Below is an electronic copy of our state association newsletter.
For a flyer on the benefits of membership, please click on the following link: www.uaiia.org/benefits.pdf
Thanks to our 2009 Associate Members: Acuity, Advanced Restoration, LLC, Allied Insurance, American Mining Insurance Co., Austin Mutual Insurance Co., Auto-Owners Insurance Co., Bear River Mutual Insurance Co., BELFOR Property Restoration, Burns & Wilcox, LTD, Capital Premium Financing, Inc., Chubb, CNA Insurance, CSE (Civil Service Employees) Insurance Co., Colonial General Insurance Co., Colorado Casualty, Continental Western Group, Cresta Insurance, LLC, Dairyland Auto, EMC Insurance Companies, Encompass/Allstate, Employers, Germantown Mutual Insurance Co., HCC Surety Group, Kemper, Legacy Insurance Services, Inc., Magna Carta Companies, MetLife Auto & Home, Mountain States Insurance Group, MULTICO Rating Systems, Inc., Mutual of Enumclaw, National American Insurance Company, Networked Insurance Agents, Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Co., Philadelphia Insurance, Premium Financing Specialists, Professional Lines Underwriting Specialists, Inc., Progressive Insurance, Risk Placement Services, Safeco Insurance Co., Sagamore Insurance Company, Santa Fe Auto Insurance Co., Servpro of Holladay/Cottonwood, Servpro of St. George, Service Master by Restoration Xperts, State Auto Insurance, Statewide Insurance Corp., Surplus Lines Association of Utah, Swett & Crawford, Total Restoration, Inc., Transwestern General Agency, Travelers, UCA General Insurance, United Automobile Insurance Company, Utah Business Insurance Company, Utah Disaster Kleenup, Victoria Insurance, Western National Insurance Group and Workers Compensation Fund
Eric Kingdon Installed as President
2010 UAIIA Annual Convention
One Man, 36 Auto Crashes?
UAIIA Joined Fly-In
Scam Alert
Michael Jackson’s Insurance
Office Space for Rent
Inserts with Newsletter
Windows XP Problems
Agents View Carriers
Allstate Expands in Utah
Utah Homeowners Insurance Receives “A” Grade
Eric Kingdon Installed as President
For a flyer on the benefits of membership, please click on the following link: www.uaiia.org/benefits.pdf
Thanks to our 2009 Associate Members: Acuity, Advanced Restoration, LLC, Allied Insurance, American Mining Insurance Co., Austin Mutual Insurance Co., Auto-Owners Insurance Co., Bear River Mutual Insurance Co., BELFOR Property Restoration, Burns & Wilcox, LTD, Capital Premium Financing, Inc., Chubb, CNA Insurance, CSE (Civil Service Employees) Insurance Co., Colonial General Insurance Co., Colorado Casualty, Continental Western Group, Cresta Insurance, LLC, Dairyland Auto, EMC Insurance Companies, Encompass/Allstate, Employers, Germantown Mutual Insurance Co., HCC Surety Group, Kemper, Legacy Insurance Services, Inc., Magna Carta Companies, MetLife Auto & Home, Mountain States Insurance Group, MULTICO Rating Systems, Inc., Mutual of Enumclaw, National American Insurance Company, Networked Insurance Agents, Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Co., Philadelphia Insurance, Premium Financing Specialists, Professional Lines Underwriting Specialists, Inc., Progressive Insurance, Risk Placement Services, Safeco Insurance Co., Sagamore Insurance Company, Santa Fe Auto Insurance Co., Servpro of Holladay/Cottonwood, Servpro of St. George, Service Master by Restoration Xperts, State Auto Insurance, Statewide Insurance Corp., Surplus Lines Association of Utah, Swett & Crawford, Total Restoration, Inc., Transwestern General Agency, Travelers, UCA General Insurance, United Automobile Insurance Company, Utah Business Insurance Company, Utah Disaster Kleenup, Victoria Insurance, Western National Insurance Group and Workers Compensation Fund
Eric Kingdon Installed as President
2010 UAIIA Annual Convention
One Man, 36 Auto Crashes?
