September 21, 2004

AIIA Building on Schedule

AIIA Thanks Contributors

Thanks to the following contributors who raised our Capital Campaign pledge total to $763,450! Thanks so much, we cannot do it without your help! Will you help us reach our goal? Call in your pledge to AIIA today! 205-326-4129.

Young Agent Contributor Bob Burkett, Burkett & Associates, Huntsville $400

Bobby Missildine, Union Standard Insurance Group, $1,000

Dick Gumkowski, Ohio Casualty Insurance Co. $500

CIC Opportunity:  This Week's CIC Moved To Birmingham Due To Hurricane Ivan

Space Is Available The CIC Institute originally scheduled for September 22-24, 2004, in Point Clear, Ala., has been rescheduled due to Hurricane Ivan. The new dates are September 23-25, 2004, this Thursday – Saturday, at the Radisson Hotel in Birmingham. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday. Class will be held from 8 - 5 daily. The Radisson is located at 808 20th Street South, Birmingham, phone (205) 933-9000.  Space is available due to cancellations - last minute registrations will be accepted this week!

Small & Rural Meeting Rescheduled Due to Hurricane Ivan – New Date is October 18th

Due to the damage and numerous claims being filed in the wake of Hurricane Ivan, the 2004 Small & Rural Conference is postponed until October 18, 2004. The National Security Reception is also postponed until October 18th. We know our members will be assisting customers with claims during the weeks that follow this storm. We thank all attendees and exhibitors for their patience and understanding during this stressful situation. For questions or additional information, please contact Nancy Crowe at ncrowe@aiia.org or Kim Kay at kimkay@aiia.org or call (205) 326-4129.

Independent Agents Strong After Storm: Hurricane Ivan Report

The understatement of the century is that “Hurricane Ivan left an indelible mark on the State of Alabama.” This statement was heard on one of the national news networks the morning of September 20, 2004, just four days after Ivan plowed through Florida and Alabama. At least 32 Alabama Counties have been declared eligible for Federal Disaster Relief in various forms. You can’t hear the birds over the sound of chainsaws clearing debris in virtually every community through which Ivan roared. Food, gas and ice lines are the norm now in many affected areas as residents make it through each day, just trying to obtain the most basic necessities of life. Power outages in the southern part of the State may continue for as long as a month in the hardest hit areas. Telephone service is out in some communities and folks are finding that cell phone service is great, as long as the battery lasts and provided the transmission tower was not damaged. And, through all of this, the Independent Insurance Agent thrives.

Policyholder service is what it’s all about and this is when the Independent Agent and the carriers they represent, shine. The line to get back into the affected areas, once the evacuees were allowed to return, found our agents in the front. I have talked to many of those who were affected by the storm. A few are operating on generated power in some cases, others by battery power, and still others from a card table in front of their office to make sure they get those claims taken and reported. Yank Lovelace in Brewton, an area hard hit by the storm took claims through the first weekend. “We took 2100 claims in our Brewton Office on Friday (September 17^th, 2004) and just as many in our Atmore office.” Some agents are veterans of the hurricane season and learned lessons from Frederick and Opal, like Yank, whose agency was operating on a gas generator. Others are learning those lessons now and will be ready when the next hurricane comes calling.

We talked to many of our carrier partners as well who are helping out by providing pre-printed ACORD loss notices to their agents to assist them in getting losses reported as soon as possible. Many are already on the scene with adjusters flown into New Orleans and Mobile to get started as soon as possible. Charles McDonald in Monroeville told us that some of his carriers called all of their policyholders directly to take loss notices. Others have taken full- page ads out in various newspapers across the state advising policyholders to call their national catastrophe number to report their loss.

All of us who have weathered a disaster in our agencies know the difficulties that have to be overcome to meet our clients’ expectations. If you are reading this and were not affected by Ivan and would like to offer assistance to your fellow members who were affected, contact us, or the member directly and offer help. The Association has offered assistance to any who need it but so far, none has been requested. That offer stands open as the recovery process begins.

A very limited access to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach has begun to allow some residents of the many storm shelters to take a look at their property. Some were amazed how well their property fared while others were in shock to find that nothing but a vacant lot with shattered pilings remained where a house or business once stood. It will take a year or more to get everything back to its original state and if city officials quoted in the newspapers have their way, better than the original state. Revised building codes after the previous storms made a significant impact on the severity of the damage, leaving intact many of the buildings reconstructed after building codes were updated after the last storms.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all of our members and their carriers as they begin the process of restoring normalcy to the lives of their clients, their agencies and their companies.

