T H U R S D A Y ,   A U G U S T   6 ,   2 0 0 9

 Industry News

Trusted Choice^®
Maryland and Ohio Teens Win 41st Annual Trusted Choice^® Big "I" National Championship

Last week, Denny McCarthy of Burtonsville, Md. and Caroline Powers of Bowling Green, Ohio, won the boys and girls divisions, respectively, at the recent 41st Annual Trusted Choice^® Big "I" final golf tournament in Ardmore, Okla. 

The tournament featured 160 players from 40 states with boys and girls younger than age 18. The boys division was played at the Dornick Hills Country Club, a par 70 and 6,524 yard golf course, while the girls played the course at par 71 and 6,041 yards. Each summer more than 3,000 junior boys and girls from across the country vie to earn a place in the final tournament. More than 300 state and local qualifying events determine the final field.

“The Annual Trusted Choice^® Big "I" National Championship tournament provides teens an opportunity to compete at a national level in an atmosphere that cultivates sportsmanship,” says Big “I” Chairman Brett Nilsson. “We congratulate Denny, Caroline, the 160 finalists and the thousands of boys and girls across the country who participated in local and state tournaments.”

McCarthy won first place in the boys division by shooting a five-under-par 65 in the final round, winning by one stroke with an overall score of 270. Powers shot a nine-over-par 293 to claim the girls division title by six strokes.

In the boys division, Michael McGowan of Southern Pines, N.C. placed second just one stroke behind McCarthy at a nine-under-par 271. Corey Konieczki of Rockford, Ill. finished third and Cory McElyea of Santa Cruz, Calif. placed fourth.

In the girls division, Lizzie Bundy of Clayton, N.C. placed second with a 15-over-par 299. In third place was Ashlee Pickerell of Salem, Oregon at 16-over-par 300.

The Trusted Choice^® Big "I" National Championship has proven to be a critical test for many of today’s golf professionals. The PGA and LPGA fields include numerous past champions and participants, including the following men and women who have risen to the top of professional golf:  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.

For more information, visit www.bigigolf.com.


IIABA News
Big “I” Arms Agents with August Recess Grassroots Kit on Health Care Reform

Washington, D.C. is a bit of a ghost town this month as members of Congress return to their congressional districts and states for what’s referred to as the August recess. But don’t let quiet streets fool you; behind the scenes, the independent agent’s role in the delivery of health care is at stake and the Big “I” is calling on all members to help deliver a message to their senators and representatives.

The feedback and reaction that members of Congress receive at home during the next few weeks will largely shape the debate when they return to the nation’s Capitol in September. The House began its five week recess last Friday, and the Senate is scheduled to begin its four week recess tomorrow.

Over the recess, House and Senate members will be hosting town hall meetings and will often meet in their state and district offices with their constituents. This is a timely opportunity for independent agents and brokers to personally connect with their federal elected officials either via a personal meeting or by attending a town hall meeting. Independent agents have a great story to tell as both small business people and insurance advisors, and the August recess presents opportunities to reiterate that message. 

To help agents advocate at home over the next month, the Big “I” government affairs staff has prepared an August Recess Grassroots Kit and posted it on the government affairs Web site.

Click here to view and download the following documents and additional information on the health care reform debate Please note that you must log in to the Big “I” Web site to view the documents.

August Recess Grassroots Kit
1. August Health Care Reform Update
2. August Recess Advocacy – Four Things You Can Do to Advocate at Home
3. August Client Document – “What Your Clients Should be Worried About”
4. August Agent Talking Points
5. August Agent Op-ed Template
6. August Client Op-ed Template


InVEST
InVEST Awards 38 Academic Student Scholarships

InVEST has awarded $43,000 in scholarships to 38 college-bound students pursuing insurance-related degrees.
 
“InVEST congratulates the 38 students, representing 14 schools and from seven states, who earned scholarships this year,” says Patrick Moore, chair of the National InVEST Board of Directors and principal of Antalek & Moore in Beacon, N.Y.

Along with direct contributions, scholarships are funded through proceeds generated by the InVEST silent and live auctions held in conjunction with the Big “I” Legislative Conference & Convention. The auctions and direct contributions raised $43,000 this year. Auction items were donated by insurance carriers, agents and brokers, the Big “I” and its state affiliates and other industry organizations.

This year’s scholarship winners represent 14 schools and hail from California, Connecticut, Florida, North Carolina, New York and Virginia.

