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PIANJ hosts DOBI visits

Three PIANJ-member agencies welcomed representatives from the Department of Banking and Insurance last Friday, providing a rare and real opportunity to share the value professional, independent agents provide to New Jersey’s insurance-buying public and the economy. PIANJ Vice President Stephen P. Tague, CPIA, past Presidents Donna M. Cunningham, CPIA; and Paul Monacelli, CIC, CPIA, from ADP/Statewide Insurance Agency, met with Commissioner Kenneth E. Kobylowski and Assistant Commissioner for Consumer Protection Gale Simon. PIANJ Treasurer Donald F. LaPenna Jr., from Donald F. LaPenna Associates, met with DOBI Assistant Commissioner for Property and Casualty Insurance Bill Rader and Chief of Market Regulation and Consumer Protection Anne Marie Narcini. PIANJ past President and PIA National President Andrew C. Harris, CIC, CPCU, ARM, CRM, AIS and PIANJ past President Gary C. Rygiel, CIC, CPCU, ARM, CRM, AIS, both of Liberty Insurance Associates, met with Director of Insurance Peter Hartt and Christopher Hughes, DOBI chief of staff. Topics discussed ranged from Sandy-related issues; certificates of insurance to diversity and perpetuation of the industry. "This has been a positive way to show our policymakers how important our agencies are to the state of New Jersey," said PIANJ Executive Director Diane Fowler. "It was great to hear that the regulators concurred that the industry is doing a good job with regard to post-Sandy efforts and show them the hard work that goes into protecting insureds every day." Watch your PIA magazine for details and photos of the visits.   

Assembly committee to consider PIANJ-supported legislation on certificates

While the State Assembly Committee on Financial Institutions and Insurance is scheduled this week to consider a PIANJ-supported bill (A-3731) regulating certificates of insurance, state Sen. Nia H. Gill, D-34, has introduced an identical bill (S-2624). The legislation would ban changes to certificate forms and would assert that certificates are not insurance policies and don’t provide different or extra coverage than the policy does. PIANJ, instrumental at National Conference of Insurance Legislators meetings in winning approval of the model legislation, sought the strong sponsorship of the bills. More…   

Consumer flier: Certificates of insurance

Clients may ask you to produce a certificate of insurance for their business. However, sometimes you receive requests to add verbiage to certificates that you are not permitted to do. When confronted with this request, do you know how to respond? Think PIA first. PIA has compiled a consumer flier that outlines what a certificate of insurance is; what it can’t do; and who is covered by a certificate automatically. The flier can be copied on to agency letterhead, or used in social media posts or Tweets in your client correspondence. To access this flier, log on to PIANJ’s Agency Marketing Tool Kit and click on "Consumer fliers," or fax a request to PIANJ’s Industry Resource Center at (888) 225-6935.   

14th annual March CE Madness 2013, March 20-21

Don’t miss out on this year’s March CE Madness, March 20-21, 2013, at the Sheraton, Edison Hotel Raritan Center, Edison, N.J. This year, take advantage of March Madness and learn more with the following concurrent sessions. Classes on March 20 include: 50 Months of Recession and its Effect on Your Clients’ Insurance Needs (NJCE: 4 GEN); Don’t Get Burnt—25 Potential E&O Issues^FF^UM (NJCE: 4 GEN); Personal Lines Customer Service, the Renewal Process and Customer Service Centers (NJCE: 3 GEN); The Businessowners Policy, ISO Style (NJCE: 3 GEN); Ethics: The Choices You Make (Earn NJCE: 3 ETH). Classes on March 21 include: Nasty Stuff You Don’t Want on Your Policy, If Possible (NJCE: 4 GEN); Good Stuff—Endorsements You Want on Your Policy, If Possible (NJCE: 3 GEN). Package registration discounts are available. Sponsored by: Platinum: Harleysville; Gold: FMI. For more information, or to register, click here or call PIA at (800) 424-4244.   

Call for nominations: 2013 Distinction of Professionalism Awards

PIANJ will present its 2013 Distinction of Professionalism Awards during the PIANJ/PIANY Joint Annual Conference June 9-11, 2013, at the Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City. Do you know someone who deserves a nomination for Professional Agent of the Year; Company Person of the Year; Distinguished Insurance Service; or the Community Service Award? For a nomination form, click here or to request a fax-back version of the nomination form, call (800) 424-4244. Submissions must be received by Friday, April 19, 2013. For more information about the conference, click here.   

Website offers FEMA updates related to flooding

FEMA Region II Coastal Analysis and Mapping website offers Advisory Base Flood Elevation updates and other critical information for risks in Sandy-affected areas.   

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U.S. sets final rule for health insurance exchange coverage

The Obama administration issued its long-awaited final rule on essential health benefits that insurers must offer consumers in the individual and small-group market beginning in 2014 under health-care reform. More…   

PIANJ to hold Webinar on ISO 2012 commercial property changes, March 6

PIANJ’s Webinar: Discover the ISO 2012 Commercial Property Program Changes will be held Wednesday, March 6, 2013, from 10-11 a.m. The Insurance Services Office Inc. has filed a new commercial property program in all jurisdictions with a multistate forms filing, a rules filing and a loss-costs filing. Forms and endorsements affected by the filing will carry an edition date of October 2012, and the effective date of the program is April 1, 2013. There are a number of changes and during this Webinar PIANJ’s Director of Research Dan Corbin, CPCU, CIC, LUTC, will examine 20 of the more substantive changes likely to impact policyholders. NJCE: 1 GEN. For information, or to register, click here or call PIA at (800) 424-4244.   

Attend PIA’s CIC Commercial Casualty Institute, March 7

Education is both a best hedge against a soft market and an insurance professional’s greatest asset. Although the market’s future cannot be predicted, you can be prepared for opportunities that come your way with opportunities such as CIC Commercial Casualty Institute, Thursday, March 7, 2013, at the Crowne Plaza, Fairfield. In this institute, participants will explore casualty exposures and coverages and become familiar with important areas, including: commercial general liability, workers’ compensation, business automobile, excess liability/commercial umbrella and additional insured endorsements. NJCE credit: 20 GEN (CIC designees: The DOBI will award 12 CE credits for each full year of the license term that the designation is maintained in good standing). For more information, or to register, click here or call PIA at (800) 424-4244.   

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