September 2009 La Voz

Independent Insurance Agents of New Mexico - www.iianm.org - * September 2009

IIABA and IIANM are ideally positioned to create an electronic bridge between product providers and independent agencies. IIABA has the technological expertise, systems and industry contacts; IIANM has local marketing and educational ability, as well as close relationships with agents. Together IIABA and IIANM can bring product providers to agents' desktops and make agents aware of what products are there and how to take advantage of them.

The Big “I” ADVANTAGE

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COMMISSIONS & POLICY ADMINISTRATION

ENDORSEMENTS & CANCELLATIONS

CLAIMS REPORTING

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• art Festivals• auctions• Band Competitions• Beauty Pageants• Concerts: Classical, Jazz, Country and Blues• County Fairs and Festivals• Craft Fairs / Garden Shows• Dance and music recitals• Dog and Cat Shows• educational Seminars• Fashion Shows• Flea markets• Flower Shows• Fundraising events / Social Gatherings / Social Club events• Garden Shows• Harvest Fest• Home Shows• Job Fairs• Parades• Parties: Banquets, weddings, anniversary, Graduation, Birthdays, Proms & luncheons• Picnics and Pig roasts• religious meetings or Church events• reunions: Class & Family• Speaking engagements• Soap Box Derbies• Sports Tournaments / exhibitions (spectator liability only)• Theatrical events and musicals

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IIANM Staff

2008-2009 Officers

“la Voz” is the official monthly publication of the

Independent Insurance agents of nm 1511 University Blvd. ne albuquerque, nm 87102.

(505) 843-7231. Fax (505) 243-3367. web site www.iianm.org.

President/CeoThom Turbett, CIC

VP of membership Serviceslorri Gaffney

Director of Communicationsrachel Sheffield

Director of Insurance ProgramsCarmen reese Porter, aCSr, CISr

Director of education Jeff Straight, CIC, lUTCF

receptionist / member Services associate

renee Trujillo

Big I Advantage 02

Tech Talk 08

IIANM's Annual Convention Registration 18

Partners Program Company Listings 26

Win an iPod Shuffle! 30

Education Edge 31

September's Clickable Calendar 32

Odds n Ends 33

FeaturesThis publication is intended to provide accurate and authoritative information on the subject mat-ter covered, but is distributed with the under-standing that neither IIanm, nor any contributing author, publisher, contributor or advertiser is rendering legal, accounting or any other profes-sional service and assume no liability whatsoever in connection with its use. Further, the electronic links to our advertisers and/or contributors found in this publication are provided as a courtesy to our readers and do not necessarily indicate an endorsement by IIanm.

news items from members of Independent Insurance agents of new mexico and the general insurance industry are encouraged. The advertis-ing deadline is the fifteenth day of the month, pre-ceding publication.

advertising rates are available upon request.

Please contact rachel Sheffield at [email protected] for details

Agents Wade Into Telecommuting Trends 05

Consumers Indicate Homeowners Woes 06

House Passes National Flood Insurance Program Extension 10

AIU Holding Re-brands P&C Unit Under New Name "Chartis" 12

Watch Out for Red Flags 13

New Mexico Court Throws Out Baseball Immunity Rule 15

Tips for Hiring Millennnials 16

CGL "Primary & Non Contributory" Certificate Requirements 20

Prepare to Win! 23

What to Look for When Shopping for Tech Support 24

Agents Receive High Scores for Health Insurance 27

Young Agents Go Over the Edge! 28

Big Time Swine 29

Acuity 14Allstate Workplace Division 21American Mining Insurance Company 25 Burns & Wilcox 17Colonial General Insurance Agency, Inc. 07Litchfield Special Risks, Inc. 11Market Finders, Inc. 22Midlands Management Corporation 10New Mexico Mutual 04Truckers Insurance 09Trustco, Inc. 13

La Voz"The Voice" of Independent Agents since 1934

In Every Issue

Advertiser Index

Chairangela VasquezVice-Chairalma Franzoy-CapronSecretary/TreasurerKathy Yeagernational DirectorPatty Padon, aaI, CIC, lUTCFImmediate Past ChairSam Conlee














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Do three in 10 of your employees telecommute? More than one third of the U.S. working population is expected to be working from home at least occasionally by 2012 accord-ing to a recent report from Citrix Online. Many independent agencies exploring telecommuting options are finding that the added flexibility results in more loyal, productive employ-ees. (It may also be necessary for disaster planning - see page 29.)

According to Citrix, although 73% of American workers and 53% of small business owners expressed the desire to work from home, only 56% of workers surveyed say they have ever had a job that allowed them to do so. The perk is also highly prized among workers, since 21% of respondents would give up 5% of their salary to be able to work remotely just a few days per week.

“Flexible hours were considered to be essential for future business success, rated even more highly than health insur-ance benefits,” says Bernardo de Albergaria, vice president and general manager of global marketing and eCommerce at Citrix. “These findings are amazing, and leave no doubt about the importance of more flexible work policies.”

Brian Hannigan, president of Han-nigan Insurance Agency in Clinton Township, Mich., employs many agents on commission who choose to work remotely and dial in to an agen-cy server from their home computers. Hannigan says although this option presents his agents with an addition-al cost of about $100 per month for wireless Internet and server access, most are willing to foot the bill for the added flexibility.

“A lot of our agents are moms looking for other income,” says Hannigan. “In fact, 70% of our agents are women who like the fact that they can be there when their kids come home (from school).”

Indeed, according to Citrix, the main reason why Ameri-can workers seek the ability to work remotely is to have more control over their daily schedules. Saving money on transportation, a shorter commute time and spending more time with family are also major incentives for telecommut-ing. However, in general, small business owners are not as

enamored with the idea; 38% insist they need workers on site, 19% believe telecommuting hampers relationship building and 15% say it would negatively affect productivity.

“Managers fear that employees who are not in the office won’t be working, just as employees worry that being away will leave them out of the loop, and perhaps out of mind,” says de Al-bergaria. “We found it’s critical to adopt a results-oriented work environment, where goals are clearly delineated and communicated to employees. Managers need to focus on the final deliverables from employees rather than spending time on day-to-day or minute-by-minute supervision.”

Hannigan says productivity has actually increased for his agents who work remotely because of the lack of office distractions. He also believes giving employees a lot of flexibility is a great way to make sure they are loyal and self-driven but emphasizes the importance of selecting the right employee.

“You have to choose wisely, and if they don’t produce and get the results, it’s a good weeding out process,” he says. The only time Hannigan’s agents come into the office is if they choose to meet with clients there. Otherwise, they can do everything remotely, from generating sales leads through

Hannigan’s self-designed online leads generator to taking CE classes via webinar.

Rhonda Hendrickson, an agent at the Reliable Agency in Cloquet, Minn., works from home once a week and has a home office set up with an Internet phone and access to her agency’s database. She originally asked for permission to work from home to take care of her twin sons, and the agency agreed and provided her with the equipment she needed to do so. Hendrickson says the biggest perks have been an increase in productivity and the flexibility to dictate her own schedule.“The productivity is wonderful, there are no interruptions,” she says. “I worked on

a large project over the course of 18 months, and I did the majority of it from home.”

Her productivity improved so much that Hendrickson suggests employers consider allowing telecommuting for special projects, even if it’s just on a temporary basis. De Albergaria believes a sea change is occurring among employers wherein telecommuting is becoming more and more common and accepted.