$2,000 Scholarship Award Winners:

• Krystle Abele, Grossmont College, El Cajon, Calif.
• Chris Champion, St. Petersburg Catholic High School, St. Petersburg, Fla.
• Michelle Curran, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Fla.
• Marlene Gearon, Grossmont College, El Cajon, Calif.   
• Andrea Hernandez, St. Petersburg Catholic High School, St. Petersburg, Fla.
• Jacqueline Jacobs, West Seneca East Senior High School, West Seneca, N.Y. 
• Christine Rugg, Dryden High School, Dryden, N.Y.  
• Emily Walsh, St. Petersburg Catholic High School, St. Petersburg, Fla.

$1,500 Scholarship Award Winners:

• Rose Brown, Grossmont College, El Cajon, Calif.   
• Stephanie Carrington, St. Petersburg Catholic High School, St. Petersburg, Fla.
• Brad Carver, St. Petersburg Catholic High School, St. Petersburg, Fla. 
• Kimberly Hathaway, Dryden High School, Dryden, N.Y.  
• Austin Plummer, St. Petersburg Catholic High School, St. Petersburg, Fla.
• Danielle Sailer, East Hartford High School, East Hartford, Conn.
• Marquise Warren, Dr. Phillips High School, Orlando, Fla. 
• Jeanette Wilson, William Boone High School, Orlando, Fla.
 
$1,000 Scholarship Award Winners:

• Trevor Golat, William Boone High School, Orlando, Fla. 
• Chelsea Hayes, McGraw High School, McGraw, N.Y.
• Alexandria McFarlane, Murry Bergtraum High School, Manhattan, N.Y. 
• Edward Melcer, Dr. Phillips High School, Orlando, Fla.  
• Lina Montoya, Dr. Phillips High School, Orlando, Fla.
• Leann Rafferty, Charlotte Catholic High School, Charlotte, N.C.  
• Daniel Reeves, William Boone High School, Orlando, Fla.
• Alicia Roskwitalski, West Seneca East Senior High School, West Seneca, N.Y. 
• Kathryn Santos, Manatee High School, Bradenton, Fla.  
• Dustin Smith, Cloverleaf High School, Lodi, Ohio  
• Matthew Zutell, Charlotte Catholic High School, Charlotte, N.C. 

$500 Scholarship Award Winners:

• Laura Arevalo, William Boone High School, Orlando, Fla.
• Christopher Ewell, St. Petersburg Catholic High School, St. Petersburg, Fla.
• Erin Ferguson, Dr. Phillips High School, Orlando, Fla.
• Felicia Freitag, William Boone High School, Orlando, Fla. 
• Joshua Jenin, McGraw High School, McGraw, N.Y.
• Wing Lau, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Fla.  
• Katelynne Pellick, James River High School, Midlothian, Va.  
• Ryan Schwartz, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Fla.  
• Vicky Truong, St. Petersburg Catholic High School, St. Petersburg, Fla. 
• Fabian Van Schepdael, Dr. Phillips High School, Orlando, Fla. 
• Megan Weinel, St. Petersburg Catholic High School, St. Petersburg, Fla.

This year, 102 scholarship hopefuls from across the country submitted essays describing the influence and benefits InVEST had on their educational plans. The quality of the essay, combined with the applicant’s grade-point average and extracurricular activities, were factors in selecting award recipients. Scholarship checks are mailed directly to the institute of higher learning each student is attending, and will be used exclusively for educational expenses.


IIABA News
Introducing the Big “I” Virtual Risk Consultant

The Big “I” recently introduced a new web-based agency resource called the Big “I” Virtual Risk Consultant (VRC), powered by Rough Notes, to help members better serve their customers, generate increased sales and lower their exposure to errors & omissions claims.  

“One in five claims that we see with the Big ‘I’ Professional Liability Program are a direct result of recommendation or risk assessment errors alleged against the agent,” says David Hulcher, Big “I” director of agency E&O risk management. “The VRC will go a long way to help agents avoid these types of claims and will increase the professionalism of agency staff.”

The VRC offers a comprehensive suite of tools to help agency staff better understand customer operations and to identify risk exposure with business specific questionnaires and checklists that also provide solid customer file documentation should a claim arise. This powerful product allows members to create more professional customer proposals and effectively explain complex insurance coverage. The VRC also provides invaluable content to assist the agency in successfully promoting its services in the way of pre-written business letters and hundreds of articles for use in customer communications and marketing.

