internally is gone. In our experience, reinvesting in your business and ensuring that your agency is running at optimal efficiency will not only keep both choices open to you, but will also be good for business, increasing your profits, productivity, and overall value within the industry. n

Sarah Lucas, vice president of MarshBerry, is a key contributor to the merger & acquisition and consulting practices of MarshBerry. Her primary responsibilities include merger and acquisition valuation and analysis,

due diligence, document review, deal negotiation, integration planning and intangible asset valuation. Sarah is also the Due Diligence Practice Leader for MarshBerry. On the consulting side, Sarah performs agency valuations, consulting projects such as business planning, perpetuation planning and operational reviews, and other financial management consulting.

Securities offered though MarshBerry Capital, Inc., Member FINRA and SIPC, and an affiliate of Marsh, Berry & Co., Inc. 28601 Chagrin Blvd., Suite 400, Woodmere, Ohio 44122, 440-354-3230.

The information contained herein is for informational purposes only.

It is not intended as, and does not constitute, an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument. Except where otherwise indicated, the information provided is based on matters as they exist as of the date of preparation, and may not be updated or otherwise revised to reflect information that subsequently becomes available, or changes occurring after the date hereof. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results and individual results may vary.

Complex businesses need simple solutions.

Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company1, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the U.S. and is rated A+ by both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s2. We work tirelessly to provide our commercial customers in 46 states the insurance solutions they need to build secure financial futures.

Learn how I can protect your business.

nationwide.com

Fortune Magazine, 2015 2 A.M. Best, 2015 and Standard & Poor’s, 2015 Products underwritten by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and Affiliated Companies. Home Office: Columbus, OH 43215. Subject to underwriting guidelines, review, and approval. Products and discounts not available to all persons in all states. Nationwide, the Nationwide N and Eagle and Nationwide is on your side are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. © 2017 Nationwide. CMO-0464AO (03/16) 4105889

1

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MARCH 2017

Independence isn’t easy You could have sold the agency, but you didn’t.

Success rests squarely on your shoulders and the path forward isn’t always clear.

Independence means freedom, but it also means responsibility. It is about staying true to the commitments you’ve made - to your clients, your colleagues, your community, and your family.

Keystone is for people who believe that powerful partnerships generate prosperity. Our mission remains unchanged: to provide access to the expertise, resources, and relationships that sustain independent insurance agencies over the long haul.

Keystone. Independence works better together.

©2016 Keystone Insurers Group ®. All rights reserved. This does not constitute an offer to sell a franchise in any state in which the Keystone Insurers Group franchise is not registered.

Contact Julie Webb for more information: 570.473.2702 jwebb@keystoneinsgrp.com keystoneinsgrp.com

20

MENTORING QUANTIFIED

MEASURING THE BENEFITS TO MENTEES AND MENTORS

When worldwide research organization LIMRA conducted a study of young insurance and financial professionals, the results were resounding: Mentorship opportunities are a valuable investment – and they pay long-term dividends for mentees and mentors alike.

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A

new LIMRA study reveals that the support young advisors receive from their firms at the beginning of their careers in financial services sales greatly contributes to their long-term success. In addition to keeping them around, the study found it is also a two-way street in the form of “reverse mentoring,” where the young advisor can help the seasoned advisor adapt to changing consumer preferences and technological advances.

KEY ASKS, TAKEAWAYS Today’s advisors face many of the same challenges as their predecessors. Finding leads, asking for referrals and developing skills to run a business are just as difficult today as they’ve always been and no less important. The difference today is that new technology allows the young advisors to tackle these problems in completely new ways.

Research found that insurance professionals who collaborate earn 49 percent more than those who do not.

As companies invest in technology, they’ve begun to use modern approaches that build on the strengths of today’s advisors to address some of the ongoing challenges they face.

While this is happening for some, many advisors are still on their own in key areas.

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MARCH 2017

Currently, 7 in 10 young advisors use social media for their business and to potentially generate connections, yet more than one-third of their companies restrict or prohibit the use of social media. Seventy-eight percent of young advisors rated technology tools as important support, yet more than half of these advisors said they are not receiving enough support in this area.

In addition to technology, the study revealed several areas where young advisors want more support such as improving their selling skills and practice management.

