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                                                     National News

IIABA News
Building Code Coalition Applauds Committee Passage of Disaster Response, Recovery and Mitigation Enhancement Act of 2009

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unanimously reported a bill that includes the adoption and enforcement of nationally-recognized, statewide building codes. The Disaster Response, Recovery and Mitigation Enhancement Act of 2009, H.R. 3377, is now awaiting consideration by the full House.

The Big “I” and its partners in The Building Code Coalition (BCC) applauded the committee leadership and members for their bipartisan support of legislation that may ultimately save lives and reduce losses. In a joint press release in support of the latest development on H.R. 3377, the coalition also cited evidence that shows building codes are an effective way for government, insurance companies and homeowners to save money.

The coalition also called on Congress to pass the Building Code Administration Grant Act (S. 970 in the Senate; H.R. 2246 in the House), which would provide matching federal grant money to help states administer and enforce building codes. The bill was introduced in both chambers last May.

Click here to read the full Building Code Coalition press release.

Best Practices
Joint Planning Tool Quick Step is a Valuable Agency-Company Planning Resource

Need help maximizing your agency’s carrier relationships? The Joint Planning Tool Quick Step was designed to facilitate effective joint agency-company planning efforts. This tool has been proven to eliminate unproductive efforts, reduce costs and inefficiencies for both parties and greatly enhance the ongoing agency-company relationship. The tool was developed as part of an effort to facilitate critical planning in a fast and dynamic electronic approach. The Joint Planning Tool Quick Step is a fully automated desktop application that was designed using Microsoft’s Excel program, and it takes agents through establishing internal goals, preparing for joint discussions, developing a joint plan and implementing, adjusting and monitoring the plan. Click here to download the demo version. Click here to view and purchase all the Best Practices resources, including the newest release – the 2009 Best Practices Study Update. For more information, contact the Big “I” Education & Research Department at 800- 221-7917; BestPractices@iiaba.net.

Big “I” Flood Program
FEMA Hosts Listening Session for NFIP Stakeholders

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently announced a new avenue for the public to provide input on the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) by launching a 30-day public comment period following a two-day listening session with NFIP stakeholders hosted by FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate on Nov. 5-6.
 
Linda Mackey, Big “I” flood program manager, attended the listening session on behalf of Big “I” members, along with 175 other stakeholders representing environmental and historic preservation groups, fair housing groups and representatives from the lending, insurance, emergency management, real estate, land use, planning and engineering industries, as well as representatives from state, local and tribal governments. The topics addressed in the session included subsidizing risk, mapping/risk identification and communication, mandatory purchasing/affordability, NFIP and environmental issues, actuarial soundness of the NFIP, the types of hazard insurance available and the level of coverages purchased.
Agents can now weigh in on these important topics by visiting www.fema.gov/nfipcomments to provide input and identify challenges with the NFIP. Created by Congress in 1968, the NFIP is designed to ensure that communities across the country have access to affordable flood insurance while encouraging community floodplain management to reduce future flood damage.

“We are always striving to improve our programs, and this week’s listening sessions were an important step in that process for the 40-year-old National Flood Insurance Program,” said Administrator Craig Fugate. “NFIP is designed to support communities and provide crucial protection from potentially devastating flooding. The experience and input from the communities who take advantage of this program is invaluable, and we will continue to work with our partners and Congress to identify areas of improvement and how best to meet those challenges. I would encourage everyone to visit www.fema.gov/nfipcomments where they can provide their own insights and ideas on this important program.”

FEMA's mission is to support citizens and first responders to ensure that the nation works together to build, sustain and improve its capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate all hazards. Contact Linda Mackey at linda.mackey@iiaba.net for more information on the program.

Big I Advantage^®
Round Accounts with the Virtual Risk Consultant

Most agents already know about all of the great reasons to round out accounts, including building better customer relationships, increasing retention rates, reducing the agency's exposure and increasing revenue. In account rounding, one of the most important things to understand is the client’s operations and exposure to loss. In addition, truly knowing the client involves getting the customer proposal right the first time. Between 20% and 25% of errors & omissions claims seen in the Big "I" Professional Liability Program involve claims alleging that the agent failed to procure coverage or to properly analyze customer exposure to loss. To help member agents avoid E&O claims, increase revenue and better round accounts, the Big “I” recently introduced the Big I Advantage® Virtual Risk Consultant Powered by Rough Notes (VRC). Available exclusively to Big "I" members, the VRC is a Web-based resource including narrative descriptions and minimum coverage recommendations for more than 600 different industries. It also includes industry-specific questionnaires and checklists to uncover gaps in coverage and help agents make more sales while avoiding E&O claims with solid customer file documentation. Visit www.independentagent.com/VRC to learn more about why this product is ideal for Big "I" Markets users.

Big I Advantage^®
Caliper Offers Tips on Being a Team Player

Are you the best team player you can be? Read these six tips from Caliper on how to maximize your contributions to team efforts. For more information about Caliper’s services, visit www.caliperonline.com, call 609-524-1200 or e-mail info@calipercorp.com and identify yourself as a Big “I” member to enjoy exclusive Big “I” member pricing on all Caliper’s services and solutions.

Trusted Choice^®
New Service Links Customers Directly to Local Trusted Choice^® Agencies

Trusted Choice^® agents looking for customers in today’s tough economic climate have a new ally: 1-800-We-Insure. This service, exclusively for Trusted Choice^® member agencies, makes it easy for customers to reach local agents by phone using only a zip code. It provides more than static leads data – instead, it sends customer calls directly to the agency through one simple phone number that’s easy to remember. The Big “I” is hard at work promoting this service and invites Trusted Choice^® agents to learn more by visiting www.TrustedChoice.com/leads.