NU Online News Service, May 21, 3:48 p.m. EDT

A New York insurance agents group said a meeting with state legislators has drawn a positive response to their call for repeal of auto photo inspections.

The Glenmont, N.Y.-based Professional Insurance Agents of New York said it met this week with the leader of the state Senate Insurance Committee Sen. Neil D. Breslin, D-Albany and several other members of the state legislature to discuss the issues.

Association President D. Scott Liebert said in a statement, "The issues that concern PIANY are those that will not only have an impact on their agencies, but also have a major effect on the entire New York state economy."

He added that the legislators were receptive to the association's concerns and understand how the association's interests align with the needs of on every consumer in the state.

The association said it has worked for passage of its repeal of "onerous mandatory photo inspections for personal auto insurance; making it more difficult for carriers to collect surcharges on automobile policies and adoption of credit scoring protections for commercial policyholders."

Currently, new policies require two color photographs of an automobile and the insurer to keep copies of those photos. These photos are archived and potentially used to evaluate future claims against the insured.".

"On the issue of credit scoring protections, the same protections enjoyed by personal lines clients are not enjoyed by commercial lines accounts, impacting primarily small commercial clients.

"We appreciate the time both the senators and members of the assembly took to understand our concerns," said Kevin Ryan, PIA president-elect. "The legislators now understand exactly how the issues of independent agents also are the issues of all New York state residents."

Among those legislators PIA members met with earlier this week besides Sen. Breslin were, Assembly Majority Leader Ronald Canestrari, D-parts of Albany, Saratoga and Rensselaer Counties, and Assembly Insurance Committee Chairman Assemblyman Joseph Morelle, D-Monroe.

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