American Agent & Broker January 2009
Features
It Ain't Easy Being Green: The Unique Risks of Green Construction-and How to Overcome Them
As the move toward green construction pushes forward, insurance agencies need to know how to protect their clients in this unfamiliar territory. What challenges should agencies representing design professionals worry about, and how can they prevent
Features
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A Smart Idea in a Tough Market
When looking for help, the best person to contact is someone with experiences similar to your own. As part of our business model, we've found it useful to hire and train retired executives and senior citizens
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Cover Story: The Graying of America: Can Insurance Cope?
For more information, read these AA&B Web exclusive articles: Recruitment: The Big-Picture View and Recruitment: The Youthful Perspective. Back in 1970, sociologist Charles A. Reich posited in his book "The Greening of
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That Blanket May Not Be As Warm As You Think
You probably remember the concept of blanket insurance as explained in the property section of your licensing course. Things have progressed a bit since then, and we need to take another look at how this idea plays out in today's world of
Columns
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Policy Issues: It's Not Too Early For Planting Season
Happy New Year 2009! Welcome again to the time of year when hope springs eternal, new horizons beckon, the errors of the past are sworn to be overcome, and the future's so bright, we have to wear shades.Or is
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The Last Word: M&A Beyond the Bucks
Whenever one entity seeks to acquire another, the primary focus often is seller compensation. While sellers should insist on good prices for their businesses, other considerations often dictate whether the
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Agency Technology: Have I Reached The Party To Whom I Am Speaking?
"One ringy-dingy...two ringy dingy...Have I reached the party to whom I am speaking?" If you're a baby boomer, you probably recognize these words from Lily Tomlin's Ernestine
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For the Manager: Improving Staff Morale Hinges on Producer
If you want to improve your agency's performance levels, you must first improve producer performance. Then you likely will find that your staff's performance also improves. Agencies with poor producer
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Strictly Sales: Get in the Arena to Achieve Your Desires
"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose
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Editorial: Toss the Floppy Tie
I remember floppy bow ties for women. I'm proud to say I never wore one, but those hideous emblems of the corporate world of 20 years ago--along with stiff three-piece suits, huge shoulder pads and,
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Down to Cases: Saved by the Skin of Its Teeth
Because insurance agents and brokers often are the firsts to receive notices of losses or claims, it is their responsibilities to immediately report those claims to the insurers. The California Dept. of Insurance
Departments
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Getting Personal: Lifestyles and Carriers of the Affluent
Bill suffered a devastating fire to his custom home. Fortunately, no one in the family was home during the fire, but the house and its contents are nearly all destroyed. He contacts his insurance agent to make a claim. The home, not including
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Legislative Roundup: Credit-Based Scoring Creates Need for Education
Credit-based insurance scoring is now a time-tested and common industry practice, extensively studied and consistently found to be a valid measure of risk. It has been reviewed by individual insurance departments and
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Agency Success Story: Ahead of the Curve-Spotlight on personal lines equals success for agency
L to R: Jeffrey Brady and Lanette Bauer, Brady, Chapman, Holland & Assocs.; Mickie Comiskey, chief operating officer of Focus; Donald Woodard and Harlan Berger, Insurance Alliance
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Industry IQ: Talent Recruitment and Retention Survey
According to the Insurity/Microsoft Millennials in Insurance Survey 2008, nearly 60 percent of our employees are older than age 45. Between now and 2014, the U.S. property-casualty industry must fill almost 100,000 underwriting and claims
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Industry IQ: Americans Worry About Crime Exposure
More than four in 10 Americans are worried that the economic environment can expose their families to crime, according to a nationwide survey of 1,000 people conducted by the Chubb Group of Insurance Cos. Among
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Industry IQ: III's Hartwig: Banks, Not Insurers, Need More Laws
Notwithstanding the bad press generated by the AIG bailout, property-casualty carriers must convince Congress they are better at risk management than their banking counterparts to avoid federal regulation.In a
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Industry IQ: Insurance Execs Believe in Green Potential
The majority of insurance executives expect green insurance to be a durable, considerable and profitable market segment in the future. According to a recent study by Simon-Kucher & Partners of 1,500 U.S.
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Industry IQ: California Wildfire Costs $800 Million
The total insured losses from three wildfires that have swept across California are likely to be between $600 and $800 million, according to AIR Worldwide Corp., a Boston-based modeling techniques firm owned by
