UAIIA Newsletter

Thanks to our 2008 Associate Members: Acuity, Advanced Restoration, AIG, American Mining, Amtrust North America, Austin Mutual Insurance Co., Auto Owners Insurance Co., Bear River Mutual Insurance, BELFOR, Burns & Wilcox LTD, Cananwill Premium Funding, Capital Premium Finance, Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, CIBA Insurance Services, CSE Insurance Company, Colonial General Insurance, Colorado Casualty Ins. Co., Continental Western Group, Cresta Insurance, LLC, Dairyland Insurance Co., EMC Insurance Companies, Encompass/Allstate/Deerbrook, Germantown Mutual, Great American Insurance Co., Kemper, Legacy Insurance Services, MetLife Auto & Home, Mountain States Insurance Group, Multico Rating Systems Inc., Mutual of Enumclaw Ins. Co., National American Insurance Co., Networked Insurance Agents, PLUS Insurance, Premium Financing Specialists, Progressive Insurance, Republic Indemnity Company, Risk Placement Services – Salt Lake, Risk Placement Services – Scottsdale, Sagamore Insurance Co., Sequoia Ins. Co., Service Master by Restoration Xperts, State Auto Insurance, Statewide Insurance Corp., Surplus Line Assoc. of UT, Swett & Crawford, Inc., Telford Financial, Transwestern General Agency, Travelers, UAIC, UCA General Insurance, Unitrin Specialty, Utah Disaster Kleenup, Victoria Insurance, WCF.

1. Local Agents Rate High
2. Insurance Profits Take a Dive
3. Insurance Department Tips – Trust Accounts
4. Lawsuit of the Month
5. Legislative Rumors
6. What Have We Done For You Lately?
7. Northern Utah Earthquake Fault
8. 2008 InsurPac Contributors
9. Can You Say “Crop Damage?”
10. Happy Holidays

1. Local Agents Rate High According to a customer satisfaction survey from J.D. Power and Associates, auto and home insurance customers who deal with a local agency tend to be more satisfied than those who interact with their insurer’s call center. The study also found that agent served customers tend to be more loyal to their agent than they are to their insurer. Among customers who perceive their agent to be independent, 44 percent say they “definitely will” renew with their insurer, while 60 percent say they “definitely will” continue doing business with their agency.
The study also revealed the following insurance customer behavior pattern: One fourth of a customer’s overall impression of their agent, agency staff, or call center representative is driven by their courtesy and friendliness. Two in five customers meet with their agent in person, most visiting without a scheduled appointment.
2. Insurance Profits Take a Dive After-tax profits for the U.S. property and casualty industry through the first nine months of the year were $4.1 billion – a 91.8 percent decline from the $50 billion in profits earned the same period a year ago, according to ISO and the Property Casualty Insurers of America (PCI).
Insurers suffered $19.9 billion in net losses on underwriting through the first nine months of 2008, marking a $38.2 billion adverse swing from insurers’ $18.4 billion in net gains on underwriting seen in the comparable 2007 period.
The combined ratio – a key measure of losses and other underwriting expenses per dollar of premium, worsened to 105.6 percent in the first nine months of the year, down from the 93.8 percent combined ratio the industry saw in the first nine months of 2007.
The figures are consolidated estimates for all private property/casualty insurers based on reports accounting for at least 96 percent of all business written by private U.S. insurers. Source: Insurance Journal

3. Insurance Department Tips - Trust Accounts
Did you know the deposit slips for trust accounts need to have the words “trust account” on them? Or that trust account monies cannot be commingled with operating expenses or any other expenses? To make sure you are in compliance, check out the following Utah Department of Insurance website: http://le.utah.gov/~code/TITLE31A/htm/31A23a040900.htm

4. Lawsuit of the Month (Note: We sent this out on our paper newsletter and received an email that this lawsuit is a hoax according to http://www.snopes.com/. We apologize for that. It’s a pretty good story never the less in spite of its untruthfulness. If you want to see the gross picture, go to: www.snopes.com/photos/gruesome/drillnose.asp)

There’s a current lawsuit in the works by a Minnesota man named Henry Harleny. Mr. Harleny is suing a famous drill company for physical damages caused to him by their tools. Mr. Harleny claims that he wanted to eliminate an itch in his nose, so he placed a power drill bit up his nose that was still attached to the drill and turned it on.
He successfully got rid of the itch, but in the process he drilled off his nose. According to Mr. Harleny, “No where on the package, or the actual tool was there a warning that specifically tells the consumer not to place the drill up their nose, or any other orifice for that matter. These companies need to take responsibility for their products.”
Mr. Harleny is suing for $25 million. Editor’s note: a picture of Mr. Harleny at the hospital accompanied this article. It was too gross to print. We are speechless.

5. Legislative Rumors Our president, Kay Howland, recently attended a meeting where possible legislative bills were discussed. Below are some potential bills that we might see (of which some are good, others are bad): Towing notice requirements – Utah Interactive will keep a data base of private tows to prevent insurance carriers from being charged large storage fees with some notice of where the vehicle is after a tow; Notice to buyers of salvaged vehicles – would allow anyone to bid on salvaged vehicles, which would open up the market for insurance companies; Utah Common Interest Ownership Act – would clarify in a condo policy that the master condo policy is primary and the unit owners policy is secondary. This will prevent gaps when the master policy has a large deductible; Prejudgment Interest – would change the way interest is charged on a medical bill. Rather than go back to the accident date, it would go back to the date of service; Loss of Consortium – would allow the policy limit to be paid twice. Once for the injured and again for the family member; Stacking PIP Benefits – would allow stacking of PIP limits; Survival Statute – would allow survivor to get benefits if the claimant dies of another cause other than the injury in which the claim is paying pain and suffering for; Underinsured Motorist Subrogation – would limit the right of subrogation; Bid Car Legislation – would allow anyone to bid on damaged cars; Premium Tax for license plate scan system – would allow a license plate scan system to reduce crime, to be funded by insurance company premium tax.

6. What Have We Done For You Lately? Probably the greatest accomplishment of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America (IIABA) in 2008 was getting an agent and broker licensing reform bill known as NARAB II introduced and passed by the House. This represents an incredible reform of agency licensing problems, and we made great progress on this in 2008, hopefully laying the foundation for its passage in 2009. The quagmire of agent licensing is a top priority for the Big “I” and this is the most significant progress we’ve seen in decades.
Another major legislative issue in 2008 was the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which was reauthorized for 6 months, although this will need more extensive and long-term reform in 2009.
We also made progress on a host of other issues, including the farm bill for agencies that sell crop insurance to eliminate the premium reduction program; the excess and surplus bill, which passed the House again; and natural disaster legislation, which passed the House and shows that Congress is interested in natural disaster reform.
While we have made inroads on these issues, most legislative matters move at the speed of sludge in Congress, which might be a good thing when all is considered.

7. Northern Utah Earthquake Fault Utah State University geologists say a close look at a deep trench along the East Cache Fault has uncovered good news. There is no evidence of recent earthquakes along that section of the fault. USU geology associate professor Susanne Janecke said that could mean there is a smaller chance of a “large future damaging earthquake” in the southern part of Cache Valley near the community of Avon.
More tests need to be done, but there is not any evidence of tremblers occurring there in the last 10,000 years.

