PIA Connection--January 2019

State Insurance Regulation Still Facing Threats

page 13 JANUARY 2019

PIA CONNECTION NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL INSURANCE AGENTS

FLOOD INSURANCE BACK ON TRACK AFTER FEMA RELENTS page 9

Inside

PIA GUIDE TO MEMBER BENEFITS

YOU PROVIDE THE EXPERTISE. W E P R OV I D E T H E AG E N T S U P P O RT, INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS AND OUTSTANDING CLAIMS SERVICE.

W E ’ V E G OT THI S. At RCIS, we value our crop insurance agents. You receive excellent support and service, innovative private insurance coverages and advanced tech tools for enhanced speed, accuracy and convenience.

We invest in you—and in the growth of your business.

Contact an RCIS field representative or visit RCIS.com today.

RCIC is an equal opportunity provider. In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Some products not available in all states or counties. This is intended as a general description of certain types of insurance and services available to qualified customers provided solely for informational purposes. Coverage is underwritten in all states by Rural Community Insurance Company, Anoka, MN except in Montana where hail coverage is underwritten by Tri-County Farmers Mutual Insurance Company, Malta, MT. Nothing herein should be construed as a solicitation, offer, advice, recommendation, or any other service with regard to any type of insurance product or services. Your policy is the contract that specifically and fully describes your coverage, terms and conditions. The description of the policy provisions gives a broad overview of coverages and does not revise or amend the policy. Coverage may vary by state. Coverages and rates are subject to individual insured meeting our underwriting qualifications and product availability in applicable states. RCIS is a registered trademark of Rural Community Insurance Company. © 2018 Rural Community Insurance Company. All rights reserved.

Page 12

JANUARY 2019

PIA CONNECTION NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL INSURANCE AGENTS PRESIDENT Keith A. Savino, CPIA (NJ) keiths@warwickresource.com PRESIDENT-ELECT Dennis D. Kuhnke, CIC, CPIA (WI) dkuhnke@robertsonryan.com VICE PRESIDENT/TREASURER Wayne F. White, CPA, CPIA, PFMM (AR) wwhite1948@aol.com SECRETARY/ASSISTANT TREASURER Anthony Curti, CIC, LIC (MI) tcurti@acrisure.com IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Timothy G. Russell, CPCU (CT) trussell@therussellagency.com EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT/CEO Mike Becker (PIA National) mikebe@pianet.org PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ted Besesparis | tedbe@pianet.org MANAGING EDITOR Sade Hale | sadeha@pianet.org ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Alexi Papandon, CAE | alexipa@pianet.org GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS EDITOR Jon Gentile | jonge@pianet.org REGULATORY AFFAIRS EDITOR Lauren Pachman, Esq. | laurenpa@pianet.org

PIA NATIONAL ACCEPTING AWARD NOMINATIONS For Agent, CSR and YIP of the Year THE DEADLINE FOR ALL NOMINATIONS IS FEBRUARY 20, 2019.

CONTENTS NEWS BRIEF

Arkansas sees increase in insurance agents/agencies…J.D. Power: Insurers Score High for Hurricane Response…P/C Insurers Eye Opportunities for Growth…Commercial Insurance Rates in Flux…As Wildfire Risk Increases, Coverage Availability a Concern…NAIC: P/C Insurance Premiums Rise…

COVER STORY: 9 FLOOD INSURANCE BACK ON TRACK AS FEMA RELENTS Fast action by PIA and other stakeholders prevents NIFP from being caught up in the federal government shutdown.

PIA NATIONAL CEO MIKE BECKER LOOKS BACK AT 2018 AND AHEAD TO 2019

10-11

STATE INSURANCE REGULATION STILL FACES THREATS

13-14

What are some of the victories achieved by agents in the year just passed, and the prospects for 2019?

PIA National VP of Government Relations Jon Gentile with a briefing on the ongoing threat to state-based insurance regulation on Capitol Hill.

EFFICIENT CLAIM REPORTING EVEN WITHOUT POWER 15

MARKETING EDITOR Dana A. Anaman, CAE | danaan@pianet.org

A look at how AVYST eForms Wizard streamlines the submission process.

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Patricia A. Borowski, CPIW

MILLENNIAL BUSINESS OWNERS ARE MOST LIKELY TO WORK WITH AN AGENT

PRODUCTION EDITOR Laurel Prucha Moran | laurelpm@blueroomstudio.com

AGENCY MARKETING: EFFECTIVE MARKETING STRATEGIES TO WIN CLIENTS

The information in this publication is general in nature and is not intended to serve as legal, accounting, financial, insurance, investment advisory or other professional advice as to any reader’s particular situation. Users are encouraged to consult with competent legal, financial, insurance, investment advisory and or other professional advisors concerning specific matters before making any decisions and we disclaim any responsibility for any decisions or actions by readers.

DEPARTMENTS

Non-member subscriptions available at $24.00 per year ppd.

PIA CONNECTION | www.pianet.com

For additional information on any of the subjects addressed in this publication, please access the PIA National website at www.pianet.com.

16

Fourth annual Business Owner Survey by Nationwide Insurance finds that 69% of millennial business owners work with an agent.

PIA Connection is published ten times yearly by the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents.

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All PIA members receive PIA Connection at the member subscription rate of $12.00 per year.

6-7

17-19

Frank Medina outlines a strategy to achieve success.

From the President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 From the CEO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 PIA Member Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 PIA Member Benefit Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . 21 PIA Marketplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 PIA Affiliate Listings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Cover image: ©Tzogia Kappatou/iStockphoto

January 2019 | 3

SIMPLE. LICENSING. DONE. nipr.com

Save the Date

4 | January 2019

www.pianet.com | PIA CONNECTION

FROM THE PRESIDENT THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES MAY SEEM LIKE

they are polar opposites, but they can have a lot in common. Opportunities may at first manifest themselves as threats—to our businesses, our professions, even our way of life. Our imaginations run wild thinking how a disruptive force could endanger all we’ve worked to achieve.

But then, as we start looking inside these perceived threats, we discover hidden opportunities that others may have missed while they were being concerned about getting disrupted.

Technology has always been a big plus for independent insurance agents, and it always will be. From the earliest days of automation (which seem so quaint now), technology has improved the businesses of agents who have embraced it, mastered it and used it to succeed.

PIA National has just announced the 2019 PIA InsureTech Showcase. It will take place on April 2, 2019 in Crystal City, Virginia.

It will be moderated by my friend Bill Hartnett, who spent 18 years with Microsoft heading up its vertical marketing for the banking, insurance and capital markets sectors. Previously, Hartnett was an

agent and broker who ran a family agency which is still thriving in Rhode Island, and was a PIA national director and board member from Rhode Island.

The 2019 PIA InsureTech Showcase will provide a unique opportunity for innovators to showcase practical applications for emerging technologies that can specifically help independent agents succeed, not focused on disruption but empowerment.

The technology exists today to empower agents to better serve their clients, in real time. The goal is to create enhanced opportunities for independent agencies by expanding our business and consumer experience solutions. Agents need to embrace these innovations.

Keith A. Savino President

FROM THE CEO AS WE BEGIN TO LOOK AT PIA’S PRIORITIES FOR

2019, agents are in the enviable position of having achieved some significant wins recently.

One big win for agents and brokers was their inclusion in the 20 percent pass-through tax rate that was part of the tax bill enacted at the end of 2017. The IRS affirmed this in January 2019 by issuing new regulations.

As a result, many PIA members whose agencies are organized as sole proprietorships, partnerships, or Subchapter S corporations will now pay a much lower tax rate than when their income “passed through” the firm and was taxed as ordinary income.

Another win was the fact that the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) was extended for another six months. While what is needed—and what PIA has been advocating—is a five-year renewal of the program with needed reforms, the good news is the NFIP extension avoided getting caught up in the federal government shutdown, but just barely.

Congress overwhelmingly passed the six-month extension on December 21, just hours before the shutdown began. But then FEMA tried to order the NFIP write-your-own carriers and agents to stop writing new policies during the shutdown.

PIA CONNECTION | www.pianet.com

PIA did not take FEMA’s action lying down. PIA’s government relations people sprang into action, joining with key members of Congress, carriers, the National Association of Realtors and other stakeholders.

The result: in just two days, FEMA backed down completely, rescinding the guidance it had just issued, clearing the way for the continued, uninterrupted sales of flood insurance. FEMA’s initial action had contradicted Congress’ passage of the six-month NFIP extension.

Another victory for agents was the overwhelming passage, also in December, of the 2018 Farm Bill. The final bill included the federal crop insurance program, preserved vital crop insurance provisions and recognized the important role that independent insurance agents play in the delivery of crop insurance. Once again, strong advocacy on the part of PIA members and staffers led to a good result for agents.

Mike Becker Executive Vice President & CEO

January 2019 | 5

!

NEWS BRIEF

OPEN

NESS

ARKANSAS SEES INCREASE IN INSURANCE AGENTS/ AGENCIES

BUSI FOR

Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Allen Kerr said there has been a 10.8 percent increase in insurance agent licensure in 2018 over the previous year and further increases in the licensing of insurance business entities.

“I am very proud of the record of new insurance jobs and businesses the Arkansas Insurance Department has had through my first four years as commissioner,” said Kerr. “It is a testament to the ‘open for business’ culture Governor Hutchinson has created in Arkansas.

The department will continue to promote our state as a welcoming home for the insurance industry and a land of opportunities for new insurance agents.”

P/C INSURERS EYE OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH

cyber and mortgage

A report by Guy Carpen-

suading players to build a

ter & Co. LLC reveals that U.S. property-casualty insurers strengthened their capital over the past

insurance credit risk, may be capital intensive, perlarger war chest.

COMMERCIAL INSURANCE RATES IN FLUX

three years, raising the

In November, renewal

sector’s total capital posi-

rates for six major com-

tion from $686 billion to

mercial lines split evenly

$767 billion, a 3.8 percent

between higher and

compound annual growth

lower, according to the

rate. “One reason for

monthly report issued by

carrier capital-building

Ivans Insurance Solu-

would be an expecta-

tions. Reported increases

tion that pricing trends

included umbrella, up 2.8

will improve,” says Guy

percent from 2.2 percent

Carpenter, adding that the

in October; commercial

industry saw modest pric-

property, up 3.8 percent

ing gains during 2018 in

from 3.5 percent in Octo-

most major lines except

ber; and business owners

for workers’ compensa-

policies, up slightly more

tion. The report notes that

than 4.1 percent from

opportunities with emerg-

slightly less than 4.1 per-

ing coverage, including

cent in October. However,

6 | January 2019

the renewal rate for commercial auto dropped to 4.7 percent from 4.8 percent in October; general liability dropped slightly less than 2.7 percent, from slightly more than 2.7 percent at the end of October; and workers’ compensation fell 3.4 percent compared with a 3.2 percent decrease in October.