UAIIA Joined Fly-In
Scam Alert
Michael Jackson’s Insurance
Office Space for Rent
Inserts with Newsletter
Windows XP Problems
Agents View Carriers
Allstate Expands in Utah
Utah Homeowners Insurance Receives “A” Grade
Eric Kingdon Installed as President Eric Kingdon was recently sworn in as President of our state association at our annual convention at the Zermatt Resort in Midway, Utah by our very own Brett Nilsson, Chairman of IIABA. Eric is a 3rd generation insurance agent and has been in the industry since 1995 as a producer for Trustco, Inc. He is a CIC, past president of the Salt Lake Chapter, past Young Agent Chair, a current member of our Scholarship Committee and our Young Agent of the Year in 2006.
He and his wife, Melanie, have twin ten year old boys and a three year old son that bullies everyone in the house. They reside in Herriman, Utah.
Also sworn in were Greg Vause of Blackburn Jones Company as President-Elect and Joseph Hansen of Joseph E. Hansen Insurance Agency, Inc. as Treasurer.
J. Curtis Breitweiser of Breitweiser Insurance Services received the Agent of the Year Award, Sonja DeVore of Acuity was given the Company Person of the Year Award and Joseph Hansen of Joseph E. Hansen Insurance Agency, Inc. received the Young Agent of the Year Award.
2010 UAIIA Annual Convention Mark your calendars. Next year’s UAIIA Convention will be held in St. George at the Hilton Garden Inn from April 18th through April 21st. As we have in the Wasatch Front area, we will be holding a Free Day Friday (Tuesday in 2010). We’ve already been talking to a speaker who will fascinate you with his abilities.
One Man & 36 Auto Crashes? North Carolina officials have charged an Indiana man with allegedly filing more than $10,000 in false claims related to 11 auto crashes between December 2005 and June 2008. According to the Department of Transportation, Jones was involved in a total of 36 crashes in a 7 year period between 2001 and 2007.
UAIIA Joined Fly-In Six members of our state association flew into Washington D.C. for a joint fly-in with three other national associations to discuss Health Care Reform with Congress. Both the House and Senate are poised to consider health care reform legislation in late July. This event is a tremendous opportunity for the health insurance producer community to send a loud message to Congress about preserving the private delivery of health insurance and to voice opposition to the creation of a public plan that would compete against private insurance companies in the health insurance marketplace.
Participants will lobby their representatives in Congress about the important role professional health insurance advisors, agents, brokers, consultants and employee benefit specialists play in providing health care to millions of Americans. There will be about 1100 participants from the four associations attending.
Scam Alert Utah Insurance Commissioner D. Kent Michie recently warned Utah’s licensed insurance producers to beware of a scam that has surfaced in Nevada and California targeting insurance agents and brokers. According to Scott Kipper, Nevada Insurance Commissioner, individuals representing themselves as employees of the Nevada Insurance Department have been calling insurance agencies requesting payment of penalty fees. At the same time they are requesting credit card and social security information so that payment can be made to avoid the cancellation of their insurance license.
So far the Utah Insurance Department is unaware of any such calls being made in Utah. It should be noted that at no time will the department request payment of a penalty fee by phone. It is always done by mail and will include a billing with the details of the penalty.
Michael Jackson’s Insurance Concert promoter AEG Live reported that insurance will help cover losses on the now-canceled Michael Jackson concert series if the pop star died accidentally – including of a drug overdose – but not if he died of natural causes. The company took out $18 million in insurance coverage through Lloyd’s of London which will fall short of the $25 - $30 million Phillips said AEG Live spent on Jackson’s tour. Interestingly, 40% - 50% of concert ticket-buyers have so far decided to receive tickets as memorabilia in lieu of a refund, which will help make up the insurance shortfall.
Office Space for Rent Office space available at 6713 South 1300 East. Great Fort Union location on I- 215 Belt Route. 1920 sq. ft. all utilities included except phone at $2200.00 a month. Unit has three offices with reception area and bathroom on main floor and four offices with bathroom on second floor. Make one a conference room. Willing to negotiate. Contact Sylvia Bruno at The Surplus Line Association of Utah at (801) 944-0114 or email at sbruno@slaut.org.
