Two for Tuesday Header
In This Issue:
Errors for Energy or Exposure
Going All-In
Special Feature: Agility Gives Thanks
 
Additional Items:
New Webinars
Parting Shot
TRIVIA! Answers and Winners
Last Week's Most Clicked
Sale of the Week
 

 
Errors for Energy or Errors of Exposure
It would seem to me that you would want, perhaps even demand, your computer accurately do calculations 100% of the time, but apparently accuracy can be traded for energy savings. In the push for smaller computers and other electronic devices there are some compromises that have to be made. The smaller the transistors get the more power they require to remain as accurate as their larger cousins.

A couple of weeks ago at the perhaps appropriately called OOPSLA conference a new system called Chisel was presented by MIT researchers that will allow programmers to select sections of their program that can be a little more error-filled. An example would be in graphics. The programmer can test different levels of error to determine how much can be tolerated before display flaws starts to be noticeable to the viewer. The trade-off can make for up to 19% in power savings.

Errors & Omissions to your technology products and service cannot be tolerated however; and that's where Technology Office Pac - Travelers Select comes in. Already a great product now they've expanded their appetite, coverages, and added new endorsements.

Technology Office Pac - Travelers Select has the following coverages:
Technology Office Pac is currently available to member agents in all states except AK, FL, HI, LA, RI & TX. For more information view the Technology Office Pac - Travelers Select product on www.bigimarkets.com.  
 
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Special Feature:
Agility Gives You the Chance to Give Thanks
During the month of November, as our nation pauses to give thanks, Big "I" endorsed partner Agility Recovery Solutions has committed to donating $1 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund for every social media post of thankfulness. Any post that uses the hashtag #AgilityThankful will trigger the donation from Agility up to a maximum amount of $15,000. The rules are simple: Visit Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn and briefly tell us why you're "Thankful" and make sure to use the hashtag #AgilityThankful. We'll take care of the rest!

Agility began 25 years ago as a unit of GE. It currently protects more than 20,000 organizations. Agility has rescued thousands of businesses and never failed. Learn more at at http://www2.agilityrecovery.com.  
 
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Going All-In for Condominium Coverage
The phrase "all in" has multiple meanings. The first that comes to my mind is to be fully committed such as pushing in all your chips when playing Poker. Another meaning is when a person has completely worn themselves out either mentally or physically. A third meaning is All Inclusive. That's where MiddleOak®'s All-In CAPsure® Condominium Association optional coverage comes in. Your client's owners won't have to gamble or become worn out with how long it will take to recover from a loss.

All-In coverage is optional and provides building protection, including coverage for unit owners' fixtures, improvements, alterations and major appliances. This shifts certain claims against the unit owner's policy to the Condo Association's which streamlines the claims process and can speed up the time to claim payment.

Eligible Classes / Occupancies
  • Condominium Association
  • Homeowner's Association
  • Cooperatives
  • Seasonal Association
  • Secondary / Rental Association
  • Timeshares
  • Planned Unit developments
  • Condominium Conversions
  • Self-managed Association
The CAPsureSM Program provides quality coverage with options such as:
  • Building and Business Personal Property Coverage
  • Comprehensive Liability including Personal Injury
  • Special Perils (including Equipment Breakdown coverage)
  • Guaranteed Unlimited Replacement Cost - NO LOSS LIMITATION OR CAP!
  • Mechanical Breakdown
  • Loss of income (actual loss sustained for 18 months)
  • Law and Ordinance
  • Flood
  • Earthquake
  • Hired and Non-Owned Automobile liability
  • Water back up and Sump Overflow
  • The WORLDS APART Advantage Endorsement (Over 20 Coverage Enhancements)
Coverage Availability:
The CAPsureSM - Community Association Program is currently available to member agents in AR, AZ, CO, DE, GA, IA, ID, IN, KY, MD, ME, MI, MO, MT, NH, NJ, NY*, NV, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, UT, VA, VT, WA, and WI.

*Lower New York Risks including those in the 5 boroughs and some territories in Westchester County are not eligible.  
 
