Kentucky IA
Big I Kentucky
EVENT RECAPS
WOMEN LEADERS IN INSURANCE & BIG I OPEN
Fall 2026
YOUR AI SPEND METRIC:
REVENUE PER EMPLOYEE Page 7
Page 10 + 21
AI ADOPTION IN 2026 Page 32
3 INS. TASKS I’D GIVE AI Page 12
ANNUAL CONVENTION PREVIEW
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Fall 2026
IN THIS Issue
Feature
CONTENTS 7
Revenue Per Employee: Your AI Spend...
10
WLI Conference Recap
>>>>>>> 12 15
>>>>>>> 21
Three Insurance Tasks I’d Give AI Today Annual Convention Preview Big I Open Recap
28
No Such Thing as a Stupid Question
32
AI Adoption in 2026
Our Mission Create value for our members through innovative resources and legislative advocacy while fostering industry relationships.
IN EVERY ISSUE 4
From the Chair
The Kentucky IA is the official magazine of Big I Kentucky and is published quarterly.
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From the President’s Desk (special edition)
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Upcoming Events
38
Thank You Industry Partners
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Education and Webinar Calendar
Kentucky IA Contact Us 13265 O’Bannon Station Way Louisville, KY 40223 Telephone 502-245-5432 Email info@bigiky.org Fax 502-245-5750 All advertising and editorial submissions are welcome.
from the Chair LOOKING BACK WHILE FORGING AHEAD As I look back on this year as Chair of Big I Kentucky, I keep coming back to one thing: this association is strongest when our members use it. There are resources available to help our agencies grow, develop our people and prepare for what is next. If you are bringing new talent into your agency, InsurAcademy offers structured training to help new employees build a foundation in insurance. For team members ready to take the next step, Big I Kentucky members also have access to 31 nationally recognized designations through The Institutes. Investing in our employees builds confidence, expertise and stronger agencies. We have also tried some new things this year, and I hope that continues. The first Big I Open brought agents and industry partners together at Park Mammoth for golf, networking and competition. At our Leadership Conference, the Risk Management Tour at the National Corvette Museum gave us a different way to learn, connect and get outside the traditional conference room. Sometimes the best conversations happen when we change the scenery. One of the accomplishments I am most proud of this year is the progress we made in Frankfort. The passage of PIP reform brought meaningful changes to Kentucky’s system, including updates to medical expense payments and benefit limits. That win was the result of a lot of work, persistence and members willing to speak up about what they see every day.
Officers Carolyn Reynolds Chair, Berea 859.623.8485
Adam Sheridan, CLCS Chair-elect, Somerset 606-679-6311
Nick Rolf Vice-Chair, Fort Thomas 859-781-0434
Allen J. Crawford, CIC, CSRM Treasurer, Somerset 606.679.6311
Whitney L. Floyd , CIC
National Director, Henderson 270.827.3543
Chris Wiseman, CIC Immediate Past Chair, Bowling Green 270.781.2020
Directors Philip Anderton, CIC, CRM Louisville, 502.585.3277
Susan Coblin
Frankfort, 502.875.2244
Tori Conn
Louisville, 502.713.0004
Neel Ford, CIC, AU, CPIA Owensboro, 270.926.2806
Chad Hennessey, AAI Louisville, 502.749.4085
John Purdom, CIC
Murray, 270.753.4751
But our advocacy work is not finished.
Bart Rowland, CIC, CWCA
Tort reform will continue to be a major priority as my year as Chair comes to a close. These issues affect affordability, the insurance marketplace, our businesses and the clients we serve. We need independent agents engaged in that conversation and willing to share their experiences with lawmakers. As Adam Sheridan prepares to take the gavel, I know that work will continue. Adam understands our industry, believes deeply in the independent agency system and knows the value of showing up. I am excited to see where his leadership takes us next.