Agency Management

Agents Wade into Telecommuting Trendby Veronica DeVore

Recent study shows working remotely is becoming more popular and accepted


mailto:veronica.devore%40iiaba.net?subject=


Founded in 1985, Colonial General Insurance Agency, Inc. is a wholesale General Agency providing quality insurance products to the Independent Insurance Agent.

Colonial General specializes in both standard and non-standard business. Our Property and Casualty business includes:

♦ Commercial Auto

♦ Commercial Contract

♦ Personal Lines

♦ Professional Liability

With 2,500 active producers under contract, Colonial General operates in eight states throughout the South-West. Our offices are located in Murray, Utah and Scottsdale, Arizona.

Most of all, we pride ourselves in our friendly customer service and our ability to help our producing agents with their many insurance needs.

♦ Preferred BOP ♦ Property ♦ Inland Marine ♦ Professional Liability ♦ Commercial Liability ♦ Workers Compensation

♦ Truckers ♦ Physical Damage ♦ NB Mexican Truckers ♦ Local Radius ♦ Garage ♦ Intermediate Radius

♦ Masterpiece Company ♦ Standard Company ♦ Umbrellas ♦ Stand-alone Liability ♦ Vacant ♦ Seasonal ♦ Dwelling Fire ♦ Homeowners

Commercial Lines/Brokerage Department

Transportation Department

Personal Lines Department

Preferred Commercial Lines Division

Avoid monthly or annual membership fees, use Colonial General for your Preferred Business Owners Policies. We have several markets available to give you the best quote possible. For additional information contact your underwriter.

Please contact our Utah office for all your Transportation needs!

P.O. Box 571770, Murray, Utah 84157 Phone: (801) 562-1188 Wats: (800) 594-8900

Fax: (801) 562-2218 Toll Free Fax: (800) 332-9285

You will never pay a fee to access our companies. No volume or binding contracts.

P.O. Box 14770 Scottsdale, AZ 85267 8475 E. Hartford Drive, Suite #100 Scottsdale, AZ 85255

Phone: (480) 991-7889 Wats: (800) 848-8860 Fax: (480) 948-1394 www.colonialgeneral.com

Colonial General Insurance Agency Colonial General Insurance Agency

D ropped coverage, late claims payments and lack of coverage options plague many consumers when it comes to homeowners insurance, according to a recent survey by Consumer Reports. Agents are in a unique position to ad-dress these issues with clients and often find a lack of un-derstanding about the content of the policy at the heart of customers’ concerns.

While 73% of the 10,500 survey respondents were satisfied with their homeowners policies and rates remain low over-all, many customers also indicated room for improvement in key areas. The survey showed that excellent coverage can be too expensive or difficult to obtain because the carriers rated most highly for claims satisfaction (Amica, Chubb and USAA) largely offer high-end policies or cater to exclusive groups. Many respondents also reported claims problems with some major carriers such as Allstate and Travelers, and 21% of those surveyed said they had faced delayed claims payments. According to Tobie Stanger, senior editor at Consumer Reports, customer dissatisfaction can stem from a lack of understanding about what’s actually in the policy.

“It’s not really clear how many people totally understand what’s covered and not covered,” says Stanger. “That’s true of windstorm deductibles, when people get notices in the mail, don’t read them, and may be surprised at the coverage. But, a lot is also covered that people may not be aware of, and it’s useful for the agent to be able to communicate that.”

Jon Love, an agent at A to Z Insurance Solutions in Tampa, Fla., says a major challenge for agents right now is find-ing ways for insureds to keep essential coverages, such as wind, even as customers look to save as much money as possible. “People are desperate, and insurance is something people look at to cut costs,” says Love. “We try to find other ways to get their premium down, such as higher deductibles and windstorm mitigation discounts.”

Love also counsels insureds on coverages they need but hesitate to accept because of the cost. Sinkholes are a ma-jor issue in his area, and the coverage terms have become complex since the state of Florida divided the coverage into separate categories for “catastrophic ground collapse” and “sinkholes.” Love says he always spells out to customers very clearly what could happen to them and their home if they drop or fail to add essential coverages.

On the other hand, Consumer Reports’ survey indicates that some insurers are scaling back cover-age without custom-ers’ consent, imposing higher windstorm deductibles or cut-ting coverage for mold and dog bites. While many coastal states such as Florida and North Carolina continue to strug-gle with adequate coverage options as carriers pull out of some areas entirely, Mike McCartin, a partner at Joseph W. McCartin Insurance in Beltsville, Md., says dropped cover-age is extremely rare in his area and usually only occurs as a last resort.

“The two most recent cases I can think of were related to dogs, where people refused to get rid of dogs after biting incidents,” says McCartin. “What we’ll see going forward is that carriers have become aware that their losses are on the rise, so they’ll be a little more aggressive in pursuing properties that need to be inspected and in asking people to make repairs and maintain the house.”

McCartin says he works with homeowners to make sure they have met the requirements for coverage, especially if the home has had prior claims. According to Stanger, the agent’s ability to explain complex coverages led Consumer Reports to suggest in its survey results that consumers con-tact an independent agent for advice on their homeowners insurance.“Suggesting that customers go to an independent agent is a change (for Consumer Reports),” says Stanger. “I don’t recall that we’ve said to go to an independent agent before; in the past, we made more of the direct writer.”

by Veronica DeVore

Consumers Indicate Homeowners Woes

Consumer Reports suggesting that customers

go to an independent agent is a change.

Survey from Consumer Reports shows room for improvement, points consumers

toward independent agents.




www.colonialgeneral.com

Founded in 1985, Colonial General Insurance Agency, Inc. is a wholesale General Agency providing quality insurance products to the Independent Insurance Agent.

Colonial General specializes in both standard and non-standard business. Our Property and Casualty business includes:

♦ Commercial Auto

♦ Commercial Contract

♦ Personal Lines

♦ Professional Liability

With 2,500 active producers under contract, Colonial General operates in eight states throughout the South-West. Our offices are located in Murray, Utah and Scottsdale, Arizona.

Most of all, we pride ourselves in our friendly customer service and our ability to help our producing agents with their many insurance needs.

♦ Preferred BOP ♦ Property ♦ Inland Marine ♦ Professional Liability ♦ Commercial Liability ♦ Workers Compensation

♦ Truckers ♦ Physical Damage ♦ NB Mexican Truckers ♦ Local Radius ♦ Garage ♦ Intermediate Radius

♦ Masterpiece Company ♦ Standard Company ♦ Umbrellas ♦ Stand-alone Liability ♦ Vacant ♦ Seasonal ♦ Dwelling Fire ♦ Homeowners

Commercial Lines/Brokerage Department

Transportation Department

Personal Lines Department

Preferred Commercial Lines Division

Avoid monthly or annual membership fees, use Colonial General for your Preferred Business Owners Policies. We have several markets available to give you the best quote possible. For additional information contact your underwriter.

Please contact our Utah office for all your Transportation needs!

P.O. Box 571770, Murray, Utah 84157 Phone: (801) 562-1188 Wats: (800) 594-8900

Fax: (801) 562-2218 Toll Free Fax: (800) 332-9285

You will never pay a fee to access our companies. No volume or binding contracts.