LIMRA has found that 75 percent of successful young advisors have benefitted from a mentor relationship. While some companies have formal mentoring programs, most mentoring relationships (57 percent) developed naturally.

Young advisors said the most valuable benefit they receive from their mentor is simply having someone to approach with a question. Overall, 86 percent said this was a benefit and more than half chose it as the top mentoring benefit. Seven in 10 said their mentor advised them about managing their practice with nearly a quarter saying this was the top benefit of having a mentor.

REVERSE MENTORING Participation in mentoring can often lead to “reverse mentoring” where mentor and mentee learn from each other and can form even stronger work relationships. For example, a mentor can help a Gen Y advisor with presentation skills and provide insight on how to build a successful practice. At the same time, the Gen Y professional can teach an experienced colleague about timesaving technology innovations and how to effectively incorporate social media into a practice.

MENTORSHIP MATTERS TO MILLENNIALS IN PREPARATION to launch our Futures Program – which aims to develop today’s young agents into tomorrow’s leaders – we held several focus groups of member agents in the millennial age bracket.

Despite their differences (rural versus urban, small shops versus large agencies, producer versus ownership track), there were commonalities in the experiences and needs of the young agents with whom we spoke. In fact, three consistent asks became clear – opportunities for community, training and mentorship.

Our Futures Program already is tackling young agents’ community and training needs through the launch of our Futures Program Facebook group and the production of our inaugural Futures Conference. And we’re just getting started. Follow along as we grow the program, plan for our next conference, engage more young agents and encourage mentoring.

IABforME.com/Futures

The Hanover is one company that encourages mentoring relationships to benefit both mentor and mentee.

“Our new talent is eager to learn from our experienced employees, while our early-in-career professionals bring a new perspective and reverse mentoring for fresh ideas and new technological skills,” said Christine Bilotti-Peterson, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at The Hanover.

“When coupled with the vast industry knowledge of our tenured employees, our multigenerational workforce is coming up with some very creative solutions. It’s a win for new talent, a win for experienced employees, and a win for our company.”

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FAR-REACHING IMPACTS Beyond mentoring relationships, a majority of young advisors partner at least some of the time with another professional.

Forty-four percent said they plan to partner more. These partnering efforts bring together financial professionals of all ages and result in more varied service offerings to their clients and prospects.

Whether they work with a mentor or form networking and study groups, Gen Y advisors have found that collaboration can lead to financial success. Prior LIMRA research found that insurance professionals who collaborate earn 49 percent more than those who do not.

Early career support can provide a return on investment for companies in the form of retention. Ninety-one percent of young advisors who have been in the career for at least two years are satisfied in their career, with three quarters saying they will definitely stay for the next three years. n

Reprinted with permission from LIMRA. A worldwide research, learning and development organization, LIMRA is the trusted source of industry knowledge, helping more than 850 insurance and financial services companies in 64 countries. Visit LIMRA at limra.com.

The absence of a mentoring relationship can also have an impact.

Twenty percent of young advisors did not have a mentor but wish they had one. Compared to those who had a mentor, this group was less likely to be “very satisfied” with their career and less certain they will “absolutely stay” in it.

Webinar:Layout 1 1/27/17 3:09 PM Page 1

Agents are getting comfortable earning CE through our live webinars.

These upcoming webinars can be a convenient alternative to our classroom training: Cost: $75 IA&B members $105 non-members __________________________ CE: Approved for 3 credits (NO EXAM REQUIRED) __________________________ Read more and register at IABforME.com/webinars.

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Mar. 1 Mar. 7 Mar. 14 Mar. 22 Mar. 24 Mar. 28 Mar. 29 April 3 April 11 April 25 April 27 April 27 April 28

Additional Insureds: The Quandary Cyber Exposures & Insurance Solutions Executive and Management Liability Top 12 Coverage Countdown Insurance is a Foreign Language Problem Commercial Property Claims Commercial Liability Endorsements to Watch For Insuring the Building Project: Builders Risk & Installation Coverage The Things Kids Get Us Into Weather Stripping the CGL: Drafts, Gaps, Forms & Fixes Tricks to Fix: Closing Coverage Gaps in Home, Work & Auto Cyber Liability – The 21st Century Peril Construction Defects: Property Damage & the ISO CGL

MARCH 2017

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25

TECHNOLOGY UPDATE

26

CLOUD COMPUTING FOR AGENCIES – PERCEPTION VS. REALITY

By Peter van Aartrijk

Confused about the cloud? On the following pages, you’ll find industry tech gurus’ answers to independent agency owners’ common questions.