Tompkinsville, 270.487.6192
Nathan Shanks
Louisville, 502.499.6880
Shannon Desmond Walz, ACSR, CIC Fort Thomas, 859.491.5100
Staff Tara T. Purvis
President & CEO
Erin Fosson
My challenge to each of you is simple: use your association. Send a new employee to training. Encourage someone to earn a designation. Attend an event. Make a call to a legislator. Big I Kentucky has a lot to offer, but the value really shows when you put it to work. CHAIR, BEREA
Carolyn
Sales & Marketing Director
Katie Hines
Membership Services Director
Jennifer Hurt
Office Manager
Kristie Weyer
Insurance Services Director
Mary Pat Hartmann
Workforce Development Director
from the President’s Desk ENSURING OUR VOICE IS HEARD ON THE HILL There are a lot of reasons to be proud of Kentucky’s independent insurance community. Every day, our members help families protect what they have built, help businesses manage risk and serve as trusted advisors in communities across the Commonwealth.
Big I Kentucky has created a Kentucky Legal Reform Action Center. I encourage you to take a few minutes to visit the page and become familiar with the conversation. Know who represents you. Build relationships with your legislators before you need something from them. And when opportunities arise to share your professional perspective, please consider being part of that conversation.
But there are times when our industry needs you to step beyond the walls of your agency and make sure your experience is part of the conversation in Frankfort.
Advocacy cannot simply be something your association does for you. It is most effective when we do it together.
This is one of those times. Kentucky continues to have important conversations about our civil justice system, insurance costs and the legal environment in which businesses operate. Big I Kentucky is actively participating in these Tort Reform discussions and working to make sure legislators understand how proposed changes may affect independent agents, their clients and Kentucky’s insurance marketplace.
With hundreds of independent agencies and thousands of insurance professionals across Kentucky, our collective experience is significant. Now is the time to make sure that experience is heard.
We made meaningful progress during the 2026 legislative session with changes to Kentucky’s Personal Injury Protection system. That work also reinforced something we have known for years: relationships matter.
PRESIDENT & CEO
Legislators need to hear from people who understand insurance beyond a talking point or a line in a bill. They need to hear from agency owners, producers, account managers and other professionals who work directly with Kentucky families and businesses every day. You do not have to be a political expert. You do not need to memorize legislation or know every detail of the legislative process. Your most valuable contribution is something you already have: real-world experience.
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Fall ‘26
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Revenue Per Employee THE METRIC YOUR AI SPEND DEPENDS ON BY CAREY WALLACE, AgencyFocus HOW TO CALCULATE REVENUE PER EMPLOYEE AT YOUR AGENCY
Most agency owners don’t track revenue per employee. It’s a metric that, up until AI entered the chat, hasn’t been part of anyone’s standard report. It’s not something any of your carriers would have brought up, many accountants don’t look at this metric, so many agencies have skipped over it.
Take your agency revenue and divide it by your total employee count, owners included. The first question we typically get when calculating this is: Do owners count in the total count of the agency? The short answer is, for most agencies, yes, owners should be included in the count. The only exception is if they are an owner in name only and have no responsibility in the agency at all.
Here’s why that’s about to be a problem. Many agencies are currently increasing, or considering increasing, their spending money right now on AI tools, workflow automation, or virtual employees. Each of these expenses is investing in the same thing in your agency: that you can do more with the staff you already have. Revenue per employee is the number that tells you whether the bet is paying off.
This number gives us an idea of how efficiently the agency is operating with its current staff size. We then compare that number to the benchmark for agencies your size. The comparison will be an indicator of two things – either you’re overstaffed, or you aren’t operating efficiently. Both show up the same, so a bit further digging is required if this number is vastly off the benchmark.
In a recent podcast episode, Carey Wallace puts it simply:
“It’s the metric that really gives us an idea of the capacity inside an agency.” - Carey Wallace, founder of AgencyFocus
“Those numbers aren’t always good or bad. They just tell the story of your agency.”
Capacity is the metric you’re investing in to impact every time you approve a subscription or leave a seat open after someone retires.
- Lindsay Sexton, co-host of Business Refocused Plenty of agencies are overstaffed on purpose.
