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Education + Analysis for the Independent Agent

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Advantages of Big 'I' Membership * Agency Management * Back to Basics * Commercial Lines * Personal Lines * Insurance Laws & Statutes/Coverage Resources
Best Practices
The Best Practices survey is conducted by Reagan Consulting and the Big "I" as a joint initiative and analyzes the performance of the nation's leading agencies to uncover the methods, procedures, techniques, strategies, and business practices they use to achieve superior results. The Best Practices Study also establishes benchmarks against which agency performance can be measured and offers guidelines on how to use the study as a tool to help improve operations and maximize potential. The tools are a great resource for agency managers or principals who are interested in reviewing their operations to enhance agency performance and profitability.
11 Key Questions to Help Your Clients Avoid Hiring Bad and Unethical Public Adjusters
Learn the key questions to help clients avoid hiring bad and unethical Public Adjusters.
Can Our Agency Cancel or Non-Renew a Client?
In recent months, this has become a hot topic: Can our agency cancel or non-renew a nightmare client?
Producers: Independent Contractors or Employees?
Producers often work for the agency with a lot of independence. Does that make them independent contractors rather than employees? What if they're paid as 1099 workers rather than receiving W2s? Obviously, their employment status can affect how they're viewed by the IRS and your state labor department with regard to workers compensation coverage.
Workers’ Compensation Glossary
A glossary of workers’ compensation terms.
The CGL Professional Liability 'Exclusion'
Unlike the simple ISO HO policy, the ISO CGL policy has no specific professional liability exclusion. As a result, sometimes it can be difficult to determine whether a claim is an "occurrence" and covered by the CGL or an "act, erroror omission" and not covered. In this article, we'll explore this issue and include a dynamite download from an attorney who has examined the legal precedents.
Grow Your Insurance Agency Business by Discovering New Business Ventures
Many consultancies begin out of necessity. An older worker may face a layoff and be unable to quickly find new employment. Professions such as information technology, the finance industry and construction/manufacturing seem to be the most flagrant violators of age discrimination laws. Those over forty who cannot quickly find employment after a downsizing may decide to begin their own consultancy. Others begin businesses to devote more time at home to growing families. No matter the reason, many of your insureds will begin consultancies and may not realize the business exposures they face. You can grow your business by helping these fledgling entrepreneurs better protect themselves as they form and grow their businesses.
Discontinued Operations
This article is about the often misunderstood exposure of discontinued operations. While your Technical Affairs Committee continues to work with ISO to develop stronger coverage for discontinued businesses, this article describes the current state of discontinued ops. With so many business owners retiring and the increased merger and acquisition environment, this issue is front and center on the Big "I"s radar.
Drivers vs. Insureds
We find that often there is a misconception that listing someone as a driver on an auto policy automatically makes them an insured or that someone is not an insured because they are not listed as a driver. The reality is that the policy language is what governs and listing as a driver is more often an underwriting and rating tool. But there are exceptions…caveat emptor!
Understanding ISO’s New ‘Your Belongings’ Form Designed for Millennials
Insurance Services Office (ISO), based on a 2016 survey of millennials, recently introduced the PM 00 43 – Your Belongings Form to allow insureds without a perceived need for a homeowners’ policy to extend coverage to their personal property anywhere in the world. The form indicates a March 2019 effective date.
Condominiums Revisited
This piece answers three condo questions for unit owners. First, when the unit owner is responsible for insuring unit improvements and betterments, is this limited to improvements made by them or any previous owner? Second, should the unit owner’s mortgagee be added as an additional insured or mortgagee on the association’s master policy? And lastly, how should agents respond when the mortgagee is requiring Coverage A limits equal to the loan amount?
Legal Terms Every Agent Should Know
Because agents work in a contract-based industry subject to many legal concepts, understanding specific legal terms is necessary.
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