ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 13, 2010 — The Retail Agent—E&S Market Initiative (a collaboration of the Independent Agents & Brokers of America’s Agents Council for Technology (ACT), the American Association of Managing General Agents (AAMGA), the National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices (NAPSLO) and the Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development (ACORD)) will host a free webinar titled “Industry Initiatives to Improve the Efficiency of the E&S Market Make Progress,” on Monday, April 19 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. EDT.
TITLE: “Industry Initiatives to Improve the Efficiency of the E&S Market Make Progress”
AUDIENCE: Retail agents, GAs, wholesalers, carriers & vendors participating in the E&S, program and broker markets
PARTICIPANTS:
John Deibler, JBD Consulting
Angelyn Treutel, Treutel Insurance Agency
Eldon Hunsicker, NOEL Insurance Agency
Sharon Emek, CBS Coverage Group
Mike Ardis, NAPSLO
Cal Durland, ACORD
Mike Roy, CRC - Alabama
Jeff Yates, ACT executive director
DATE: Monday, Apr 19, 2010
TIME: 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. EDT
REGISTRATION: Click HERE or go to https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/834815313
COST: Free
This webinar will address the considerable progress being made to improve the efficiency of the E&S, program & broker markets for retail agents, GAs, wholesalers and carriers. Discussion will include use of ACORD standard applications, development of standard E&S supplements, electronic importing of data to avoid duplicate data entry, download and other related topics.
“The E&S, program and broker markets, are very important to most independent agents and yet agents often find these markets inefficient to deal with because of the lack of use of ACORD standard applications, duplicate data entry, absence of download and GA websites with minimal information and functionality,” says Jeff Yates, ACT executive director. “Over the last two years, ACT, AAMGA, NAPSLO and ACORD have formed and led the Retail Agent E&S Initiative in an effort to begin to address these inefficiencies and to encourage the use of the ACORD standards and more automation among all of the involved parties. The good news is that all of these efforts are starting to bear real fruit and it is important that agents and providers in these markets know about these developments and help us push for their broad implementation.”
ACT, AAMGA and NAPSLO formed the “Retail Agent—E&S Market Initiative” in 2008 to improve the efficiencies for retail agents, managing general agents, wholesale brokers and carriers in the E&S, program and broker markets. ACORD shortly thereafter joined the Initiative as a full partner because of the key role its standard forms and electronic standards play in achieving the needed automation and efficiencies.
ACT: Established in January 1999 by the Insurance Agents and Brokers of America (the Big “I”), ACT provides a candid, action-oriented forum to address the critical workflow and technology issues facing the Independent Agency System. ACT helps participants understand the perspectives of the other stakeholders in the process and provides excellent networking opportunities with the participants who are shaping the future for the industry on these issues. For more information about ACT visit www.independentagent.com/act.
AAMGA: Since 1926, the American Association of Managing General Agents (AAMGA) has served as the trade association to international wholesale insurance professionals, and as a leader representing the interests of its members before the federal, state and local governmental and regulatory agencies, to elected officials and other industry trade associations in the US, Canada and Europe. Through its focus on fostering relationships, conducting market-wide meetings and educational sessions throughout the year, the AAMGA has earned its trusted reputation by serving as the catalyst to industry practitioners focused on the wholesale insurance marketplace.
NAPSLO: Founded in 1974, NAPSLO is a national trade association representing the surplus lines insurance industry. Surplus lines is a specialized segment of the insurance business that is also referred to as non-admitted, specialty and/or excess lines. Risks are placed with the surplus lines market when they cannot be placed in the admitted/licensed market. NAPSLO represents surplus lines insurance agents/brokers and surplus lines insurance companies. NAPSLO has over 1,600 member offices in the United States, Canada, Germany and England. NAPSLO is on the web at www.napslo.org.
ACORD: This global, nonprofit standards development organization serves the insurance industry and related financial services industries. ACORD’s mission is to facilitate the development of open consensus data standards and standard forms. ACORD members include hundreds of insurance and reinsurance companies, agents and brokers, software providers, and industry associations worldwide. ACORD works with these organizations towards a goal of improved data communication across diverse platforms through implementation of standards.
IIABA: Founded in 1896, the Big “I” is the nation’s oldest and largest national association of independent insurance agents and brokers, representing a network of more than 300,000 agents, brokers and their employees nationally. Its members are businesses that offer customers a choice of policies from a variety of insurance companies. Independent agents and brokers offer all lines of insurance—property, casualty, life, health, employee benefit plans and retirement products. Web address: www.independentagent.com.
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