P.O. Box 14770 Scottsdale, AZ 85267 8475 E. Hartford Drive, Suite #100 Scottsdale, AZ 85255

Phone: (480) 991-7889 Wats: (800) 848-8860 Fax: (480) 948-1394 www.colonialgeneral.com

Colonial General Insurance Agency Colonial General Insurance Agency


http://www.colonialgeneral.com


New Insurance Program for the Apple iPhone

It's a common practice to pay a few dollars per month to insure your mobile phone against accidental damage or loss. In fact, every phone we're aware of can be insured--except the iPhone. That's about to change.

Safeware, located in Columbus, Ohio, has announced the availability of the first comprehensive insurance program for the Apple iPhone 3G and the newest iPhone 3GS. Safeware has provided insurance coverage for electronics for over 25 years. The program they have created offers full coverage against ac-cidental damage, liquid spills, power surges, drops, falls, colli-sions, floods, fires, vandalism, and theft.

Safeware has launched a dedicated Web site to specifically support and service iPhone customers. The site allows visi-tors to obtain instant no-obligation quotes, make online policy changes, and submit new claim requests. The site also pro-vides news and resources specific to the iPhone 3G, 3GS, and upcoming product releases. You can also obtain a quote by calling Safeware directly at 1-800-800-7071.

Google Voice

It can be tedious to manage multiple phone numbers--office phone, home phone, mobile phone, and any other num-bers. Google's new Google Voice service can help.

Google purchased GrandCentral Communications two years ago. That service has now been renamed Google Voice. For the last two years, only people who had a GrandCentral ac-count were able to use the service. Google recently purchased over 1 million phone numbers and allowed a limited number of people to sign up for a new account.

Google Voice is a free service that lets users unify their phone numbers, allowing them to have a single number that rings a call through to all of their phones. Google Voice has a number of

Technology Tip

Here is an easy tip that will help you avoid a call to your technol-ogy consultant for unnecessary repairs. If your PC locks up and appears unwilling to reboot, it may be due to a conflict of USB devices connected to the machine. Disconnect all USB devices and reboot the PC. After the PC is fully rebooted, plug in each of the USB devices, which will be individually recognized. We've successfully recovered an apparently disabled PC more than 10 times in the past year, saving about $1,000.

unique features, including call transfer between a user's devices, multi-party conferencing, conversion of voice calls to text messag-es, cut-rate international calling, and call transcription. Google also has integrated the Voice service with Gmail contact lists.

The real gem is the fact that you get one phone number oth-ers can dial to reach you, regardless of where you're located. Google Voice uses VoIP to link collections of phone numbers.

To sign up for an invitation to acquire a Google Voice phone number, simply go to www.google.com/voice and complete the registration form. You will be notified when a block of numbers becomes available.

Tips for Internet Explorer 8

Keyboard shortcuts can save a lot of time. Once you upgrade to Internet Explorer 8 (IE8), use the following tips to quickly per-form some useful actions:

Select text with the keyboard: In older versions of IE, it was of-ten difficult or impossible to select the exact text you wanted to copy into an e-mail or document. IE8 finally solves this problem using Caret Browsing, which allows you to select text by moving the arrow keys. Just press F7, or Page|Caret Browsing, and use the arrow keys or other navigation to find the place in the text where you want to start copying; hold down the Shift key and use the arrows or other navigation keys to extend the selection.

View sites as they are intended to appear: Many Web devel-opers designed their sites to display correctly in Internet Ex-plorer, using IE's older proprietary layout methods. In IE8, these sites typically display with some layout errors. You can make those sites appear as their designers intended by using Page|Compatibility View. You can also click on the "broken page" icon that displays at the end of the address bar to evoke compatibility view.

Add accelerators: When you select anything on a Web page, IE8's new accelerator feature displays a double-arrow icon next to the selection. If you click on this icon IE pops up a list of "ac-celerators"—tiny bits of code that perform operations on the se-lected text, such as translating it in Google Translate, displaying


Independent Insurance Agents of New Mexico - www.iianm.org - * September 2009 Independent Insurance Agents of New Mexico - www.iianm.org - * September 2009

And It’s Just ArrIved. At Truckers Insurance Associates,

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than a goal. It’s a promise we’ve

delivered on every day for the last

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It’s Big. It’s Powerful.

Google Search Tips

For most people, typing a phrase into the Google search box yields enough relevant results to get the information they're seeking. However, there are times when it would be helpful to narrow a search further in order to get better results.

One of the things I've always found frustrating about Google is its inability to perform a search and then filter based on date/time written. Recently, I was looking for information on survey results and was only able to find the results from a survey that was several years old. Google kept finding articles about the old survey and not the new survey. I recently discovered that Google can filter results by time. And it's really easy. To en-able time-based filtering, type and perform your search as nor-mal. On the search results page, click on the blue link that says "Show options." A window will open to the left that will allow you to narrow your search results by picking a specific time period.

Another search filter that might be helpful to you is the site search. This will narrow the search to a specific Web site you reference. Here is the format: [Search term] Site: [add a specific Web site address].

Adoption of Broadband at Home Grows

The latest findings of the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project mark a departure from the stagnation in home high-speed adoption rates that had prevailed from De-cember 2007 through December 2008. During that period, Proj-ect surveys found that home broadband penetration remained in a narrow range between 54% and 57%.

The greatest growth in broadband adoption in the past year has taken place among population subgroups that have below aver-age usage rates. Broadband usage among adults ages 65 or older grew from 19% in May 2008 to 30% in April 2009. Over-all, respondents who live in homes with an annual household income below $30,000 experienced a 34% growth in home broadband adoption from 2008 to 2009.

Broadband adoption appears to be largely immune to the ef-fects of the current economic recession. More than twice as many respondents said they had cut back or cancelled a cell phone plan or cable TV service than said the same about their Internet service.

The Pew Internet Project's April 2009 survey interviewed 2,253 Americans, 561 of whom were interviewed on their cell phones.

a map of a place, or any of dozens of other functions. IE8 comes with some Microsoft-centric accelerators by default, but you'll probably want to install third-party versions as replacements or additions. To add accelerators, use Tools|Manage Add-Ons; click on Accelerators, then Find More Accelerators.



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The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Nation-

al Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Extension Act of

2009, H.R. 3139, which extends the program until March

31, 2010. The NFIP is currently set to expire on Sept. 30,

2009.

The Big “I” praised the temporary extension as a significant

and welcome development for the millions of homeowners

and small businesses who count on the NFIP as a safety

net in the event of flooding. If the NFIP is allowed to expire,

millions of consumers will be left vulnerable the next time a

flood devastates a community.

Recent years have provided far too many examples of the

destruction left behind by floods that highlight the urgency

and importance of updating the NFIP. The Big “I” strongly

supports a long-term reauthorization that contains signifi-

cant reforms, especially an increase in maximum coverage

limits and the addition of optional business interruption in-

surance.

Earlier this year, President Barack Obama signed an exten-

sion just hours before the program was set to expire.

The most recent extension should provide

Congress ample time to continue working

on long-term improvements to the much-

needed program.

Under the 110th Congress, the Flood

Insurance Reform and Modernization (FIRM) Act of 2007

made progress in the House and Senate. The legislation

would have extended the program for five years and would

have made significant and needed reforms to help put the

program on sound financial footing. The effort is expected

to move forward once again under the current Congress.

The Big “I” strongly believes that homeowners and busi-

nesses need both higher coverage limits and business in-

terruption insurance to adequately insure their property. The

association is optimistic that as Congress will include these

reforms in legislation as it considers a long term reauthoriza-

tion and looks forward to working with the Obama administra-

tion and Congress for a more permanent solution.

