American Agent & Broker March 2006
Features
Weighing the Risks and Rewards of E-signatures
One of the highlights of the American Association of Managing General Agents' University Weekend, held last August in Scottsdale, Ariz., was a mock trial and panel discussion addressing the use and enforceability of electronic signatures. Many
Features
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Writing Ship-Shape Coverage for Boat and Yacht Owners
DAMON Hostetter surrounded himself with ships long before he entered the boat and yacht insurance business. After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy, he served as an officer aboard destroyers, making several tours to Southeast Asia and the South
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Hurrah for the Hat Pack!
WHERE WOULD your agency be without an employee manual? The sacred codex of your agency's policies and procedures instructs your employees how to dress, when to come to work and what duties to perform. Without it, confusion or, at the very least,
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AA&B Special Report: Will E&S Markets Have the Capacity to Feel Competitive in 2006?
FROM 2001 through 2003, the excess and surplus lines marketplace enjoyed a remarkable run. As standard insurers curbed their underwriting in the hard market, direct written premiums in the E&S segment increased by 35.66% in 2001, by 61.67% in 2002
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Immigrants Seeking Opportunity Also Create One for Agency
THE UNITED States, it has been said, is a nation of immigrants. For more than 200 years, people from around the world have come to America to start new lives. Immigration continues to reshape the county in the 21st century; and as Dave Mannato, an
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Understanding How Personalities Affect Negotiations
The following article is based on Ms. Allison's presentation at the ASCnet Conference, which was held in October in Nashville, Tenn. RAISE YOUR HAND if you've been trained in the art of negotiation. It's not a skill taught in school. You learn it in
Columns
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What's Going On: Agents Head to Washington for Annual Lobbying Event
April, the month in which independent insurance agents typically flock to Washington to lobby their elected representatives, is just around the corner. Thanks to characters like Jack Abramoff, lobbying lately has fallen under a shadow. That's
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Policy Issues: The flaw in using flawed opinions to deny claims
Welcome to March, which is National Ethics Month, as sponsored by the CPCU Society and other fine insurance organizations. A while back, an alert reader sent me an intriguing e-mail message regarding an ethics issue, and this is just the
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For The Manager: When hiring producers, know what sort you're after
Hiring a producer is one thing; successfully hiring one is quite another. In small and midsize agencies in particular, hiring just one producer can make a big difference, for better or worse. Producers with similar experience and production
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Strictly Sales: Five Exercises to Get Your Sales Figures in Shape
The first quarter of 2006 is nearly over, but it's not too late to formulate a sales strategy for the rest of the year. The five exercises below can help you set and reach new goals. Exercise oneAll successful salespeople know their key
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Automation: Keeping your system intact and accessible in a crisis
I recently heard some first-hand observations of agents who were victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita last summer, and it gave me food for thought. Some agents experienced property damage and loss of data they hadn't anticipated, as 30-foot
Departments
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Down To Cases
Non-piracy agreement covering agency's clients and prospects ruled enforceable In April 2001, five agency employees asked a circuit court to invalidate a restrictive covenant in their employment agreement. The covenant provided that,
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