About 15 years ago, the AAMGA automation committee first started meeting with the goals of encouraging members to share knowledge with other members within the MGA/wholesaler community and improve their use of automation and technology internally with greater efficiency to serve their customers and markets. This committee is responsible for the content, functionality and maintenance of the AAMGA's Web site (www.aamga.org) and organizes and hosts the AAMGA Automation & Technology Conference each March. Over the past two years, the committee has taken on a new focus and has begun to also look at real time and its impact on the MGA/wholesaler community.

Through key partnerships with ACORD, NAPSLO (National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices) and ACT (Agents Council for Technology), AAMGA has developed the Joint Working Group. The group's first deliverable, "Roadmap to Effective General Agent Web sites," was released in June. This document explains in detail what MGA/wholesalers should have on their Web site, then breaks the Web sites down into "generations."

A "Generation 1" Web site is one with little information or ability to interact with agents online via e-mail. "Generation 2" Web sites take the next step and are slightly more interactive, allowing for online quoting capabilities and moving MGA/wholesalers closer to actual real time technology. It is the "Generation 3 and 4" Web sites that add straight-through processing, with a Generation 4 Web site being a true real time processing system.