“The VRC was created at the direction of the volunteer member agents who realized we had not only found a great E&O risk management and file documentation tool but also a tremendous enhancement to agency productivity, professionalism and profit,” says Jack Sherrill, chairman of the Big “I” loss control working group and founder and senior partner of Sherrill & Company in Savannah, Ga.  

“The VRC is a culmination of a diligent search of the marketplace for an affordable and easy to use risk analysis tools that will help agencies grow their business. It is thorough, affordable, and easy to use. The product is supported by a strong partner in Rough Notes and their 130 years of experience providing technical insurance content to agents. I strongly believe that member agents will see a positive return on investment, whether it is in growing their business or avoiding the cost of their E&O deductible, by subscribing to the VRC,” Sherrill adds. 

“Helping in the development of VRC has been a great opportunity for me to participate in creating the most dynamic sales tool and technical resource available to the independent agent,” says Peggy Ogren, Rough Notes vice president of sales. “Knowing that every agent in the nation will benefit from having it on their desktop has made this the most worthwhile experience I’ve had in the insurance business. Rough Notes and I are especially honored to be partnered with the Big ‘I’ and VRC.”

Learn more and purchase the VRC directly at www.iiaba.net/VRC. An annual subscription for an agency with 15 or fewer users is $250 per year, per state. The fee for agencies with more than 15 users is $500. A four year subscription is also available for the price of three at $750 and $1500 depending on agency user count. For more information, contact Hulcher at david.hulcher@iiaba.net.


Big “I” Fall Leadership  Conference
Community Project Registration and Extended Room Rate Discount Available

The Big "I" leadership community project, together with Beacon of Hope, will take place on Sept.11 from 12:15-5:20 p.m. in conjunction with the Big “I” Fall Leadership Conference in New Orleans. The project will involve assisting homeowners with jobs such as painting, landscaping or unskilled labor. A specific project will not be assigned until closer to the event date. Water and light snacks will be provided. To sign up for the volunteer event, please fill out the volunteer release form and e-mail or fax it back to Lauren Batch at lauren.batch@iiaba.net; 703-683-7556. All forms must be submitted by the registration cutoff date of Aug. 28 at 5 p.m. EST. Only the first 100 people to submit their form are guaranteed participation.

In addition, if you have not yet booked your room for the conference, the Hilton New Orleans Riverside has extended the reduced single/double room rate of $159 per night until Aug. 17. Reservations will be handled on a space-available basis until rooms at the group rate are sold out or until the extended reservation cut-off date of Aug. 17, whichever comes first. Click here to make your hotel reservation. For more information on the event, visit www.independentagent.com/events or click here.


Big “I” Fall Leadership  Conference
Take Advantage of the ACT Special Event

At the Big “I” Fall Leadership Conference, plan to attend a half-day, interactive session sponsored by the Big “I” Agents Council for Technology (ACT) and Young Agents. This event is specifically designed for young agents, state association officers and other attendees at the New Orleans meeting. The session, which will run from 8 a.m. - noon on Sept. 11 (with a continental breakfast at 7:30 a.m.), will focus on increasing agency productivity and achieving breakthrough marketing using best practices workflows, methods and technologies.

Learn from agent and industry experts how they are employing these advanced methods to increase their agency productivity and use online marketing approaches successfully. Following the opening interactive panel discussions will be a series of roundtables on specific subjects such as Real Time, Commercial Lines Download, agency security, E&S market efficiencies, Web sites and social networking. Attendees will get the opportunity to probe these subjects and more with ACT participants. These sessions will provide an excellent opportunity for attendees to ask questions and to meet the agent, carrier and vendor representatives responsible for the technologies that affect agencies every day.

Those registering for the conference can also register for this free event by selecting “ACT Special Event – Best Practices Workflows to Enhance Agency Productivity & Sales” during the registration process. Attendees who have already registered for the conference and want to sign up for the session can e-mail Jeff Yates at jeff.yates@iiaba.net.


Young Agents
Channel Your Inner Champion at the Leadership Institute

The Big "I" Young Agents Leadership Institute is just around the corner. Have you reserved your spot? As the future of the industry, the Big "I" wants to provide Young Agents with the tools and resources to not only thrive as association leaders, but also as leaders in agencies and communities around the nation.
Olympian and World Cup Champion skier Cary Mullen was a non-prodigy, but went from underdog to top dog in five simple steps. He is ready to share his strategy with Big "I" Young Agents and other Fall Leadership Conference attendees.

