PIANY Confab To Offer Tech And Flood Info

The Professional Insurance Agents of New York State said it will hold an education forum in October that will feature sessions on real-time technology and flood insurance.

The Glenmont, N.Y.-based group said it expects more than 250 persons to attend the Oct. 11 annual Hudson Valley Regional Awareness Program (RAP) at the Holiday Inn in Suffern, N.Y.

PIANY said the RAP will feature a panel discussion, titled “Get results with Real Time: What's available now,” as well as a flood insurance education program.

The Real Time forum in the afternoon, PIANY said, will feature expert speakers offering ideas on how real-time technology can directly benefit an independent agency's operations.

Keith Savino, CPIA will moderate a panel with representatives from AMS, AMS SETWrite, Applied Systems, Ebix, EZLynx, Fiserv, IVANS Transformation Station and SeaPass Solutions.

The discussion will focus on where the industry is today, how real-time can be a part of a feasible agency workflow, and how real-time benefits can be directly posted to the agency's bottom line. Mr. Savino serves as PIA National's liaison to ACORD, the technology standards group.

PIANY said the Real Time session has been submitted for New York and New Jersey continuing education credits.

Donna Chiapperino, chair of Hudson Valley RAP and PIANY treasurer, said for agencies, “using multiple carrier sites to rate new business has become a complicated task. By learning how to incorporate real-time into an agency's day-to-day operations, customer service representatives can complete previously time-consuming tasks in a much shorter period.”

The flood insurance session covering the basics of the National Flood Insurance Program will be led by expert Sheldon Hansen.

PIANY said the flood course is approved for continuing education credits and meets the Federal Emergency Management Agency's legal minimum training and education requirements for insurance agents who sell Standard Flood Insurance Policies issued through the NFIP.

Besides education sessions, the Hudson Valley RAP also will feature an awards luncheon with a keynote address by PIANY President Martin Koles and the presentation of the Hudson Valley RAP Executive of the Year award. A trade show and the New York Young Insurance Professionals' networking reception will also be part of the meeting.

The cost to attend the event is $80 for PIA members and $95 for nonmembers. Registration is available through PIANY's Conference Department at (800) 424-4244 or online at the PIANY Web site (www.pia.org) by typing ED16603 in the Quick-Link box.