8. 2008 InsurPac Contributors Thanks so much to those listed below who contributed to InsurPac in 2008. Until the rules change in how the game is played in Washington D.C., donations to InsurPac are important.

Centennial Club ($1000)
C. Brett Nilsson
Gold Club ($500)
J. Curtis Breitweiser
Joseph E. Hansen
Pioneer Club ($250)
Howard Green
Kay Howland
Eric Kingdon
Kenneth Miller
Craig Timothy
Marilee Wilson
Craig Wiseman
Robert Wiseman
Founders Club ($150)
Steve Baugh
John Fogg
Tom Stanger
Allen Steadman
James Welch
General Contributor
Shawn Iverson
Matt Libutti
Cheryl Lyman
Steve Mordue
Michael Walker

9. Can You Say “Crop Damage?” We usually don’t hear much about crop damage in Utah, but recently, Utah Governor Jon Huntsman issued an agricultural disaster declaration for six counties that sustained damage from extreme weather or wildfire totaling nearly $29 million. The six counties are Box Elder, Garfield, Kane, Millard, Piute and Sanpete. Most of the farmers and ranchers in these counties sustained crop and forage production losses of at least 30 percent.


10. Happy Holidays! May you and yours enjoy the holiday season from the Board of Directors and Staff of UAIIA.

UAIIA Newsletter

For a flyer on the benefits of membership, please click on the following link: www.uaiia.org/benefits.pdf

Thanks to our 2008 Associate Members: Acuity, Advanced Restoration, AIG, American Mining, Amtrust North America, Austin Mutual Insurance Co., Auto Owners Insurance Co., Bear River Mutual Insurance, BELFOR, Burns & Wilcox LTD, Cananwill Premium Funding, Capital Premium Finance, Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, CIBA Insurance Services, CSE Insurance Company, Colonial General Insurance, Colorado Casualty Ins. Co., Continental Western Group, Cresta Insurance, LLC, Dairyland Insurance Co., EMC Insurance Companies, Encompass/Allstate/Deerbrook, Germantown Mutual, Great American Insurance Co., Kemper, Legacy Insurance Services, MetLife Auto & Home, Mountain States Insurance Group, Multico Rating Systems Inc., Mutual of Enumclaw Ins. Co., National American Insurance Co., Networked Insurance Agents, PLUS Insurance, Premium Financing Specialists, Progressive Insurance, Republic Indemnity Company, Risk Placement Services – Salt Lake, Risk Placement Services – Scottsdale, Sagamore Insurance Co., Sequoia Ins. Co., Service Master by Restoration Xperts, State Auto Insurance, Statewide Insurance Corp., Surplus Line Assoc. of UT, Swett & Crawford, Inc., Telford Financial, Transwestern General Agency, Travelers, UAIC, UCA General Insurance, Unitrin Specialty, Utah Disaster Kleenup, Victoria Insurance, WCF.

1. Brett Nilsson Inaugurated Chairman
2. Flyer with Newsletter
3. Elderly Women Get Life
4. Certificates of Insurance Dilemma
5. Stripper Shoe Lawsuit
6. Agency Records Retention
7. GAP Insurance Product
8. Utah Insurance Code Book


1. Brett Nilsson Inaugurated as Chairman Recently, Utah’s own Brett Nilsson was inaugurated as the chairman of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA), with David Daniel as the new chairman elect, Mike Miley as the new vice chairman, and Tom Minkler as the new executive committee member. The new officers began their terms at the recent Big “I” Leadership Conference in Las Vegas.
I am confident that we have just installed the “best of the best” of our industry to head the Big “I”, says Robert Rusbuldt, Big “I” president and CEO. “With Brett, David, Mike and Tom at the helm of our association, we are well-armed to navigate through uncertain economic times for our industry and the country.”
Brett Nilsson, CIC, is senior vice president for The Buckner Company, based in Ogden, Utah. Nilsson was first elected to the Big “I” Executive Committee in 2003 and was sworn in as vice president September 2006. Nilsson also served on IIABA’s national Communications Committee and its Finance Committee, which he chaired from 1999 to 2003. Prior to being elected to the Executive Committee in 2003, Nilsson served as president of the Utah Association of Independent Insurance Agents from 1992 to 1993 and as the board director from Utah for nine years. He is a past recipient of Utah’s Agent of the Year and Young Agent of the Year awards, and he received a Big “I” Presidential Citation in 2001. In 2003, Nilsson received his state association’s highest individual honor, the Burgener Award, a distinction that has only been awarded five other times in the history of the Utah Association.
Look at the current IA magazine (IIABA’s October 2008 issue) for a complete story of Brett’s new position with the Big “I”.

2. Flyer with Newsletter Watch for MULTICO flyer included with the printed version of this newsletter. Did you know that associate members could have 525 of their 8” X 10” (letter folded) flyers inserted in our printed newsletter mailing for only $100.00?

3. Elderly Women Get Life Remember the two elderly women who befriended two homeless men, took out life insurance policies and then killed them in murders staged to look like hit-and-run automobile accidents? Well, they were each handed down two life terms without the possibility of parole. Both women were convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to murder for financial gain in the 1999 death of Paul Vados, 73 and in the 2005 death of Kenneth McDavid, 50.

4. Certificates of Insurance Dilemma A common practice by insurance carriers is to inform their agents that they should not send the company copies of certificates of insurance when they are issued. This is most likely the result of mail-flow issues with the carrier’s underwriting departments, many of which are now becoming “paperless” … not to mention that the task of naming and filing certificates into a computer system is cumbersome!
That leaves the agent with the responsibility of issuing and filing certificates. However, if a copy is never sent to the carrier, the carrier can hide behind a “shield of ignorance” if a problem arises by stating that they knew nothing about the certificate. In effect, the practice of refusing certificates can place a carrier in a better defense posture when a claim is made based on misrepresentations on a certificate. At the same time, the defense of an agency can be weakened when a carrier claims ignorance.
Certificates of insurance can and will be the basis of claims against agencies. Even though there is language present on a certificate that in effect states the certificate does not constitute a contract between the parties – nor does it amend, extend or alter coverage under the policies listed – claims are made and suits are filed based on representations present on certificates.
It is important to never issue a certificate as a favor to an insured without knowing for certain that the information stated on the certificate is accurate. When a lawsuit ensues as a result of inaccurate information on a certificate, all fingers will be pointed directly at the agency, especially if the carrier knows nothing of the certificate.
Finally, it is advisable to send copies of certificates to the carrier, regardless of whether the carrier wants them. Once receipt of the copies has been confirmed, a carrier cannot claim ignorance – and the agency might have an additional avenue for recovery should a claim arise.