J.D. POWER: INSURERS SCORE HIGH FOR HURRICANE RESPONSE A survey conducted from October 19 through November 2 of 2018 by J.D. Power shows that in the wake of Hurricanes Florence and Michael, many consumers reported that their insurers had met or exceeded their expectations for handling claims related to the hurricanes.

The survey included 650 responses from home and auto insurance customers in four states—North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia.

According to J.D. Power, 87 percent of respondents said that their insurance company met or exceeded their expectations assisting policyholders affected by the storms. As many as 30 percent of respondents gave their insurers a perfect score for their hur-

ricane responses, including 42 percent of customers who reported major damage or a total loss.

The survey also found that insurance companies have expanded their customer service, with 79 percent of survey respondents reporting that their insurer fully informed them of coverage options.

In terms of claims specific to Hurricanes Florence and Michael, 88% of those who claimed damage caused by the former storm said their expectations were met or exceeded, while 87% of those who claimed for the latter also said they were satisfied with the level of service their insurer gave them.

Insurance companies have also stepped up in terms of customer service, the survey finds.

Some 79% of respondents said that their insurer fully informed them of their coverage options prior to the hurricane events.

Also, 90% of customers reported being contacted by their insurer with offers of assistance.

87%

OF RESPONDENTS SAID THAT THEIR INSURANCE COMPANY MET OR EXCEEDED THEIR EXPECTATIONS ASSISTING POLICY-HOLDERS AFFECTED BY STORMS.

Source: J.D. Power

www.pianet.com | PIA CONNECTION

!

NEWS BRIEF

AS WILDFIRE RISK INCREASES, AVAILABILITY OF COVERAGE A CONCERN With more frequent and more destructive fires sweeping through the Western states, owners of properties surrounded by forest, reachable only by back roads, or on slopes where a wildfire is likely to run are finding it more difficult to obtain homeowners insurance. California Department of Insurance press secretary Nancy Kincaid says, “The (California) commissioner remains concerned that between climate change, and drought, and the way

NAIC: P/C INSURANCE PREMIUMS RISE A new report by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) reveals that total direct premiums earned for property-casualty lines of business increased by more than $25 billion from 2016 to 2017. Direct

and where we built homes, that we’re going to see a growing trend of non-renewals.” Homeowners can reduce risk by removing fire hazards, and in Boulder County, Colo., the Wildfire Partners program has been created to eliminate confusion about mitigation best practices and encourage more homeowners to take part.

ple than ever live in forested areas, with millions of homes threatened in California, Colorado and Texas, according to Verisk Analytics, a company that models wildfire risk for insurers.

Scientists expect wildfire danger to increase as the climate changes, according to the latest federal climate report. Meanwhile, more peo-

Some researchers say insurers should be doing much more to prevent people from living in areas where fire danger is severe.

premiums earned totaled $623.7 billion last year, a 4.3 percent increase compared with the $598.2 billion in direct premiums earned in 2016, according to the NAIC’s 2017 Profitability Report. Meanwhile, fire, medical professional liability, workers’ compensation, and financial

guaranty all experienced declining direct earned premiums, the report finds. Total commercial auto losses incurred rose for the fourth straight year, reaching 70.2 percent of direct premiums earned in 2017, after a slight decline in 2013, the report says.

The data used in the report is obtained from annual financial statements and exhibits filed with the NAIC by 2,887 property/ casualty insurers, with more than 95 percent of the premiums written in the United States estimated to be represented in the data.

Frank and Ernest is used with the permission for the Thaves and the Cartoonist Group. All rights reserved.

PIA CONNECTION | www.pianet.com

January 2019 | 7

PARTNER WITH THE HARTFORD, A LEADER IN FLOOD INSURANCE. The Hartford is one of the largest providers of flood insurance, offering a full-service solution, competitive commissions and a dedicated local Sales Director.

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Contact Joseph Surowiecki, National Flood Sales Manager at 860.547.5006.

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Policies are written subject to the National Flood Insurance Program. Insurance is provided by the property and casualty insurance companies of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., Hartford, CT. Š 2014 The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., Hartford, CT 06155. All Rights Reserved.

8 | January 2019

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INDUSTRY NEWS

By Ted Besesparis Senior Vice President, Communications PIA National

NFIP BACK ON TRACK AFTER FEMA RELENTS For two days after Christmas, it looked like the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) would get pulled into the federal government shutdown. But then quick action by a bipartisan group of lawmakers and business groups, including PIA, prompted a reversal by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

As December 2018 had worn on, the NFIP was kept alive with short-term renewals. Then late in the evening on Friday, December 21, 2018, Congress passed a six-month extension of the flood program until May 31, 2019. The extension passed just several hours before Congress needed to vote to fund the federal government. In the end, Congress failed to keep the government open, but the NFIP had gotten its six-month extension, just in the nick of time. It would be fine.

Or so it seemed at the time.

“ALL NFIP INSURERS HAVE BEEN DIRECTED TO RESUME NORMAL OPERATIONS IMMEDIATELY.”

—DAVID I. MAURSTAD, FEMA DEPUTY ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR FOR INSURANCE AND MITIGATION

STOP AND START Then on December 26, five days after Congress extended and the president signed into law the legislation providing for a six-month extension of the NFIP, The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) notified stakeholders that, despite Congress’s action, the NFIP would not be permitted to operate normally. FEMA announced that, due to the lapse in annual appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security, the annual appropriation for the NFIP also had lapsed. As a result, agents and insurance carriers that administered NFIP policies were advised that they were prohibited from selling NFIP policies during the government shutdown.

PIA National, along with other members of industry, sprang into action, urging congressional leaders and contacts in the administration to reach an immediate resolution to the untenable situation. They were joined by key members of Congress, who maintained that FEMA had made a big mistake.

“This guidance from FEMA means millions of people are at risk of economic disaster because they cannot purchase, renew, or add to policies,” Jon Gentile, vice president of Government Relations of PIA National, said at the time. “Congress and the administration need to come to the table immediately to rectify this by ensuring the NFIP can operate normally.”

“AN EXTENSION TO MAY 31 WILL ALLOW MEMBERS OF THE INCOMING 116TH CONGRESS TIME TO FIND A WAY TO AGREE ON REFORMS TO THE PROGRAM AND TO PASS A LONG-TERM REAUTHORIZATION.”

—JON GENTILE

PIA CONNECTION | www.pianet.com

A QUICK REVERSAL Following these widespread expressions of concern, FEMA quickly reversed course.

Late Friday Dec. 28, FEMA abruptly rescinded the guidance it had issued just two days earlier that insurers should no longer sell new policies backed by the flood insurance program during the government shutdown. Stakeholders had pointed out that FEMA’s action contradicted Congress’ passage of a six-month extension of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) on the evening of Dec. 21, just hours before the government shutdown began.

In its Dec. 28 statement, David I. Maurstad, FEMA’s Deputy Associate Administrator for Insurance and Mitigation, said that, “As of this evening, all NFIP insurers have been directed to resume normal operations immediately and advised that the program will be considered operational since December 21, 2018 without interruption.”

Gentile noted that while big problems were averted by convincing FEMA to reverse course, the six-month extension of the NFIP has a larger purpose: “An extension to May 31 will allow members of the incoming 116th Congress time to find a way to agree on reforms to the program and to pass a long-term reauthorization,” he said.

The president of the National Association of Realtors, John Smaby, said in a statement, “This new decision means thousands of home sale transactions in communities across the country can go forward without interruption, as Congress intended when it renewed the flood insurance program earlier this week. Our research has shown that 40,000 home sales are lost every month that flood insurance is not available.”

January 2019 | 9

PIA NATIONAL CEO MIKE BECKER LOOKS BACK —AND FORWARD With the new year comes a chance to reflect on the accomplishments of the last year and a chance to lay out a game plan for the upcoming year. To this end, PIA National’s Executive Vice President & CEO Mike Becker was asked to review some of PIA’s successes while discussing PIA’s agenda for 2019. Becker also reviewed the trends the insurance industry might see as the year mover forward.

What was the most significant event in the insurance industry in 2018?

The most significant event in our industry was the hurricane season, and how our industry was well-prepared to respond.

Heading into this year’s hurricane season, the industry had $750 billion in policyholder surpluses available to pay claims.

Estimates are that of the two big storms of 2018, insured losses from Hurricane Florence could reach $5 billion and those for Hurricane Michael could be as much as $10 billion.

Financial soundness and stability, with ample reserves, enables our industry to pay claims when disasters strike. Nevertheless, the storms of 2017 and 2018, if they indicate a permanent change in the severity of hurricanes, must lead to a review of how

10 | January 2019

we prepare for storms—not just financially to pay for losses, but with mitigation to prevent them.

The insurance industry is the engine of the American economy. It accounts for 3.1 percent of total domestic product, more than the banking sector at 2.8 percent.

Insurance enables a well-functioning economy by providing individuals and companies with the financial stability and certainty that is essential for their success.

How have the recent hurricane seasons affected the insurance industry?

The record disasters of the past two years have spiked carrier losses, but the good news is that carrier reserves appear ample to handle those losses – for now.

Prudent financial management, good

return on investments and proper reserving bolstered by a surging economy have made these disaster losses sustainable for carriers—up to this point.

The hurricanes of 2017 and 2018 have shifted the discussion regarding mitigation, building codes and land-use planning. In October 2018, Congress passed a bill that increases funding for toughening homes and communities against hurricanes, floods and other disasters before they strike. The bill also gives state and local government a financial incentive to adopt up-to-date building codes.

Vulnerable communities have also become more open to buying and demolishing homes that keep flooding. Homebuyers are also taking note. A recent analysis by the Wall Street Journal found that home prices

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along the eastern seaboard are not increasing as much as those inland.

While new ways to deal with disasters are being discussed as the result of the spate of super-storms, there’s concern that if things calm down for a few years, people may start to lose interest.

In North Carolina, hard-hit this year

by Hurricanes Florence and Michael, only about 134,000 homeowners have flood insurance in a state with more than 10 million people, according to Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey. In California, nearly 90 percent of homeowners don’t have earthquake insurance. We all need to do a much better job of conveying to people the value of purchasing sufficient insurance.