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t its recent meeting, Agents Council for Technology (ACT) held a panel discussion to provide insight for independent agents on understanding and using cloud-based solutions to host management software, customer data and other applications and services. In the cloud, a user essentially stores and accesses data and programs over the Internet rather than on a local hard drive in the agency.

Panelists included Steven Finch, vice president of strategic solutions at Vertafore; Wayne Joubert, integrated marketing manager at Smart IT Services; and Bob Juracka, principal of XDimensional Technologies, which provides the Nexsure management system.

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definition. Cloud computing is often described as a stack, as a response to the extensive array of services built on top of one another under the moniker “cloud.”

Essentially, cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.

First, let’s define each topic.

SaaS: When it comes to the software-as-a-service model, the name essentially implies what users will be getting from their provider, as it delivers software via the Internet that can be used for a variety of business applications.

Cloud: A broad term that describes a wide range of services.

Many vendors and companies have seized the term “cloud” and are using it for products that sit outside of the common

SaaS applications maintain all of the information in their own databases, which is accessed by users – who typically pay a monthly or yearly subscription – and is delivered to the customer

MARCH 2017

via their web browser. The customer owns the software for as long as they are paying the subscription fee.

DaaS: Sometimes referred to as a virtual desktop or desktop virtualization, the DaaS model is similar to SaaS in that it provides software as a service, but its software offerings are characteristically much more extensive and present a higher degree of automation.

CLOUD COMPUTING IN PRACTICE

Like SaaS providers, DaaS providers are responsible for hosting and maintaining the infrastructure for user accessibility, data storage and delivery of their service, as well as the overall security of each.

ONE OF the most commonly adopted cloud-based solutions for independent agencies is e-signature technology – a booming practice that is projected to deliver 700 million transactions this year.

Here is an abbreviated rundown of what was discussed during the panel presentation.

WHAT ARE SOME COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ON CLOUD USAGE? Joubert: There’s the misconception that if you’re fully in the cloud you don’t need any sort of network infrastructure anymore at your agency. But you still have a lot of end points – your devices, for example – that you need a layer of security on.

Another misconception is that the speed will always be super-fast if you’re in the cloud. Without the proper Internet connection, however – especially in rural areas – it’s going to be slow. Maybe before you sign a contract, you should talk with the people who are using those services in your area and ask about real-world experience with the system.

In fact, e-signature provider DocuSign recently landed in the No. 3 spot on the Forbes 2016 Cloud 100, a list of the world’s leading cloud companies.

Among DocuSign’s compelling features is that (due to its cloud-based nature) there is no need for agencies to install or maintain software or hardware to use the service. Once an agency signs up with DocuSign, it’s as easy as logging in and adding documents and recipients.

Learn more about DocuSign – including your IA&B member discount.

IABforME.com/discount_memb_serv/DocuSign

And then finally we hear the question, “I don’t have to back up anymore if I’m in the cloud?” There was a huge datacenter crash a few years ago. You should do a reverse backup – back up your data locally.

Juracka: Because there are misconceptions, we need to remember that there are high-risk opportunities for people to make really bad decisions.

DO AGENCIES ASK ABOUT COST SAVINGS FROM MOVING TO THE CLOUD? Finch: Generally speaking, it’s geometrically less expensive today than in the past for SaaS. There are a number of things agents don’t think about cost-wise.

For example, true business continuity is worth a lot. If you’re in a snowstorm and can’t get to your office, you can work from

29

home. And it doesn’t matter whether you have a Mac or PC at home, either.

Joubert: Some say, “I’m going to save a ton of money by getting in the cloud.” We do a five-year look at cost of technology, whether you’re in-house or go to a full cloud solution. Typically, it might be a little more or a little less.

WHAT IS THE REALITY OF DATA SECURITY IN THE CLOUD? Joubert: You may not think you’re a big target, but you need to have enough security to protect your agency. Do you need security as much as a bank would? No. A lot of software previously addressed just one or two ways viruses or hackers could get into your system; now it’s more comprehensive. If you’re in the cloud, you still need to have security for your end devices. Still, the biggest threat and majority of breaches that come in the agency are employees doing something stupid on the Internet or doing something malicious with your data. You still have to train employees when you’re in the cloud. They can do a lot of foolish things. Even agency owners can click on attachments, for example, that put your data at risk.

