The
Alabama Department of Insurance has issued a revision of Regulation 62 dealing
with Certificates of Insurance, Agent’s Letters of Opinion and Indemnity
Agreements. The new revision will be effective June 5th as per the Insurance Commissioner’s order for approval dated May 25th. The revision implements strict requirements related to the issue of
“special certificates” sent to the agent for his/her signature. All
certificates must be issued on a standard Acord or ISO Certificate of Insurance
Form. All others must be filed with the Alabama Department of Insurance for
approval. Certificates can no longer refer to construction or service contracts
or insurance requirements for the purpose of amending coverage afforded by the
policies. No licensed insurer or producer licensed to do business in Alabama
shall have the authority to issue an “Agent’s Opinion Letter” or any other
correspondence purporting an insurance policy provides coverages which the
policy does not provide. “Our members have been battling this issue for years,
and we are very pleased to see these new certificate and opinion letter
revisions come about,” said AIIA EVP Vic McCarley. AIIA EVP Vic McCarley worked
closely with Deputy Insurance Commissioner Johnny Johnson to obtain these
needed revisions. “The intent of the revision is to return to the original
purpose the Certificate of Insurance was intended to serve, that of a notice to
a certificate holder of the existence of coverage, and to reiterate that the
intent was never to amend or alter the coverage provided by the insurance
company,” states Deputy Commissioner Johnson. For a complete copy of the newly
revised regulation, logon to the AIIA website at www.aiia.org
and click Current News to view the revised regulation.
Have You Joined AIIA’s Capital Campaign?
The fundraising campaign for
the new building is off to a great start, but we need the assistance of ALL
members. Every contribution is important, and everyone will be recognized in a
place in AIIA history. All contributions are tax deductible! We are on our way
to 100% participation from our agency and associate members. Remember, any
contribution helps!
State Local Boards Pledge to
AIIA New Facility
AIIA thanks the Tuscaloosa
and Decatur local board associations for contributing to the new AIIA
building’s Capital Campaign. Thanks to Lin Moore, President of the Tuscaloosa
board for their $10,000 pledge to be
a sponsor of a staff office! Thanks to
Decatur President Ed Balch for their $1,000
contribution!
Thanks to the following
Capital Campaign Contributors for their recent pledges:
Richard Pardue, ANB Insurance Services,
Birmingham $5,000
David J. Harris, Harris Insurance Agency,
Birmingham $1,000
William Pepper, William Pepper Agency, Athens
$1,000
Spencer Adams, Pickett-Adams, Mobile $5,000
Bill Houseal, III, Houseal Insurance, Birmingham $1,000
Wondering what your neighbors are
giving? Here’s a total of contributing independent agencies by district:
District 1 - $19,000 representing Mobile, Baldwin, Washington, Clarke,
Monroe, Conecuh and Escambia counties
District 2 -
$3,400 representing Choctaw, Sumter, Marengo, Wilcox, Perry, Dallas and
Lowndes counties
District 3 - $15,000 representing Montgomery, Butler, Crenshaw, Pike,
Elmore and Autauga counties
District 4 -
$0.00 representing Lee, Macon, Bullock, Russell, Barbour and
Tallapoosa counties
District 5 -
$5,000 representing Covington, Coffee, Geneva, Dale, Houston
and Henry counties
District 6 - $19,650 representing Tuscaloosa, Pickens, Walker, Greene, Hale
and Bibb counties
District 7-$344,900 representing Jefferson, Shelby and St. Clair counties
District 8
- $1,350 representing Chilton,
Coosa, Talladega, Clay, Randolph, Chambers, Cleburne, Calhoun, Etowah and
Cherokee counties
District 9 - $24,600 representing Limestone, Madison, Jackson, Cullman,
Blount, Marshall and DeKalb counties
District 10 - $3,500 representing Lawrence, Winston and Morgan counties
District 11 - $2,400 representing Lamar, Fayette, Marion, Franklin, Colbert
and Lauderdale counties
Convention Begins Next Week! Largest Trade Show Ever!
We’ve
set a new record! Thanks to all convention registrants, sponsors and exhibitors
for participating in what will be the largest Trade Show in AIIA history! Don’t
forget that AIIA offers events for the entire family. Golf and Fishing events
occur Friday afternoon; and Saturday morning there is a special Ladies Program
for spouses not attending the General Session. It will be fun, fun, fun in the
sun June 10-12 at the Sandestin Hilton. You do not want to miss your lucky
chance to spin Progressive’s Wheel of Fortune. Relax with our favorite party
band - “Meet The Press,” performing Thursday night poolside adjacent to the
hospitality suites. What will hypnotist and motivational speaker Robert Ian
inspire you to do? Infinity Insurance will offer several free CEU classes.
