PIANY, Progressive Meet as Part of Company Outreach Program

The Professional Insurance Agents of New York State Inc. (PIANY)held a meeting with Progressive Insurance Co., continuing its company outreach program.

The program was established by PIANY Immediate Past President John W. Bailey, CIC, to include companies represented by the largest number of PIANY members, and kicked off Nov. 12 with OneBeacon.

“There are many issues that have developed in the insurance market during the last year. However, personal automobile insurance has become an increasingly difficult line to write,” said Bailey. “Our meeting with Progressive, which deals specifically with automobile insurance, allowed us to discuss this issue in great detail.”

Bailey was joined by Company Relations Chairman Peter Demetriou; Director Nels Carlson; and Active Past President Jeffrey Greenfield. Representing Progressive were General Manager Meryl Golden and Product Manager for New York State Rick Crawley.

The need to combat no-fault insurance fraud was a key focus of the discussion. Some suggestions included establishing medical protocols; making arbitration the sole remedy for provider disputes; decertification of medical personnel who have been convicted of fraud; making it a felony offense to organize no-fault fraud schemes.

PIANY and Progressive also spoke about the relationships between the insurance company and independent insurance agents and how they can work together to stimulate regulatory changes within the industry.

“Progressive is very committed to New York state and we are looking to grow in this market,” said Golden. “We are also looking for ways to enhance our relationships with our agents, move beyond our historical specialty in non-standard business, and become the carrier of choice for all our agents.”