5. Stripper Shoe Lawsuit Imagine someone heading to a strip club, settling in with a drink, watching the routine – and then they wind up with a shoe in their eye? That’s what recently happened to a Florida man.
Apparently one of the strippers got carried away during a pole dance and kicked off her shoe. It hit the club’s mirrored ceiling, and both mirror shards and the shoe rained down on the unfortunate patron. He ended up with facial cuts, a nosebleed and grounds for a day in court. From: msn.com

6. Agency Records Retention Have you wondered how long you should keep records in your agency such as: Corporate/Partnership, Real Estate, Financial, Tax, Correspondence, Personnel, Agency/Company Files, Client Record Files, Licensing/legal, Electronic Data, Y2K Records, and Miscellaneous Records? Then click on www.uaiia.org/_private/agencyrecordsretention.pdf for guidelines. This can also be retrieved from our website at www.uaiia.org. Press the membership button and then scroll down.
Disclaimer: Although thorough analysis has gone into the preparation of this document, the retention periods are not offered as final authority but as a guideline. The material in this document is for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal or other professional advice. Please procure the appropriate legal or other professional advice and services to address your individual needs and circumstances.

7. GAP Insurance Product Our association has been given the opportunity to offer you, our members, GAP Insurance to sell to your clients. How does GAP Insurance work? If your clients new car is stolen or declared totaled, their auto insurance company will pay them the actual cash value (ACV) of the car. This can be a lot different from what they still owe on their loan. Without GAP insurance, their lender will hold them responsible for paying the difference between the ACV and the amount left on the loan. A GAP insurance policy will eliminate your client having to pay the difference and eliminate the problem of you trying to explain to your client why the auto insurance company did not pay the entire amount.
We are told that dealers usually charge $500 to $600 for this coverage. You would charge a onetime fee of $349 for new and used vehicles for the life of their loan and receive a $60 commission.
We haven’t agreed to offer this to members yet. We want to know if you think this is a good idea. If so, drop me a note at: stevebaugh@uaiia.org. Or, if you hate the idea, you can respond that way as well. We probably will not offer this coverage unless we receive several positive responses to go forward with it. Thanks!

8. Utah Insurance Code Book Are you looking for a book that is guaranteed to put you to sleep at night? This book might work, but better yet, it just might keep you out of trouble in the insurance business with all of its statutes and rules. We receive calls all the time from agents looking for a specific statute or rule pertaining to a practice in our industry. H-m-m-m -- the unfair marketing practices rule comes to mind.
Did you know that you could have your own 2008 Utah Insurance Code book, which even contains changes made during this year’s legislature?
In spite of increased costs for printing, the department will continue to offer the book for $37 plus $3 for mailing. This is the same price they charged in 2005.
To purchase a book, go online to the Insurance Department’s website at www.insurance.utah.gov and click on “Purchase a Code Book.” You can also order it by phone by calling (801) 538-3803, or by mail to: Utah Insurance Department, State Office Building, Room 3110, Salt Lake City, UT 84114.
And yes, UAIIA will be ordering one as well to handle all of those unfair marketing practices questions.

Utah's own Brett Nilsson - Front and Center

Making a Living --- and a Difference

New Big “I” Chairman Brett Nilsson can relate to agencies of all sizes.

A small family agency. A medium size agency with a local market focus. A bank-owned agency. The fifth largest insurance broker in the United States. And a large metro agency with a national and international client base.

Big “I” Chairman Brett Nilsson has worked in all of these environments in his independent agency career. And in his new role as chairman, Nilsson thinks his broad perspective will help him relate to almost any agency’s challenges, opportunities and goals.

Read the rest of the article here.

Mid-Year Meeting and Trade-Show a success

Almost 80 people attended the Annual Mid-Year Meeting and Mini Trade Show of the Utah Association of Independent Insurance Agents on October 15 at the Red Lion Hotel in Salt Lake City. E&O training was conducted by Mike Tingey of Insurance Network LC. A total of 6 CE credits were earned by participants - 3 credits can be used for ethics. During lunch, the UAIIA Board discussed some of the benefits of our membership in the Big "I". Many of the sponsors provided door prizes. Lisa Birrell of SentryWest Insurance received the Young Agent door prize - free registration to the 2009 UAIIA Convention at Zermatt Resort in Midway, UT.

Thank you to our sponsors and associate members who sponsored the event:

UTICA
Allied
Applied Systems
BELFOR
Burns & Wilcox
Capital Premium Finance
HCIT
UDK

A big thank you to Cheryl Lyman for her excellent help and assistance to the Young Agents in pulling off another successful mid-year meeting.

Insurance News & Views

Big “I” members not currently receiving Insurance News & Views -- the Association’s weekly member e-mail newsletter -- can sign up now to get the latest national association and industry news delivered to their desktop every Thursday.

You must be an owner or employee of a Big “I” member agency to subscribe.

To subscribe, send an e-mail to INV@iiaba.net with the word “subscribe” in the subject line. In the message include the following information so we can properly identify your record in our database:

- First and Last Name
- E-mail Address
- Agency’s Name
- Agency’s Address (street address, city, state and zip code)
- Agency’s Phone Number

Because this is a Big “I” members-only e-newsletter service, only requests submitted by agency principals and employees of Big “I” member agencies will be added to the Insurance News & Views distribution list.

Mid-Year Meeting and Trade-Show Registration

Hello Young Agents:

Just a reminder of the upcoming Mid-Year Meeting & Mini Trade Show. This event was started by our young agents and continues to be hosted by the Young Agents of the Utah Association of Independent Insurance Agents.

Attached is the flyer for your convenience. You can earn some CE while attending this function – and if you do not need the hours, you will still benefit from the E&O training that will be offered. Please forward this flyer to others in your offices – all are invited to attend (not just young agents).

I look forward to seeing you all there.

Kind regards,

Jon

Mid-Year Meeting / SLAIIA Scholarship Golf Tourny

To: UAIIA Membership

From: Steve Baugh, Executive Director

Need E&O Loss Control Credit or Continuing Education Credits? Then why not sign up for our Mid-Year meeting scheduled for October 15th at the Red Lion Hotel? It's only $20 - $25 for agent members and it includes lunch and some great instruction on how to avoid an error and omission claim. This is our most popular seminar. It also satisfies the C.E. Ethics requirement. You can download a registration form at: www.uaiia.org/_private/midyear.pdf and learn about the loss control credit at: www.uaiia.org/_private/losscontrolcredit.pdf.

While your at it, download a flyer for the Salt Lake City Association of Independent Insurance Agents Golf Tournament on October 7th at Thanksgiving Point. The money goes for a good cause: The IIAU Scholarship Foundation. You can download this flyer at: www.uaiia.org/_private/midyear.pdf.

Thanks!

Steve
Utah Association of Independent Insurance Agents4885 South 900 East, #302Salt Lake City, UT 84062(801)269-1200 Fax: (801)269-1265

Congratulation to the following 2008 Young Agents Committee Award Winners!

Outstanding Young Agents Committee:

The Young Agents Committee of the Independent Insurance Agents of North CarolinaOutstanding Young Agents Committee

Runner-Up:

The Young Agents Council of the Michigan Insurance Agents of Indiana, Inc.

Outstanding Membership Developement:

The Young Agents Committee of the Independent Insurance Agents of Indiana, Inc.

Outstanding State Committee Project:

The Young Agents Council of the Florida Association of Insurance Agents

Outstanding Young Agents Meeting:

The Young Brokers and Agents Committee of the Insurance Brokers & Agents of the West

Outstanding Political Involvement:

The Young Agents Committee of the Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia, Inc.

Outstanding Communciations:

The Young Agents Committee of the Independent Insurance Agents of Indiana, Inc.