Damage from Hurricanes Gets Costly

According to an Insurance Journal report, catastrophic modeler Risk Management Solutions (RMS) estimates that insured losses from Hurricane Ivan will range from $2 to $7 billion. Additional losses of $1 billion are expected from damage in the Caribbean. Catastrophic modeler AIR Worldwide of Boston estimates U.S. losses from Ivan between $3 and $6 billion. The triple whammy hits of Hurricanes Ivan, Frances and Charley produced about $13 to $15 billion in losses, rivaling Hurricane Andrew’s costliest blow to the industry history. Chief economist of the Insurance Information Institute Robert Hartwig says that “the industry is financially capable of handling Ivan’s losses. The long and short of it: three losses, bad quarter, but not a solvency-threatening event.” The majority of P&C insurers were prepared for the storms.

Corrections & Clarifications

Last week’s special edition of the NEWSLINE failed to list the name of our AIIA RLI Administrator & Insurance Coordinator Tangy Underwood on the list of AIIA staff members. Please accept our apology for this erroneous omission. The RLI program is a great way for large and small agencies to expand their product offerings. The RLI Personal Umbrella pays 10% commission and can easily be underwritten in your agency. The RLI In-Home Business product pays 12% commission and offers your customers extra coverage at low prices for home businesses. Personal Umbrella and In-Home Business applications can be downloaded or completed and printed from our website www.aiia.org . Click on On-Line Members Applications. Rate sheets are posted for quick and easy processing. For questions, contact Tangy Underwood at tunderwood@aiia.org or (205) 326-4129.

Upcoming AIIA Important Dates

Ø September 28th Young Agents Committee Day AIIA Office, Birmingham

Ø September 29th COMMITTEE DAY AIIA Office Birmingham

Guest speakers include Alabama Supreme Court Candidates Judges Patti Smith, Mike Bolin and Robert H. Smith, and Tommy Bryan Civil Appeals Court candidate

Ø October 18th Small & Rural Agents Conference The Radisson, Birmingham

Ø November 18th “I” Day Wynfrey Hotel

EMPLOYMENT / AGENCY OPPORTUNITIES

Ø Seeking Commercial Lines Producer: Full Service P&C Agency located in Auburn seeking Commercial Lines Producer. Call Steve Watson @ 800-704-0503 for more details.

Ø Seeking Personal Lines CSR: Established Montgomery agency looking to expand to Tuskegee area. Seeks honest dependable individual for personal lines customer service position. One or more years of insurance experience a plus. All inquires are confidential. Send all inquires to 906 S. Perry St. Ste. 100, Montgomery, AL or fax (334)-356-3638.

Ø Seeking VP: Weaver Insurance Group seeks proven leader w/ excellent sales, marketing, managerial skills to serve as Vice-President/Sales & Operations for agency side. Candidate must have proven talent in creative and entrepreneurial thinking, demonstrated skills in management, confidence in public speaking and experience in making presentations. CIC, CRM or CPCU certification is desired.

Ø Seeking P&C Producers: Large independent agencies seek several experienced producers with P&C and/or benefits experience for Birmingham office. Ideal candidate has 2 years experience with proven success. Strong communication skills, professional appearance, and strong work ethic are a must! Providing a current book of business is a plus! Only candidates with proven success considered. Please submit resume, along with salary requirements and success history, in strict confidence to Shannon Mancin at shannon@insurstaff.com

Ø Seeks P&C Agents: Up and coming agency seeks experienced P&C agents for Birmingham office. Ideal candidate has at least one year experience as a P&C agent selling auto insurance. Must possess excellent phone skills, have a professional appearance, and strong work ethic. Only candidates with current P&C license will be considered! Providing a current book of business is a plus! This is an excellent opportunity to work from home with unlimited salary potential!  Submit resume in strict confidence to Shannon at shannon@insurstaff.com today!

Ø AIG Seeks Agency Sales Manager. AIG Agency Auto seeks agency sales manager to establish new accounts, appoint new agents and manage independent agents to increase sales and territory profitability. Requirements include Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience, 2 to 5 years of successful business experience in outside sales or account management, P&C experience. Apply online at www.aig.com/careers or fax resume to (770) 753-4623.

Ø If Relocating to Paradise Interests you… Thames Batre Mattei Beville & Ison is looking for the right person for Gulf Shores office. The CSR position requires P&C license with minimum of 2 years of Personal Lines Homeowners experience. For full details contact Phill Brown at 800-514-8132 or phill@tbmbi.com .

Ø SEEKING POSITION: Seeking full time employment with a company or agency that I can use my 5 years of experience with my P&C license. Please contact Crystal at (205) 559-3488 or crystalatpac@hotmail.com .