Event attendees will also learn how to enhance agency productivity and online marketing using social media in a special best practices program presented by ACT, in conjunction with the Young Agents.

Finally, discover how to find your inner sales challenges and develop strategies to beat them and hear from YAC Award winners on how they built their successful Young Agents Committees. This is the premier event for young independent agent professionals, so join us in New Orleans Sept. 11-13. Click here to register. 


Trusted Choice^®
New Jersey Agency Awarded Trusted Choice^® Agency of the Month

Raritan Valley Insurance Services, Inc. in Flemington, N.J. has been named the Trusted Choice^® Agency of the Month by Trusted Choice^®.

“Raritan Valley Insurance Service continuously provides the personalized and professional service that exemplifies the Trusted Choice^® Pledge of Performance,” says Dave Evans, Trusted Choice^® executive director. “We are proud to award the Trusted Choice^® Agency of the Month to Raritan Valley Insurance Services.”

Raritan Valley Insurance Services is a full-service independent insurance agency headquartered in Flemington, N.J. that has been serving families and businesses since 1971. The owners and employees of Raritan Valley Insurance are dedicated to excellent service, both for their customers and within their communities. The agency provides its clients with a variety of personal, business, life and health insurance products, and uses a combined 150 years of experience in the insurance industry to ensure each client gets the right insurance to meet their needs.

“Trusted Choice^® is at the forefront of providing independent agents with branding and marketing tools, and has become an integral part of our marketing campaign,” says Dick Farrell, president of Raritan Valley Insurance. “Independent Agents need every tool available to them in order to compete and grow in today's economic climate, with many insurance companies pushing price over quality.” 

“Raritan Valley Insurance has proudly committed to the high standards of excellence found in the Trusted Choice^® Pledge of Performance, and we are honored to be chosen as the Trusted Choice^® Agency of the Month,” continues Farrell.
 
The Trusted Choice^® Agency of the Month program recognizes those Trusted Choice^® agencies that are going above and beyond in living the tenets of the Trusted Choice^® Pledge of Performance, and in communicating the benefits of their services to consumers.


InVEST
IIABNY Develops Promotional Video Available to InVEST Committees

The insurance industry is facing not only an employee shortage, but also a trained work force shortage. The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York (IIABNY) recently created a short video to make this point.

The video features an agency owner entering his office to find all his employees gone, a situation that is inevitable unless we stop talking and start doing what is needed to attract new talent to the insurance industry. IIABNY is offering to provide the video, customized for any association or group, for a nominal fee. Please contact Dee Macheda at dmacheda@iiabny.org for more information.

For more information on InVEST, contact Jennifer Robinson at jennifer.robinson@iiaba.net or 1-800-221-7917 or visit www.investprogram.org.


ACT
Big “I” to Host Third Free Webinar on E-Mail Security

The Big “I” Agents Council for Technology (ACT) recently announced that it will host a free webinar titled “Protecting Independent Agent Clients with Secure E-mail Using TLS (Transport Layer Security)” on Aug. 18 from 1:30-2:30 p.m. EST.

Jeff Yates, executive director of ACT, will moderate a panel comprised of Jim Rogers, director of distribution technology at The Hartford, and Tim Woodcock, president of Courtesy Computers. Click here to register. 

“Commercial line applications and other confidential consumer information need to be protected if they are sent via e-mails to carriers,” says Yates. “Agencies continue to seek our advice on how to protect such sensitive data and so we felt it was important to host a third free webinar to meet that need. We had 334 agents and carrier representatives attend the first webinar, 313 the second time and received an incredible amount of positive follow up interest.”

The first half hour of this webinar is designed for agency business leaders explaining the risks of unsecured e-mail and how TLS works. The second half hour will get into a more technical discussion regarding implementation of TLS on Microsoft Exchange servers.

“ACT encourages independent agents and carriers implement TLS e-mail encryption as much as possible to protect sensitive and confidential client information being transported between carriers and clients,” Yates adds. “Taking these measures positions the agency to also comply with the various federal and state privacy, security, and data breach laws.”

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

ACT has produced the article “Protect Your Clients with Secure Email using TLS,” as well as agents’ frequently asked questions about TLS, which can be found at www.independentagent.com/act under the “security and customer privacy” link. A list of carriers enabled for TLS as well as a recording of the webinar are available on this Web site as well.