This is how you check what you’ve got. 7
Fall ‘26
They hired ahead of the growth they’re planning for, and their revenue per employee reflects a decision they made deliberately. Missing the benchmark isn’t automatically a problem. Missing it without knowing why is where agencies can get into trouble.
Or are you still adding headcount every time you add revenue? Because if you are, the investment isn’t doing what you bought it to do, and your revenue per employee will tell you that before your P&L.
Once you have an indication of where you compare on revenue per employee, you can break it down: revenue per CSR and staffing vs. benchmark (how many employees you have in each category compared to other agencies in your size will help determine why the number is off. Those get more specific, and more useful for individual conversations.
Run the number twice. Calculate revenue per employee for your last full year, then for the year before. This will show you where your agency is headed as a direction based on the decisions that were made in the last year.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT
Reflect on your staffing and compare it to the number. Include factors like having a heavy virtual employee model, hiring ahead of growth, betting on automation, all of it. If you can’t explain the gap between your number and the benchmark using that paragraph, you’ve found something worth looking into.
WHY THIS NUMBER IS MOVING FASTER THAN THE REST What’s changed is how agencies build capacity. Virtual employees shifted the math a few years ago, and now automation and AI are shifting it again, and a lot of the agencies that went deep on a virtual employee strategy for service are looking hard at technology instead.
From there, other metrics can tell you why this number is either lower or higher than the benchmark. That’s where a general capacity question turns into a specific conversation that you can take action on.
There’s going to be a big difference in this number between agencies who make effective changes vs. those who don’t. Those who make changes effectively will have their revenue per employee become better than the average (so a higher revenue per employee) and those who do not will see a decrease.
Put it on your dashboard with a target attached. Decide what you expect revenue per employee to look like 24 months out given what you’re spending on technology and staffing, then check it quarterly against that expectation instead of against last year.
THE QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE YOU FILL THE NEXT OPEN SEAT
Every agency owner we talk to is spending on something right now, whether that’s a tool, a virtual employee, or a process rebuild. Very few of them have a metric that they’re using in order to measure the effectiveness of it. Revenue per employee is the shortest path to that answer, and you can calculate it this afternoon.
WHERE THIS LEAVES YOU
Carey framed three of them, and they’re the ones worth writing down. As people retire, can you leave some of those roles unfilled? Not every seat needs a replacement if the work moved somewhere else.
The harder part is knowing what your number should be given the agency you’re building. If you want to see where you sit against agencies your size, and what the rest of your metrics say alongside it, an agency health check will get you there. •
Can you grow revenue with the exact staff you have today, because of what you’ve already invested in technology or virtual employees? Kentucky IA
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How Trusted Choice Helps Agents: Enhanced online presence by leveraging our social media automation and website monitoring tools. The Digital Performance Hub: Monitors an agency website and identifies key SEO insights and metrics in an easy-to-read dashboard. Social Jazz: Creates a unique content calendar populated with professionally designed graphics and posts to agency social accounts automatically.
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Informative toolkits and guides that help agencies navigate topical challenges Leveraging a.i. for marketing Legal System Abuse Social Media Advertising And more 9
www.trustedchoice.independentagent.com
Fall ‘26
“What an AMAZING day, connecting with strong women leaders in insurance throughout Kentucky.” WLI Annual Conference was held on June 10 at The Gheens Foundation Lodge in Louisville, KY
Kentucky IA
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WE KNOW INSURANCE
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Fall ‘26
Three Insurance Tasks
I’d Give AI Today BY MATT SMITH, Catalyit
Every week I get asked some version of the same question: “Which AI tool should I use?”
minutes pulling together the basics: what the business does, where it operates, what its exposures probably look like. That’s exactly the kind of repetitive, research-heavy task AI handles well.
It’s the wrong first question. Before you pick a tool, you need a task. AI doesn’t create value by existing on your desktop. It creates value when you point it at something specific: a piece of work that happens often, takes real time, and can be checked by a person before it goes anywhere.