How will the new lineup Congress, with the House controlled by the Democrats and the Senate in the hands of the Republicans, affect PIA’s legislative agenda?

We don’t anticipate there will be a major change on many of our specific priorities.

For example, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and crop insurance draws support from both sides of the aisle. While some of the finer details haven’t always been agreed to—such as how to deal with the NFIP’s nearly $25 billion debt or emphasis on private market alternatives— the programs in-and-of themselves have been supported.

While a lot has been accomplished under two years of one-party control— including passage of tax reform, which led to many agents and brokers being able to qualify for a very helpful pass-through tax deduction—we now may see other positive actions as the result of this split Congress.

Now that the House will be controlled by the Democrats, it could result in more gridlock on some of our issues. But by the same token, it could create an environment where compromise is even more critical, simply to get things done. It can cut either way.

That’s why when PIA advocates our issues on Capitol Hill, we deal with lawmakers of both parties. We invest in relationships on both sides of the aisle, so we are always positioned to make our case and hopefully win lawmakers over to our point of view, no matter who is in charge.

We stick to insurance, and what will help insurance agents.

PIA CONNECTION | www.pianet.com

What were some of PIA’s most important legislative victories in 2018, and what remains to be accomplished in 2019?

It was a major win for small-business insurance agencies and brokerages when proposed regulations were issued August 8 by the U.S. Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). They specifically state that “insurance agents and brokers” are not excluded from taking the 20% passthrough tax deduction that was passed as part of the tax reform legislation signed into law late last year.

Many PIA members own independent insurance agencies that are organized as sole proprietorships, partnerships, or Subchapter S corporations. Such small businesses do not pay corporate income tax. Instead, their income “passes through” the firm and appears directly on their owners’ individual tax returns, where it is taxed as normal income. The 20% deduction, subject to other limitations imposed by law or regulation, will lower these individuals’ tax bills. This was a major win for PIA members.

Two federal programs that affect independent agents are due for reauthorization, flood insurance and crop insurance. PIA is advocating for multi-year reauthorizations of the flood program and the Farm Bill, which includes the federal crop insurance program. . We are also pressing for protections against cuts to agent commissions in flood and crop insurance sales.

PIA also continues to push back any time our successful system of state-based insurance regulation is threatened by those favoring increased federal regulation. And we always oppose any tendency by some in Congress to try fund things by cutting agent commissions in federal programs.

What are the most important issues agents will face over the next few years?

The industry continues to evolve at a rapid pace. Increased utilization of technology, changing consumer expectations, attempts to commoditize insurance, and more. Agents are resilient and will continue to be an integral part in the distribution of insurance, but agents need to continue to evolve with the environment around them.

Periodically over many decades, there have been predictions that independent insurance agents will be disintermediated from the insurance distribution process, that—as one major consulting firm said

with great fanfare several years ago—“the economics of the traditional agent model are beginning to unravel” and proclaiming in a headline, “The End of an Era for the Local Insurance Agent.” Two years later, this consulting firm backed away from this analysis.

These assertions usually come from sources that have a competitive interest in creating the impression that the independent agent is dead when, in fact, the opposite is the case. The independent agent system is actually expanding. Reagan Consulting just reported that independent agents have cause to celebrate, as the organic growth rate in the third quarter of 2018 was 6.1%—tied for the highest growth rate in the last 15 quarters.

In the past few years, we have also noticed that more former captive agents are becoming independent agents and are joining PIA. Last year, Nationwide Insurance announced its intention to shift entirely to an independent agency distribution model

by July 1, 2020. This is another illustration of the fact that the independent agency system is growing. PIA is reaching out to all the Nationwide agents who will be making this transition, encouraging them to join PIA and telling them— to paraphrase Nationwide’s slogan—“PIA is on your side.”

There are many challenges facing independent agents, but independent agents are uniquely equipped to meet those challenges and turn them into opportunities, as they always do.

How can PIA-member agents make sure their voice is heard legislatively this year?

By making a personal commitment to attend the PIA Federal Legislative Summit, April 2-3, 2019 in Washington, D.C. The best way PIA-members agents to be involved is by attending the PIA Federal Legislative Summit (FLS) every year. The 2019 FLS will be held April 2-3, 2019, and with a new Congress beginning in January, it’s more important than ever for PIA agents to meet with their elected representatives and staff on issues of importance to agents. In addition to attending the FLS, we encourage all members to send messages to Congress by utilizing PIA’s grassroots action alerts.

It’s important to for House members and Senators to get these messages when important votes are imminent, or action needs to be taken on legislation.

January 2019 | 11

PIA NATIONAL ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS FOR 2019 AGENT, CSR AND YIP OF THE YEAR AWARDS PIA NATIONAL IS NOW

accepting nominations for three prestigious awards that will be bestowed in the spring of 2019: the Professional Agent of the Year, Customer Service Representative (CSR) of the Year and Young Insurance Professional (YIP) of the Year awards.

The deadline for all nominations is February 20, 2019. Nomination forms are currently available to download at www.pianet.com/awards. To enter, all completed nomination forms must be emailed to awards@pianet.org.

“These national awards are the highest honors independent agents can receive from their peers,” said Gerald F. Hemphill, a Virginia agent who chairs the PIA Awards Task Force. “PIA encourages our affiliates and members to nominate their fellow deserving PIA members for these awards.”

All three awards will be presented during a gala luncheon ceremony on Tuesday, April 2, 2019, in Arlington, Virginia, held in conjunction with the 2019 PIA Federal Legislative Summit and Spring Governance meetings.

THE PIA NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL AGENT OF THE YEAR AWARD PIA’s highest national award of distinction is presented annually to one outstanding PIA member agent who has distinguished himself or herself as an independent agent. Each nominee is judged on six criteria, his or her: 1. Contributions to their agency.

2. Professional education and experience.

3. Contributions to the American Agency System.

4. Contributions to PIA. 5. Involvement in community affairs.

6. Performance as an industry spokesperson.

THE DEADLINE FOR ALL NOMINATIONS IS FEBRUARY 20, 2019.

12 | January 2019

The PIA National Customer Service Representative (CSR) of the Year Award is presented to an outstanding agency customer service representative who works for a PIA member insurance agency. CSR of the Year nominees are nominated by a PIA member agency.

The recipient must be an employee of a PIA member agency and not an agency owner or principal. Each CSR nominee is judged on five criteria; he or she must: 1. Possess exemplary talents, abilities, and aptitudes.

2. Exhibit dedication to a PIA member agency.

3. Provide clients with a high level of customer service.

4. Demonstrate a commitment to betterment through education.

5. Be a contributing member of his or her community.

The PIA National Young Insurance Professional (YIP) of the Year Award is presented to an outstanding individual who works for or owns a PIA member agency. In states where the PIA affiliate has a Young Insurance Professionals association there is no age cut-off, however, the nominee must be a member of that association. In states where there is no PIAaffiliated Young Insurance Professionals association, the nominee must be under the age of 40 on the nomination deadline.

Nominations for the YIP of the Year Award are submitted by PIA members or PIA state and regional affiliate associations. Each YIP nominee is judged on his or her: 1. Contributions to his or her agency.

2. Professional education and experience.

3. Contribution to the American Agency System.

4. Contribution to PIA. 5. Involvement in community affairs.

6. Performance as an industry spokesperson.

This is the 14th consecutive year that the PIA National YIP of the Year Award is sponsored by Rough Notes magazine.

AWARD DETAILS Transportation and accommodations for the Customer Service Representative (CSR) of the Year and the Young Insurance Professional (YIP) of the Year Award winners and one guest, along with a $1,000 cash prize, will be provided.

PIA strongly urges submitting additional materials that support each nomination. Supplemental materials are not required, but these materials include (but are limited to) letters of endorsement, testimonials, awards, photographs, and news clips or press releases about the nominee.

Nominations for the CSR and YIP awards may be made by any PIA member. Nominations for Professional Agent of the Year are made exclusively by PIA state or regional affiliates. However, in the nine states that receive their services directly from PIA National, all PIA members may nominate a Professional Agent of the Year.

Winners of corresponding statelevel PIA Awards within the past 12 months automatically advance to the PIA National Awards competition. PIA Affiliates need only to complete this simple nomination form to advance a state-level winner to the national competition, and may attach any supplemental materials that were used in their state process for consideration in the national competition.

PIA members submitting nominations will find nomination forms and further instructions at: www.pianet.com/awards. For questions or additional information on the awards, contact Sade Hale at awards@pianet.org or (703) 518-1350.

www.pianet.com | PIA CONNECTION

Access Markets

Generate Revenue Save Time

Make Connections Agency Operations Group Products

ROI

Market Your Agency Carrier

Partnerships

Information & Analysis Insurance Products

Advocacy

2019 PIA National Guide to

Member Benefits

For online access to the PIA National member benefits listed Business-building tools

Insurance products

> PIA Branding Program. Market your agency using PIA’s print advertisements, radio commercials, social media support and consumer-friendly issue papers for your clients and prospects.

> E&O insurance. Professional liability, errors and omissions insurance. With access to multiple markets with differing appetites, including admitted and non-admitted markets, chances are we can find the coverage and price that’s right for you, even if you have a more unusual risk.

Visit www.pianet.com/eando.

Coming soon: Plaster your community with PIA postcards you can use as part of the USPS Every Door Direct Mail program.

> PIA agents umbrella program. Excess insurance protection includes E&O and business liability coverage, with available endorsements for EPL and personal coverage. Coverage not available in all states.

> Hartford Flood Insurance. Easy enrollment, dedicated local sales directors and book transfer/ rollover team, training/CE, free certified zone determinations, 24/7 claims reporting and special PIA member commissions regardless of volume. > PIA Market Access. Access to over 50 national and specialty carriers, real-time online rating, ownership of your book and no exit fees for a low monthly rate.

Visit www.piamarketaccess.com. > AVYST eForms Wizard. Quickly and easily prepare ACORD, agency-specific, and carrierunique applications and forms, entering data only once in an organized interview format.

Get to market faster!

IT’S NOT MAGIC IT JUST WORKS LIKE IT

NEW

> Cyber insurance. PIA is proud to offer robust coverage tailored to small and mid-sized businesses. Coverage is available for PIA members to purchase and also to sell.

R

MARKET ACCESS

SAVE 75% OF YOUR STAFF’S TIME TO COMPLETE A SUBMISSION

> Individual and group insurance products. Basic, voluntary, and dependent term life; long/short term disability; AD&D; business overhead expense; and hospital income protection for you, your employees, and families.

Visit www.piatrust.com.

If binding more business is important to you, AVYST is the solu tion.