On the Hill

House Passes National Flood Insurance Program ExtensionPermanent solution for NFIP that protects homeowners

and small businesses still needed.

by Margarita Tapia

mailto:margarita.tapia%40iiaba.net?subject=

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AIU Holdings, Inc., the offspring property-casualty com-pany of American International Group (AIG), is once again rebranding itself under a new name - Chartis.

The company was officially launched, with Kristian Moor, the former vice president of AIG’s property-casualty

group, serving as Chartis’s president and CEO. The re-branding comes just four months after AIG established AIU. (Click here to read the Insurance News & Views article regarding the formation of AIU). According to Chartis, the new brand is yet another step toward furthering the company’s “operating independence.”

“We are excited by this new stage in our evolution, which will sharpen appreciation for the value of one of the most experience and extensive insurance platforms in the world,” said Moor in a statement. “Chartis employees are our great-est asset and our new brand embodies their relentless pur-suit of excellence through innovation and an unwavering commitment to meeting clients’ needs.”

According to a Chartis spokesperson, the company will con-tinue to offer the same products and services to agents, brokers and customers that were available under the AIU Holdings/AIG monikers.

“With the unification of our U.S. and international opera-tions, customers could expect to see even better global, in-tegrated service in the future,” the spokesperson said. “We will continue to be innovators and look to meet their current and emerging risk management needs.”

Overhauling a brand is often a risky endeavor for any con-sumer-driven industry, since the new name/image could elude some customers. However, in Chartis’s case, the move was less of a gamble due to its size and reputation, according to Bob Hartwig, president of the Insurance Information Insti-tute (III).

“The reality is that AIG, then AIU, then Chartis is a very large property-casualty company and that name will quick-ly be well known throughout the producer community, as well as [with] insurance buyers,” Hartwig says. “Buyers of insurance will remain first and foremost concerned with the same things they’ve always been---safety, security, quality of claims handling---none of these things will change and buyers of insurance , as well as the agents…will be able to provide that to buyers regardless of name.”Chartis is derived from the Greek word for map, and, ac-cording to the company, was chosen to “underscore the company’s 90-year history as a successful global pioneer.”

“I think they felt it (changing the name) was necessary, as well as representative of where the company will be posi-tioned in the future, and by choosing a name like Chartis what they did was invoke the sense of a global company…which is what Chartis is,” says Hartwig.

The company is product of three former AIG units --- com-mercial insurance, foreign general insurance and private client group----and while Chartis is now a separate entity, it continues to be owned by AIG.

Click here to visit Chartis’s Web site.

P&C Trends

AIU Holdings Rebrands P&C Insurance Unit Under New Name

The company formerly known as AIG changes its name to


http://www.iiaba.net/IAMag/NewsViews/030509.html

http://www.chartisinsurance.com/global-home_295_195026.html


HomeownersCatastropheInsuranceTrust

Your preferred homeowners clients deserve the broadest possible coverage for their homes and personal property. As an active

member of IIANM, you have the original -- the very best such program available to you right now.

The HCIT Difference in Conditions (DIC) policy supplements basic homeowners coverage by providing

protection for catastrophic losses, including FLOOD and EARTHQUAKE.

Just contact:

Trustco, Inc. - HCIT Program Administrator 2063 East 3900 South Ste. 100,Salt Lake City, UT 84124 1-800-644-4334 / Fax: 801-278-9051

Bobbi Phillips / [email protected] Kingdon / [email protected]

www.hcitins.com

One of the many fascinating findings uncovered by the Madoff ponzi scheme is how ignorant the "smart" money was. Large international banks and private equity funds lost HUGE amounts to the fraud. These are not poor, trusting, in-nocent, individual investors. In fact, a huge proportion of the firms that lost money were being paid large fees to manage the money for others. They were paid because they suppos-edly knew more and were smarter than their clients.

The signs were there that something was very wrong. Well-known publications (MAR/Hedge in 2001, for example) had publicly challenged Madoff's results without being refuted! How would you react if wrongly accused of lying, cheating, and incompetence? The lack of a refutation should have been a massive red flag.

Might some insurance companies be flying similar red flags? Consider these facts:

Some carriers have expenses and loss ratios that continu-ously exceed their breakeven loss ratio. Most have enough surplus and/or parent companies willing to supply extra surplus to continue going for a long time, but they are not healthy companies.

by Chris Burand

Watch Out for Red Flags

My last look at S&P's credit rating list showed approximately 250 insurance firms had credit ratings that were just a hair above junk status or were junk rated. Do you want to place your clients with an insurance company who's credit rating is below investment grade? Some big names are on the list.

Some companies are even rated CCC or worse. S&P's data shows that companies of all kinds with credit ratings of CCC have approximately a 50% chance of insolvency within five years. Do you want to take this chance with your clients?

Because GAAP does not require trust ratio accounting, we do not know if publicly traded entities are out of trust. Based on publicly available data though, it was apparent long ago that Brooke Corporation had severe balance sheet prob-lems. Now they are being investigated and many of their agents have lost years of hard work and effort.

I am not trying to sow seeds of doubt unnecessarily. My goal is to simply bring attention to the fact that for some companies, various red flags are present. Many strong carriers and brokers exist. It is simply your choice whether or not to ignore the red flags. The best agents choose the strongest carriers.



mailto:chris%40burand-associates.com%20?subject=

We’re Not Your Typical Insurance Company

For All That Matters

Rated A+ by A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s

Listed as the 76th largest P&C carrier, surpassing $2 billion in assets in 2009

Ranked as the most pro table P&C generalist by National Underwriter in their most recent Top Pro t Leaders list

Won 42 ACORD Awards for Technology in the last 8 years, more than any other carrier

Named to InformationWeek’s Top 500 Technology Companies for 5 consecutive years

Named as one of the 50 Best-Run Insurers in the Nation by Ward Financial Group in each of the past 10 years

Only company in the country to rank in the Top 5 Employers by the Great Place to Work Institute for 6 consecutive years, including a # 1 ranking

Named as a Top 500 Employer for entry-level positions by collegegrad.com as well as a Top 50 Employer of Workers over 50 by AARP

http://www.acuity.com


We’re Not Your Typical Insurance Company

For All That Matters

Rated A+ by A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s

Listed as the 76th largest P&C carrier, surpassing $2 billion in assets in 2009

Ranked as the most pro table P&C generalist by National Underwriter in their most recent Top Pro t Leaders list

Won 42 ACORD Awards for Technology in the last 8 years, more than any other carrier

Named to InformationWeek’s Top 500 Technology Companies for 5 consecutive years

Named as one of the 50 Best-Run Insurers in the Nation by Ward Financial Group in each of the past 10 years

Only company in the country to rank in the Top 5 Employers by the Great Place to Work Institute for 6 consecutive years, including a # 1 ranking

Named as a Top 500 Employer for entry-level positions by collegegrad.com as well as a Top 50 Employer of Workers over 50 by AARP

The New Mexico Court of Appeals declined to adopt the so-called "baseball rule" under which ballparks are shielded

from most injury suits brought by spectators.

The case involved a four-year old boy whose skull was frac-tured when he was hit by a home run ball while eating in a picnic area of a minor league ball park during batting practice.

The boy's family sued the team, the player who hit the ball and the city. They argued against the baseball rule that the defen-dants had some responsibility for safety and that in this case were negligent in not providing safety netting for the picnic area and in not warning about the potential danger.

