Course descriptions

Create/Update Your Agency Procedures Manual  

This seminar is the latest in development of an agency procedures manual along with loss control techniques; specific policy & procedures examples, and a general point of reference. This outline represents a compilation of information gathered from E&O carriers, agency management consultants, state executives and education directors, and agency owners and principals. Obtaining new business is the head of agency operations and new business begins with customer service. This seminar is intended to help answer the question of: what do we do with all the information gathered in an agency on a daily basis? Any of the daily activities of an agency can pose an E&O threat for the agency.

^FF - This course has been approved for E&O loss prevention credit by Fireman's Fund.
^UM - This course has been approved for E&O loss prevention credit by Utica Mutual. Call the PIA E&O Department for details: 800-424-4244.

Street-Level Ethics

Earn your mandated ethics CE credit via this informative seminar.

It often appears that the majority of what passes for “ethics training” is having little or no effect on individual or corporate behaviors. Case in point: Enron, which has become the poster child for lack of ethical behavior, had an extensive ethics program in place, evidently to little effect. Perhaps this is due to the fact that majority of ethics courses fall into two basic camps: those that are primarily morality essays, and those that are basically an academic exercise. Both have key flaws.

“Street Level Ethics” takes a different approach. These materials are not intended to be the final word on creating ethical behavior in insurance practitioners, but rather to serve as an introduction to the “street level” application of what are often seen as esoteric topics. The main objective is to lead the workshop participants to start “wading into the pool” of what constitutes an ethical dilemma. Realistic case studies are included for analysis. The intent is to avoid two extremes common to the subject: (1) turning the subject into an “intellectual” philosophical discussion, littered with fifty-dollar words such as “teleological”; or (2) creating a moral “firefight,” where all anyone gleans from the arguments is that the person who disagrees with me “is so lacking in morals his or her licenses should be pulled.”

The course objective is for each participant to confront the complexity of the issues, recognize the possibilities of multiple solutions, and then begin formulating a personal approach to choosing a valid ethical solution when confronted by such situations in their own daily activities.

BAP, Truckers & Garage Coverage Forms

This course will review the basics of the Business Auto Policy to enforce the concepts, definitions and symbols. Mishell Magnusson, CIC, CISR, FIPC will also discuss what is different about a Truckers Policy compared to the BAP. She will lead an eye-opening discussion on why a client may need a Garage Policy instead of or in addition to Business Auto coverages. This informative course wraps up with a discussion of which form is needed for whom.

Six Ways to Get Sued for E&O—and How to Avoid Them ^FF^UM

There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there's only six ways to get sued for insurance agent's E&O. (OK, maybe seven, but the last one is a bonus!) This seminar will not only reveal these mysterious six ways (HINT: think Wizard of Oz and Cool Hand Luke), but also the key methods for making sure your agency never falls prey to their evils. It's safe to say you may never have attended an E&O seminar quite like this. Come, enjoy, and learn.

Flood Insurance

If the flood waters rise, are your customers covered? This course explains the NFIP in-depth and meet FEMA's requirements for section 207 of the Flood Insurance Reform Act. All insurance agents who sell Standard Flood Insurance Policies issued through the NFIP should attend.

Business Income & Extra Expense

Business Income is defined as income received for products or service sold. All too often, business owners rely on their insurance broker as a risk manager, paying premiums with little understanding of how indemnity coverage relates to their particular needs. Reading the language in the policy is an essential first step. Often, little is understood of business income (BI) indemnity for asset loss resulting from an insured peril.

BI insurance is intended to compensate the insured for income lost during the “period of restoration,” a defined term during which BI coverage applies. It begins when the direct physical damage occurs and ends on the earlier of the date that the damaged property should be repaired, rebuilt, or replaced, or at such time as stipulated in the policy declarations.

These concepts along with case studies will be examined in this course.

Directors and Officers Liability II

This program is designed for licensed agents and adjusters who work with non-profit accounts and larger for-profit accounts. This program will explain and identify the sources of liability and defenses related to directors and officers.

The course objectives are to:

• Explain the difference between D&O coverages and corporate reimbursement coverage;
• Identify and understand key exclusions unique to D&O coverage;
• Explain the major provisions commonly found in D&O insurance programs;
• Understand the impact of incorporating employment practices liability coverage on the D&O policy.

Personal Lines Customer Service, the Renewal Process & Service Centers—how they work

This program combines three separate topics and demonstrates how they are interrelated. The format of the class builds upon the deep history on customer service and where customer service is heading in our ever-changing society. It then explores the changing renewal processes used by most insurance companies utilizing the professional insurance agent. It concludes with a broader understanding of company service centers and how agencies can maximize the benefits of this change in customer service. Talking points include:

• How customer service was handled in a much less automated environment,
• What changes our society has undergone and how these changes impact the delivery of insurance customer service,
• What clients want and expect from their agent/CSR today,
• And more.

Employment-Related Practices Exposures

This course was designed for licensed agents and adjusters that deal with the Commercial General Liability, Directors and Officers, Workers' Compensation, Business Automobile, and Umbrella contracts.

The course objectives are:

•  To identify the areas of Employment-Related Practices Exposures for businesses and organizations.

•  To identify and explain the legal concepts that are related to Employment-Related Practices of persons and organizations.

•  To explain coverage found in the CGL, Workers Compensation, Business Auto Form, Umbrella Policies, and Directors and Officers' Liability Policies and, in some cases, identifying endorsements that modify the exclusions to add or restrict coverage.

•  To identify and explain the types of insurance coverages that are available for those entities exposed to Employment-Related Practices and

•  To review the basic characteristics of Employment Practices Liability Policies.

 

Chris Amrhein, AAI
Lorton, VA 22199
www.insuranceisfun.com

Chris Amrhein, like most true believers in insurance, stumbled upon this business accidentally; specifically, after graduating from college and needing a job.

After beginning in this business as a life-health agent, he graduated to property-casualty sales where he first met the greatest mine of comedy material extant today, the ISO forms. Following several years as a producer and independent agency manager/owner, Chris has spent many years as a full-time educator/VP-Education for the Florida Association of Insurance Agents and VP-Education for the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America. Those years found him traveling about the country teaching seminars on everything from agency management to the claims made CGL. It has also taught him the absolute truth of Jimmy Buffet's famous observation about those who make a career of the property-casualty business: "If we weren't all crazy we would go insane."

Chris is now a speaker, consultant, seminar leader and training developer, and resides in Lorton, Virginia, with the love of his life (and wife) Donna and youngest son Alexandru (11). His two older sons - Patrick, 27 and Kevin, 25 – are doing quite well without him. His email address chris@insuranceisfun.com and website www.insuranceisfun.com , say it all.

Current Industry Activities :

• Member, CPCU Advisory Committee
• Member, Accredited Adviser in Insurance (AAI) Advisory Committee. (1987-1991) (1993 to present)
• Primary Author (AAI textbooks):
  • Foundations of Insurance Production – Personal Insurance
  • Multiple-Lines Insurance Production – Commercial Liability Insurance
  • Agency Operations and Sales Management – Principles of Agency Management
• · Monthly columnist (1993-present) - "Policy Issues" - American Agent & Broker Magazine.
• · Faculty member: IIABA's Virtual University; Society of CIC James K. Ruble Seminars
• · Contributing author, ARM 54
• · Developer of “Street Level Ethics” Program for AICPCU/IIA

Past Activities :

• Chairman. IIABA Future One Producer Development Task Force
• Member, IIABA Future One Subcommittee on Customer Service
• Author/Editor - Florida General Lines, Customer Representatives and Adjuster Study Manuals
• Member, IIABA Agency Management & Technology Committee

Sheldon Hansen, CIC, CRM
Hansen's Insurance Center Inc.
Forked River, N.J.

Sheldon graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science Degree in education. He taught at the High School level for 10 years while working in his fathers retail insurance agency. Sheldon bought the agency and ran Hansen's Insurance Center Inc as a 16 person retail general insurance agency in the Toms River New Jersey area for over 25 years. He obtained his CIC (Certified Insurance Counselor) designation in 1980 followed later with the additional designation of CRM (Certified Risk Manager). The agency merged in 2001 to form Brouwer Hansen and Isdebski Associates, a five-office New Jersey Independent Agency. This freed up time for Mr. Hansen to focus on Production, Consulting and Professional Insurance Education.
In addition to Commercial Insurance Sales and Consulting, Sheldon now teaches Continuing Education classes to Producers and Customer Service Representatives for a number of Professional Insurance organizations including: The Professional Insurance Agents of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut . The Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers Association of New Jersey. The Insurance Society of Philadelphia. The National Alliance Society of CISR and CIC. The Insurance Academy and many retail insurance agencies. With a focus that Knowledge is Power he is helping to train the next generation of Insurance Professionals meet the ever changing needs of our industry.

Mishell K. Magnusson, CIC, CISR, FIPC
Magnusson Training and Consulting
Munnsville, N.Y.

Named The 2004 National Customer Service Representative of the Year by PIA National, Mishell is a native of the Oneida, New York area. Mishell was also named one of 25 Women in Leadership in Central New York State in 2004. She graduated from Broome Community College with an Associates of Applied Science degree in Business Marketing Management. Mishell began her insurance career in 1981 in the Personal Lines Department of a small independent insurance agency. She then worked for an Airplane Insurance Company; was the Insurance Benefits Analyst for Endicott Johnson Corporation; and worked as an Assistant to the Vice President of a Commercial Bank before going back to the independent insurance agency side of the business and now runs her own consulting & training company.

Mishell currently holds a New York State Property and Casualty Brokers License; a New York State Life and Health Brokers License; a Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR) designation; a Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation; and the Federation of Insurance Professional Counselor (FIPC) designation.

Mishell is a frequent speaker for PIA of NY, NJ, CT and NH for Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR) programs and various other topics. Mishell is a Past President of the Federation of New York Insurance Professionals and serves on the board of the Insurance Professionals of the Mohawk Valley along with being a member of the National Notary Association. She is the current President of the Madison County Historical Society Board of Trustees.

Bryan Tilden, CIC, CPCU, CLU, ChFC, ARM, ALCM
Tilden and Associates
Pittsboro, NC

Bryan is a National Lecturer and Expert Witness in the field of insurance. Prior to starting his own firm, he was the Director of Technical Affairs and Director of Education for IIANC. Since entering the insurance business in 1974 as an Account Executive, he has worked for major brokerage firms on Fortune 100 accounts around the nation. He specialized in large retention programs, utilizing the international insurance marketplace.

Tilden has been active in insurance education as a grading panel member for the Insurance Institute of America and the American Institute for Property Liability Underwriters. He has served on the Education and Technical Committees for the IIANC and worked with the State of North Carolina on pre-licensing and continuing education. In 1988, IIANC presented him with the Ernest F. Young Education Award, and in 1989 Agent of the Year. He has taught in schools for both the PIA and IIA, been a speaker at RIMS and CPCU. meetings, and has spoken at various conventions. He is a National Faculty Member for the Society of Certified Insurance Counselors.

As a volunteer in the Scouting program, he serves as a trainer for the Girl Scouts, and Council Eagle Advancement Chairman for the Boy Scouts. An active volunteer in the fire and rescue services, Tilden is an internationally certified technical rescue instructor. He is a member of the International Association of Arson Investigators along with their NC Chapter, and teaches arson investigation courses.