Agents Forming Ethics Group

According to the group's statement of purpose, the group will be dedicated to addressing "the unethical and unfair business practices that affect the consumer and our insurance profession."

Ms. Mylks said in the past few months the organizers have met with more than 200 insurance agents and carrier executives across the property-casualty and life-health lines in the Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. area.

"One thing we want to fight against is the idea that there are some who think insurance agents will do anything for money," said Ms. Mylks.

"There are some of us who think a lot about these ethical issues, and we are willing to spend our own money and time to work to heighten our perception. There are a lot of us who believe strongly that we need the public to know that we are a very credible industry," she said.

The organization, explained Dick Harlow, a managing partner of the Harlow Group, a life-health agency in Reston, Va., began after some life-health agents felt they received unfair treatment by UnitedHealth Care, after the Minnetonka, Minn.-based company purchased Mid Atlantic Medical Services Inc., of Rockville, Md.

Mr. Harlow said the company was not going to limit its agent distribution force but changed its mind after the acquisition of MAMSI, limiting distribution to only a few brokers. The decision was considered an unfair practice, which promoted the agents' discussions.

A representative from UnitedHealth did not return a request for comment.

Karen Hammond, president of the Hammond Agency Inc., in Falls Church, Va., another of the founders, said while the association began as an organization to protest UnitedHealth (at one point, she said, they were thinking of calling the group Agents United Against United), the group soon began to feel that it could accomplish more by broadening its purpose.

"We asked, ?What are we really trying to accomplish, a short-term goal or to create a group where any agent can bring [ethical] issues forward?" Ms. Hammond said. "We felt that this was the right time for this group."

UIP is not seeking to dictate contract terms or determine carrier business decision, said Ms. Mylks, but it is attempting to act as a conscience to the entire insurance industry?property-casualty and life-health.

"We are going to promote fair and ethical practices in this industry," she insisted. "We will be on planes soon and crossing the country to pull agents together to help get this done."

"We are just beginning to get off the ground," echoed Mr. Harlow. "We believe [this organization] has legs and we'll see where it goes."

Additional information can be obtained by e-mailing the association's executive director, Melanie Cash, at melanie@harlowgroup.com.