The team and the city argued that the player was only doing what he was supposed to do and that the ballpark had only a limited duty to protect spectators, an obligation it had fulfilled by putting up netting in other areas considered more dangerous. They cited other states' cases that adequate screening of the most dangerous seats immunizes stadium owners from liability regardless of how the injury occurs.

But the New Mexico court, in an opinion written by Chief Jus-tice Cynthia Fry, declined to adopt the baseball rule, calling it outdated because it ignores the ability of juries to decide such cases on the facts.

Fry wrote that "there is no compelling reason to immunize the owners/occupiers of baseball stadiums. Comparative negli-gence principles allow the fact finder to take into account the risks that spectators voluntarily accept when they attend base-ball games as well as the ability of stadium owners to guard against unreasonable risks that are not essential to the game itself. By contrast, the approach embodied by the baseball rule 'excludes an entire class of plaintiffs[,] bestows a subsidy on sophisticated business enterprises[ and] represents the central tenets of a bygone era.'"

The court said that rejection of the baseball rule is consistent with New Mexico law, which has recently "moved forcefully towards a public policy that defines duty under a universal standard of ordinary care, a standard which holds all citizens

accountable for the reasonableness of their actions" and away from judicially declared immuni-ty. Juries should decide such cases, the court said.

"While the baseball rule may have made sense during the era of the all-or-nothing contributory negligence doctrine, it no longer does. Under our present tort system, we discern no public policy reason to justify bestowing immunity on the business of baseball," Fry concluded.

New Mexico Court Throws Out Baseball Immunity Rule

A fan struck by a baseball at a minor league ballpark is not barred from suing over the injury, a New Mexico court has ruled.


http://www.acuity.com


Attracting young talent has long been a challenge for the insurance industry, but as other industries lay off work-

ers and nationwide unemployment approaches 10%, many millennials (those ages 22-28 years old) are exploring a variety of career options. Independent agencies can capital-ize on this opportunity, and bring new life to the business, by hiring from the ranks of these newly-minted employees.

When looking for quality applicants, Lisa Harrington, vice president of education at the Florida Association of Insur-ance Agents, suggests agencies first look in their own back-yards, to the staff they already have, for guidance.“Who’s already there? Are you utilizing their talents?” Harrington asks agents. “Ask your staff why they stay at your agency.”

Harrington also suggests asking staff to bring in new recruits, perhaps providing them an incentive to do so. However, prospecting for candidates extends far beyond the Internet or the doors of an agency; Harrington says to always be on the lookout for prospective employees in the community, through involvement in civic organizations or the local college. When hunting for millennials, Harrington advises agents to use the same networking strategies they would when looking for prospective clients.

Darlene McGehee, an agent at Iroquois Insurance in Wat-seka, Ill., encourages others at her agency to “brag about where they work” to attract new blood. “You have to look at talents, personalities, things that will keep (employees) there long-term,” says McGehee. “Be passionate and excited about what you do, because that excitement wears off on applicants. Millennnials also want to be more involved, so they look for a place that is involved in the community. Working at an agency allows that.”

McGehee believes details make a difference to employees, such as giving time off for medical appointments and allow-ing schedule flexibility for personal and family needs. Har-rington agrees and says agencies should emphasize all the little perks they offer, right down to free soda or coffee. Flex-ibility is another essential for millennials, who don’t have the same separation between work and personal lives as earlier generations. Therefore, they might go on Facebook or surf the Internet at work, and Harrington says that’s ok.

“Don’t worry about Internet use at work as long as the production is happening,” she says. “Ask yourself how you measure performance and reward what you want done.”

When it comes to interviewing prospective candi-dates, Harrington urges agencies to focus primarily on whether candidates will be able to learn the position’s necessary tasks.

“Don’t be fooled by insurance experience alone,” she says. “Look for smart, organized people who fit the company culture.”

Harrington also offers the following tips for the interview and final decision-making process:

- Carefully review each cover letter – they reflect the candi-date’s personality and professionalism.

- Be prepared for each interview and be consistent in the process, asking each candidate the same questions to facili-tate comparison.

- Conduct multiple interviews with the same candidate to gauge the individual’s performance in different situations and at different times.

- Check references between the first and second interviews, and always tell candidates you will be calling references to avoid misunderstandings.

- When it’s time to hire, make a competitive offer, including benefits, and research what other similar positions offer.

Agencies who go through the lengthy hiring process want to keep their new employees around for a while, so Harrington says a thorough orientation period is critical---especially for young millennials who may not have much work experience under their belts. Providing training, making an employee handbook, planning one-on-one lunches with co-workers and maintaining daily contact for several weeks are all im-portant aspects of making a new employee feel at home and on their way to a successful career at the agency.

Agency Management

Tips for Hiring Millennnials

by Veronica DeVore

Find and retain quality employees from the largest generation yet.




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Attention All Agency Members:

“I have enjoyed my time at all of the IIanm conventions I have attended. The meetings with other agents and carriers are really helpful in getting your arms around what’s going on in the industry. The golf tournament is always 1st class. There is never a shortage of food, libations or good times. If you want a couple of days to relax, reload and see old friends then join me at the convention.”

~Bruce V FosterCress Insurance Consultants, Inc.

Sponsors & exhibitors: Click Here

http://www.iiaba.net/NM/06_EventsConferences/02_AnnualConvention/NM20090513134426?ContentPreference=NM&ActiveState=NM&ContentLevel1=EVTCONF&ContentLevel2=ECCONV&ContentLevel3=&ActiveTab=STATE&StartRow=0


The term “noncontributory” can create E&O exposure if not treated correctly.

Agents are often besieged by demands from large

firms to include "primary and non-contributory"

wording on CGL certificates. Many of these large firms un-

derstand the problems created for agents and contractors,

but as long as they are willing to issue such certificates,

the firms will continue to ask for them. The "primary" issue

is usually not a significant one, but the "noncontributory"

issue is often misunderstood. If everyone involved is using

the ISO coverage forms, the CGL form makes the addi-

tional insured primary on the policy of the other party. The

ISO CGL 1998 and 2001 editions have solved this problem

in the “other insurance” provision, condition four of the

policy.

Forms & Substance

Understanding CGL "Primary & Noncontributory" Certificate Requirements

by Bill Wilson

Also, the additional insured's own policy states that their

coverage is in excess of any policy that names them as an

additional insured. If their own coverage is excess and their

coverage on the other party's policy is primary, they have

primary and noncontributory coverage, assuming "noncon-

tributory" is interpreted to mean "excess" rather than not

contributing at all to a claim.

The problem occurs with the term "noncontributory." It is not

usually defined in a contract and, when asked, the person

offering the contract doesn't have a clue what it means.

Chances are the attorney who wrote it won't know either. If it

means that the coverage is intended to be excess only, then

the CGL/AI endorsements in the ISO program take care of

that. If it means that the insurance won't even contribute on

an excess basis, then there is a problem.

Wording like this on a certificate of insurance has no

force or effect whatsoever other than to create a poten-

tial E&O exposure for the agent/broker if the policy is

not endorsed to provide the "certified" coverage. There

are a multitude of court cases on this subject. When

agents see language like this on a certificate, they

should never issue that certificate. Any time an agent

has non-ACORD wording, the insurer needs to issue

the certificate or sign off on it. Otherwise, an E&O law-

suit is only a matter of time.

