Merger-and-acquisition activity, cloud computing, transportation and cyber risks are just four of the noteworthy topics scheduled to be covered at the Target Market Program Administrators Association midyear meeting next month.

Specialty insurance market participants who are planning their calendars for the weeks ahead should also make room for this week’s webinar on the Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act, sponsored by the National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices Ltd., and for NU’s webinar later this month, “You Can Make Market Cycles Work For You!”

May 9-11: 2011 TMPAA Midyear Meeting

Keynoter Tom Peters, the business-management guru who authored bestselling book “In Search of Excellence,” and industry speaker John Doyle, CEO of Global Commercial Business, Chartis, are sure to draw crowds for their presentations at the TMPAA midyear meeting taking place at The Westin Copley Place in Boston next month.

With eight additional educational workshops on the three-day schedule—in addition to networking events—NU editors selected what they think are the most-intriguing hot topics and can’t-miss sessions on the schedule:

• Evaluating The Financial Strength Of Program Markets, Market Conditions, And What To Expect In 2011/2012

May 10, 10:30 a.m.

We all want to know how close the industry is to a market turn, and speaker David Paul of ALIRT Insurance Research has insights—and numbers—to share with TMPAA members.

Paul gave NU a preview of his presentation, comparing key financial data from the years leading up to the last market turn and the current market. He’ll also give his assessment of the financial strength of TMPAA member carriers based on a proprietary ALIRT scoring method. (See related article, “No Red Alerts In Program Business Segment.”)

• Financial Statement Facelift—Improving Your Financial Statements For Presentation To Carriers, Reinsurers, Lenders, Or Equity Partners.

May 11, 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

“Balance Sheet Botox” and “Income Statement Scrub” are among the catchy phrases that drew our eyes toward the summary of this session scheduled to be presented by Kelly Drouillard, president and CEO of Quivira Capital LLC, a Kansas City, Mo.-based consulting firm.

She promises to explain how “classification and cleanup” of a balance sheet can strengthen the financial perception of your company.

“Owners typically have their own understanding of the financial performance of their business, which is not always apparent to outside parties. Many times there are basic and simple changes you can make to your financial statements and projections that will improve evaluation from an outside third party,” according to the session summary.

• Cloud Technology—What You Need To Know And Understand For Your Program Business Operation.

May 11, 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

In the clouds about cloud technology? Wondering if you should even care about it when new IT concepts just seem to add to your expenses?

Barry Ogletree, senior IT manager, Overby-Seawell Co., aims to help you over the hurdles during a workshop designed for business owners and managers. He’ll explain what cloud technology is, how it will help your bottom line, who is using it and whether its use is within the reach of small and midsize companies.

TMPAA Midyear Registration information, the complete agenda, and carrier and vendor information summaries are available at http://www.targetmkts.com/index.cfm?page=_meeting.

April 19, 2 p.m. Eastern: NAPSLO’S NRRA Webinar

NAPSLO says the status of implementation of surplus lines reforms and the impact on surplus lines brokers and carriers will be the subject of its upcoming webinar—“Will You Be Ready in July for the NRRA?”

NAPSLO executives and lawyers are scheduled to review state actions taken to date to implement NRRA—the package of surplus lines reforms contained in the federal financial services reform bill approved in July 2010.

Then they’ll explain what agents, brokers and carriers should know—and expect—when the law goes into effect.

Briefly, NAPSLO notes that beginning July 21, NRRA mandates that the insured's home state will be the only state with jurisdiction over surplus lines transactions and the only state that can require a tax be paid by the broker.

In order to comply, states are revising their laws.

Many are also considering forming a tax compact to handle allocation of surplus lines premium taxes. This may impose some additional reporting requirements for brokers and could impact companies, NAPSLO says.

Scheduled webinar speakers are:

• Richard Bouhan, NAPSLO Executive Director

• Steve Stephan, NAPSLO Director of Government Relations

• Libby Baney, Vice President, B&D Consulting, NAPSLO Washington D.C. Lobbyist

• Michael Byrne, Partner, Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP

• Dan Maher, Executive Director, Excess Line Association of New York.

The same lineup of speakers participating in the April 10 webinar provided an early overview of the law last year. NU’s coverage of the prior event was detailed in the following articles:

• Dodd-Frank Delivers Single-State Tax, Single-State Regs For Multi-State Risks

• NAPSLO Work Continues On E&S Reforms; State Action Still Needed

There is no charge to attend the April 19 webinar. To register, click here or look for a link on the NAPSLO website.

April 28, 2 p.m. Eastern: NU Cycles Webinar

The webinar, “You Can Make Market Cycles Work For You,” features Paul Romano, president of OneBeacon Professional Insurance, and John Chace, OBPI senior vice president and chief underwriting officer, who promise to give “an inside look” at what’s driving today's specialty insurance market cycles.

They will also share insights on how you can use these forces to your advantage.

There is no charge to attend the April 28 webinar. To register, click here or look for the link under the web seminar channel of NU’s website at www.PropertyCasualty360.com.

Special Reports /

Program Administrators To Gather At TMPAA Midyear

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