Inserts with Newsletter Watch for the inserts for Big “I” Markets and CIC with our printed version of the newsletter.
Windows XP Problems Microsoft recently sent out a warning of serious security vulnerability for Internet Explorer users that are running Windows XP or Windows Server 2003. Below is a link to a Microsoft website that allows you to install a workaround until a permanent solution to the problem is found. Please check with your internal IT department to see if this has already been addressed or for recommendations on whether or not to proceed with the installation of this workaround. The workaround can have some implications on your ability to view video, but there is the ability to disable the workaround should it become necessary.
The link is: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972890 (Received this alert from IIABA’s IT Department)
Agents View Carriers A new survey, “How Independent Agents View Carriers: The Super-Regional,” polled 1,100 agents in all 50 states about their relationships with the carriers. It found: Nearly two out of three agents called claims service a “critical” factor. Insurers’ financial strength ratings ranked second most-important at nearly 50% - a significant jump from the number five spot in the previous survey. Competitive pricing was third. Nearly half of the top 10 involved some aspect of underwriting – from flexibility and availability to expertise and clarity. Compensation ranked nineteenth out of the 24 issues covered by the survey.
Allstate Expands in Utah Independent agents in the west may soon see more competition. Allstate Insurance Company announced it is expanding its presence in the west by opening 10 offices in Nevada, 10 in New Mexico, 20 in Arizona and 15 in Utah. Allstate said its agency expansion plan is part of an overall growth strategy that calls for growing the provider’s auto and property insurance presence and staking a stronger claim in financial services.
Utah Homeowners Insurance Receives “A” Grade Consumers in four U.S. states enjoy more attractive homeowners insurance at better prices than citizens in other states, according to a new report card jointly released by the Heartland Institute and Competitive Enterprise Institute.
Homeowners in Arizona, Idaho, Utah, and Vermont are charged lower premiums for broader and more predictable coverage, earning “A” grades on the Heartland/CEI report card. These states provide the best regulatory environment for insurance consumers and providers.
Consumers in Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York – states that earned “F” grades – pay more for homeowners’ coverage that is inferior to what’s available in states with positive insurance climates. The regulatory climates in those states are hostile to insurers and consumers alike.
“On balance,” writes Eli Lehrer, the report’s author, “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 2009 Property & Casualty Insurance Report Card is available online at: http://www.heartland.org/policybot/results/25091.
He and his wife, Melanie, have twin ten year old boys and a three year old son that bullies everyone in the house. They reside in Herriman, Utah.
Also sworn in were Greg Vause of Blackburn Jones Company as President-Elect and Joseph Hansen of Joseph E. Hansen Insurance Agency, Inc. as Treasurer.
J. Curtis Breitweiser of Breitweiser Insurance Services received the Agent of the Year Award, Sonja DeVore of Acuity was given the Company Person of the Year Award and Joseph Hansen of Joseph E. Hansen Insurance Agency, Inc. received the Young Agent of the Year Award.
2010 UAIIA Annual Convention Mark your calendars. Next year’s UAIIA Convention will be held in St. George at the Hilton Garden Inn from April 18th through April 21st. As we have in the Wasatch Front area, we will be holding a Free Day Friday (Tuesday in 2010). We’ve already been talking to a speaker who will fascinate you with his abilities.
One Man & 36 Auto Crashes? North Carolina officials have charged an Indiana man with allegedly filing more than $10,000 in false claims related to 11 auto crashes between December 2005 and June 2008. According to the Department of Transportation, Jones was involved in a total of 36 crashes in a 7 year period between 2001 and 2007.
UAIIA Joined Fly-In Six members of our state association flew into Washington D.C. for a joint fly-in with three other national associations to discuss Health Care Reform with Congress. Both the House and Senate are poised to consider health care reform legislation in late July. This event is a tremendous opportunity for the health insurance producer community to send a loud message to Congress about preserving the private delivery of health insurance and to voice opposition to the creation of a public plan that would compete against private insurance companies in the health insurance marketplace.