Another problem is that the other policies on the certifi-

cate do not read the same as the CGL. For example,

the BAP is primary only if the named insured owns the

vehicle, otherwise the coverage is excess. The um-

brella policies are company-specific and therefore do

not follow ISO language in all instances.

To read the entire article, click here.


mailto:bill.wilson%40iiaba.net?subject=

http://www.iiaba.net/VU/Lib/Ins/CL/CGL/FacultyPrimaryNoncontributory.htm


www.marketfindersnm.com

Since 1977New Mexico’s Locally Owned Managing General Agency

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Bobby Knight made one of my favorite quotes. He said, "Most people have the will to win, few have the will to pre-pare to win." As a famous basketball coach, he was likely talking about sports, but preparing to win is very applicable to managing an insurance agency.

I could write about preparing to win by managing your balance sheet, which is possibly the best way to prepare to win. My clients that have good balance sheets are having great success in this horrible economy. I could write about bud-geting, HR, taking sales classes, investing in IT, and even practicing cold calling. I could write about preparing to win by practicing good producer management. I could write about sales management but if I did, I'd write about how sales management itself is just a euphemism so the agency owner does not have to admit they have a producer prob-lem, because sales do not need to be managed. Producers need to be managed.

Preparing to win by taking on these challenges may make some difference, but then again, it may not. Agen-cy owners sometimes just go through the motions of pre-paring to win. They are not really putting their heart and soul into the effort. A true effort requires a willingness to have one's insecurities identified, poked, and spotlight-ed. This is not easy for anyone but for some people, the pain involved is excruciating. The people who find this the most difficult, work hard at putting themselves into situations where no one will question them. The fear of being wrong, found incompetent, or criticized can be so crippling, it can prevent people from seeing the truth.

Hans Christian Andersen wrote a great tale which clearly illustrates how such a fear can prevent people from see-ing the truth. In his story, "The Emperor's New Clothes," two swindlers make the Emperor fabulous new clothes from special, hand-woven fabric. This special "fabric" can only be seen by people who are competent and worthy of their position. Of course, this special fabric is really no fabric at all. But no one, not even the Emperor, will admit they can't see it because they are afraid of being incompetent and unworthy. Instead, everyone pretends the non-existent fabric is the most beautiful they've ever seen. The Emperor is so proud, he parades through town with his new "clothes" while all the town folk exclaim how splendidly he is dressed. A young child watching the parade is the only person with confidence enough to tell the truth: "The Emperor has no clothes!"

Like the naked Emperor, the results can be dire when the fear of being incompetent masks the truth. For example, I've had agency owners go ballistic on me when I showed them their CSRs were as good as their producers at selling and at 1/3 the price! The facts were obvious, but to acknowledge the facts meant the owners had to admit they were not per-fect managers, and that was to much to bare.

Such a fear can prevent a person from seeing that they are not winning, which makes preparing to win impossible. Pre-paring to win is about improving agency performance rather than showing surface success. Surface success is measured by looking really good, rubbing shoulders with important peo-ple, or focusing only on really big deals because small but quality deals are not as glamorous. These are all shields to prevent people from revealing they may not be perfect or as knowledgeable as others.

I can honestly report that my clients who open themselves up to constructive criticism have the most successful agen-cies. They might not be the most famous, but they are the most elite. Not all of these agency owners were initially open to seeing the truth. But after being exposed to the possibili-ties and after seeing the value of preparing to win, they set aside their fears and put their heart and soul into preparing to win.

Your life and agency are yours. Are you willing to expose your weaknesses and vulnerabilities? Are you willing to look beneath the surface success and look hard at your agency's operations? Do you really have the will to prepare to win?

Prepare to Win!by Chris Burand


mailto:AgencyAdviser%40burand-associates.com?subject=


The complexity and unreliability of computers makes tech support critical. You should always know how much tech

support you're getting with any software or hardware you con-sider. How many days a week and hours a day is the support available? Is that merely recorded answers to frequent ques-tions or is it real, live advisers? How long will you wait on hold? Two or three minutes is reasonable. Is the number toll-free or do you pay? How helpful are the answers?

Seek out companies with a central computer database so that any repeat calls automatically bring up the history of your problem. Does the company use an interactive program such as pcAnywhere or LapLink that can reach right into your com-puter, through the Internet or a direct phone connection, to see what's wrong? How many times or months can you call for help before you must pay $2 a minute, $25 per incident, or $100 or more per year for answers?

Apple, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Micron are known for above-average support. Microsoft is infamous, in my experi-ence, for poor tech support to individuals. I think that's prob-ably because it hasn't had to compete on support and has largely pushed the job off on the companies that make com-puters.

You can help the tech support folks get the right answer faster if you're prepared. Before you call, write down just what led up to the problem, as well as any on-screen messages, and a thorough description of your hardware and software: versions, makers, and so on. If you have a Windows PC, they'll also want printouts of what's in your AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, WINDOWS.INI and SYSTEM.INI files.

You'll probably get through sooner if you call during lunch or dinner hours or, if support runs around the clock, in the middle of the night. The rush hours for tech support, as you'd expect, are when people get to work and when they get home. If the traffic is just too much, or the tech support is closed when you need answers, don't give up. There are other ways to get answers. Most computer companies will accept faxed problem descriptions -- make sure to include those details I mentioned above -- and will fax or call you back with a reply within hours or days. You should find the fax number in the manual.

Many companies also have a ``Fax On Demand'' facility that lets you call and press voice-mail commands to ask for a list of stored fact sheets. After you choose the rel-evant fact sheets from that list, you call again and, press-ing the right numeric codes, order the fact sheet faxed to you immediately. This should be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

And then there are some firms that earn their living solely from tech support calls, charging you $2.50 a minute or more for telephone help with common hardware and soft-ware puzzles. There are computer clubs and user groups where the advice is free, though sometimes inexpert and inconvenient. And, of course, you can take your computer into a repair shop and ask for help there, though this may cost $70 an hour or more.

However, if your computer is working well enough to reach the Internet, or you have a second computer with Net access, there are lots of ways to get help online.

Your hardware or software company almost certainly has a World Wide Web page and an e-mail address. This Web page probably has a "FAQs'' (Frequently Asked Ques-tions) area with helpful answers.

The Web page may also have a searchable ``knowledge base'' of technical notes, papers and suggestions. Try there for help. This can be particularly useful because the answers may be accompanied by buttons you click to get software download ``patches'' to immediately unstick your system. Without that downloading, you might have to wait for a disk by mail.

The Web page may have an e-mail submission form. Or you may need to find the e-mail address and send your missive there. If you can't find the address, try sending an e-mail to [email protected] -- taking the "company'' part from whatever the Web page address is - or [email protected]. These are common addresses.

You could see an e-mailed answer within minutes or, at worst case, a day or so. If not, write again and press for a quick response. Companies are pushing us to use the Internet instead of the phone because it costs them a lot

What To Look For In Shopping For

by Jack Fries


mailto:?subject=


less. The least they can do is provide solid service on the Net. Some Web sites include a "chat'' help area for in-stant help responses. A few firms offer mailing list services at their Web sites. Sign up and you'll get notices of program bug fixes and updates, though you'll probably have to put up with some sales offers as well.

Finally you may find a ``discussion'' forum where you can post questions and later read responses from other users. They can know more than the tech experts on staff, or may simply include a few people who have experienced your specific problem.

