Rough Notes back issues from November 2008:
COURT DECISIONS
Nov 01, 2008; ... Digested from case reports published in Westlaw, West Publishing Co., St. Paul, MN Insured demands coverage under canceled policy Joseph Kaufmann purchased a Leatherstocking Cooperative Insurance Company homeowners insurance policy through Hughson & Benson Associates ...
OF FEDERAL INTERVENTION AND BATTLES TO COME
Nov 01, 2008; ... NAIC bolsters defense of its regulatory turf with high-powered PR firm The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has retained the international public relations firm known as Edelman, which will provide PR services in support of the NAIC's Insure U consumer-education ...
TEAMWORK IS A CORE VALUE
Nov 01, 2008; ... MARKETING AGENCY OF THE MONTH This Northwest agency stressed teamwork long before it became a buzzword When Messrs. Parker and Smith left a general agency to establish their own agency in downtown Seattle, Washington, in 1937, they resolved to structure it in a way that would ...
AVOIDING THE SEMI-SUCCESSFUL TRAP
Nov 01, 2008; ... Reaching a plateau can result in a dead end Do you ever wonder what distinguishes a successful independent agent from a supersuccessful one? Too often, we see that producers will reach a point in their careers where they're doing pretty darn well - and then they shut down. Being ...
TERRORISM IS TERRORISM
Nov 01, 2008; ... TRIA changes expand definition of terrorism to include homegrown variety Last year, agent associations and other industry groups were pressing Congress to extend the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA). which provides a backstop of federal insurance for the heightened terrorism risk that ...
OUTSTANDING CSRs RECOGNIZED
Nov 01, 2008; ... Co-winners share this year's award from The National Alliance For years, the hard market was the topic of conversation within the independent insurance business. Agency owners, producers and CSRs worried about how to hold down premium increases, find markets and keep clients. Nowadays ...
WE'RE NOT THERE YET
Nov 01, 2008; ... ERM may be able to prevent future crises, but what was in place was inadequate This article is being written as Congress debates a $770 billion governmental bailout of the financial service sector. But it is not the same old financial service sector. Gone are many of the long-standing ...
THE POWER OF ONE
Nov 01, 2008; ... The Rough Notes Company's Community Service Award honors individuals who make a difference For the last 10 years, The Rough Notes Company has recognized insurance professionals who go beyond the call of duty to invest their time, effort and money to improve the lives of others who are ...
The Rough Notes Company Community Service Award
Nov 01, 2008; ... Award Conditions and Prerequisites PURPOSE: To recognize and present an award to an independent insurance broker, agent or agency that has demonstrated extraordinary community service within his/her/their local, regional or national community. And, to present the winning community ...
WHAT'S DRIVING THE SOFT MARKET?
Nov 01, 2008; ... Industry analysts point to a new set of forces Insurance industry analysts and observers generally agree that the property and casualty insurance business is currently in a soft market. Fair enough. But the question must be asked: What is driving this particular soft ...
THE ART OF GOAL SETTING
Nov 01, 2008; ... Matching goals with timeframes is crucial Your ability to create visions and set goals is essential to your personal and professional lives. Visions allow you to see yourself at some point in the future, while goals offer a road map to reach these visions. There is nothing more rewarding ...
BUILDING BENEFITS BUSINESS
Nov 01, 2008; ... At Meeker-Magner, producers team up to deliver total account solutions Focus, consistency and teamwork. These ideals were good enough to bring both Chicago major league baseball teams into the playoffs this year - and they also provide a great model for one of the city's leading ...
CREATING SAVVY CONSUMERS
Nov 01, 2008; ... New toob help producers and employers introduce health and health care education directly to employees Do you understand how health insurance has evolved to fund health care expenses? Do you know how the U.S. health care system works and how health claims are processed by health ...
AVOIDING THE "OOPS"
Nov 01, 2008; ... OneApp Agency software helps firms manage licenses, contracts and more For years, the brokerage that Kathy Eklov works for had a system to manage producer licenses, continuing education and carrier appointments. "We were using Excel spreadsheets to track licenses, manual paper forms to ...
PROTECTING SECURITY GUARDS
Nov 01, 2008; ... Expansion of job descriptions presents growth opportunities and challenges Private security contracting (security guards) is an approximately $13 billion industry in the United States, with 11,000 to 15,000 companies employing some 1.2 million contract security officers (guards), ...
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
Nov 01, 2008; ... Customers crave a personal approach Customer service isn't about the product or service you sell. It isn't about price, packaging, or convenience either - no matter what anyone tells you. Customer service is all about relationships. When you have a problem and need to ...
BUILDING AGENCY LEADERS
Nov 01, 2008; ... MarshBerry's Leading Young Tigers prepare for management role When asked what they want to be when they grow up, few youngsters say their ambition is to manage an independent insurance agency. In fact, many kids whose parents own an agency deliberately choose other career paths, although ...
SMART SOLUTIONS FOR SECURITY RISKS
Nov 01, 2008; ... The Mechanic Group is a leader in this challenging market A popularly held image of the security industry is of uniformed guards who accompany armored trucks full of cash, or who staff the lobby desks of large office and apartment buildings. Polite, crisp, and largely anonymous, these ...
A NECESSARY EVIL
Nov 01, 2008; ... Wrap-up programs require careful scrutiny by all parties concerned Although wrap-ups, both owner-controlled (OCIP) and contractor-controlled (CCIP), have been in existence for several decades, they still present some complications for the participants, the producers of the wrap-ups, and ...
GETTING HR OFF THE BACK BURNER
Nov 01, 2008; ... Regional agent association offers a suite of online tools to assist agencies with an array of human resources concerns "It's a daunting task," says Angela Malizia, referring to the prospect of developing an employee handbook. "I'm an insurance person," she emphasizes. "HR is not my area ...
INVESTIGATION AND SECURITY BUSINESSES SHOW STRONG GROWTH
Nov 01, 2008; ... Investigation and security service firms account for nearly $453 million in premium from some 84,000 enterprises, according to data compiled by MarketStance, Middletown, Connecticut, with liability premium representing the largest line of business at $172.5 million, or 38.1% of the total. It is ...