Give it the public information you already have and ask it to organize the work. STARTER PROMPT Here is public information about [prospect company]. Summarize their business, locations, and operations, list possible risk exposures, then give me 10 discovery questions and five producer talking points
So instead of ranking tools, here are three tasks I would hand to AI in an independent agency this week. Not because they’re flashy. Because they’re common, they’re low-risk, and a human stays in charge of the outcome the whole way through.
2. ORGANIZE A POLICY OR QUOTE COMPARISON
1. RESEARCH A PROSPECT BEFORE THE FIRST MEETING
Lining up two proposals side by side, limits, deductibles, exclusions, endorsements, and figuring out what actually changed, is exactly the kind of careful, repetitive work that eats a CSR’s afternoon.
Before a producer walks into a meeting with a new prospect, someone usually spends 20 to 30 Kentucky IA
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AI can turn it into a clean comparison in minutes.
Here’s how the move from one to the other actually works. Once you have a prompt that reliably produces something useful, look at what surrounds it.
STARTER PROMPT Compare these two proposals in a table: limits, deductibles, exclusions, and endorsements. Highlight every difference and list what I should confirm with the carrier.
• • •
Human checkpoint: AI can organize the differences. It should never be treated as the final authority on policy language or coverage. Confirm anything that matters against the actual documents or the carrier.
What triggers the task in the first place, a new lead, a renewal date, an approved transcript? What information has to go in before AI can do its part? And once you have the output, what does a person need to check, and what’s the real next step, an email that gets sent, a file that gets updated, a meeting that gets scheduled?
Write those pieces down in order: what starts the task, what goes in, what AI produces, where a human reviews it, and what happens last. That’s a workflow. It’s still the same prompt you were already using. You’ve just made the surrounding steps explicit instead of leaving them in one person’s head.
3. PREPARE FOR A RENEWAL Renewal prep is the same handful of steps every time: pull the account, see what changed, flag what’s missing, get ready for the conversation. That repeatability is what makes it a good fit for AI, and a good candidate for turning into an actual workflow instead of a one-off prompt.
Do that once for a task like renewal prep or meeting follow-up, and it stops depending on which employee happens to remember how it’s done. Anyone on the team can run it the same way, get consistent results, and know exactly where their judgment is supposed to kick in.
STARTER PROMPT Here is the account summary for [client]. Summarize what changed this year, flag missing information, and give me eight questions to ask in the renewal meeting.
BONUS TASK: TURN MEETING NOTES INTO A SUMMARY AND FOLLOW-UP
That’s also where the real time savings show up. A good prompt saves a few minutes once. A workflow saves those same few minutes every time the task repeats, for everyone who uses it.
Notice what these three tasks have in common. Each one is frequent, each one eats real staff time, and each one ends with a person reviewing the output before it touches a client or a decision. That’s not a limitation of AI. That’s the whole point.
That’s the shift: stop asking which tool is best, and start asking which piece of your week could use this kind of help. Once you know the task, and once you’ve mapped the workflow around it, the tool question gets a lot easier to answer.
Automate the task. Don’t automate the accountability.
BUILD IT IN THE AI MASTERCLASS We build exactly this kind of thinking, prompt by prompt and workflow by workflow, in the Catalyit AI Masterclass for Independent Insurance Agents, going on now.
TAKE THE PROMPTS TO THE NEXT LEVEL A good prompt solves one moment. A workflow solves the problem every time it comes up, without anyone having to remember the steps.
AI is the tool. You are the advantage. • 13
Fall ‘26
MEMBERSHIP MEANS MARKET ACCESS Independent agents need good insurance markets to grow and be competitive. Big I Kentucky knows the more markets your agency can easily access, the better your chances of writing and retaining business. That’s why we made market access an integral part of your association membership with the creation of Independent Market Solutions (IMS). IMS is jointly owned by several independent agent associations operating in 10 different states. The IMS programs are designed to give agencies of all sizes the opportunity to gain carrier appointments as subproducers. That means your agency can have a direct working relationship with insurance companies, improving efficiency and allowing you to grow your relationships with company staff. While working as an IMS subproducer, agencies are also paid competitive commissions, enjoy 100 percent ownership of expirations, and can participate in earned contingencies. And, as you write more policies as a subagent, several IMS insurance markets feature the opportunity to “graduate” to a direct appointment once the carrier’s minimum premium threshold and performance standards are met—all at no additional cost to you.
