Allstate Dumps Agent, Stirs Protest

Mr. Bryant, whose office is in Hammond, La., testified in early March before the Maryland House Economic Matters Committee on House Bill 521.

The bill seeks to extend the expiration date of statutes prohibiting insurers from, among other things, denying coverage to consumers on the basis of their credit scores. The House passed the bill March 22 and forwarded it to the Senate for consideration.

Mr. Guilmette told National Underwriter that Canton, Mich.-based NAPAA believes that Mr. Bryant's appearance before the Maryland lawmakers was "one of the major reasons" for his termination.

In an April 3 letter to both the Maryland House Economic Matters Committee and the Maryland Senate Finance Committee, the NAPAA reported that some Allstate "operatives" went to Mr. Bryant's office on April 2 to inform him about the termination. Also said to be present were a police officer and a technician who unhooked the phone system, according to NAPAA.

Allstate, in a letter, gave the reason for the termination as Mr. Bryant's "failure ?to maintain a professional and business-like relationship" with Allstate, as well as his agency's "failure to meet business objectives established" by Allstate.

But in NAPAA's view, Allstate's "idea of a business relationship is that you do what you are told and you make no argument about it," Mr. Guilmette said.

He explained that if an agent such as Mr. Bryant tries to insist on a genuine independent-contractor business relationship, Allstate construes that as the failure to maintain a professional business relationship.

NAPAA pointed out in its letter that one of Allstate's business objectives is "to impose credit scoring on the American people."

NAPAA went on to write that insurance companies do not want lawmakers "to hear the agents' voices because no one knows better than agents how credit scoring affects their customers."

In short, Mr. Bryant's termination serves as an example of how far Allstate will go against agents who dare to "reveal the truth about credit scoring," NAPAA reasoned.

According to Mr. Guilmette, Mr. Bryant has been a "champion and a standard bearer" for NAPAA, "and by extension all Allstate agents" and even consumers.

Mr. Bryant joined the NAPAA board of directors two years ago, Mr. Guilmette said.

Shortly thereafter, Mr. Bryant also became the legislative chairman for the Coalition of Exclusive Agent Associations, a Baltimore-based umbrella organization for associations of exclusive agency producers.

Mr. Bryant also was a driving force behind successful legislation prohibiting insurers from imposing life and health sales quotas in Louisiana as a condition for the authority to sell property-casualty insurance, Mr. Guilmette said.

He stressed that Mr. Bryant will continue as an NAPAA board member and as "a voice for the agents."

Neither Mr. Bryant nor Allstate were immediately available for comments.