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Insurers and Climate Change: The Truth is More Complicated than the Sound Bytes

Eli Lehrer — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:09:03 +0000

As an insurance guy who has been on both sides of the climate change debate (I’ve worked for organizations full of climate change skeptics and now head one that believes it’s an important public policy issue) I’ve heard just about …

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Burand’s Agency E&O Blog: Tip #33

Chris Burand — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:28:20 +0000

E&S Binding Limits. Extremely few, if any, retail agencies have any binding authority whatsoever with their E&S brokers. This is such a simple E&O tip that most readers probably see it as a complete waste of blog space. My field …

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Sharkproof part 3 – Influence

David Connolly — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:05:50 +0000

Shark Proof The three I’s in Shark proofing are Insulation –Investment – Influence In the first two installments, we covered Insulation & Investment. Today I finish the series with Influence. As you remember, a ” Shark” is what I …

The article Sharkproof part 3 – Influence appeared first on Insurance Journal.

One Mistake You Should Never Make on LinkedIn

Mindy Trammell — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:58:49 +0000

How many times have you looked up someone on LinkedIn only to see a blank silhouette where their picture is supposed to be? I’m not sure why, but this really bothers me. With 200 million+ profiles listed, LinkedIn has become THE professional networking …

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The Florida Cat Fund’s Low Bar for Fiscal ‘Health’

Ray Lehmann — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:25:25 +0000

The headlines blaring from the Sunshine State today are unambiguous. The state-run Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund is “in good shape” Indeed, its latest report card shows it is the “best it’s looked in years.” Let’s not pop the champagne cork …

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Burand’s Agency E&O Blog: Tip #32

Chris Burand — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:43:27 +0000

AOR/BOR Procedures. If the current agent is so good, why is the insured moving their policy? AOR/BOR selling strategies have increased in popularity exponentially over the last decade. Some sales consultants and producers also like the strategy because they think …

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Sharkproof II: Retention through investment

David Connolly — Fri, 10 May 2013 18:59:34 +0000

Shark proof In part one of this series, we defined a shark as the kind of producer you don’t want anywhere near your clients. Sharks are experienced professionals who know the business, and are experts at breaking relationships. The 3 …

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In N.C., Chairman’s Auto Insurance Bills Don’t Even Meet His Own Standards

Ray Lehmann — Fri, 03 May 2013 17:36:25 +0000

As the push for modernization and consumer choice in North Carolina’s auto insurance system moves from the state Senate to the House, it’s worth going back to examine the goals the General Assembly set for itself on the topic a …

The article In N.C., Chairman’s Auto Insurance Bills Don’t Even Meet His Own Standards appeared first on Insurance Journal.

Recruit Better Producers with One Tactic – Technology

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 10:00:58 +0000

This post is part of a series on insurance marketing and training sponsored by Astonish. No matter what role you have at your agency, you should understand and appreciate the value of effective producers. A producer is an agency’s lifeline …

The article Recruit Better Producers with One Tactic – Technology appeared first on Insurance Journal.

Fraud is Michigan’s ‘Other’ Auto Insurance Problem

Ray Lehmann — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:13:51 +0000

As legislative work picks up in earnest on Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s plan to reform the state’s woeful no-fault auto insurance system, we wanted to call attention to a less-noticed provision of the proposal that could nonetheless have a significant …

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Burand’s Agency E&O Blog: Tip #31

Chris Burand — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:41:00 +0000

Record Retention. It’s not as simple as everyone thinks. Significant and dangerous myths exist relative to this increasingly important topic. The first myth is that “records” means all records, not just paper records. Second, the solution is not to keep …

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Podcast: March Madness of Insurance Mascots Goes Viral

Ly Nguyen — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:17:09 +0000

We had a blast creating and running the March Madness of Insurance Mascots game. We didn’t expect it to go viral (who does?) so it was incredibly exciting to watch and experience when it did. If you didn’t catch it on …

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Could this be the Year for No-Fault Reform in Michigan?

Alan Smith — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 22:20:10 +0000

Maybe the Michigan auto insurance law was “essential” when it became law, but in the last four decades it has become luxurious compared to all other states. Gov. Rick Snyder and insurance committee chairs Sen. Joe Hune, R-Hamburg Township, and …

The article Could this be the Year for No-Fault Reform in Michigan? appeared first on Insurance Journal.

Shark Proof – Revisited

David Connolly — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 22:34:31 +0000

In 2010, I wrote an article on shark proofing new clients for the Insurance Journal. Because of it’s popularity, this topic expanded into webinars, and 1/2 day seminars. I thought I should revisit and update the original article, so I …

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Burand’s Agency E&O Blog: Tip #30

Chris Burand — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 10:00:49 +0000

Felony Background Checks. An important step in hiring people. If an employee has a felony conviction and the agency has not obtained the proper waiver from their state’s insurance department, the agency may be violating the Violent Crimes Act. Some …

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North Carolina’s Auto Insurance System Badly Needs an Upgrade

Ray Lehmann — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:07:03 +0000

It’s easy to understand why many North Carolinians are skeptical of proposals to change how the state regulates auto insurance. In a state where homeowners insurance rates are fairly high, and auto insurance relatively affordable, the old adage about not …

The article North Carolina’s Auto Insurance System Badly Needs an Upgrade appeared first on Insurance Journal.