Have questions or need help? We’re here for you! DAVE BURT President, Independent Marketing Solutions 850-893-4156 x353 • dburt@faia.com JULIA HATTABAUGH IMS Accounting Administrator 850-893-4155 x388 • imsaccounting@imsaccess.com CHRISTY STACEY IMS Marketing Administrator 850-702-5635 x335 • imsmarketing@imsaccess.com
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2026 Annual Convention & Trade Show November 4-6,2026 | French Lick Resort Three days of connection, education, industry insight and good old-fashioned
networking with the people who make Kentucky’s independent agency system stronger.
Featured Learning & Leadership Dale Steinke, Agent for the Future
Explore how AI is showing up across independent agencies today, including AI literacy, embedded tools, real-world use cases, risk management, data gistration is open at bigiky.org/annual-convention privacy and AI usage policies. Session is followed by a hands-on workshop. Bryan Clinkscales, Big“I” Executive Committee Vice Chair and Owner of Boone Ritter Insurance His agency background includes ownership of Boone Ritter Insurance and acquisitions that expanded the agency’s reach in Arkansas. Adam Koenig, Koenig Public Policy and Political Consulting A conversation about Kentucky’s legal reform strategy leading into the next Legislative Session in Frankfort. A huge push for tort reform. 15
Fall ‘26
Schedule of Events Wednesday, November 4
12:00 PM
Explore the resort: golf, horseback riding, sporting clays, fishing, bowling, swimming, the casino and more.
1:00 - 4:00 PM
E&O; Course | 3 hours CE
6:00 PM
Welcome Reception at the West Baden Billiards & Bowling Pavilion | Sponsored by Liberty Mutual Thursday, November 5
7:30 AM
Registration opens
8:00 - 10:30 AM
Welcome Breakfast & General Session: Preparing for an AIDriven Future with Dale Steinke | 1 HR CE
10:45 AM - 12 PM
Industry Speaker & CE Course: Hone Your Prompt Skills for Smarter Results - Hands-on AI workshop | 1 HR CE
11:00 AM
Spouse/guest activity
12:00 - 4:00 PM
Trade Show & Lunch
4:30 - 5:00 PM
Past Presidents’ Reception
5:00 - 6:00 PM
InsurPAC Toast and Women Leaders in Insurance Happy Hour
5:30 - 7:00 PM
Cocktail Reception, Silent Auction, Wine & Bourbon Toss
7:00 PM
Leadership Dinner
9:00 PM
Dueling Pianos with Felix & the 6Fingers Friday, November Friday, November 6
9:00 AM
Legislative Breakfast with Adam Koenig
10:00 AM - 1 PM
Ethics Course with Rick Pitts | 3 hours CE
Kentucky IA
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www.bigiky.org/annual-convention/
AmTrust is a Proud Supporter of the Kentucky Big I Agent Focused and Solution Driven At AmTrust, our Independent Agent partners are at the forefront of what we do every day. We’re committed to providing our Kentucky Independent Agent partners commercial insurance solutions to help grow revenue and better serve clients. AmTrust offers: Intuitive Technology • Local Expertise Quality Claims and Risk Control • Coverage Solutions including Workers’ Compensation and more
Thank You for Your Partnership! For more information, contact your Kentucky Regional Sales Manager, Steven Taggart. steven.taggart@amtrustgroup.com | (312) 348-7954
www.amtrustfinancial.com 17
Fall ‘26
The New TrustedChoice.com is Here
No subscriptions, no fees, no upselling. The Big “I” has launched an all-new TrustedChoice.com. A completely free agency locator created exclusively to connect Big “I” member agencies with active online insurance shoppers.