For a start, the UseNet newsgroups have a huge variety of discussion groups with experts and amateurs trading tips and answering questions. Use your Newsgroup reader, which for many people nowadays is built right into the Web browser. Newsgroups are free. Start with a general one such as alt.windows95, but look also for specific newsgroups for your computer, program or peripheral. If you don't have UseNet access, you can get at its previously posted messages through the Web service DejaNews (www.dejanews.com).

Then there are companies related to what you're doing. Even if it isn't strictly an operating system problem, you

might look to Microsoft and its huge knowledge base or Apple, which naturally stacks lots of Mac answers at its site. Some of the technical publishers have such information too: try ZD Net's Healthy PC site (www.healthypc.com), CMP (www.cmpnet.com) and IDG (www.idg.net).

The Geek Squad (www.geeksquad.com) uses Web and e-mail to help. You submit a question and get a reply within about 48 hours. For free. Ask-A-Tech (www.ask-a-tech.org) works the same way, and they offer a freely downloadable year 2000 bug testing program.

Want help faster? Pay America's Help Desk (www.ameri-cashelpdesk.com) and you could get an e-mailed reply within two, six or 12 hours. A six-hour turnaround, for ex-ample, costs $25. BugNet (www.bugnet.com) charges $65 per year for access to news of bugs and their solutions. Intel's AnswerExpress (www.answerexpress.com) offers support through a special program and Internet connection; $40 buys you three months of support, but there's a free sample available at the Web site.

In general, then, you can get free and wonderful advice on the Net. Paying doesn't buy better advice, it just gets you answers sooner.



by Dave Evans

Agents Receive High Scores for Health Insurance

Study confirms customers value independent agent’s advice.

There is always a bit of a debate

regarding how much insurance

agents influence their customers' buy-

ing decisions. A recent online survey

of more than 1,000 consumers found

that those who purchased individual

medical insurance through a profes-

sional agent were significantly more

satisfied with their health plans than

those who bought individual medical

insurance online.

The independent study was commis-

sioned by Milwaukee-based Assurant

Health. There were a number of other

findings of interest to agents, such as:

• 64% of those who bought through agents used the

word “helpful” to describe their experiences, while only

36% of online purchasers used this term.

• 91% of those who purchased through an agent

bought the plan their agent recommended.

• 31% of those shopping online described the experi-

ence as “time-consuming.”

Perhaps the most relevant statistic for carriers that do busi-

ness with independent insurance agents is that 91% of

those who purchased through an agent bought the plan the

agent recommended. While this study pertained to the prod-

uct lines Assurant is involved with, such as life and health

insurance, the findings are also

applicable to other product lines sold

through independent insurance agents

such as personal and consumer lines.

Most independent agents would confirm

this type of behavior---that customers

implement their recommended prod-

uct solutions, including the carrier they

recommend.

The reason for this high success rate is

because independent agents sit with their

customers face to face to learn about

their objectives and, based on their per-

sonal situation, craft the best solution to

their needs. Yet, larger insurance companies and financial

services firms seem to focus their ad spending and

promotion on retail advertising and much lower amounts

on advertising and communicating with their distribution

force. Of course, companies that have shareholders like to

reinforce their image by using retail advertising and they will

also state that broad awareness of their products reinforce

agents’ product recommendations.

Agents can take comfort that the study reaffirms the

effectiveness of their recommendations and that compa-

nies selling through independent agents are aware of the

efficacy of the independent agent distribution channel.

For more information, including a full report on the survey

findings, click here.

L&H Trends


mailto:dave.evans%40iiaba.net?subject=

http://www.assuranthealth.com/corp/ah/Newsroom/newsroom

Young Agents-Let’s Go Over the Edge!

For the past few years, Young Agents of New Mexico has been a supporter of Special Olympics of New Mex-ico (SONM). Last year the corporate relay brought in $12,000 thanks to Poms & Associates, Manuel Lujan Agencies, New Mexico Mutual, Mountain States Mutual, and IIANM (the Big I). We are hoping that we can raise just as much for SONM this year, if not more—and Spe-cial Olympics has an completely amazing way for us to do this!

Over the EdgeOn Friday, September 25th, SONM will sponsor ‘Over the Edge’, an event that will allow participants to rappel down the 14-story Gold Building at 320 Gold Avenue, in downtown Albuquerque. In order for participants to ‘go over the edge’ they must raise at least $1000 for Spe-cial Olympics. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to scale down the side of one of New Mexico’s tallest build-ings. Here are a few ways the Young Agents can help support Special Olympics and be part of a fun event at the same time: 1. If you are interested in going over the edge yourself, you can ask friends, family, and coworkers to donate to your cause and set up a fundraising page at www.firstgiving.com/sonm.

2. If you want to help Special Olympics but have no interest in scaling down a tall building, find someone in your office who might be willing to do it and help them fundraise to go over the edge.

3. Share this information with your agencies, carrier companies, etc. For a donation of $1000 or more, your company can send you or someone else from the com-pany over the edge. Have fun with it. Maybe you can select someone at your company you would like to see go over the edge and raise the funds to send them over.

4. Have yourself or your company donate to a Young Agent who is fundraising to go over already. Young Agent Michael Byrd of Manuel Lujan Agency is fund-raising to go over the edge, as is YA President Mike Zambrano. If we get more YA’s interested, we will share the names of our brave souls so your company can con-tribute to their cause.

5. If nothing else, please share this information with your friends, family, co-workers, and anyone else that might be an adrenaline junkie and want to rappel down the side of a 14-story building.

If you would like to go over the edge as a Young Agent or coordinate your company’s involvement with Over the Edge, please con-tact Mike Zambrano for more information.

Over the Edge Fact SheetDenver's Over the Edge Video


mailto:mikez%40newmexicomutual.com?subject=

http://nm.iiaa.org/Young%20Agents/OTE%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD3LXh5ZsKY



The World Health Organization declared that the currentHIN1 outbreak has reached Phase 6. The swine flu has gone big time.

For businesses, Phase 6 is the last alarm bell.

"It needs to be considered a final call for pandemic prepared-ness," said Dr. Joan Pfinsgraff, director of health intelligence at i JET,a business-resiliency specialist.

Companies need to use the opportunity to evaluate how their preparedness plan has held up so far. Have your of-

fice hygiene and cleaningpractices been stepped up? Have you reviewed your sick policy, leavepolicy, travel policy, work-from-home policy and any other policy that involves employees com-ing and going? Is your IT system ready to handle more employ-ees staying away from the office?

Organizations must also have plans in place to maintain a chain of command for each department and location, no matter how many employees go down.

"So there is always someone there to be the leader," she said.

And decisions should have been made as to what is mission critical-in terms of people skills, travel, facilities and products.

To be honest, companies should have tackled these questions when the WHO declared Phases 4 and 5.

by Matt Brodsky

BIG TIMe SwINe Big time swine: the toll from swine flu continues to rise with the

number infected in the tens of thousands.

But if you haven't yet put into place a pandemic preparedness plan--which was the case for 43 percent of respondents in a recent survey, now's not the time to panic.

PHaSe 6: HealTH ImPaCT

Let's not let unprepared employers off the hook too much how-ever. The WHO announcement of Phase 6 is not really news.