Big I Advantage^®
Try Leads from the Member Marketing Activity Center

Agent Jay Holmes of the J.J. Clark & Associates Agency in Raleigh, N.C. is not new to using lead services. Several years ago, he used a service that was providing him dozens of commercial leads a week and closed a high percentage of them. But then the vendor virtually disappeared, so Holmes called in to inquire about the LeadsNOW service that is part of the Big "I" Member Marketing Activity Center (MMAC).

Holmes has learned a lot about how to maximize the effectiveness of an Internet leads source like the one on MMAC. He says he was getting some leads for small commercial and new business owners’ accounts, but the quality was suspect with many potential customers just shopping price.

"I was receiving a fair number of leads for small commercial accounts and new business owners, but the quality was suspect. Not that they weren't real prospects, but it was the fact that they were just shopping price. Because they are small business owners looking to curb costs or new to the commercial insurance world, the small accounts have the tendency to emphasize price and you can't build your agency on that kind of business,” says Holmes. “Those types of accounts quickly eat into profit margins because they generate the most service work, require more insurance education and most of all, are the least loyal to the agency, moving as soon as they find a better price."

Holmes changed his strategy by working with InsuranceLeads.com and taking advantage of the leads co-op program offered to newly registered MMAC agents who can receive $100 worth of free leads.  InsuranceLeads helped Holmes fine-tune his lead filters to attract larger and/or more specialized accounts. Even though he isn’t getting as many leads, the ones he does receive are of much better quality, focused on value instead of price.

If your agency would like to try adding online leads, check out the LeadsNOW service on the MMAC.


Big I Advantage^®
RLI Personal Umbrella Update Webinar Set for Aug. 12

By now, your Big “I” RLI administrator has hopefully discussed the utilization of the RLI PUP Access system for quoting and policy fulfillment with you. They have been working very hard to keep up with the requests to access this very easy-to-use system for all of their dealings with the RLI products.
 
To assist you with learning this system, the Big “I” has developed a quick learning webinar to show you how to log in, quote and submit a policy, look up a policy to answer your insureds’ questions and run reports. The webinar will take place on Aug. 12 at 3 p.m. EST and will make keeping up with your RLI business a snap. Hurry to sign up as seats are limited and we might even have a sneak peek at more upcoming changes from RLI. Reserve your Webinar seat now by clicking here. 

If you are not sure whether or not you have been activated to access the RLI system, check with the RLI administrator in your state. For a list of administrators, go to www.independentagent.com/rli.


Big "I" Markets
Non-standard Market Thriving

In the past two months, Big "I" member agents have written more than $100,000 in non-standard homeowner premium. What non-standard markets are so many agents having success with?

Coastal: Having a tough time placing your coastal properties in the admitted market? You have access to an ISO HO-3 form modified to tailor coverages to unique exposures.

Vacant Dwellings: Too many people are moving out before selling a property. Unoccupied dwellings present different exposures, and the ISO DP-3 form with extended coverage for vandalism is available on most policies.

Affluent Non-standard Homeowners: Can't place a high value home with Chubb, Fireman's Fund, Private Client Group or other standard markets? Look no further. No maximum limits, poor credit, coastal exposure, high profile/target occupations and risks with prior losses are all open for consideration.

Unsupported Secondary Homes, Seasonal & Unprotected Homes: Even if they are being non-renewed or credit scores are a problem, take advantage of flexible deductible options to write log homes, PC 9&10.

Non-standard Rental Dwellings: For those homes that are rented either full-time or short-term.

Personal Builders Risk: Homes under construction can be challenging to place in the "standard" market.

Corporate/LLC Owned Homeowners: Homes titled in a corporate name or LLC.

Non-standard Renters: Increasingly, tenants are being underwritten more closely. This product is especially appropriate for risks with prior losses, poor credit or cancellations for non-pay and has minimum limits of $20,000.

The underwriters at Lexington who underwrite these markets consistently get some of the highest user satisfaction scores on Big "I" Markets surveys. So next time you have a "non-standard" home exposure, think of www.bigimarkets.com first.


Big I Advantage^®
Big “I” Members Save on FedEx Shipping

Did you know that the Big “I” can help you save on your shipping costs? Big “I” members can now save up to 26% on select FedEx^® shipping services. For more information or to enroll in this free discount program, go to www.1800members.com/iiaba or call 1-800-636-2377, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday.