CID denies 2015 rate increases

The Connecticut Insurance Department rejected requests from two insurance companies to boost their rates by more than 12 percent in 2015. The CID called Anthem’s request of an average increase of 12.5 percent "excessive"; ConnectiCare requested an increase of 12.8 percent, but instead was approved for an average increase of 3.1 percent. More …   

Fugate, Flanigan testified today before Senate Subcommittee on post-Sandy flood insurance

The U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation and Community Development held a hearing on "The Flood Insurance Claims Process in Communities After Sandy: Lessons Learned and Potential Improvements" today at the Senate Office Building. More … Craig Fugate, administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, testified that more than 144,000 National Flood Insurance Program policyholders submitted notices of flood loss stemming from Hurricane Sandy, and, with more than 99 percent of claims closed, that the NFIP has paid out more than $8.1 billion to enable the rebuilding of homes, businesses and communities. More … Maryann Flanigan, Esq., supervising attorney of the Legal Services of New Jersey Hurricane Sandy Legal Assistance Project, testified that "a potential federal remedy would be modifying NFIP language so that policies are written in clearer terms, and a directive from the NFIP requiring flood insurance agents to explain coverage limits to the insured." More … Donald Griffin, vice president of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, also testified today.   

FEMA has redesigned its Flood Map Service Center

The FEMA Flood Map Service Center is the official public source for flood hazard information produced in support of NFIP. The latest generation MSC (announced in Bulletin W-14039) serves as a streamlined product portal that provides both general and advanced users with intuitive, powerful and completely free-of-charge access to flood hazard products and tools. Flood Insurance Rate Maps, Flood Insurance Studies and all other information available on the MSC may be accessed and downloaded at no cost. For users looking to quickly find flood hazard information for a particular address or point of interest, the Address Search feature provides results through an easy-to-use map interface.   

EEOC: Guidelines on how disabilities act applies to pregnant workers

Employers should be aware: New guidelines issued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission clarify that discriminating or harassing a pregnant worker is a form of sex discrimination and it is illegal. To help employers understand the new guidelines, the EEOC has issued enforcement guidance on pregnancy discrimination and related issues, along with a question-and-answer about the guidance and a fact sheet for small businesses. More …  

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Ask PIA: Workers’ compensation—covering working family members resident in the employer’s household

Q. Does Connecticut exempt resident family members working in the [nonfarm] business of the employer from its Workers’ Compensation Law? A. Yes. For a more comprehensive answer to this question, click here. To access our entire Ask PIA library of frequently asked questions and expert answers by PIA’s technical staff, click here.  

PIA helps members retain clients

Are you looking for a way to reach out to your clients? Think PIA first. PIA Creative Services can create unique marketing materials for your agency. From logos and letterhead to trade-show materials and personal- and commercial-lines newsletters, self-mailer brochures and postcards, if you can think it, PIA Creative Services can make it a reality. These materials are the perfect tools for sales or retention in your agency—all at a fraction of the cost of an outside marketing firm. For more information, email Mike Lee at mlee@pia.org or click here.  

Commercial umbrella available through PIA

PIA’s umbrella programs, which have been designed for professional, independent insurance agents, provide needed additional financial security over the top of a number of errors-and-omissions products, as well as added protection over most commercial business policies. More …  

PIA, Floodbroker.com offer sales tool that helps agents sell more flood insurance

PIACT and Floodbroker.com offer PIA-member agencies a unique sales tool to facilitate the sale of flood coverage and provide critical documentation of the agency’s efforts to do so. This exclusive agreement provides PIA-member agencies with a customized link installed on their own agency’s website to encourage current and prospective clients to consider and purchase flood coverage. The web portal leads consumers to flood insurance information, and with a simple application it will generate a quote for the customer, as well as a qualified lead for the agency to engage. More …  

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Upcoming NEO series offered through PIACT

PIACT offers its New Employee Orientation series, which are online courses designed for new insurance producers. Insurance professionals with less than 12 months’ experience, who do not have their insurance license, should consider taking New Employee Orientation for Agency Personnel. They will build a foundation of insurance knowledge; explore the "big picture" of insurance (including terms and key concepts); discover how the agency delivers service to customers; and learn the importance of errors-and-omissions prevention techniques. Commercial Lines Coverage Basics is designed for new employees with 9-12 months’ experience. Employees log on to the course via the computer each week to get the training they need. There’s no travel, no interruption to daily agency activity and, best of all, no time out of the office. Both sessions begin Monday, Aug. 11, 2014. CTCE: N/A. For more information or to register, click here.  

Additional upcoming Webinars

PIACT will offer the following Webinars in the next few months: E&O Hotspots … 2014 and Beyond^{^FF^UM} (Thursday, Sept. 4, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., CTCE: 3 PC); Agency Underwriting Profitability and Contingency Bonus Maximization (Thursday, Sept. 18, 10-11:45 a.m., CTCE: 1 PC); Agency Staffing, Performance and Job Evaluations (Thursday, Oct. 2, from 10-11 a.m., CTCE: N/A); E&O Hotspots … 2014 and Beyond^{^FF^UM} (Thursday, Oct. 16, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., CTCE: 3 PC); Top Ten Personal Lines Endorsements (Tuesday, Oct. 21, from 10-11 a.m., CTCE: 1 PC); Ethics—Something Worth Pursuing (Tuesday, Dec. 2, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., CTCE: 3 LRE); and Top Ten Commercial Lines Endorsements (Wednesday, Dec. 10, from 10-11 a.m., CTCE: 1 PC). ^{^FF^UM}—This course has been approved for E&O loss-prevention credit by Fireman’s Fund and Utica Mutual. Call the PIA E&O Department for details at (800) 424-4244. For more information or to register, click here.  

Five steps to choosing an agency management system

Purchasing a new agency-management system is an expensive and challenging undertaking. PIA has developed a tool kit that offers a strategy to assist you in determining the best agency-management system for your organization. To request a copy of this document, access QS90743 in PIA QuickSource library.  

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