Finch: From the perspective of data recovery and business continuity, in the cloud, agencies have a backup, and maybe you have a secondary backup you can access. For data recovery and backup, you have your storage space, and you pay for what you use. From a best practices standpoint, we recommend taking snapshots of that data and shipping a copy of the data to another place in the country, sometimes several times a day.

So now you have a full copy of your data and disaster recovery somewhere else.

Juracka: We can now have the entire agency database encrypted “at rest,” which provides even more security. There’s a new level of transactional encryption coming too.

HOW CAN WE MAKE THE CLOUD DECISION EASIER FOR THE AGENT? Juracka: At some point, we have a very limited amount of time with the agency, so we don’t try to educate them on the nuances of hosted systems. We ask, “What are you looking for in a system?” And we have certain capabilities that will support those functions. What are the features and functions? Are you looking, for example, for the insured client to have collaboration in a realtime portal and have access to a subset of the data?

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When an organization really wants that anytime/anywhere computing, the cloud makes sense, but there are agency owners who don’t want that ability. Ironically, we see good-size agencies where committees and department heads pick a cloud-based system and then the agency owner freaks out and says, “I don’t want the system being accessed from outside the office.”

You have applications meant to run in the cloud, and then, with DaaS, your back-end infrastructure is in the cloud. That includes maybe Microsoft and your servers. Agencies will still be bound by a Windows PC for the next couple of years for most of their employees. From the user perspective now, it looks like their native Windows operating system in a DaaS environment. n

Joubert: We ask agents, “What are your strategic plans? Growth?”

A lot of consultants know about the cloud, but they don’t know the insurance industry. So talk with consultants who know the industry. There are no standards out there – maybe ACT could help with a 2017 checklist that says, “If you’re thinking of moving to the cloud, what are the specs?”

Peter van Aartrijk provided this article on behalf of the Agents Council for Technology (ACT). ACT works to provide a candid, action-oriented forum to address the critical workflow and technology issues facing the independent agency system. For more information about ACT visit IndependentAgent.com/ACT.

HOW DO WE HELP AGENCY OWNERS FEEL MORE CONFIDENT ABOUT CLOUD SOLUTIONS? Juracka: We try to extol the virtues of the security administration of a system like ours. We provide the tools such as password administration. How often do you want to change passwords?

That’s up to you. The onus is on your organization to leverage the complexities of password management, such as days of the week restrictions or time of day restrictions. It’s in education and imparting to agents just how important their responsibility is for security.

Finch: The cloud will always be more secure than your environment in your agency. There are far more examples of on-premises failures. You can’t protect data as a one-off in the agency; you’re better off going to a cloud service and turning on the security functions.

WHY SHOULD CLOUD-BASED SYSTEMS GIVE AGENCIES A CHOICE ON CONFIGURING SECURITY? Juracka: You can have a password strength requirement in one agency that they’re prepared to implement and manage going forward, such as various characters and upper/lower case. That’s how we built the system—the agency administrator gets to establish the protocol. Maybe you don’t want producers getting into the system after 7 p.m.

Finch: You need to have reliable consulting to help you establish your level. You can be very secure, but it’s not as simple as pressing the “go” button on any security upgrade.

WHAT ARE SOME RECENT DEVELOPMENTS WITH THE CLOUD? Finch: What’s exciting about the cloud for the insurance industry in the last couple of years is the growth of desktop as a service.

PITTSBURGH I-DAY

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5TH 2017 Doors Open at 8:00 AM You Must Be Registered to Attend.

I-Day Events Kick Off on Tuesday for the Presidential Dinner and The Main Event is on Wednesday Including CE, Exhibits, Luncheon, Panel Discussion with Industry Leaders, and Cocktail Reception.

F E A TU R E D L U N C H E O N S P E A K ER Charlie Batch is a former NFL quarterback turned tech entrepreneur, media personality/color analyst, community advocate and professional speaker.

Batch’s NFL career spanned 15 years and two Super Bowl victories. His Best of the Batch Foundation has worked to create communities where all kids and families are equipped with the tools they need to build their own best futures. He is also a professional speaker who takes his “Expect Your Best” message to audiences across the country.