UAIIA Newsletter

Below is an electronic copy of our state association newsletter. It is being sent via blind copy for your privacy.

For a flyer on the benefits of membership, please click on the following link: www.uaiia.org/benefits.pdf

Thanks to our 2008 Associate Members: Acuity, Advanced Restoration, AIG, American Mining, Amtrust North America, Austin Mutual Insurance Co., Auto Owners Insurance Co., Bear River Mutual Insurance, BELFOR, Burns & Wilcox LTD, Cananwill Premium Funding, Capital Premium Finance, Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, CIBA Insurance Services, CSE Insurance Company, Colonial General Insurance, Colorado Casualty Ins. Co., Continental Western Group, Cresta Insurance, LLC, Dairyland Insurance Co., EMC Insurance Companies, Encompass/Allstate/Deerbrook, Germantown Mutual, Great American Insurance Co., Kemper, Legacy Insurance Services, MetLife Auto & Home, Mountain States Insurance Group, Multico Rating Systems Inc., Mutual of Enumclaw Ins. Co., National American Insurance Co., Networked Insurance Agents, PLUS Insurance, Premium Financing Specialists, Progressive Insurance, Republic Indemnity Company, Risk Placement Services – Salt Lake, Risk Placement Services – Scottsdale, Sagamore Insurance Co., Sequoia Ins. Co., Service Master by Restoration Xperts, State Auto Insurance, Statewide Insurance Corp., Surplus Line Assoc. of UT, Swett & Crawford, Inc., Transwestern General Agency, Travelers, UAIC, UCA General Insurance, Unitrin Specialty, Utah Disaster Kleenup, Victoria Insurance, WCF.

1. Utah State Government News
2. UAIIA Mid-Year Meeting Coming Soon
3. Eagle Agency Adds MetLife Auto & Home
4. Golf Ball Lawsuit
5. How To Print Your Insurance License
6. A Bank for Insurance Agents
7. Golf Tournaments Galore!
8. Enhance Agency Profitability
9. Wheelchair DUI’s
10. Insurance Department Hours
11. Are You Using Virtual University?

1. Utah State Government News Looking for the latest news about our Utah State government? Check it out on our website homepage at: www.uaiia.org. There are many links to various government departments and a running log of the latest Utah government news items with links to view the entire article. Be sure to check it out. We think you’ll like it.

2. UAIIA Mid-Year Meeting Coming Soon Remember the meeting we hold each year that hardly costs anything and includes 6 hours of C.E. credit (3 which can be used for ethics), errors and omissions loss control credit, lunch and a mini-trade show? It’s coming around again on October 15th at the Red Lion in Salt Lake City. This year would be a great year to attend if you are looking to update your E&O loss control credit because next year the required number of people from your agency will double if you are a Westport policyholder. To see loss control credit requirements go to: www.uaiia.org/_private/losscontrolcredit.pdf
This class has proven to be an eye opener for anyone working in an insurance agency when it comes to the best practices involved in avoiding an E&O claim. You can download a flyer by going to: www.uaiia.org/_private/midyear.pdf

3. Eagle Agency Adds MetLife Auto & Home Have you heard the latest on the Eagle Agency? This is the program started by the Big “I” to assist newer or small agencies in getting their feet on the ground. They have recently added MetLife Auto & Home to the program that already had Travelers personal lines products.
To be considered for Eagle Agency, an agent must have three years of experience as a licensed producer or have extensive industry experience (i.e. former underwriter, CPCU etc). If the agent is brand new to the business, consideration will be given to agents who can quantify that they have licensed support staff with at least three years of agency experience. For further information, go to www.bigimarkets.com or call Cheryl or Steve at the association at 801-269-1200.

4. Golf Ball Lawsuit A New Jersey man was recently awarded $725,000 in damages after a lawnmower launched a golf ball that hit his windshield. The windshield broke and the man suffered cornea damage when shattered glass entered his eye.
In his lawsuit, Thomas Guhl alleged the golf ball had landed on a home’s lawn from nearby Eagle Oaks Golf and Country Club and was launched by a mower. The golf club failed to place netting along the avenue to prevent balls from leaving the course and that Canfield Lawn and landscaping should have checked the lawn before mowing.

5. How To Print Your Insurance License Effective October 1, 2008, the Utah Insurance Department will no longer mail hard copies of new, renewal, or duplicate licenses. You can print as many copies of your license as you want within 30 days of the issuance of your new or renewal license at no cost to you by going to www.sircon.com/utah and click on the link entitled “Print Your License.”
After 30 days Sircon will charge a fee of $5.50 for each copy of your license. To obtain a copy of your license after 30 days, go to www.sircon.com/utah and click on the link entitled “Print Your License.”
To see if a new or renewal license has been approved and issued, you can do one of the following: go to www.sircon.com/utah and click on “Check license application status” or “Check license renewal status”; or go to the department’s website at www.insurance.utah.gov and click on the link that says “Search for Company & Agent.” Once you see your license has been issued, go to www.sircon.com/utah, click on the link entitled “Print Your License” and print it.
New and renewal licenses will continue to be mailed until October 1, 2008.

6. A Bank for Insurance Agents InsurBanc is our bank. It is a bank that understands our business and offers a full range of banking products to help your agency grow. In fact, InsurBanc specializes in agency financing, including perpetuation/acquisition loans and cash management services to meet your unique business needs. Our state association has several accounts with InsurBanc. We have been pleased with their service.
If you would like further information on what InsurBanc can do for you, go to our website at www.uaiia.org and scroll down to the bottom of our home page. Then click on the InsurBanc logo.

7. Golf Tournaments Galore! For all of you on our mailing list who like to golf (and we know there’s a lot of you), below are the dates of four tournaments to be held in the next month or so: Sept 11th – Insurance Professionals of SLC; Sept 16th – Surplus Lines; Oct 3rd – BAIFA-IIAA; Oct 7th (tentative) – SLC Association of IIA.
Download a BAIFA-IIAA tournament flyer from the following link: www.uaiia.org/_private/ogdengolf.pdf

8. Enhance Agency Profitability The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America’s latest agency improvement tool helps agencies move to advanced workflows and eliminate paper in order to free up staff time for sales and pro-active customer service. The new “Best Practices Guide to Agency Business Processes and Information Management” replaces two earlier guides and incorporates the latest in agency workflows, such as Real-Time.
The 155-page resource is available at www.independentagent.com/act and is designed to be used electronically because it contains numerous links for easy navigation. The guide enables agencies to conduct a self-assessment in technology, management support, workflows, agency/carrier interfaces, Real-Time utilization and client focus, and then provides step-by step guidance on how to move to the next level of agency workflow. It also provides steps to implement a comprehensive information storage plan for all forms of media and documentation, including paper, scanned documents, e-mails, voice mails, notes, faxes and pictures.

9. Wheelchair DUI’s Here’s a new twist on driving under the influence. A wheelchair-bound German stunned police when they pulled him over for using the road and allegedly found he was 10 times over the legal alcohol limit for drivers.
“He was right in the middle of the road,” said a spokesman for police in the northeastern city of Schwerin. “The officers couldn’t quite believe it when they saw the results of the breath test. That’s a life-threatening figure.”
More recently, a man found asleep in a motorized wheelchair on a highway in northern Australia was charged with drunk driving. Officers in a patrol car noticed the man slumped in the stationary chair about 10 a.m. Friday on an exit lane near the tourist city of Cairns, regional traffic inspector Bob Waters said. Cars were swerving to get around him, Waters said.
The officers breath-tested the 64-year-old man, who registered a blood alcohol reading of .301—more that six times the legal driving limit. He was charged with operating a vehicle while drunk.

10. Insurance Department Hours Utah’s Department of Insurance has new office hours designed to better serve customers. New extended hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. The office is closed on Fridays, but for emergency assistance on that day, the Working 4 Utah hotline at 801-538-1808 is available. For more information, visit www.insurance.utah.gov

11. Are You Using Virtual University? As agency members of the Big "I", you have free access to Virtual University (www.independentagent.com/vu). Our associate member partners can get access for a fee. The Big "I" Virtual University is the leading technical insurance and agency management information source in the industry--developed for agents, by agents.
As the business climate changes, the resources on the Virtual University expand. The Big “I” Virtual University regularly produces white papers, articles and continuing education courses on many of the critical issues affecting today’s insurance marketplace. These resources provide opinions and commentary to help today’s busy agency professional be informed and knowledgeable about the trends and topics affecting their future.
The Virtual University is a great member benefit. Look for the VU flyer included with the paper version of this newsletter for further information.

YA Update

Hello fellow Young Agents,

It was great to see many of you at the UAIIA convention at Zermatt in June. The Young Agents suite was a blast and we caused some of our usual commotion – thanks to some of you. At our Young Agents meeting many of you shared some great ideas about how to further our objectives as a group. One of our objectives is to keep the group informed either through regular email correspondence or through some kind of a newsletter. Hence – I am here bringing you up to date on a few items.

Here are some upcoming events you should be aware of:

Big “I” Fall leadership Conference in Las Vegas – Sept 10-14. We would like to see as many agents as possible from Utah in attendance. Brett Nilsson will be installed as the Big I National Chairman. This is a big deal for our state and we are thrilled to see Brett taking on this role.
UAIIA Mid-year meeting will be Wednesday, October 15, 2008. This event is the responsibility of the Young Agents to complete. The past few years have been a big success in offering an E&O class for CE and raising funds for the Young Agents. If you are interested in helping, please let me know.

On a sidenote, if you know of any other Young Agents in your office (or the competitor’s office) that would like to be involved with our group or receive information, please send me a note with their name and email address. This information will be most helpful in keeping the Young Agents informed.

Kind regards,

Jon

(Young Agent Chair)

UAIIA Newsletter

Below is an electronic copy of our state association newsletter. It is being sent via blind copy for your privacy.

For a flyer on the benefits of membership, please click on the following link: www.uaiia.org/benefits.pdf

Thanks to our 2008 Associate Members: Acuity, Advanced Restoration, AIG, American Mining, Amtrust North America, Austin Mutual Insurance Co., Auto Owners Insurance Co., Bear River Mutual Insurance, BELFOR, Burns & Wilcox LTD, Cananwill Premium Funding, Capital Premium Finance, Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, CIBA Insurance Services, CSE Insurance Company, Colonial General Insurance, Colorado Casualty Ins. Co., Continental Western Group, Cresta Insurance, LLC, Dairyland Insurance Co., EMC Insurance Companies, Encompass/Allstate/Deerbrook, Germantown Mutual, Great American Insurance Co., Kemper, Legacy Insurance Services, MetLife Auto & Home, Mountain States Insurance Group, Multico Rating Systems Inc., Mutual of Enumclaw Ins. Co., National American Insurance Co., Networked Insurance Agents, PLUS Insurance, Premium Financing Specialists, Progressive Insurance, Republic Indemnity Company, Risk Placement Services – Salt Lake, Risk Placement Services – Scottsdale, Sagamore Insurance Co., Sequoia Ins. Co., Service Master by Restoration Xperts, State Auto Insurance, Statewide Insurance Corp., Surplus Line Assoc. of UT, Swett & Crawford, Inc., Transwestern General Agency, Travelers, UAIC, UCA General Insurance, Unitrin Specialty, Utah Disaster Kleenup, Victoria Insurance, WCF.

1. Kay Howland Installed as President
2. Birth Month For Agent License Renewals
3. Fire-Safe Cigarettes?
4. Brett Nilsson’s Reception
5. Minimum Auto Liability Limits
6. Contingent Commissions
7. Nude Maid Strips More Than clothes
8. Bad Dogs in Provo
9. Flyers With Newsletter
10. Gas Prices and Insurance
11. New Uninsured Vehicle Law
12. Utahn’s Serve on National Committees



1. Kay Howland Installed as President Kay Howland was recently sworn in as President of our state association at the annual convention held at the Zermatt Resort in Midway, Utah. Kay has been in the insurance industry over 23 years and is an agent at Beehive Insurance Agency. He attended the University of Utah and later earned his CIC designation in 1999. He is currently working on his Certified Risk Manager designation.
He is a Past President of the Salt Lake City Association of Independent Insurance Agents and has served as InsurPac Chairman for UAIIA. He and his wife, Rebecca, have six children and reside in the Salt Lake Valley.
Also sworn in was Eric Kingdon of Trustco, Inc., as President-Elect and Greg Vause of Blackburn-Jones Company as Treasurer.
Craig Timothy of Service Insurance of Roosevelt received the Agent of the Year Award, Holli Cody of Kemper was given the Company Person of the Year Award and Ryan Stringham of The Buckner Company received the Young Agent of the Year Award.

2. Birth-Month For Agent License Renewals New licenses issued on or after 8/11/2008, and licenses scheduled to renew on or after 10/31/2008 will convert to birth-month based renewal/expiration dates every two (2) years for individual licensees. Starting with the October 2008 renewals, the next renewal date may be anywhere from 24 to 35 months from the date of the licensee’s previously scheduled renewal date and will fall on the last day of his or her birth month. Once converted, renewals will then continue to be every two years at the end of the licensee’s birth month. The renewal fee amount will not change with this transition.

3. Fire-Safe Cigarettes? Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle has signed into law a bill that requires only fire-safe cigarettes be sold in Hawaii as of October 1, 2009. State officials say reduced ignition cigarettes burn at a lower temperature, thereby reducing possible fire hazards caused by smoldering cigarettes.
The Hawaii Fire Council reports there were 438 fires caused by cigarettes in Hawaii between 2001 and 2006, causing $1.5 million in property damage and 10 injuries.
Governor Lingle says low ignition cigarettes aren’t guaranteed to be self-extinguishing, so smokers must take responsibility to extinguish cigarettes properly and to ensure lit cigarettes are not left unattended. (From Associated Press)

4. Brett Nilsson’s Reception Utah’s own Brett Nilsson will be inaugurated as Chairman of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA) this coming September 13th at a luncheon in Las Vegas’ Caesar’s Palace. This is the highest elected position in the Big “I” national association. Brett is the 3rd person from Utah to be sworn into this office. Fred A. Moreton Served in 1944 and Richard G. Taylor held the position in 1986.
We would encourage anyone from our association to attend this luncheon to show our support for Brett. The luncheon is free, but attendees must register to attend at: http://www.independentagent.com/. Also, plan to attend UAIIA’s dessert reception for Brett, which will immediately follow the inauguration luncheon.