Your agency is already listed and updates take less than 5 minutes
Complete Your Free Profile Today Trustedchoice.IndependentAgent.com/agency-locator Kentucky IA
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Fall ‘26
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Dairyland® is now The General® Although our name has changed, you can expect the same trusted coverage, flexible payment options, and excellent service. Looking for a nonstandard auto and powersports carrier? Contact us today! Zack Estes | Zachary.Estes@sentry.com| Agency Sales Manager Kylie Klafka | Kylie.Klafka@sentry.com| Agency Sales Manager
Kentucky IA
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Kentucky IA
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FRACTIONAL CFO SERVICES Financial insights you need to drive smarter, more confident choices.
Each Engagement Includes: Benchmarking Establish baseline performance and identify key improvement areas using peer comparison data.
Your agency deserves more than a once-a-year check-in. As your dedicated Fractional CFO, we work alongside you every month, benchmarking your performance against the industry, tracking your growth and profitability, and translating your financials into decisions you can act on. From strategic planning, to the decisions along the way throughout the year, we bring the financial expertise of a fulltime CFO without the full-time cost.
Annual Budget Development Build and manage a 12-month budget tied to financial goals.
3–5 Year Projection Model long-term growth and scenarios to guide major business decisions.
KPI Identification & Tracking Define meaningful performance metrics and monitor progress.
Monthly Financial Review Meetings
Understand Your Numbers
Monthly structured review meetings to address actual vs. budget, discuss trends, and identify challenges/opportunities for growth.
Drive Agency Growth
Custom Projects
Leverage Data Insights
2-3 Additional Projects a year based on scope can include any from the below list: Valuation Compensation Analysis Acquisition Analysis
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Transition Planning Carrier Review Operational Improvements
25 Helping Agencies Across the US
Fall ‘26
All the agency tech guidance you need in one place. Catalyit is the ultimate technology ally for independent insurance agents. We’re here to guide you through the tech landscape to help your agency thrive in the digital age. Stay Informed Keep ahead with the latest in tech trends and updates.
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Consulting Our advisors can help identify your agency’s tech challenges & implement the solutions.
Generative AI Guide Get the latest AI news and recommended tools.
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We represent you in Washington, rain or shine. The Big “I” works tirelessly to ensure that your interests as independent insurance agents are well represented on Capitol Hill. And your support of the Big “I” Flood program with Selective helps the Big “I” better serve you!
with Selective, you will enjoy competitive commissions while partnering with one of the most experienced and dedicated carriers in the marketplace.
Selective is also the only insurer that directly supports your national and state independent insurance
Most recently, the Big “I” and other stakeholders negotiated improvements to pending NFIP reauthorization legislation that could save agents millions of dollars in compensation if passed into law.
of our Big “I” members in congress and with the National Flood Insurance Program. United, we can help all independent agents have a strong voice of
It is through production generated from Big “I” Flood appointed agents that Selective provides
Flood program and you can help strengthen that voice!
Learn more about the Big “I” Flood program www.independentagent.com/Flood.
efforts on behalf of independent agents, by promoting NFIP reform and sustainability. 27
Fall ‘26 FLOOD.
No Such Thing As A Stupid Question BY Richard Lund, E&O Guardian Here are a few of the most common questions - and answers - we have seen from agents of E&O issues.
you will no longer be calling them to advise them when their premium is due. The reason is simple, by calling them you have created a duty that you did not otherwise have. And the one time you forget or miss calling them is the one time they don’t pay their premium, their policy is cancelled for non-payment, they then have an uncovered claim, and they blame YOU because they didn’t get your call telling them the premium was due.