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New Webinars
Remember that you can view the following webinars 24/7 by checking out the BIM Webinar Library. To do that log onto Big "I" Markets and click on "Publications".
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"OH BY THE WAY...FLOOD SALE" WEBINAR
Interested in learning flood marketing techniques? Participate in the "Oh, By the Way...Flood Sale" webinar presented by Big "I" Flood Program Manager, Jeff St. John. Topics in the fast-paced 1 hour presentation include: Reasons to Sell Flood Insurance • Reasons Consumers Should Buy • Limited Product Knowledge • Misconceptions by Agents & Consumers • Talking Points & Myth Busters • The Flood Risk • Flood Resources – Facts & Statistics.
 
Webinar dates:
The webinar for Wednesday, December 3rd has been cancelled.
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BIM WEBSITE TRAINING WEBINAR
For all you folks who recently registered for Big "I" Markets, remember you can participate in a webinar from the comfort of your office to help you learn how to navigate around the system. Every Thursday at 2:00 p.m. EST we'll show you how to navigate the Big "I" Markets platform, including how to submit a quote! Register for the webinar by sending an email with your name and company name to bigimarkets@iiaba.net. Include "Website Navigation Webinar" in the subject line or body of your email. A recording of this webinar can be found under "Publications" after logging into Big "I" Markets.

There will be no Training Webinar on Thursday, November 20th or Thursday, November 27th.
 
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Student of the Industry Parting Shot
"Are reduced commissions the wave of the future?"
Last week in an article written by Jim Holm, CEO of Enhancedinsurance.com in the online enewsletter Property Casualty 360, he asks: "Are reduced commissions the wave of the future?" And then: "With two industry leaders finding success through reduced commissions, is our industry on the verge of killing the independent agency goose-that-lays-the-golden-egg?" A few days later a response to the article was written by Tom Ealy President of Encompass saying: "Nope. Here's why we're increasing our agency commissions." If you read those articles, whatever your conclusion on what the future holds, as you can see below, commissions from agency insurers has not fallen.

Below is a graph on direct commission paid over the last 10 years by the composite of insurers created by A.M. Best of P&C Agency insurers totaling about 600 Property/Casualty Organizations.

Does anyone have a guess as to why commissions to agencies might have increased? Here's a hint: the commissions counted below by A.M. Best do NOT include contingency commissions.
 

Click Graph for larger version
Source: A.M. Best Aggregates & Averages
 
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Two for Tuesday Trivia
Be one of the first five with the correct answers and win an envy-inspiring TFT Trivia T-shirt. Don't forget to answer the Tie Breaker!

Congratulations to this week's winners!

Wendy S. Harvey (RI), Sandra Wheeler (WY), Ed James (FL), George Goodman (NY) & Jayne Larson (SD)
 
1. What excess coverage does RLI offer that would pay for an insured's injuries if they are struck by a distracted driver who doesn't have enough insurance? - UM/UIM
 
2. Who was the only candidate to receive electoral votes after death? - HORACE GREELY in 1872
 
3. AIG's Equipment Breakdown and Equipment Breakdown Plus will replace broken equipment with a "green" version (better for the environment, safer or more efficient) for up to how much of the replacement value? - 125%
 
TIE BREAKER
 
Who was the first woman to ever get an Electoral College vote in a U.S. Presidential election? Hint: It’s not Geraldine Ferraro. - THEODORA NATHAN

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Last Week's Most Clicked Links
Here are the top three items that got BIM agents clicking from our last edition... see what you missed! We had a tie at #3 last week.
  1. E&O Case Studies
  2. E&O Happens website
  3. Equipment Breakdown and Equipment Breakdown Plus Flyer 
  4. Winterizing Your Facility - Tip Sheet for your clients 
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Big "I" Markets Sale of the Week
Congrats to our agent in California on a Travel insurance sale of $1,822 in premium!  
 
Tuesday, November 11, 2014

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TFT is authored by Michael Welch
Big "I" Markets Service Coordinator