American Agent & Broker April 2005
Features
A study raises questions about contingencies
THE INVESTIGATION of contingency payments that started last year in one way or another will affect even the smallest independent insurance agency-and probably every insurer and general agency using independent agents and brokers. These investigations
Features
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Eight reasons why programs fail to fly
This article was based on Mr. Jordan's presentation at the Fourth Annual Target Markets Program Administrators Summit, which was held in October in Tempe, Ariz. WHY do insurance programs fail? That's an important question to us at Lexington
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Beyond City Hall: Insuring water and sewer authorities
WHEN most agents and brokers think about public-entity business, arranging insurance for cities, counties and school districts is what comes to mind. But there are many other governmental units that need protection too, and I've built my career
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Honing our game for golf courses and country clubs
HITTING a clean drive down the middle of the fairway and judging the distance to the green are skills that don't come naturally to most people. Indeed, the skill-building work required before one begins golfing gives rise to a phrase that describes
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How we developed a healthy book of med mal insurance
MEDICAL malpractice insurance is not for the faint-hearted. This is a line that can be subject to great volatility, as hard-to-predict claim severity drives insurers out of the market--or even out of business. To insure professionals like doctors,
Columns
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For The Manager: Assessing the impact of clusters on agency value
HISTORICALLY, independent insurance agencies have owned two intangible assets: their customer lists and their company contracts. Few valuations separate the values of the two, since they are integrated. Some company contracts increase an agency's
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Policy Issues: Home business needs should hit agents like a truck
OK, ALL you aging Hollies fans, sing along with me: "Look through any window, yeah, what do you see?" I'll tell you what I see. UPS trucks, FedEx trucks, DHL trucks, scurrying all about our neighborhood. What is generating all this activity?
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Automation: Shredding services are one option for paper disposal
IN THE wake of HIPAA and Graham-Leach-Bliley, agencies are increasingly sensitive about their responsibility to protect their clients' privacy. Recent news stories have shown the damage that can be done to a company's reputation when it announces
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Strictly Sales: Maintaining your revenue in a softening market
"Strictly Sales" is written by the faculty of the Dynamics of Selling program. This month's column is from Tom Barrett, CIC, AAI. AS MANY agencies begin dealing with a softening market, they focus on keeping their annual written premium at its
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What's Going On: Regulators start to sing a new tune about agents
IT LOOKS like one of those great old Duke Ellington compositions has become the theme song of regulators working on the Model Compensation Disclosure Amendment to the Producer Licensing Model Act. I'm referring, of course, to "I'm Beginning To See
Departments
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Down To Cases
Coverage for heroin dealers found to be against public policyIn 1998, a young woman in Pennsylvania went to a man's home one evening, hoping to obtain heroin. At the time of the visit, the man was said to have been drinking beer and was under the