Visit www.pittsburghiday.com or Call 412.489.5626 to Register, Exhibit, Advertise, Sponsor, or For More Information

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My Events

CLASSIFIED A DV E R TI S E M E N TS SOUTHEAST PA PRODUCERS & AGENCIES

DATE TOPIC

LOCATION

MARCH 2017 1

Webinar: Additional Insureds: The Quandary

1 – 4 p.m.

7

Webinar: Man vs. Machine: Cyber Exposures & Insurance Solutions

9 a.m. – Noon

7

William T. Hold: Protect Your Client, Protect Yourself

York, Pa.

8

William T. Hold: Protect Your Client, Protect Yourself

Wilmington, Del.

13-14

James K. Ruble Graduate Seminar

Ellicott City, Md.

14

Webinar: Executive and Management Liability

9 a.m. – Noon

14-16

Property & Casualty Licensing Study Course

Philadelphia, Pa.

21

Hiring, Inspiring & Retaining Peak Performers

Pittsburgh, Pa.

21

William T. Hold: Commercial Lines Challenges

Philadelphia, Pa.

21

Webinar: Leases & Contracts vs. the Insurance Policy Language

9 a.m. – Noon

22

Webinar: To 12 Coverage Countdown: Answers, Evaluations & Revelations 1 – 4 p.m.

22

Hiring, Inspiring & Retaining Peak Performers

Mechanicsburg, Pa.

22

CISR Personal Lines Miscellaneous

Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

22-25

CIC Personal Lines Institute

Wilmington, Del.

24

Webinar: Words Mean Things & Insurance is a Foreign Language

9 a.m. – Noon

27-30

CIC Agency Management Institute

Erie, Pa.

28

Webinar: Commercial Property Claims that Cause Problems

1 – 4 p.m.

28

CISR Personal Auto

Pittsburgh, Pa.

29

Webinar: Commercial Liability Endorsements to Watch Out For

1 – 4 p.m.

29

William T. Hold: Protect Your Client, Protect Yourself

Mechanicsburg, Pa.

30

CISR Commercial Property

Reading, Pa.

APRIL 2017

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3

Webinar: Insuring the Building Project: Builders Risk & Installation Coverage 1 – 4 p.m.

4

CISR Commercial Casualty I

Philadelphia, Pa.

4-6

Property & Casualty Licensing Study Course

Mechanicsburg, Pa.

5

10 Ways to Get Sued (E&O)

Ellicott City, Md.

5-8

CIC Commercial Casualty Institute

Allentown, Pa.

10-11

James K. Ruble Graduate Seminar

Pittsburgh, Pa.

11

Webinar: The Things Kids Get Us Into

1 – 4 p.m.

11

E&O Risk Management: Meeting the Challenge of Change

Mechanicsburg, Pa.

12

William T. Hold: Commercial Lines Challenges

Altoona, Pa.

12

E&O Risk Management: Meeting the Challenge of Change

Philadelphia, Pa.

12

CISR Agency Operations

Waldorf, Md.

13

Insuring Truckers

Mechanicsburg, Pa.

18

CISR Commercial Casualty I

Baltimore, Md.

19

CISR Personal Auto

Hagerstown, Md.

19

CISR Commercial Property

Mechanicsburg, Pa.

20

CISR Commercial Property

Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

25

Webinar: Weather Stripping the CGL: Drafts, Gaps, Forms & Fixes

1 – 4 p.m.

25

CISR Commercial Casualty I

Bethlehem, Pa.

26

Insuring Truckers

Philadelphia, Pa.

27

Webinar: Tricks to Fix: Closing Coverage Gaps in Home, Work & Auto

9 a.m. – Noon

27

Webinar: Cyber Liability – The 21st Century Peril

1 – 4 p.m.

28

Webinar: Construction Defects: Property Damage & the ISO CGL

9 a.m. – Noon

MARCH 2017

Professional agency since 1926 located in Feasterville, Bucks County, Pa. Call for confidential information and a review of our services.

Contact Ray Reinard at 215-357-8600, Ext. 119.

If you would like to place a classified advertisement, please contact Laura Gaenzle at Laura.gaenzle@theygsgroup.com or (717) 430-2351.

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