Guest speakers include IIABA President-Elect Thomas Grau, CPCU, Joey Ammons
from the Alabama Dept. of Industrial Relations, Cathy Rein, CEO and President
of MetLife Auto & Home, will speak about the state of the industry.
Register online at www.aiia.org, click
Meetings. Don’t want to register online?
Need a registration form? Call Kim Kay or Nancy Crowe at (205) 326-4129.
AIIA Young Agents
Conference is July 22-24 at the New Baytowne Village Resort
Come
stay in the new Sandestin Resort property – the Village of Baytowne Wharf. The
Young Agents conference is July 22-24 this year, and will not overlap the back
to school rush of August. Come experience a taste of New Orleans in this
pedestrian setting. Full of shops, eateries and a rich atmosphere, the Village
will be the perfect spot to mix business with pleasure. Speaker Steve Morgan is
back by popular demand. His high energy and topics received great response the
last time he joined us. His topic this year is, “Four Phases of Attitude &
Customer Relations.” We all know attitude plays in huge role in our daily
interaction with customers. Fun events include a dolphin cruise for all ages
and a golf tournament. Registration information is available online at www.aiia.org or call Nancy Crowe or Kim Kay at
(205) 326-4129.
Independent
agents and brokers want better business relationships with carriers. However,
how can carriers know what agents and brokers need if they aren’t told? To
educate carriers on agent concerns, Big “I” members can participate in the
second annual Ease of Doing Business Survey of Independent Insurance Agents and
Brokers. The survey, conducted by consulting firm Deep Customer Connections,
Inc., takes only a few minutes to complete and breaks Ease of Doing Business
into ten dimensions. Respondents first rate the importance of each dimension,
and then rate how well the carriers they work with most frequently perform on
each of those dimensions. Completing the survey will help carriers hear your
voice about the importance of Ease of Doing Business and the priorities that
are most important to you—their customer. After all, easier business dealings
are a direct route to increased productivity and profitability. To access the
survey, please visit http://www.rta2000.com/edb2004survey.
For further information, contact Nort
Salz, Partner, Deep Customer Connections, Inc. at (978) 263-6100 or Nort.Salz@DeepCustomerConnections.com.
MEMBER SERVICES: A.M. Best Upgrades RLI’s Rating!
The RLI Group recently received an upgraded rating
from A.M. Best to A+ (Superior). The new rating applies to all three RLI
insurance subsidiaries. We are excited because this impacts the strength of the
AIIA Personal Umbrella and In-Home Business policies. If you are not using
these two programs, now is certainly the time to get on board. For more
information about the Personal Umbrella and In-Home Business opportunities for
you and your customers, contact Tangy Underwood at tunderwood@aiia.org or call (205)
326-4129.
EMPLOYMENT / AGENCY OPPORTUNITIES
Ø
Underwriter
Needed. Underwriter needed for fast-paced MGA in Florence. NAI seeks an
experienced E&S binding underwriter. www.nai1982.com
Send resume and salary requirements to P.O. Box 2909, Florence, AL 35630.
Ø
Seeking Licensed C/L Producer. Hoover / Vestavia Hills agency seeks licensed
commercial lines producer. Excellent work environment &
commissions. Submit confidential resume (205) 979-3919 or email to cull6453@bellsouth.net.
Ø C/L CSR Seeks Position. Licensed CSR with CISR designation seeks position in
Birmingham area. Please contact Brenda Hope @ 205-791-2985.
Ø C/L Lines Marketer Seeks Position.
Experienced commercial lines marketer seeks agency position in the Mobile area
performing marketing and/or agency management function. Contact Dick MacDonald
at (251) 625-8971.
Ø Seeking P&C Producer. Florence
agency needs P&C producer. Please call (256) 766-2222 for more info.
Ø PL CSR Seeking Position.
Licensed personal lines CSR seeks position in Jefferson / Shelby County. 23
years of experience. Call Lavelle Huff at (205) 680-1799.
Ø Seeking P&C Producers: Agency
needs P&C producers in Alabama to sell top Auto insurance. For appointment
or sponsorship, call (205) 795-2540.
Ø Seeking Agents: Birmingham area agency
looking for agents to solicit surety accounts. Agency will provide office space
and is willing to split commissions 50/50 with the agent on all business they
produce. All inquires confidential. Send all inquiries to PO Box 449,
Trussville, AL 35173.