5. Minimum Auto Liability Limits Effective January 1, 2009, minimum automobile liability limits will change from $25,000/$50,000 BI to $25,000/$65,000 BI. The combined single limit for BI and PD will change from $65,000 to $80,000. The bill was sponsored by Senator Sheldon Killpack and was opposed by a majority of insurance companies.

6. Contingent Commissions At the same time that the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents is hailing a ruling by the 1st Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court that contingent commission agreements are not illegal, Don Bailey, CEO of Willis North America, called for an end to contingent compensation agreements in the insurance industry. “We did away with contingent payments because we believe that brokers should be paid for the quality of service they provide to clients, not for the volume of business guided to a carrier and not for the profitability of a client to a carrier,” said Mr. Bailey.
In it’s ruling, the court said, “Contingent commission agreements between brokers and insurers are not illegal, and, in the absence of a special relationship between the parties, defendant(s) had no duty to disclose the existence of the contingent commission agreement.”
“This is a resounding victory for Main Street insurance agents across the nation and the American Free Enterprise System,” said PIA National President-elect Kenneth R. Auerbach, Esq.

7. Nude Maid Strips More Than Clothes A 50-year-old Florida man hired a nude maid from the Internet to clean his suburban Tampa home. Authorities say the woman arrived at the home, took off her clothes and cleaned the house for $100-per-hour. She also cleaned out $40,000 worth of his wife’s jewelry. His wife was on vacation at the time and discovered her jewelry was missing when she returned. (H-m-m-m, there must be a moral to this story.) From: St. Petersburg Times

8. Bad Dogs in Provo City officials in Provo may put bad dogs and their owners on a shorter leash. The Municipal Council is considering an ordinance that would classify some dogs as “at risk” or “dangerous” and require their owners to take certain steps to protect the public.
Owners could be required to carry at least $100,000 in liability insurance in case someone is attacked. They could also be required to muzzle the animals in public and provide photos for police files. (What great mug shots that would make!)
The Provo Police Department says animals have bitten 24 people this year.
The council is expected to discuss the proposal further this month. (From Associated Press)

9. Flyers With Newsletter Watch for the flyers from Cresta and National American Insurance Company included with the printed version of our newsletter. We thank them for advertising with us.

10. Gas Prices and Insurance Since the price of gasoline has topped four dollars a gallon nationwide, consumers who are driving less could save an average of 5 to 15 percent on their automobile insurance rates according to the Consumer Federation of America (CFA). Drivers reacting to high gas prices by using mass transportation, carpooling, taking fewer trips to the store or curtailing their vacations could see savings on their automobile insurance says CFA.
“Auto insurance rates are partially based on how much you drive and how you use your car,” said J. Robert Hunter, director of insurance for CFA and former Texas Insurance Commissioner and Federal Insurance Administrator in a consumer press release. “If you drive less to save money on gas, these driving changes might mean that you qualify for immediate insurance rate relief.”

11. New Uninsured Vehicle Law There is a new Utah law, which allows police to impound any vehicle that is on the road and not insured. Prior to the new law, officers could only issue a citation for driving without insurance. Effective on May 5th, officers can now write the ticket and take the car too.
One of the first cars taken off the road belonged to a man who was convicted twice of driving under the influence and could not get insurance.

12. Utahn’s Serve on National Committees J. Curtis Breitweiser was recently appointed to serve on IIABA’s Finance Committee and also as a member of the Dues Verification and IIABA Internal Audit Subcommittee.
Steve Mordue serves on the National PIA’s Regulatory Affairs Committee and on their National Catastrophe Task Force.
For being a small state, we are well represented in our national associations.

Passing of Gary Bergener

To: UAIIA Membership

From: Steve Baugh, Executive Director

It is with sadness that I inform you of the passing of Gary Burgener of Transwestern General Agency yesterday . Our sympathies go out to his family and our great friends at TGA. He was a strong leader and had a lot of influence over the years in the Utah and regional insurance industry. He will be missed.

At this time, I have no information on his funeral arrangements. Since I will be out of town the remainder of the week, I thought I better make you aware of his passing so you can either look for a notice in the newspaper or call the front desk of TGA at 801-363-8804 for details.

Steve
Utah Association of Independent Insurance Agents4885 South 900 East, #302Salt Lake City, UT 84062(801)269-1200 Fax: (801)269-1265

UAIIA Newsletter

Below is an electronic copy of our state association newsletter. It is being sent via blind copy for your privacy.

For a flyer on the benefits of membership, please click on the following link: www.uaiia.org/benefits.pdf

Thanks to our 2008 Associate Members: Acuity, Advanced Restoration, AIG, American Mining, Amtrust North America, Austin Mutual Insurance Co., Auto Owners Insurance Co., Bear River Mutual Insurance, Burns & Wilcox LTD, Cananwill Premium Funding, Capital Premium Finance, Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, CIBA Insurance Services, CSE Insurance Company, Colonial General Insurance, Colorado Casualty Ins. Co., Continental Western Group, Cresta Insurance, LLC, Dairyland Insurance Co., EMC Insurance Companies, Encompass/Allstate/Deerbrook, Germantown Mutual, Great American Insurance Co., Kemper, Legacy Insurance Services, MetLife Auto & Home, Mountain States Insurance Group, Multico Rating Systems Inc., Mutual of Enumclaw Ins. Co., National American Insurance Co., Networked Insurance Agents, PLUS Insurance, Premium Financing Specialists, Progressive Insurance, Republic Indemnity Company, Risk Placement Services – Salt Lake, Risk Placement Services – Scottsdale, Sagamore Insurance Co., Sequoia Ins. Co., Service Master by Restoration Xperts, State Auto Insurance, Statewide Insurance Corp., Surplus Line Assoc. of UT, Swett & Crawford, Inc., Transwestern General Agency, Travelers, UAIC, UCA General Insurance, Unitrin Specialty, Utah Disaster Kleenup, Victoria Insurance, WCF.

1. No Such Thing as a Free Lunch?
2. Who is Worth What?
3. Woman Steps into a $3.8 Million Pothole
4. Insurance Licensing News
5. Utah Receives High Ranking
6. Nevada Countersignature Law
7. Oreo Cookie Speeding Ticket
8. DOI Investigator Murdered
9. A New Company in Town
10. Earthquakes and Utah
11. Flyers with Printed Mailing
12. 100 Captives in Utah

1. No Such Thing as a Free Lunch? Think again. On Free Day Friday, June 6th at the Zermatt Resort in Midway, there will be a free lunch, free continuing education and a free trade fair. What’s the catch? Prying yourself away from the office. That’s all there is to it and it’s a healthy thing to do because there will be free massages, facials and mini-manicures inside the trade fair. In addition to all of the free stuff mentioned, there is more free stuff such as exhibitor prizes and an IPOD give-a-way. People from Midway and other parts of the world call that a “no brainer”. We agree and we hope to see you there. For a complete schedule of our convention, go to: www.uaiia.org/_private/zermattconvention.htm.

2. Who’s Worth What? Have you been wondering who is worth what in an independent insurance agency? The Insurance Journal recently completed their annual online survey on agency compensation trends. This survey provides valuable information on the topic. Nearly 1,750 independent agencies from across the nations responded to the survey.
To purchase the results for $99.00 visit: http://www.insurancejournal.com/salary/pages/order.

3. Woman Steps into a $3.8 Million Pothole An 83-year-old woman who hurt herself stepping into a pothole has won $3.8 million in damages from New York City. A Bronx jury awarded Janie Utsey the money for the injury she suffered five years ago when she stepped off a bus and tripped. She ended up breaking a thighbone, which doctors mended with a rod and screws.
The jury found the city had failed to properly seal the pavement. Utsey says she deserves the money because she’s suffered two hip replacements and walks with a cane because of the pain and weakness in her leg. She can’t travel on her own and needs a home health care aide to help her with chores.

4. Insurance Licensing News Did you know that once an insurance license application has been approved and the insurance department has issued the license, licensees can go to www.sircon.com/utah to print their own license. They can print as many copies of the license as they wish at no cost for the first 30 days. After 30 days Sircon will charge fees totaling $5.50 per print.
The insurance department will now be doing the full national FBI background check on all initial resident individual license applicants rather than the limited seven western state background check as in the past. Fingerprinting must be done at a Prometric testing center and the applicant will be required to pay a $34.25 FBI/BCI fingerprint submission fee.

5. Utah Receives High Ranking Consumers in Utah enjoy more attractive homeowners insurance at better prices than citizens in most other states, according to a new report card jointly released by The Heartland Institute and Competitive Enterprise Institute. “Although insurers operating in the state have seen a degree of uncertainty in the automobile market lately, the Utah insurance environment does a good job serving consumers and insurers alike,” said Eli Lehrer, the report’s author.
Like homeowners in Idaho, Illinois, Vermont, and Wisconsin, those in Utah enjoy lower premiums for broader and more predictable coverage, earning “A” grades on the Heartland/CEI report card. Consumers in California, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, and North Carolina—whose states earned “F” grades—pay more for homeowner’s coverage that is inferior to states with positive insurance climates.
“On balance,” writes Eli Lehrer, “states with less regulated insurance markets provide more consumer choice, more predictable rates, and insurance premiums that better reflect actual risk than do states with heavily regulated markets.” The Property & Casualty Insurance Report is available for $10 by calling The Heartland Institute at 312-377-4000.


6. Nevada Countersignature Law You’ve probably heard that the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Nevada’s countersignature statute violates two clauses of the United States Constitution. The unanimous decision striking down the statute affirms an earlier U.S. District Court ruling in a lawsuit brought against Insurance Commissioner Alice Molasky-Arman.
The Nevada Insurance Department still may seek to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Nevada is one of just two U.S. jurisdictions where countersignature requirements remain in effect, along with the Virgin Islands, which currently is appealing a U.S. District Court ruling striking down its law. Until the time that the Nevada and Virgin Islands rulings are final, agents and brokers need to abide by the countersignature laws.

7. Oreo Cookie Speeding Ticket Police say a New York man’s excuse for speeding through a small Connecticut town takes the cake – or at least the cookie.
A state trooper who stopped the 1993 BMW last fall says its driver, 28-year-old Justin Vonkummer of Millerton, New York, blamed his driving problems on an errant Oreo. He told the trooper that an Oreo had just slipped from his fingers as he dunked it in a cup of milk, and that he was trying to fish it out when he lost control of the car.
Vonkummer was charged with speeding and driving under a suspended license. From the Insurance Journal.

8. DOI Investigator Murdered On May 19th, North Carolina police arrested Michael Arthur Howell, an insurance agent, charging him with first-degree murder of Sallie Rohrbach, an investigator for North Carolina’s Department of Insurance. Howell owns and operates Dillworth Insurance Agency where Ms. Rohrbach was investigating a complaint. She was assigned to look through files, review Howell’s books and interview him. Police did not say how they linked Howell to Rohrbach or whether a body had been found.

9. A New Company In Town There is a new property and casualty company in town called Acuity. They are headquartered in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and they operate in eighteen states. They recently hired Sonja DeVore as their Territory Director for Utah. Sonja was formerly with Allied, where she had been Sales Manager for Utah. Sonja worked for Nationwide Insurance for 28 years in various capacities.
You’ll be able to meet Sonja at the Acuity booth during UAIIA’s Annual Trade Fair on June 6th. Don’t miss out!

10. Earthquakes and Utah We’ve been told that a big earthquake is due to hit us within the next 50 years. This and the magnitude 6.0 earthquake that struck Wells, NV in February has prompted renewed calls for our state to examine seismic safety in the state’s schools and public buildings.
We’ve also heard that more homeowners are purchasing earthquake coverage on their dwellings since the Wells, Nevada earthquake. Are you taking advantage of our Homeowner Catastrophe Insurance Trust program that will cover earthquake and flood damage? It’s a good way to increase your agency revenue. Please give us a call if you would like further information.
11. Flyers with Printed Mailing Look for the Transwestern General Agency and CIC flyers included with the printed version of this newsletter and thank you for being a member of our association.

12. 100 Captives in Utah Utah Governor Jon M. Huntsman Jr. has welcomed the state’s 100th captive insurance company, AFS Security Insurance Co.
In 2004, Utah had two captive companies, followed by 14 in 2005, 30 in 2006, and 92 in 2007. Commissioner of Insurance, D. Kent Michie, noted that, “Comparing the growth of the five states who rank ahead of Utah in number of captives, Utah’s growth last year was nearly as many as the other five states put together.
Based on year 2007 financial statements, the Captive Insurance Division reports captive assets of $676 million and capital surplus of $86 million, with net written premiums for 92 captives totaling $244 million.

UAIIA Newsletter

Below is an electronic copy of our state association newsletter. It is being sent via blind copy for your privacy.

For a flyer on the benefits of membership, please click on the following link: www.uaiia.org/benefits.pdf

Thanks to our 2008 Associate Members: Acuity, Advanced Restoration, AIG, American Mining, Amtrust North America, Austin Mutual Insurance Co., Auto Owners Insurance Co., Bear River Mutual Insurance, Burns & Wilcox LTD, Capital Premium Finance, Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, CSE Insurance Company, Colonial General Insurance, Colorado Casualty Ins. Co., Continental Western Group, Cresta Insurance, LLC, Dairyland Insurance Co., EMC Insurance Companies, Encompass/Allstate/Deerbrook, Germantown Mutual, Great American Insurance Co., Kemper, Legacy Insurance Services, MetLife Auto & Home, Mountain States Insurance Group, Multico Rating Systems Inc., Mutual of Enumclaw Ins. Co., National American Insurance Co., Networked Insurance Agents, PLUS Insurance, Premium Financing Specialists, Progressive Insurance, Republic Indemnity Company, Risk Placement Services – Salt Lake, Risk Placement Services – Scottsdale, Service Master by Restoration Xperts, Sequoia Ins. Co., State Auto Insurance, Statewide Insurance Corp., Surplus Line Assoc. of UT, Swett & Crawford, Inc., Transwestern General Agency, Travelers, UAIG, UCA General Insurance, Unitrin Specialty, Utah Disaster Kleenup, Victoria Insurance, WCF.