The conditions of a pandemic have existed for weeks now, accordingto Dr. Andrew Coburn, vice president of catastrophe research at insurance modeler Risk Management Solutions Inc., which owns a proprietary pandemic model. WHO phases are based strictly on the spread of the disease, not severity. Community outbreaks must occur in at least one country in two or more WHO world regions for it to be officially defined as Phase 6.

Does Your Office Have a Plan?

• Click here for updated IIanm Disaster Plan that incorporates influenza planning.• Click here for stand alone Pandemic Influenza Plan.



http://nm.iiaa.org/AgencyBusResources/2009 disaster manual.doc

http://nm.iiaa.org/AgencyBusResources/stand alone influenza disaster plan.doc

We would like to invite everyone in the Association to celebrate our collective success in this endeavor, so throughout 2009, we will be announcing a number of fun and informative initiatives to

commemorate this milestone year.Every month La Voz will feature a trivia question where the answers can be located on

our web site and Membership Directory.

This month's trivia question is:

"In What City & State is Our National Office Located?"

email your answers to [email protected] by September 18, 2009. on September 21, there will be a drawing for the winner

from the correct entries.look out for next month issue of la Voz for your next chance to win!

From the Wild, Wild West to the Best of the Best!IIANM Celebrates our

75th Anniversary in 2009!

last month's wInner!!Kiyoko Dulac USI Southwest, albuquerque, nm

HInT: If you do not have access to a hard copy of our Membership Directory, you can find it online on our site. Look for “Member Resources”, then “Member Directory”.


Win an iPod Shuffle!!

http://www.iiaba.net/NM/05_MemberProductsServices/NAV_MPSMemberResources1?ContentPreference=NM&ActiveState=NM&ActiveTab=STATE&ContentLevel1=MEMPROD&ContentLevel2=MEMRES1



Full Name:

First Name for Badge:

Agency / Company:

Address:

City, State, Zip:

Telephone:

Fax:

The pre-licensing classes are designed to be a review for the state licensing examination. We recommend that students be familiar with the study material prior to attending class.

Study materials are NOT included in class prices.

Pre-Licensing Classes

E-Mail:

Method of Payment:

Bill Agency (Members Only)

Check Enclosed (Payable to IIANM)

M/C Visa Disc Amex

Amount: (all prices include tax)

Card No:

Exp. Date:

Signature:

( )

Send in your registration:

Fax in:(505) 243-3367

Mail in:1511 University Blvd. NEAlbuquerque, NM 87102

Give us a call:(505) 843-7231 (800) 621-3978

Go on-line:www.iianm.org or E-mail:

The FINE PRINT: IIANM reserves the right to cancel/reschedule classes. Please call ahead to verify when classes will run. Decisions will be made three days prior to class. Cancellations received after 5 business days, will be assessed a $50.00 cancellation fee. Cancellations received on or after deadline and ‘no shows‘ will forfeit the registration fee altogether. A substitute is always welcome, with no extra fee, but prior notification would be appreciated.

Class Name/Date:

( )

Instructor: Jack Cleary - September 15 - 16 8am - 5pm Instructor: Kitty Leslie - October 13 - 14 8am - 5pm

Property & Casualty Review Class (2 days)

Regular Price: $150 Member Price: $120

Click here for a full listing of our education program.

Life & Health Review Class (1 day)

Regular Price: $115 Member Price: $90

Instructor: Manny Mansour - September 17 8am - 5pm Instructor: Bob Ouellette - October 15 8am - 5pm

Insurance Education Programs in New Mexico are critical to a successful and profitable career in the insurance industry. Every year, we offer exciting opportunities to expand your professional horizons. All of these education programs are designed to help insurance agents thrive in the most competitive of marketplaces.

EducationEDGEIIANM’s

[email protected]

Pre-Licensing Study MaterialsTo see a list of what is available and to purchase your study materials online, click here.



http://www.iiaba.net/main/CB_Website/Affiliated/StateAssociation/NM/03_Education/NAV_EDUEducation?ContentPreference=NM&ActiveState=NM&ActiveTab=STATE&ContentLevel1=EDUCTN

mailto:jeff%40iianm.org?subject=

http://www.iiaba.net/cbsupx/education/evtpreview.aspx?evt=6523


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Looking to fill a position within your agency? Trying to find a job but don’t know where to look?

Whether you are looking for somewhere new to share your special skills or an employer looking for quality, professional employees, we are there to lend a helping hand.

The staff at IIANM knows that “Teamwork Makes Us Stronger” and we want to help all interested individuals find that perfect fit.

Click here to take advantage of IIANM’s Job Bank.

Where Will You Find Your Next Great Hire?

- Click on a class to register online - CE = continuing education hours

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September's Clickable Calendar

E&O /Loss Control

ACSR #48 CE

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ProfessionalDevelopment

ACSR #58 CE

"Last Chance Seminar"

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http://www.iiaba.net/NM/08_AgencyBusinessResources/08_JobBank/NAV_AGNCYJobBank?ContentPreference=NM&ActiveState=NM&ActiveTab=STATE&ContentLevel1=AGNCYBUS&ContentLevel2=AGNCYBNK



http://nm.iiaa.org/seminar/2009LastChance/faxable%20registration.pdf

Independent Insurance Agents of New Mexico - www.iianm.org - * September 200 Independent Insurance Agents of New Mexico - www.iianm.org - * September 2009 Page 31

As he walked in my office, his manner was bold.His clothes were sharp, but his eyes were cold.With a wink and a smile that curled underneathOf teeth that were yellowed like aging gold leaf.

coming hard market

He said he”d come from a far, far awayWith a contract in hand to sign here today.“I’m here on behalf of the greatest Insurer,My motives today couldn’t be purer...”

Sign with us now, and you’ll be worry free.Our commissions are twice of any you’ll see.

We’ll write burning buildings, we’ll write pregnant women.We’ll even write flood when they’re already swimmin’.

We’ll write roofers and loggers and men in tall cranes...Policemen and firemen and mentally insane.

We’ll insure Mazeratti’s, and comp. on your drillers.And when you’re done drillin’, we’ll take the hole fillers

You won’t need more markets, cause we do it all...We’ll be here forever, just give me a call.

I looked at the gent with the generous offer,And dreamed of commissions soon filling my coffers.Why monkey with markets that look at the future?When I can have it all now, like my in-law the moocher.With my loyalty melting, he was close to a coup,“til his insincere grin brought back deja vous.It hit me real hard, like a strong cup of Joe,This same guy was here a decade ago.He’d cancelled my contract, much like this one here,And delivered the news with his patented snear.We’re not making money, so we have to pull out,It’s a shame I can’t stay to help you all out.We can no longer write your client’s best car,We couldn’t care less about a clean MVR.We won’t write your doctor, or dentist, or preacher...And forget that renewal for your favorite teacher.Don’t beg us to stay ‘cause we don”t care a lickWe won’t even write “fire” on steel-encased brick.He had wished me well as he left to go pack“If things improve, perhaps we’ll be back...”Well now was later, but things are the same.I’d be darned if I play his cash-flow game.So I wished him well as I showed him the wayPast the plaques of companies that decided to stay.

by thom turbett

an ode to the

I’d passed on the quick fix, but I felt like a kingSecure in the thought that I did the right thing.Be skeptical of promises too good to be true,You can never go wrong to stick with the few...Who do what they say, and stay when they do.

o

dds

end

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(((with apologies to dr((((((((((((((( seuss(

CEO, IIANM



an ode to the

September 2009 La Voz

Documents

Transcript of September 2009 La Voz