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Advantages of Big 'I' Membership * Agency Management * Back to Basics * Commercial Lines * Personal Lines * Insurance Laws & Statutes/Coverage Resources
NCCI Rolls Out New Learning Center Platform, Resources for Agents and Brokers
In 2024, the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) rolled out a modernized Learning Center accessible to the public. The Learning Center provides a range of topics, including classification, experience rating, the residual market, and more. This article covers the new learning path and other valuable resources available to insurance agents and brokers who want to learn more about workers compensation.
New Social Media Automation Tool through Trusted Choice
If your agency wants to do more on social media but struggles to find the time to create content and keep on top of regularly posting, a new product available through Trusted Choice – Social Jazz, is the solution you’ve been waiting for. This new tool allows you to automatically create a 12-month social media calendar with just a few minutes of set-up and directly posts to your accounts each week. You can select the topics that are relevant to your agency as well as your region then see your custom content calendar come together.
"How Much Coverage Do I Need?"
Every professional agent knows to never answer the question, “How much liability coverage do I need?” But even if you don’t overtly answer the question, you may be leading or limiting your client’s choices. Don’t inadvertently make the limits choice for them, or limit the amount of coverage they can purchase.
Getting Sued by Being Too Helpful: Stick to Your Expertise
Insurance agents have a deep desire to help their clients any way they can; but sometime, agents undertake to help in ways and areas where they are not qualified (or licensed). Don’t answer questions you are not qualified or legally able to answer just because you want to help. Being too helpful can get you sued.
Are Insurance Agents "Professionals"?
Are insurance agents "professionals"? Is an insurance agent considered as skilled in his or her discipline as a doctor, lawyer, architect, engineer, etc.? Professionals are held to a higher standard of care and how you hold yourself out to the general public can determine the nature and extent of your liability.
What Does Symbol 1 on the Business Auto Policy Cover?
While Symbol 1 of the Commercial Auto Policy should cover “any auto” your insured drives, there are no guarantees that 1) Your carrier will allow this coverage on all or any of your insured’s vehicles, and 2) that the carrier won’t add an additional audit charge at audit after an accident involving “any auto.” Often if an insured removes a commercial vehicle from service and asks to have that vehicle deleted from the policy while the vehicle is out of service, the carrier will not allow that change under Symbol 1. Read on for deeper understanding of Symbol 1 from our Ask an Expert panel.
Running MVRs for Commercial Auto Clients
Agents often get pulled into spots they don’t need to be; one of those is pulling MVRs for commercial auto clients. If asked to run MVRs for your commercial auto client, what should you do?
“Pollution” Incident…BAP or CGL?
Leaked fluids from a wreck of two vehicles were not properly cleaned up by a private firm. As a result, a motorcyclist was seriously injured when he slid through the oil slick. In the claim against the private firm, would this be a BAP or CGL exposure? Does the pollution exclusion in either policy apply?
Abusing the Pollution Exclusion
A contractor was hauling an oil tank on his flatbed trailer to a disposal site. The tank leaked a small amount of oil onto the road and a motorcycle in back of the truck slid on the oil, injuring the driver. The insurance carrier denied the loss based on the pollution exclusion. Do you agree? We don't and here's why....
Additional Living Expense: Be Careful the Advice You Take
Additional Living Expense is specifically limited in the HO policy; however, at least one group that undertakes to provide “expert” opinions believes that there is no limit. Be careful the advice you take and read the policy yourself rather than depending on others. The E&O claim you avoid could be your own.
The PAP and Additional Insureds
Some employers of people who use their personal autos for business want to be named as additional insureds on their personal auto policies (PAPs). However, many companies refuse to do this on the basis that they don't want the broader exposure or that the business owner has no insurable interest. Actually, there's no need to name the business as an AI on the PAP, although there could be a need for a PAP endorsement similar to a "do nothing" endorsement in the business auto program.
Back to Basics - What is Coinsurance and How Do I Describe it to My Clients?
Understanding the importance of coinsurance and describing it to your clients is important in both personal and commercial lines coverages. This article will explain what coinsurance is, why insurers rely on it and why, considering escalating property values, it is critical that your insureds understand and embrace this concept.
Condo Laws
Need help finding the condominium laws of each state? This reference gives you the condominium law, the horizontal property law, the common ownership law, or whatever it is called of every state. Useful – and needed - whether you insure the association or the unit owner.
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