1. Don’t Miss The Entertainer
2. Agent and Company Person of the Year
3. New Designation for CSRs
4. Utah Legislature Changes Auto Liability Limits
5. Homeowner Bomb Insurance
6. There’s Always Room For Jell-O
7. Flooding In Utah
8. Loss Control Corner
9. New Revenue Stream For Agents
10. Pet Health Insurance
11. Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS)
12. Help our Insurance Legislators

1. Don’t Miss The Entertainer Jason Hewlett is a great entertainer who impersonates many popular singers. His performance is one you won’t want to miss. He has played all over the country and we feel fortunate to have him at our convention. He will be performing on Thursday evening, June 5th at UAIIA’s annual convention following a buffet dinner and a full day’s golf. This year’s convention promises to be a great one. For complete details and downloadable registration forms, please go to: www.uaiia.org/_private/zermattconvention.htm

2. Agent and Company Person of the Year Included with the printed newsletter is a nomination form for agent, young agent and company person of the year. These prestigious awards will be presented at our annual convention during the banquet on June 6th at the Zermatt Resort.
Why don’t you take a minute to nominate someone for an award today? To download an electronic copy of the nomination form, please go to: www.uaiia.org/_private/2008nominationform.pdf

3. New Designation for CSRs We now have a new designation for customer service representatives (CSRs). The Accredited Customer Service Representative (ACSR) designation is available using online classes through the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America’s (IIABA’s) Virtual University website. You can earn your designation from anywhere. To check out this new education opportunity, please go to: www.independentagent.com and click onto Virtual University Online Education.

4. Utah Legislature Changes Auto Liability Limits The 2008 legislative session ended with a nail biter finish for some insurance insiders. SB 149, a bill that would have raised liability rates across the board, ended up being passed on the final evening of the legislature with a compromise amendment added by the sponsor on the House Floor. The new limits will be $25,000/$65,000/$15,000 instead of the old limits of $25,000/$50,000/$15,000. The new combined limit of liability will be $80,000 instead of the old limit of $65,000. Industry lobbyists put up a good fight and nearly killed the bill. The argument was successfully made that “since most cars have single drivers, it shouldn’t put a financial burden on Utah consumers, but provide more access to coverage.” Since an accident would need to involve more than two drivers and many people choose to buy higher limits, the bill shouldn’t have a significant impact on Utah auto rates. This will be effective January 1, 2009.

5. Homeowner Bomb Insurance It seems that insurance companies aren’t too excited about insuring homes that were built over unexploded bombs. That’s why hundreds of people who unwittingly bought homes in Orlando, Florida near a World War II era bombing range, are suing after learning they could lose their insurance. Attorneys for the residents said that homebuilders committed fraud by concealing that the homes were built on the bombing range. Since July, live bombs and bomb debris have been found at a nearby school, under the yards of some homes and on land behind the school.
Citizens Property Insurance Corp., created by the legislature as the insurer of last resort, said it would not consider writing a policy if there were unexploded bombs.
Real estate broker John Jennings said it’s almost impossible to sell houses near the former bombing range. “There’s not a lot of ways to sugarcoat a bombing range or contaminated area,” he said.
Christina Quintana, division president for Mercedes Homes, which built 218 homes in the area, said the company was not told about the potential bombs. “How could we have told our customers when nobody told us? She asked. “We’re victims in this too.”

6. There’s Always Room For Jell-O There’s always room for Jell-O except for when Jell-O wrestling. A Manhattan judge has thrown out a $1 million suit against New York University by a former student who claimed he broke his hip at a Jell-O wrestling dorm party.
Avram Wisnia was a NYU junior in 2004 when he and his dorm mates organized a party called “Beach Bash.” While horsing around a kiddie pool filled with gelatin, Wisnia was pushed and shattered his hip, his lawsuit said.
Wisnia’s 2005 lawsuit blamed NYU for allowing the event and for having the school’s food service provide the gelatin. But Manhattan Justice Carol Robinson Edmead ruled that Wisnia knew what he was doing. NYU spokesman John Beckman said, “This case broke the mold but in the end justice was served sweetly.”

7. Flooding in Utah With all of the snow we’ve received in Utah this year, are your clients protected against floods? If not, protect them now with two excellent flood products accessible to UAIIA members. For IIABA national members there is the Big “I” Flood program through Selective Insurance company. Go to www.independentagent.com for details. For PIA national members, there is the PIA Flood program through The Hartford. Check it out at www.pianet.com. Talk to your clients and save them a headache. It might save you an E&O claim as well.

8. Loss Control Corner The Value of Signed Applications: While it may be quicker and easier to submit an application to a carrier without the client’s signature, don’t be surprised if your client’s story changes after a loss. When money is at stake, friendships and loyalties can go out the window. Always obtain the client’s personal signature on an application. This will protect you and the agency from claims by carriers or clients when the nature of a risk is in question.
For a review and proposal on your E&O coverage, please contact Steve Woods at UAIIA, (801) 269-1200.

9. New Revenue Stream for Agents Independent insurance agencies now can offer their clients access to four banking products through a product referral program that can help maximize agency revenues and leverage client relationships, announced InsurBanc, the bank founded by agents for agents.
The new product referral program offers products suited for both business and personal needs: a business Visa card, an equipment lease-financing program, a personal Visa card, and student loans.
The InsurBanc program is open to all independent insurance agencies that qualify for the program. Once qualified, agents can market the products via turnkey marketing programs provided by InsurBanc. Agents can promote the products best suited to their client base. Agencies do not process applications, but simply refer the client to InsurBanc to handle all processing, applications, and fulfillment. Qualified agencies earn a fee for each referral that results in a sale.
For more information on the InsurBanc Product Referral Program, contact Susan Smith, VP Product Manager, at 1(866) 467-2262, productreferral@insurbanc.com or log onto www.insurbanc.com. Member FDIC

10. Pet Health Insurance EnsurApet, Inc., a leading provider of pet health insurance, is poised to become a leader in the largely untapped, yet rapidly growing US market for pet health insurance, through a network of veterinary hospitals and other pet related programs. EnsurApet is among the few companies in an industry where the total market revenue growth, for insurance premiums, in five years rose 159%.
Market revenues for pet health insurance sales in the United States are among the fastest growing of any in the insurance industry.

11. Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS) The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, Inc. is hosting an essential seminar on Friday, April 4, 2008 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. during their annual Big “I” Legislative Conference & Convention. This seminar, The Contractual Risk Transfer in Construction Course (CRTC Course) is a fundamental section of a CE course curriculum to gain the CRIS designation.
The cost of registration for the course is $295.00 or an additional $50.00 to the Big “I” Legislative Conference & Convention full attendee fee. Visit www.independentagent.com for up-to-the minute details and registration.

12. Help Our Insurance Legislators It’s election year and we have three very effective insurance legislators: Curt Oda, Todd Kiser and Jim Dunnigan. Representatives Kiser and Dunnigan do not have Republican opponents this year, but Curt Oda does. If you live in Clearfield’s District 14, Representative Oda would appreciate any help in the way of delegates. On March 25th at 7:00 p.m. at North Davis Junior High School there will be a caucus meeting. You could become a county delegate or support anyone who is running as a Curt Oda delegate.
Representative Kiser is in District 41 and Representative Dunnigan is in District 39. All three representatives would also appreciate receiving donations to their reelection campaign.