Streamline your submi ssion process with eForm s Wizard

.

> FLOODBROKER.COM. Sell more flood insurance with your own flood quoting web portal. A PIA member exclusive! > DocIT for Agents from Drivers History. DocIT for Agents’ online database of driver violation data helps agents align applicants with the right carrier early in the auto quoting process. Available only to PIA members! > Rough Notes Advantage-Plus. Helps identify risk exposures and provides detailed coverage analysis for C/L and P/L. Save $100/year with PIA member discount. > Agency Revenue Tools. Boost personal lines sales by engaging in employee worksite marketing using your appointed markets at regular commission rates. > Using the PIA logo. Put the PIA logo on your business card, website, stationery and signage. Order items with the PIA logo in our online store.

Learn more about these PIA National member benefits at www.pianet.com.

Cutting-edge communications

MAY 2017

TION

PIA CONNEC

ANCE AGENTS

NAL INSUR N OF PROFESSIO

CIATIO

NATIONAL ASSO

New PIA Agent Survey Results p. 13-21

> PIA Connection magazine. Awardwinning publication providing PIA analysis from the agent’s perspective.

NO FEDERAL !

INSURANCE CZAR

> PIA National’s website, www.pianet.com. > PIA Agency Marketing Guide.

Hands-on marketing tips from industry experts and agents like you.

Published annually.

PAGE 9

Strategie s to He Your Ag lp ency Grow

PIA

Agenc Guide y Marketing Brough t to you Agribusine ss and Equine

by the

se sponso

®

Mortality

A prod

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the PIA

> PIA Advocacy Blog. Timely updates NEW about what’s happening on Capitol Hill and on state and federal regulatory issues. Visit www.PIAAdvocacy.com. > PIA in the news. PIA is the go-to, authoritative source for the independent agent’s point of view across a wide swath of influential industry media.

Branding

Program

rs:

ed here, please visit www.pianet.com.

Agency management tools

Carrier relations Because good relationships with the carriers you represent are vital to your success, PIA National keeps an open line of communication with insurance companies—and uses it on your behalf. PIA members can constructively voice their concerns, so carriers understand how their decisions affect their agency partners.

Through our ongoing activities with The PIA Partnership, PIA’s company council, we develop hands-on tools specifically designed for use by agents to help them strengthen their agencies.

Tools from The PIA Partnership The PIA Partnership — a joint effort of leading insurance carriers and PIA — develops hands-on tools for PIA member agencies such as: > Cyber 101. Cyber education for you and your clients.

CYBER 101

> Agency Agreement Review Service. Free to members and carriers, PIA recommends changes to carriers and highlights concerns for members so they can make informed decisions about the agreements they sign. > Agency Preparedness and Recovery Plan.

The PIA guide to creating an agency-specific business contingency plan. > Discounted producer licensing services from Central Licensing Bureau. > Prescription discounts. Save money on prescriptions not covered by insurance. Available to PIA members and their clients. > Employee profiling. Hire the right people with skills and personality testing from OMNIA. > Discounts on shipping with UPS, calendar products from Mines Press and car rentals from Alamo.

Essential Information You and Your Clients Need to Know About Cyber

> The Voice of the Commercial Lines Customer. Our eye opening research helps independent agents understand how they can stay ahead of online competition in commercial lines. > Closing the Gap — Growth & Profit. Project and plan for new business growth and profitability using PIA’s calculators. Use PIA’s turnkey approaches for improving retention, sales and account-rounding in your agency. > Agency Touch Points — The Voice of the Customer. Learn how to capitalize on Partnership research to give personal lines customers what they really want. > Reaching Gen Y. This online tool helps agents understand and reach Gen Y age group insurance consumers and convert them into loyal agency customers. > Perpetuation Central. This hands-on, interactive tool guides agencies through the decision-making, planning and implementation steps of agency perpetuation or ownership transfer.

Coming soon: Perpetuation Central will soon be replaced by an on-demand version of The PIA Partnership’s new and improved perpetuation program, Agency Journey Mapping. > Practical Guide to Successful Planning. This valuable resource helps agents plan for success within their own agencies and coordinate their plans with those of the carriers they represent.

> Free subscriptions to industry publications.

Industry & business affairs PIA National works with industry groups such as the Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development (ACORD) and the Insurance Services Office (ISO) to improve processes and address challenges facing the insurance industry in general and agents in particular. PIA is leading the effort to enable agents to quote and bind policies from a single platform, aka The Buy Button.

PIA also provides our members with practical guidance to help them keep their agency practices in compliance with insurance and general business regulations and more aligned to the way other agencies do business. Guidance is also provided to assist PIA members with protecting their ownership and control of agency expirations.

Learn more about these PIA National member benefits at www.pianet.com.

Legislative & regulatory outreach PIA National represents members’ interests in state capitals and in Washington, D.C. to ensure that lawmakers and regulators understand and support the independent agency system. That’s why PIA National actively works with Congress and the Executive branch to ensure that your voice is heard when policymakers make decisions that affect you.

PIA has one common strategy: always put the interests of agents first! Whether it’s fighting encroachment by the Federal Insurance Office, standing up for agent commissions, protecting the vital role that independent agents play in delivering federallybacked crop and flood insurance, and safeguarding the employer-sponsored healthcare system, PIA National is your advocate in the halls of Congress, with regulators and throughout our industry.

In addition, PIA works with Congress on other vital issues like cybersecurity, data security legislation and the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA).

PIA National’s advocacy also extends to important organizations like the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), state lawmakers through the National Council of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) and InsureTech standards groups like the Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development (ACORD), and others — to ensure that the concerns of independent agents are addressed.

Here are some ways you can get involved: > PIA Advocacy Blog. The PIA Advocacy blog is your NEW one-stop shop for timely updates on what’s happening on Capitol Hill and on state and federal regulatory issues. Follow the blog by visiting www.PIAAdvocacy.com. > PIA Federal Legislative Summit. The annual spring PIA Federal Legislative Summit (FLS) is a gathering of PIA members who come together in the nation’s capital to meet with their elected representatives. It is an opportunity to meet/ reacquaint yourself with your Members of Congress and to discuss issues that are of importance to independent insurance agents. Learn more by visiting www.piafls.com. > Grassroots alerts. To ensure legislators feel the heat from their constituents, PIA occasionally organizes grassroots campaigns in which PIA members can easily send pre-written, fully-editable letters directly to their elected officials.

Send one now by visiting www.piagrassroots.com.

> PIA Political Action Committee (PIAPAC). PIAPAC is the Professional Insurance Agents Political Action Committee. The PAC contributes to the campaigns of candidates to federal office who share our pro-insurance, pro-business perspective and who support our issues. PIAPAC is funded by the contributions of individual PIA members. To learn more visit www.piapac.com.

PIA Insurance Foundation The Professional Insurance Agents Insurance Foundation (501(c) (3)) strives to further the insurance knowledge and education of those engaged in the independent insurance agency system. It is also home to the PIA Disaster Relief Fund which solicits charitable contributions and, in turn, provides relief grants to businesses following catastrophic events.

More information For more information about the PIA National member benefits described in this brochure, please visit www.pianet.com.

Contact us Have a question? Not sure how to access a particular program?

Want to vent about something? That’s what your staff at PIA is for.

Please feel free to give us a call or send us an email.

To find specific PIA National staff members who can assist you, visit our online Contact Us web page: www.pianet.com/contactus.

Or call us at (703) 836-9340 or email membership@pianet.org and we’ll put you in touch with the proper person.

National Association of Professional Insurance Agents 419 N. Lee Street Alexandria, Virginia 22314 (703) 836-9340 membership@pianet.org www.pianet.com

1/19

CAPITOL HILL REPORT

By Jon Gentile Vice President, Government Relations PIA National

STATE INSURANCE REGULATION STILL FACES THREATS IN JANUARY 2019, THE 116TH

Congress was sworn into office, ushering in the first divided Congress of the Trump administration; the Democratic party now controls the U.S. House of Representatives, while the Senate remains in Republican hands. Since the election, there has been an assumption that the Democratic House will result in the weakening of state insurance regulation and an effort by the new Congress more favorably disposed to federally regulate insurance. Even if that happened, it would be nothing new to PIA or its members.

But before attempting to predict the road ahead, it’s important to take a look back. In truth, even with Republican majorities in both chambers, and with the help of a Republican in the White House, the 115th Congress took steps over the past two years that threatened the successful state insurance regulatory system.

INDEPENDENT INSURANCE ADVOCATE In November 2016, PIA became the first association to publicly call for the repeal of the Federal Insurance Office (FIO). PIA National opposed the creation of the FIO from the outset and, since its creation, PIA has repeatedly sought to curtail its power.

As Congress began work on a major piece of legislation to repeal much of the Dodd-Frank law (the Financial CHOICE Act), the Republican House, under the Financial Services chairmanship of Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), inexplicably decided to try to increase the power of the FIO. It sought to do this by creating a new, supersized insurance office called the Office of the Independent Insurance Advocate, which would have vast new authority and virtually no accountability.

The office would have been

PIA CONNECTION | www.pianet.com

Senate-confirmable and the recipient of unprecedented power for an insurance entity in the federal government. Despite PIA’s efforts, provision for this office remained in the bill when it passed the House; fortunately, it died in the Senate.

However, for anyone concerned about the federal government’s role in insurance regulation, this was an ominous start to the 115th Congress.

FIO REFORM ACT PIA shifted gears by developing two pieces of legislation concerning the FIO. First was the bipartisan FIO Reform Act, introduced by Reps. Sean Duffy (R-WI) and Denny Heck (D-WA). As introduced, this bill would have meaningfully reformed the FIO by gutting its domestic authority and moving the FIO from the Treasury Department into the Department’s Office of International Affairs. The office would also have been limited to five staff members; been removed from its advisory role to the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC); and would have had its subpoena authority and most of its reporting mandates eliminated. The FIO would have continued to have a role in negotiating international covered agreements, but the bill also required that state insurance commissioners be consulted and involved throughout such negotiations.

Regrettably, when this bill was considered before the House Financial Services Committee in the summer of 2018, proponents of the FIO—who appear to favor the intrusion of the federal government into insurance regulation—considerably watered down the legislation both before and during the markup. The bill was stripped of key limitations on the power of the FIO, leaving only the elimination of its subpoena authority and a moderate

limitation on its power to issue reports, which, to date, it has used with impunity.

PIA was particularly concerned that the marked-up legislation may not have had as meaningful an impact because of an amendment, offered by Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) and adopted at the mark-up, that would have empowered the Secretary of the Treasury to direct the FIO to involve itself in unspecified domestic insurance issues. PIA viewed this amendment as a poison pill, which essentially would have eviscerated the rest of the bill.

PIA helped to have introduced the FIO Abolishment Act, sponsored by Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV), which would have fully repealed the FIO. Regrettably, it was ignored by the Republican committee leadership and did not receive consideration.

STATE AUTHORITY AND FEDERAL DATA SECURITY BILL PIA was unable to support the “Consumer Information Notification Requirement Act,” sponsored by Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO), which passed the House Financial Services Committee on September 13, 2018.

PIA opposed this bill even though we share the goal of protecting consumers from data theft. However, we strongly believe this issue is best left to the expertise of state legislatures and state insurance commissioners, given that insurance is regulated at the state level. Insurance is state-regulated for good reason: state regulators will always have a more thorough understanding of local insurance issues than the federal government.

By preempting state authority, this bill would undermine the work already done by several states. During the House Financial CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

January 2019 | 13

STATE INSURANCE REGULATION STILL FACES THREATS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

Services Committee’s consideration of the bill, the Democratic Ranking Member of the Committee, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), offered an amendment to strip out the section of the bill that would have allowed the preemption of state law. Incredibly, despite their stated beliefs in the empowerment of state and local authority over that of the federal government, every Republican on the committee voted down the Waters amendment, allowing the bill to later pass with the preemption provision intact.

The faulty logic of usurping state

authority in this particular bill is evident by the fact that the bill mandates that insurance agencies are to be held to standards written for large banks, which PIA believes is unworkable and potentially damaging to small businesses, including independent insurance agencies.

GOING FORWARD INTO THE NEW CONGRESS The lesson that should be learned from this experience is that, regardless of which party controls Congress, it is

always necessary to stay vigilant to defeat measures that would expand the role of the federal government in the regulation of insurance. PIA will continue to stand up against either party, on any issue, that seeks to erode the successful system of state insurance regulation to the disadvantage of independent insurance agents and consumers.

Jon Gentile is vice president of government relations of the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA).

FINAL IRS TAX REGULATIONS AFFIRM A BIG WIN FOR AGENTS IN A MAJOR WIN FOR SMALL-

business insurance agencies and brokerages, final regulations issued January 18 by the U.S. Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) specifically state that “insurance cannot be considered a financial service” for the purpose of taking the 20% pass-through tax deduction that was passed as part of the tax reform legislation signed into law in late 2017.

“This is a big win for agents,” said PIA National Executive Vice President & CEO Mike Becker. “PIA aggressively advocated for this tax relief for pass-through entities since passage of the tax reform law (P.L. 115-141) in December 2017. We advocated for the language that was passed

by Congress, then ultimately adopted by Treasury and the IRS in their regulations.”

Many members of the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA) own independent insurance agencies that are organized as sole proprietorships, partnerships, or Subchapter S corporations. Such small businesses do not pay corporate income tax. Instead, their income “passes through” the firm and appears directly on their owners’ individual tax returns, where it is taxed as normal income. The 20% deduction, subject to

14 | January 2019

other limitations imposed by law or regulation, will lower these individuals’ tax bills.

Lowering the rate for these small and often family-owned businesses will ease the undue burden many businesses face when calculating their tax liabilities.

Treasury’s final regulations state that, in general, “financial services” do not include insurance, and therefore that insurance agents are permitted to take the deduction.

“PIA was gratified to see that Treasury and the IRS recognize that the typical insurance agent is not engaged in ‘financial services’ in the way Congress described them, allowing agents the opportunity to take the 20% pass-through deduction.

Also, we’re glad this rule was issued in time for the start of the 2018 tax season,” said Lauren G. Pachman, Esq., PIA counsel and director of regulatory affairs.

“It’s a great day for small-business insurance agencies, whose businesses will be taxed the way pass-through entities were intended to be by Congress,” Pachman said.

PIA URGES BIPARTISANSHIP IN 116TH CONGRESS PIA National issued a statement encouraging a productive working relationship with the new 116th Congress.

“PIA will continue to promote the valued role of professional independent insurance agents in the new 116th Congress by seeking business-friendly policies that encourage a strong, competitive insurance market that serves insurance consumers well,” PIA noted in the statement issued after the election.

“PIA will continue to advocate for policies that help independent insurance agents protect consumers: a strong National Flood Insurance Program and crop insurance program; the strengthening of employersponsored health care; and opposition to proposals that chip away at the successful state insurance regulatory system,” said Jon Gentile, PIA National vice president of government relations.

Apart from health insurance, insurance generally is not usually a hot-button topic in Congress. The approach to most insurance issues is more bipartisan. We hope the changes to the composition of Congress will encourage a renewed spirit of bipartisanship in terms of creating opportunities for insurance agents to expand their businesses and increase the take-up rate for flood and other essential lines of insurance.

www.pianet.com | PIA CONNECTION

EFFICIENT CLAIM REPORTING EVEN WITHOUT POWER

By Linda Dodson

HURRICANES AREN’T THE

only natural disasters that can wreak havoc with electrical service, but with the October arrival of Hurricane Michael, we were again reminded that the loss of power affects everyone and everything.

And here’s the reality—our vulnerability to power loss has only increased as our reliance on technology has grown.

Whether from a hurricane or other natural or man-made disaster, the next time your insurance agency or your carrier loses power for an extended period of time, will you be ready? How will you efficiently and accurately process claims?

A RECURRING ISSUE In 1992, Hurricane Andrew led to the loss of electricity for approximately 1.4 million people1. In 2005, Hurricane Wilma caused 3.2 million Florida Power and Light customers2 to lose service, while 2017’s Irma knocked out power3 for over half of Florida’s population, and Reuters estimated 7.3 million homes and businesses across multiple Southeastern states had no electricity4. And the most recent storm, Hurricane Michael, which was called a “history-making monster” by the South Florida Sun Sentinel, left approximately 2.5 million5 households in the Southeast without power.

Lest you believe power loss is only an 1 https://www.huffingtonpost. com/2012/08/21/20-facts-hurricane-andrewanniversary_n_1819405.html 2 https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/weather/ hurricane/sfl-2005-wilma-story.html 3 https://mashable.com/2017/09/11/ hurricane-irma-power-outageflorida/#eOvFeTNK8Oqk 4 https://www.reuters.com/article/usstorm-irma-power-outages-factbox/factboxover-7-3-million-lose-power-from-irma-in-us-southeast-utilities-idUSKCN1BM1KD?il=0 5 https://www.energymanagertoday.com/ hurricane-michael-outages-damage-0179581/

PIA CONNECTION | www.pianet.com

issue in coastal states, don’t forget that areas of Ohio went without power for weeks after Hurricane Ike traveled north.

Of course, power losses also result from other events such as tornadoes, windstorms, and ice storms.

No one is immune.

BETTER THAN PAPER For years, pen and paper to collect claims information from frantic customers has been the go-to choice — but, as you know, this system is grossly inefficient because data is vulnerable to loss, misinterpretation, incompletion or inaccuracy.

The next upgrade, which was used by many agents following Hurricane Katrina, was to write directly onto printed ACORD forms (which had to be on hand in advance).

Once the electricity and internet were restored, these documents were then scanned and faxed or emailed to the carriers. As a result, claim records did exist and were forwarded in as timely a way as possible, but manual input into the management and/or carrier system always followed the handwritten process. There was simply no easy way to get the information attached to a management system.

Now there is.

AVYST eForms Wizard, which already streamlines the submission process by eliminating multiple points of input, provides an offline option for neat, accurate collection of claim details. Although it may require the use of battery back-up for a digital device during a natural disaster (which you should have on hand as part of your disaster preparedness and business interruption plan), you simply input claim details directly into the ACORD form that is stored on your computer or laptop.

When power is restored, these saved forms can then be quickly and easily emailed to the carrier, and the claim notice can be then attached to the management system

PIA has negotiated a free trial period of the comprehensive Gold-level AVYST eForms Wizard program until March 31, 2019.

After the trial expires, the Bronze-level package is available for free to all PIA members or upgrade to the Gold level package for $50 per user per year (a 50% PIA member discount off the regular price).

To download your software or learn more, visit: www.pianet. com/AVYSTeformswizard AVYST eForms Wizard is available to all PIA members except those in Colorado and North Carolina. along with follow-ups for payment.

Multiple steps and cumbersome scanning are completely eliminated, and you are able to easily track and submit claims even when the most severe disasters strike.

Now that’s how you maximize technology even in a power outage!

Linda Dodson is Chief Experience Officer at AVYST, a technology company dedicated to providing agents, companies and MGA/ wholesalers with streamlined workflow solutions. She has helped implement new marketing and technology systems for major carriers, including Travelers. She was co-chair of the claims download working group for Chubb, which became the first carrier to implement the innovation. She has been active in ACORD, AUGIE, IVANS and PIA. AVYST™ is based in Dallas, Texas, and Aurora, Colorado. For more information, visit www.avyst.com.

January 2019 | 15

MILLENNIAL BUSINESS OWNERS MOST LIKELY TO WORK WITH AN AGENT A NEW SURVEY SUGGESTS

that Millennial business owners are the most likely generational demographic to work with insurance agents on financial issues.

The fourth annual Business Owner Survey by Nationwide Insurance found that 69% of Millennial business owners work with an insurance agent.

By comparison, Boomers were at 66% and Gen X at 59%. Among all generations, the most common reason for working with an insurance agent is the value business owners place on the “guidance and expertise from an agent.”

Further, millennials are relying on agents for guidance in more areas than other generations, especially boomers.

Retirement (37% vs. 26%), banking (25% vs. 4%) and succession planning (21% vs.

9%) show a wide generational gap.

“Millennial business owners came of age during the 2008 recession—a time of economic crisis marked by uncertainty in financial markets, significant job reductions across the country and a sudden downturn in the real estate market,” said Amy Shore, president of Nationwide’s P&C Sales

16 | January 2019

& Distribution. ”For that reason, it’s not hard to understand why this generation is more motivated than the generations that came before them to proactively take steps that satisfy their need for stability. Seeking professional advice intended to position a business for success over the long-term is exactly what business owners stand to gain by working with an agent.”

Other key findings from the survey show:

PRICE IS THE TOP CONSIDERATION WHEN SELECTING AN INSURANCE AGENT.

USE OF INSURANCE AGENTS IS WIDESPREAD AMONG BUSINESS OWNERS.

ALTHOUGH HALF OF THE OWNERS HAVE NEVER FILED A CLAIM FOR THEIR BUSINESS, 70 PERCENT OF MILLENNIALS HAVE.

• Over six-in-ten business owners (63%) report having an insurance agent, while almost seven-in-ten millennials have one (69%).

• Business owners with between 100299 employees are most likely to work with an insurance agent (80%), those with fewer than 50 employees are least likely (57%).

• Guidance and expertise (41%) are the driving forces behind the agent relationship, more so than practical considerations like level of coverage (25%) and efficiency (23%).

• Next in line is insurance coverage/ offerings, followed by customer service.

• While trust and guidance are reasons for having an agent, reputation ranks No. 5 on the list of reasons provided by the survey.

• Half (51 percent) admit to reviewing their insurance policy on an annual basis.

• No universal milestone is driving insurance reviews. Business owners admit to a variety of reasons occurring across various time periods.

• Part of this reasoning may be that business insurance goes largely unused. Half of owners (53 percent) have never filed a claim for their business.

• Boomers have used their coverage to an even lesser extent, as 62 percent have never filed a claim compared to 30 percent of Millennials.

Nationwide commissioned Edelman Intelligence to conduct a 20-minute, online survey between April 9-27, 2018, among a sample of 1,000 U.S. business owners. The margin of error for this sample was +/-3% at the 95% confidence level.

In April 2018, Nationwide announced its intention to shift entirely to an independent agency distribution model by July 1, 2020. PIA has welcomed the Nationwide agents who will transition into the independent agent system. Immediate Past PIA National President Timothy G. Russell remarked, “To paraphrase Nationwide’s slogan, PIA is also on your side.”

www.pianet.com | PIA CONNECTION

$

AGENCY MARKETING

By Frank Medina

EFFECTIVE MARKETING STRATEGIES TO WIN CLIENTS AS AN INSURANCE AGENT I’VE HEARD MANY DIFFERENT DEFINITIONS OF

HOW TO CREATE A MARKETING PLAN

what marketing is, as I’m sure you have too. For most people, it calls to mind ‘advertisement’, whether by means of TV, radio or, these days, the internet. But there’s a lot more to marketing than placing ads. In fact, marketing is a process more than anything else. It is the process by which you get your target customer to be interested in the services or products you offer. A process, by definition, involves several components and steps that need to be taken, and the same is true for marketing. I will be discussing what this process entails in the sections below, but first, let’s see why you as an insurance agent need to concern yourself with marketing at all and what it does for you.

Marketing involves researching, promoting and selling your products or services, and to do this well, you need to consider all the factors that will help your marketing efforts be successful. First of all, as an insurance agent, you need to know your agency’s vision, how much time and money are at its disposal and the kind of clientele you want to attract. So, for your marketing plan to be successful, you must, among other things, do a thorough evaluation of your agency, clearly identify your target market and then, based on these, develop strategies and relevant marketing tools. A well-designed market research analysis can help you address these factors.

WHY DO I NEED MARKETING?

HOW TO DO MARKET RESEARCH

Unless you are a monopoly (highly unlikely) or you have the clout of mega companies like Apple or Google (also unlikely), chances are that you have competitors with whom you vie for a specific market.

Which means the customers you want have a wide variety of insurance agencies to choose from, so why should they come to you? This is where marketing comes in. It helps catch the attention of potential customers, draws them to your agency and narrows in their minds, the agency to which they will give their business. Marketing keeps you top of mind for customers. So, when you think of marketing, think of it as a critical component of staying in business, because it is. Now, how do you go about it?

The reason you should do market research is to enable you to know the reason why consumers will choose your product in the first place. You will need to study consumer behavior1 and what influences that behavior. To succeed in your market research, you will need to: • First, be clear as to what you need to know about your market and reasons for desiring that knowledge. Research with clear focus is of great value.

• Focus only on important information whose rewards are quick and useful, since it is not possible to research everything.

• Identify cheap sources of information and materials for your 1 https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241080 CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

PIA CONNECTION | www.pianet.com

January 2019 | 17

EFFECTIVE MARKETING STRATEGIES TO WIN CLIENTS AS AN INSURANCE AGENT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

research. Use the internet as much as possible.

Once you have established that you are indeed offering products and services that customers do want, you can proceed to the other elements mentioned above: Evaluating Your Agency. First analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats2 facing your agency today. This is called a SWOT analysis. Be candid. You might discover that your agency has very good products to sell but there is a failure to reach consumers.

This SWOT analysis can help you to identify opportunities to uplift the business, which may include offering new products or altering your commission. Finally, evaluate the threats to your business.

Threats normally are external, such as competitors, clients losing their jobs or economic downturns.

Identifying Your Target Market. After analyzing your agency, find out who your potential clients are, and strategize how to reach 2 http://smallbusiness.chron.com/write-marketing-plan-insurance-salesagent-70075.html

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Plans available include:  Basic Term Life**  Voluntary Term Life  Short & Long Term Disability PIA SERVICES GROUP INSURANCE FUND  Dependent Term Life  Business Overhead Expense  Hospital Indemnity  Accidental Death & Dismemberment

For additional information, contact your local PIA Affiliate or call the Plan Administrator at 1-800-336-4759.

Information also available on-line at www.piatrust.com. *PIA National membership, when required, must be current at all times. **Only available if 100% employer paid and if the employer and 100% of the employees enroll.

No medical underwriting necessary up to guaranteed issue limits.

Policies or provisions may vary or be unavailable in some states. Policies have exclusions or limitations which may affect any benefits payable. All coverages underwritten by Unimerica Insurance Company, Association Administrative Address, P.O. Box 17828, Portland, ME 04112-8828.

Insurance Program Administered by Lockton Risk Services.

18 | January 2019

them. I make it a point of duty to be where my potential clients are likely to be. As an insurance agency, I know that I need to understand my clients in order to serve them well, so I make an effort to get to know them even before they become clients. Options open to you in this area include social media (which I will talk about below), participating in events which help you to build networks, use of faithbased organizations, local community gatherings, children’s sports activities and a whole market blitz.

Perhaps most relevant to us today is the power of technology.

Never forget that technology can catapult your agency to success. For me, meeting my clients where they are means I should be able to reach them through their mobiles. Research shows that people spend over five hours per day on their mobile devices3. You can use your mobile phone to achieve astounding marketing results by taking advantage of this massive audience. One way I did this is by creating a website which is responsive to visitors who visit my site using mobile phones, and also by offering the option to communicate by text messages.

Something else I found most useful in my marketing plan was to have data on each market segment which I was targeting, and I set goals for each. I would recommend that you do the same. However, make sure that your goals (which should go into your marketing plan) are reasonable and measurable. You might, for example, set a goal to increase customers by 30 percent and retention of existing clients by 10 percent.

Develop the Right Marketing Tools. In marketing, one size doesn’t fit all. What one person may find interesting may put another off. So, use the right marketing tools for your client demographic. In particular pay attention to: Messaging. Ensure that the message you pass across about your products reaches the relevant audience in the right manner and through appropriate channels. The bottom line is your message must be descriptive of your agency and informative to people about your products.

Creativity. Invent and try new methods in your marketing plan. In this digital age exploit the use of the web, social media and e-mail and you might also include a strategy where existing clients are motivated to refer potential customers.

Budget vs. Results. From the very beginning, your marketing plan should have a budget so that at the end of a predetermined period you can compare the actuals with what you planned. Use information like the goals you set regarding number of inquiries, policies sold, retention percentage, etc. and measure these against actual performance so as to enable you to gauge the extent of success or failure.

REVISING YOUR MARKETING PLAN You will need to revise your marketing plan after comparing the results of the plan and what actually transpired. Revision comes as a result of examining results to determine what worked and what did not in your strategy.

3 https://www.outboundengine.com/blog/7-marketing-ideas-for-insuranceagents-in-2018/

www.pianet.com | PIA CONNECTION

P I NN Social Media. I cannot overemphasize the value that social media marketing offers to you as an insurance agent. It has been the backbone of my own marketing efforts and certainly worthwhile. I have used social media marketing to grow my following. On LinkedIn alone, I have over 15,000 followers. But I don’t restrict myself to one platform alone. I use a wide variety, and due to the influence of my online presence, on social media alone I generate three to five solid leads a week.

Why is this such a successful strategy? Because using social media makes reaching people easier. With a click of a button you can reach hundreds of people instantly. Depending on your budget, boosting a Facebook post can generate thousands of impressions. If you prefer to use ads, you could use Facebook ads, which will expose your agency to a large segment of population. The number of active Facebook users is astoundingly high at over 1 billion. In my opinion however, there is no need to rely on Facebook ads. The key to growing your following on social media, as I have found out, is to create content that is interesting and likeable. In other words, the information you post should be focused but not dull and non-engaging. By creating hardtoresist content, you make it easy for people to automatically like and share your content.

Instead of waiting for people to promote your materials online, get engaged in your audience’s posts and comments. If your audience sees that you take time to review, comment and like their posts, having your audience return the favor becomes easier and more willing.

The key to successful social media marketing is to stay engaged in conversation online and continue to upload amazing content. Then consumers online see you as the expert and automatically come to you with questions relating to insurance and providing insurance quotes becomes extremely easy. Be aware though that building your audience takes time, so take some time to build rapport.

PIA CONNECTION | www.pianet.com

ER

MARKETING TOOLS FOR INSURANCE AGENTS

L E PAR

TN

What Worked. Start your revision by taking a look at what worked well as per your plan and strategize to repeat the same feat or do more next time.

What Did Not Work. It is painful for you to look at disappointing sales reports showing plummeting figures. Discouraging as they are, negative results will help you when revising or planning another marketing campaign. There are factors which make marketing fail, and these include a change in people’s needs, wrong timing or nonanticipated competition and more importantly, your lack of proper understanding of your target market. For you to rectify the failures, you will need to revise your marketing strategy after: • Talking directly to your prospective customers to know them better and understand their needs.

• Investigating if the channels you used to transmit your message were appropriate. It is possible you used television to run your marketing campaign but people in your target area only listen to radio. Speaking of which, what really are the best marketing channels for insurance agents?

AC

2019 PIA NATIONAL PINNACLE PARTNERS Bankers Insurance Group Encompass Insurance Erie Insurance Motorists Insurance Group State Auto Insurance Companies

Written Content Marketing. Although your focus as an insurance agent is on clients who need a policy at this very moment, do not lose sight of clients who will require the policy in months or years to come.

Such potential clients are best served by written content. The point above about relevant content applies here as well, but here you mostly focus on your own website, ensuring it has content that keeps people coming back.

Uniformity. Whether online or offline, ensure that your agency branding is the same in all channels. There must be consistency in the information and even the pictures which customers and prospective clients come across. There should also be uniformity in tone and the manner in which you communicate with all prospective customers and clients.

CONCLUSION Never underestimate the power of a good marketing strategy for growing your agency. As I’ve found in my own experience, in the long run, it yields exponential results that outweigh the efforts that go into it.

Frank Medina is a skilled marketer that uses effective online SEO techniques to build brand awareness and generate more clients for his own insurance agency (https://frankmedinainsurance.com/). Join him on Facebook @thefrankmedina.

MORE MARKETING SUPPORT FROM PIA PIA members have access to a wealth of marketing tips in past and present issues of the annual PIA Agency Marketing Guide. Read them all at www.PIAAgencyMarketingGuide.com.

Strategies to Help Your Agency Grow

PIA

Agency Marketin g Guide Brought to you by

these sponsors:

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A product of the PIA

Branding Program

PIA wishes to thank the sponsors of the most recent PIA Agency Marketing Guide: American Reliable Insurance Company; NationsBuilders Insurance Services, Inc. (NBIS); Progressive Insurance and Smart Choice.

PIA’s Agency Marketing Guide is published as part of the PIA Branding Program, PIA’s agency marketing program (www.piabrandingprogram.com). Funding for the PIA Branding Program is provided in part by PIA’s Pinnacle Partners: Bankers Insurance Group, Encompass Insurance, Erie Insurance, Motorists Insurance Group, and State Auto Insurance Companies.

January 2019 | 19

YOUR MEMBER BENEFITS FROM PIA NATIONAL BUSINESS-BUILDING TOOLS

✦✦ PIA LOGO. Put the PIA logo on your business card, website, stationery and signage. Order items with the PIA logo in our online store.

✦✦ PIA BRANDING PROGRAM. Print ads, radio commercials, consumer-oriented flyers and social media support for PIA members. www.piabrandingprogram.com

INSURANCE PRODUCTS

✦✦ PIA MARKET ACCESS. Access to over 50 national and specialty carriers, realtime online rating, ownership of your book and no exit fees for a low monthly rate. www.piamarketaccess.com

✦✦ E&O INSURANCE. With access to admitted and non-admitted markets with differing appetites chances are we can find the coverage and price that’s right for you. www.pianet.com/eando

✦✦ HARTFORD FLOOD INSURANCE. PIA’s endorsed flood provider since 2004.

Dedicated local sales directors and book transfer/rollover team plus great commissions for PIA members. Call (860) 547-5006.

✦✦ PIA AGENTS UMBRELLA PROGRAM. Excess insurance protection includes E&O and business liability coverage, with available endorsements for EPL and personal coverage.

✦✦ AVYST eFORMS WIZARD. Quickly and easily prepare ACORD, agency-specific, and carrier-unique applications and forms, entering data only once in an organized interview format. Get to market faster! ✦✦ FLOODBROKER.COM. Sell more flood insurance with a flood quoting Web portal. A PIA member exclusive! ✦✦ PIA AGENCY MARKETING GUIDE. Hands-on marketing tips from industry experts. Published annually. ✦✦ ROUGH NOTES - ADVANTAGE PLUS. Identifies risk exposures. Provides detailed coverage analysis. PIA member price $600 annually (reg. $700). Call 800-428-4384. Use your PIA member ID# above name on mailing label. ✦✦ DOCIT FOR AGENTS. Align applicants with the right carrier early in the auto quoting process with DocIT for Agents’ online database of driver violation data. ✦✦ AGENCY REVENUE TOOLS. Boost personal lines sales by engaging in employee worksite marketing using your appointed markets at regular commission rates. ✦✦ AGENCY WEBSITES. Cutting-edge websites tailored specifically to insurance agents.

✦✦ CYBER LIABILITY INSURANCE. Coverage and pricing tailored to small and mid-sized businesses. ✦✦ INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP INSURANCE PRODUCTS. Basic, voluntary and dependent term life; long/short term disability; AD&D; business overhead expense; and hospital income protection. www.piatrust.com

TOOLS FROM THE PIA PARTNERSHIP, PIA’S COMPANY COUNCIL ✦✦ CYBER 101: Cyber education for you and your clients. ✦✦ SMALL BUSINESS INSURANCE & THE INTERNET—THE VOICE OF THE CL CUSTOMER: Stay ahead of online competition in commercial lines. ✦✦ CLOSING THE GAP—GROWTH & PROFIT. Plan for growth and profitability. Includes tools for improving retention, sales and account-rounding. ✦✦ AGENCY TOUCH POINTS—THE VOICE OF THE CUSTOMER. Give personal lines customers what they really want. ✦✦ REACHING GEN Y. Convert Gen Y age group insurance consumers into loyal agency customers.

✦✦ PERPETUATION CENTRAL. Guidance through the many phases of your agency’s lifecycle. ✦✦ PRACTICAL GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL PLANNING. Plan for success within your own agency.

AGENCY MANAGEMENT TOOLS ✦✦ AGENCY AGREEMENT REVIEW SERVICE. Free to members and carriers, PIA recommends changes to carriers and highlights concerns for members. ✦✦ AGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RECOVERY PLAN. The PIA guide to creating an agency-specific business contingency plan. ✦✦ EMPLOYEE PROFILING. Hire the right people with skills and personality testing from OMNIA. ✦✦ PRESCRIPTION DISCOUNTS. Save money on prescriptions not covered by insurance. Available to PIA members and their clients. ✦✦ Discounts on producer licensing, car rentals, shipping with UPS and calendars from Mines Press. ✦✦ Free subscriptions to industry publications.

LEGISLATIVE & REGULATORY OUTREACH ✦✦ GRASSROOTS ALERTS. Send pre-written, fully-editable letters directly to your elected officials. www.piagrassroots.com ✦✦ PIA FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE SUMMIT. Every spring, PIA members visit Capitol Hill to meet with their elected representatives. www.piafls.com ✦✦ PIA POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (PIAPAC). PIAPAC contributes to the campaigns of candidates to federal office who share our pro-insurance, pro-business perspective and who support our issues. www.piapac.com

Learn more about these PIA National member benefits at www.pianet.com.

20 | January 2019

www.pianet.com | PIA CONNECTION

PIA MEMBER BENEFIT SPOTLIGHT

SAVE 75% OF YOUR STAFF’S TIME TO COMPLETE A SUBMISSION WITH EFORMS WIZARD AS A PRODUCER IN AN INDEPENDENT AGENCY, are you tired of the endless back and forth working with your underwriters? Do new, required forms somehow show up late in the process? Do lastminute data corrections make it difficult to obtain accurate quotes at the outset?

AVYST eForms Wizard is a fast and easy solution that will allow you to quickly prepare submissions. Each form has intelligence that allows information to be keyed once and shared across all other applications and forms for that client! Type it once and you’re done. eForms Wizard expediates the completion of hundreds of included ACORD forms for commercial and personal lines clients. Applications for submission are easily shared inside your office or with multiple underwriters in a single click.

This easy-to-use solution will allow your agency staff to prepare submissions quickly and easily, eliminate redundant entry, and collaborate with others to complete applications.

PIA members have access to a trial period of the comprehensive Gold-level program until March 31, 2018. After the trial expires, the Bronze-level package is available for free to all PIA members or upgrade to the Gold level package for $50 per user per year (a 50% PIA member discount off the regular price).

FA MO SU

eFo

Avai

Do AVYS u

IT’S NOT MAGIC

AVYST eForms Wizard is available to all PIA members except those in Colorado and North Carolina.

IT JUST WORKS LIKE IT

UPCOMING PIA WEBINARS Date

Topic

Time

2/14

DocIT for Agents

2:00 PM ET

2/20

Wipe Out Negativity and Conflict in the Workplace

2:00 PM ET

2/22

PIA/Hartford Flood Program

2:00 PM ET

3/13

Floodbroker.com

2:00 PM ET

3/20

How to Succeed as a First Time Manager

2:00 PM ET

To download your software or learn more, visit: www.pianet.com/ AVYSTeformswizard

To register, visit: Pianet.com/calendar Questions? Contact ProductsandServices@pianet.org

PIA CONNECTION MARKETPLACE Help Build Your Family’s Financial Future with PIA Trust Insurance Plans

www.auw.com

Phone: 800-844-0536

www.sportsfitness.com

AGENCY E&O

Insurance Plans Designed with PIA Members in Mind SERVICES GROUP PIA PIA SERVICES GROUP INSURANCE FUND INSURANCE FUND

Term Life l LTD l STD l AD&D Business Overhead Expense Hospital Indemnity (800) 336-4759 www.piatrust.com

Insurance Program Administered by Lockton Risk Services

Partnership | Solutions | Success Conquering E&S Risks One Risk At A Time

Contact your local PIA E&O producer today!

PIAMarketAccess.com

WWW.PIANET.COM/EANDO

800.257.5590 quotes@primeis.com Specialty, Auto, Professional, P&C, E&S Lines Insurance

Photo by Josh King Photography

Representing “A” rated, admitted Liberty Mutual to provide the health and fitness industry with General Liability, Professional Liability, Property, Workers Compensation, Umbrella, Bonds and more.

www.primeis.com *For latest ratings, please access www.ambest.com.

PIA Connection Marketplace rates: $95/issue for 10 issues; $120/issue for 5 issues. To learn more and get a contract, to inquire about |display advertising, PIAorCONNECTION www.pianet.com please contact Alexi Papandon at alexipa@pianet.org or 703-518-1353.

January 2019 | 21

PIA AFFILIATES ALABAMA

MARYLAND

OREGON/IDAHO

PIA Southern Alliance, 3805 Crestwood Pkwy NW #140, Duluth, GA 30096 PHONE: (770) 921-7585 | FAX: (770) 921-7590 e-mail: info@piasouth.com | Web Site: piasouth.com

Insurance Agents & Brokers of Maryland 5050 Ritter Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-0763 PHONE: (717) 795-9100 | FAX: (717) 795-8347 e-mail: iab@iabforme.com | Web Site: www.iabforme.com

PIA Western Alliance 3205 Northeast 78th Street, #104, Vancouver, WA 98665 PHONE: (888) 246-4466 | FAX: (360) 571-7600 e-mail: piawest@piawest.com | Web Site: www.piawest.com

MASSACHUSETTS

PENNSYLVANIA

PHONE: (703) 836-9340 | FAX: (703) 836-1279 e-mail: membership@pianet.org | Web Site: www.pianet.com

PHONE: (703) 836-9340 | FAX: (703) 836-1279 e-mail: membership@pianet.org | Web Site: www.pianet.com

MICHIGAN

PUERTO RICO & CARIBBEAN

Michigan PIA, P.O. Box 99579 Troy, Michigan, 48099 PHONE: (616) 454-4461 | FAX: (616) 454-4491 e-mail: inquiry@mipia.com | Web Site: www.mipia.com

PIA of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Inc KOI Building, Urb. Muñoz Rivera, Acuarela Street, 3A, Office G – 10, Guaynabo, PR 00969 PHONE: (787) 387-9696 | FAX: (787) 792-4745 e-mail: administration@piaofpr.org | Web Site: www.piaofpr.org

ARKANSAS PIA of Arkansas Inc. 10801 Executive Center Drive, Suite 207, Little Rock, AR 72211 PHONE: (501) 225-1645 | FAX: (501) 225-2550 e-mail: evp@piaar.com | Web Site: www.piaar.com

CA/NV/AZ/NM PIA Western Alliance, 3205 Northeast 78th St #104, Vancouver, WA 98665 PHONE: (888) 246-4466 | FAX: (360) 571-7600 e-mail: piawest@piawest.com | Web Site: www.piawest.com

COLORADO

MINNESOTA

PHONE: (703) 836-9340 | FAX: (703) 836-1279 e-mail: membership@pianet.org | Web Site: www.pianet.com

PIA of Minnesota, 8646 Eagle Creek Circle, Suite 202, Savage, MN 55378 PHONE: (866) 694-7070 | FAX: (866) 749-8678 e-mail: info@piamn.com | Web Site: www.piamn.com

CONNECTICUT

MISSISSIPPI

PIA of Connecticut, P.O. Box 997, Glenmont, NY 12077-0997 PHONE: (800) 424-4244 | FAX: (518) 434-2342 e-mail: pia@pia.org | Web Site: www.pia.org

PIA Southern Alliance, 3805 Crestwood Pkwy. NW, Ste. 140, Duluth, GA 30096 PHONE: (770) 921-7585 | FAX: (770) 921-7590 e-mail: info@piasouth.com | Web Site: piasouth.com

DELAWARE

MISSOURI

PHONE: (703) 836-9340 | FAX: (703) 836-1279 e-mail: membership@pianet.org | Web Site: www.pianet.com

Missouri Association of Insurance Agents P.O. Box 1785, Jefferson City, MO 65102-1785 PHONE: 573-893-4301 | FAX: 573-893-3708 e-mail: lcase@moagent.org | Web Site: www.missouriagent.org

FLORIDA PIA of Florida, Inc., 311 East Park Avenue, Tallahassee, FL 32301 PHONE: (850) 893-8245 | (800) 277-1171 FL only | FAX: (850) 893-8316 e-mail: piafl@piafl.org | Web Site: www.piafl.org

MONTANA

RHODE ISLAND PHONE: (703) 836-9340 | FAX: (703) 836-1279 e-mail: membership@pianet.org | Web Site: www.pianet.com

SOUTH CAROLINA PIA of South Carolina, PO Box 6167, Columbia, SC 29260 PHONE: (803) 772-0557 | (888) 742-6372 | FAX: (803) 772-0846 e-mail: PIASC@piasc.net | Web Site: www.piasc.net

SOUTH DAKOTA PHONE: (703) 836-9340 | FAX: (703) 836-1279 e-mail: membership@pianet.org | Web Site: www.pianet.com

TENNESSEE

PIA Western Alliance, 3205 NE 78th St Ste 104, Vancouver, WA 98665-0697 PHONE: (888) 246-4466 | FAX: (360) 571-7600 e-mail: piawest@piawest.com | Web Site: www.piawest.com

PIA of Tennessee Inc 504 Autumn Springs Court Suite A-3, Franklin, TN 37067 PHONE: (615) 771-1177 | FAX: (615) 771-3456 e-mail: piatn@piatn.com | Web Site: www.piatn.com

NEBRASKA/IOWA

TEXAS

HAWAII

PIA of Nebraska/Iowa, 920 South 107th Avenue, Suite 305, Omaha, NE 68114 PHONE: (402) 392-1611 | FAX: (402) 392-2228 e-mail: cathy@pianeia.com | Web Site: www.pianeia.com

PIA of Texas 5605 N. MacArthur Blvd. Suite 1000, Irving, TX 75038 PHONE: (972) 862-3333 | FAX: (972) 307-7888 e-mail: vicki@piatx.org | Web Site: www.piatx.org

PIA of Hawaii, 1247 Kelewina St. Kailua, HI 96734 PHONE: (808) 261-9460 | FAX: (808) 262-5355 e-mail: piahi@hawaiiantel.net | Web Site: www.piahawaii.com

NEW HAMPSHIRE

UTAH

PIA of New Hampshire, P.O. Box 997, Glenmont NY 12077-0997 PHONE: (800) 424-4244 | FAX: (518) 434-2342 e-mail: pia@pia.org | Web Site: www.pia.org

Utah Association of Independent Insurance Agents 4885 S. 900 E., Suite 302, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 PHONE: (801) 269-1200 | FAX: (801) 269-1265 e-mail: ctimothy@srvins.com | Web Site: www.uaiia.org

GEORGIA PIA Southern Alliance, 3805 Crestwood Pkwy NW #140, Duluth, GA 30096 PHONE: (770) 921-7585 | FAX: (770) 921-7590 e-mail: info@piasouth.com | Web Site: piasouth.com

ILLINOIS PHONE: (703) 836-9340 | FAX: (703) 836-1279 e-mail: membership@pianet.org | Web Site: www.pianet.com

INDIANA PIA of Indiana, 50 E. 91 Street Ste. 207 Indianapolis, IN 46240 PHONE: (317) 899-9200 | FAX: (317) 493-0408 e-mail: info@piaindiana.com | Web Site: www.piaindiana.com

KANSAS

NEW JERSEY PIA New Jersey, P.O. Box 997, Glenmont NY 12077-0997 PHONE: (800) 424-4244 | FAX: (518) 434-2342 e-mail: pia@pia.org | Web Site: www.pia.org

NEW YORK PIA New York, P.O. Box 997, Glenmont NY 12077-0997 PHONE: (800) 424-4244 | FAX: (518) 434-2342 e-mail: pia@pia.org | Web Site: www.pia.org

VERMONT PIA of Vermont P.O. Box 997, Glenmont NY 12077-0997 PHONE: (800) 424-4244 | FAX: (518) 434-2342 e-mail: pia@pia.org | Web Site: www.pia.org

VIRGINIA/DC

NORTH CAROLINA

PIA Assn of Virginia & DC 8751 Park Central Dr., Ste 140, Richmond, VA 23227 PHONE: (804) 264-2582 | FAX: (804) 266-1075 e-mail: kevin@piavadc.com | Web Site: www.piavadc.com

KENTUCKY

PIANC, PO Box 1387 Davidson, NC 28036 PHONE: (704) 534-2338 e-mail: jim@pianc.net | Web Site: www.pianc.net

WASHINGTON/ALASKA

PIA of Kentucky, P.O. Box 4205, Frankfort, KY 40604-4205 PHONE: (502) 875-3888 | FAX: (502) 227-0839 e-mail: clemay@piaky.org | Web Site: www.piaky.org

NORTH DAKOTA

Kansas Association of Professional Insurance Agents 216 SW 7th Ave, Topeka, KS 66603 PHONE: (785) 232-4143 | FAX: (785) 232-0272 e-mail: pia@pia.kscoxmail.com | Web Site: www.kansaspia.org

LOUISIANA PIA of Louisiana Inc. 4021 W. E. Heck Ct., Building K, Baton Rouge, LA 70816 PHONE: (225) 766-7770 | (800) 349-3434 LA only | FAX: (225) 766-1601 e-mail: jody@piaoflouisiana.com | Web Site: www.piaoflouisiana.com

MAINE Maine Insurance Agents Association 17 Carriage Lane, Hallowell, ME 04347 PHONE: (207) 623-1875 | FAX: (207) 626-0275 e-mail: lisa@maineagents.net | Web Site: www.meiaa.com

22 | January 2019

PIA of North Dakota 1211 Memorial Hwy Holiday Park Office #6, Bismarck, ND 58504-5213 PHONE: (701) 223-5025 | (800) 733-1050 ND&MN only FAX: (701) 223-9456 | e-mail: info@piand.com Web Site: www.piand.com

OHIO

PIA Western Alliance 3205 Northeast 78th Street, #104, Vancouver, WA 98665 PHONE: (360) 571-7100 | FAX: (360) 571-7600 e-mail: piawest@piawest.com | Web Site: www.piawest.com

WEST VIRGINIA PHONE: (703) 836-9340 | FAX: (703) 836-1279 e-mail: membership@pianet.org | Web Site: www.pianet.com

WISCONSIN

Ohio Insurance Agents Association, Inc., 600 Cross Pointe Road, Gahanna, OH 43230 PHONE: (614) 552-8000 | (800) 555-1742 | FAX: (614) 552-0115 e-mail: OIA@ohioinsuranceagents.com | Web Site: www.ohioinsuranceagents.com

PIA of Wisconsin, Inc., 6401 Odana Road, Madison, WI 53719-1126 PHONE: (608) 274-8188 | (800) 261-7429 | FAX: (608) 274-8195 e-mail: rvonhaden@piaw.org | Web Site: www.piaw.org

OKLAHOMA

WYOMING

PHONE: 703-836-9340 | FAX: 703-836-1279 e-mail: membership@pianet.org | Web Site: www.pianet.org

Assoc. of Wyoming Ins. Agents, 197 Pine Haven Road, Pine Haven, WY 82721 PHONE: (307) 201-4801 | FAX: (775) 796-3122 e-mail: awia@vcn.com | Web Site: www.awia.com

www.pianet.com | PIA CONNECTION

Partnership Solutions Success CONQUERING E&S RISKS ONE RISK AT A TIME

STRIP MALL: COMMERCIAL PROPERTY

800.257.5590

quotes@primeis.com www.primeis.com Specialty, Auto, Professional, Property & Casualty Excess & Surplus Lines Insurance Available in all 50 states.

Auto available in most states except NY.

For latest ratings, please access www.ambest.com.

Photo by Josh King Photography.

Expect big things in workers’ compensation. Most classes approved, nationwide. It pays to get a quote from Applied.® For information call (877) 234-4450 or visit auw.com/us. Follow us at bigdoghq.com.

©2019 Applied Underwriters, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway company. Rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best.

Insurance plans protected U.S. Patent No. 7,908,157.