Participants will lobby their representatives in Congress about the important role professional health insurance advisors, agents, brokers, consultants and employee benefit specialists play in providing health care to millions of Americans. There will be about 1100 participants from the four associations attending.
Scam Alert Utah Insurance Commissioner D. Kent Michie recently warned Utah’s licensed insurance producers to beware of a scam that has surfaced in Nevada and California targeting insurance agents and brokers. According to Scott Kipper, Nevada Insurance Commissioner, individuals representing themselves as employees of the Nevada Insurance Department have been calling insurance agencies requesting payment of penalty fees. At the same time they are requesting credit card and social security information so that payment can be made to avoid the cancellation of their insurance license.
So far the Utah Insurance Department is unaware of any such calls being made in Utah. It should be noted that at no time will the department request payment of a penalty fee by phone. It is always done by mail and will include a billing with the details of the penalty.
Michael Jackson’s Insurance Concert promoter AEG Live reported that insurance will help cover losses on the now-canceled Michael Jackson concert series if the pop star died accidentally – including of a drug overdose – but not if he died of natural causes. The company took out $18 million in insurance coverage through Lloyd’s of London which will fall short of the $25 - $30 million Phillips said AEG Live spent on Jackson’s tour. Interestingly, 40% - 50% of concert ticket-buyers have so far decided to receive tickets as memorabilia in lieu of a refund, which will help make up the insurance shortfall.
Office Space for Rent Office space available at 6713 South 1300 East. Great Fort Union location on I- 215 Belt Route. 1920 sq. ft. all utilities included except phone at $2200.00 a month. Unit has three offices with reception area and bathroom on main floor and four offices with bathroom on second floor. Make one a conference room. Willing to negotiate. Contact Sylvia Bruno at The Surplus Line Association of Utah at (801) 944-0114 or email at sbruno@slaut.org.
Inserts with Newsletter Watch for the inserts for Big “I” Markets and CIC with our printed version of the newsletter.
Windows XP Problems Microsoft recently sent out a warning of serious security vulnerability for Internet Explorer users that are running Windows XP or Windows Server 2003. Below is a link to a Microsoft website that allows you to install a workaround until a permanent solution to the problem is found. Please check with your internal IT department to see if this has already been addressed or for recommendations on whether or not to proceed with the installation of this workaround. The workaround can have some implications on your ability to view video, but there is the ability to disable the workaround should it become necessary.
The link is: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972890 (Received this alert from IIABA’s IT Department)
Agents View Carriers A new survey, “How Independent Agents View Carriers: The Super-Regional,” polled 1,100 agents in all 50 states about their relationships with the carriers. It found: Nearly two out of three agents called claims service a “critical” factor. Insurers’ financial strength ratings ranked second most-important at nearly 50% - a significant jump from the number five spot in the previous survey. Competitive pricing was third. Nearly half of the top 10 involved some aspect of underwriting – from flexibility and availability to expertise and clarity. Compensation ranked nineteenth out of the 24 issues covered by the survey.
Allstate Expands in Utah Independent agents in the west may soon see more competition. Allstate Insurance Company announced it is expanding its presence in the west by opening 10 offices in Nevada, 10 in New Mexico, 20 in Arizona and 15 in Utah. Allstate said its agency expansion plan is part of an overall growth strategy that calls for growing the provider’s auto and property insurance presence and staking a stronger claim in financial services.
Utah Homeowners Insurance Receives “A” Grade Consumers in four U.S. states enjoy more attractive homeowners insurance at better prices than citizens in other states, according to a new report card jointly released by the Heartland Institute and Competitive Enterprise Institute.
Homeowners in Arizona, Idaho, Utah, and Vermont are charged lower premiums for broader and more predictable coverage, earning “A” grades on the Heartland/CEI report card. These states provide the best regulatory environment for insurance consumers and providers.
Consumers in Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York – states that earned “F” grades – pay more for homeowners’ coverage that is inferior to what’s available in states with positive insurance climates. The regulatory climates in those states are hostile to insurers and consumers alike.
“On balance,” writes Eli Lehrer, the report’s author, “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 2009 Property & Casualty Insurance Report Card is available online at: http://www.heartland.org/policybot/results/25091.
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