Burand’s Agency E&O Blog: Tip #29

Chris Burand — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 10:00:37 +0000

Flood Insurance. Who Ever Said Mortgage Companies Know Everything About Flood Insurance? In agency after agency I visit, flood insurance is usually only offered to people if their mortgage company requires it. De facto, this means the agency is accepting …

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What’s in a Blog? Blogging About What’s Trending – Part 3

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 10:00:45 +0000

This post is part of a series on insurance marketing and training sponsored by Astonish. In part one and part two, I shared some secrets on what to blog about to attract web visitors to your website. This is the …

The article What’s in a Blog? Blogging About What’s Trending – Part 3 appeared first on Insurance Journal.

Build And Deliver Proposals That Win

David Connolly — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:51:48 +0000

Your Sales iQ By David Connolly As insurance agents, what we sell is an …

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It Helps to Have a Village

Lauren Knapp — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:02:00 +0000

I was recently asked to join the team for the latest product from Wells Media Group, a website and eNewsletter called Carrier Management. I was brought in to sell advertising space, and when I joined the rest of the team, …

The article It Helps to Have a Village appeared first on Insurance Journal.

Burand’s Agency E&O Blog: Tip #28

Chris Burand — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:31:51 +0000

Job Descriptions. A simple solution to minimizing E&O exposures. One of the most significant E&O exposures is literally a “he said, she said” issue. Producers think a CSR will do something and CSRs think the producer is doing it. The …

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North Carolina’s ‘Other’ Auto Insurance Market

Ray Lehmann — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 18:21:55 +0000

I’ve already covered in these pages some of the things the editorial pages of North Carolina’s leading newspapers are getting wrong about S.B. 154, legislation to modernize the state’s system of setting auto insurance rates. But co-sponsor Sen. Jeff Tarte, …

The article North Carolina’s ‘Other’ Auto Insurance Market appeared first on Insurance Journal.

Burand’s Agency E&O Blog: Tip #27

Chris Burand — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:00:28 +0000

Agency Catastrophe Plans. How to keep a catastrophe from becoming an even bigger catastrophe. I don’t know who said it, but they correctly concluded that the best E&O audit is a natural catastrophe because so many clients have claims and …

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FIGA Reforms Should Increase Flexibility, Not Eliminate It

Christian Cámara — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 20:56:43 +0000

When it comes to property insurance reform in Florida, everyone is basically focused on proposals that deal with the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, Citizens Property Insurance Corp. and the (over) regulation of private insurance carriers in the state. Some bills …

The article FIGA Reforms Should Increase Flexibility, Not Eliminate It appeared first on Insurance Journal.

Jersey Pols Shill for the NFIP’s Three-Card Monte

Ray Lehmann — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:23:04 +0000

My home state of New Jersey has been the scene of a number of historic events over the years, both famous and infamous: the invention of the incandescent light bulb, the first recorded baseball game, the Hindenberg disaster, the discovery …

The article Jersey Pols Shill for the NFIP’s Three-Card Monte appeared first on Insurance Journal.

Outsourcing Your Digital Marketing Strategy: When do you know it’s time?

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:07:55 +0000

This post is part of a series on insurance marketing and training sponsored by Astonish. Local insurance agency owners wear multiple hats – sometimes, too many! You may want to save money and do it all yourself, but that is …

The article Outsourcing Your Digital Marketing Strategy: When do you know it’s time? appeared first on Insurance Journal.

Burand’s Agency E&O Blog: Tip #26

Chris Burand — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:09:51 +0000

Bond Specifications & Company Ratings. Do you check? When commercial clients need a bond, they almost always have a contract that requires the bond meet certain specifications. Among those specifications is the bond be issued by an insurance company with …

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With Rates Expected to Drop, Cat Fund Reform Should Be a No-Brainer

Christian Cámara — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:37:19 +0000

For four out of the last seven years, the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund has been projected to have a shortfall should a major hurricane impact the state and cause the fund to pay out to its coverage limits. This is …

The article With Rates Expected to Drop, Cat Fund Reform Should Be a No-Brainer appeared first on Insurance Journal.

AIF Map Confirms Citizens Not the Leading Writer in Most Florida Districts

Christian Cámara — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 16:15:24 +0000

The debate over how to reform Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. has been a years-long and arduous political battle. Despite its original mission to act as Florida’s insurer-of-last-resort, Citizens became former Gov. Charlie Crist’s instrument of populist politics du jour, …

The article AIF Map Confirms Citizens Not the Leading Writer in Most Florida Districts appeared first on Insurance Journal.

Breaking Up North Carolina’s Auto Insurance Cartel

Ray Lehmann — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 15:02:27 +0000

Legislation to break up North Carolina’s rate bureau cartel and bring the state’s auto insurance market into the 21st Century has now been introduced in both houses of the General Assembly. This past week, Rep. Jeff Collins, R-Nash, introduced H.B. …

The article Breaking Up North Carolina’s Auto Insurance Cartel appeared first on Insurance Journal.