QUESTION Do I really have to document every phone call with my customers? I know which are important and which aren’t. I’ll remember. ANSWER Yes, you should document every phone call, even if it is just a short note. If your customer is calling you, it’s because they are having an issue that may or will involve their insurance policy. Why else would they be calling? Even if it is something so innocuous as to ask what the limits are on their policy or what their premium is, what is the underlying reason why they are asking? If it is about limits, have they had a claim? Why do they need to ask about that? If it’s about their premium, do they owe it? Are they trying to reduce it? Are they looking for another quote? If they call about their auto policy and ask who is listed on it, why do they want to know? Little things can mean a lot when it comes to an E&O claim and consistency, especially when it comes to documentation can be the key to making it defensible.
We recently had a claim where an agency didn’t call any of their direct bill customers, except one. It was a big account and they knew that they would only pay their premium when the agency called them. Of course, the agency person who was responsible for calling the customer was on an extended vacation, and no one called the customer when the premium was due. The customer received the direct bill notice of payment, but ALWAYS waited to pay it until they received the call from the agency. Since they didn’t get the call, they forgot to pay the premium, the policy cancelled, they had an uncovered loss of $65,000 and made a claim against the agency. The agency is clearly in error but had they not taken on that duty, they would not have been responsible. The agency has now sent a letter to the customer, certified mail, and return receipt requested, that they will no longer be notifying them when their premium is due.
QUESTION I heard at an E&O seminar that I shouldn’t call my customers who have company direct bill policies when their premium is due. But I know they won’t remember to pay the bill if I don’t call them. They just expect that as part of my customer service. Do I really have to quit calling them?
QUESTION Why do you want to send the letter certified mail with return to receipt requested? ANSWER To document in your file that your client received the letter advising them that they would no longer be notified by the agency.
ANSWER YES, yes, a thousand times yes. If you haven’t stopped calling them, stop immediately. But before you do, send a letter to all of your company direct bill customers, preferably certified mail-return receipt requested, that effective immediately Kentucky IA
QUESTION Our office has recently gone paperless, i.e. we scan 28
WHAT IS BIG “I” ALLIANCE BLUE?
WHAT SETS US APART?
Formerly known as Big “I” Markets, Big “I” Alliance
After completing our online registration, you can
Blue is IIABA’s FREE online market access placement
begin submitting business online. Simply answer a
center program. We provide Big “I” members with
few questions and provide banking info, licensing
access to specialty/niche coverages, program
info, tell us about your E&O insurance, and accept
business and hard-to-nd markets. Our top tier
the sub-producer agreement. Approval takes about
carrier partners offer access to the products you
one business day, then you’re off and running and
need, with new carriers being added in response to
can begin submitting and doing business online
member needs.
24/7.
PERSONAL LINES Affluent Markets Auto and Home Standard Markets Flood Jewelry Non-standard Homeowner Umbrella & Home Business COMMERCIAL LINES Bonds Cyber Commercial Auto Community Banks Executive Risks Habitational Real Estate Agents/Property Manager E&O Small Commercial
PROGRAM FEATURES •
No initial access fees
•
No ongoing monthly fees
•
No termination fees
•
No monthly minimum production requirements
•
No obligation to submit other accounts
•
Ownership of expirations
•
EFT commission payments
You can access the markets you need once a year or multiple times per day; the price to access products through Big “I” Alliance Blue remains the same: zero. Log in and plug in to the power!
QUESTIONS? Contact allianceblue@iiaba.net or visit www.independentagent.com/Alliance.
Product availability varies by state.
REGISTER TODAY AT INDEPENDENTAGENT.COM/ALLIANCE 29 Fall ‘26
and store all documents electronically. Do we still need to retain the paper files and documents?
main site and got 150 responses that are throughout the website including E&O Happens, ACT, and Virtual University, some of which specifically reference Facebook and Twitter. I recommend you go to the websites and do the same and take a look at those that are of particular interest to you.
ANSWER No, once you have scanned the documents and store them electronically, the original documents should be shredded and disposed of. The underlying question from an E&O standpoint here is whether an electronic copy of an original document can be used as evidence when there is a claim, and the answer is yes. The Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) was developed by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCSL) in the late 1990’s and has been adopted by all states except Illinois, New York and Washington, which developed their own laws regarding electronic transactions. Among the basic tenants of the law is that any document that is electronic is the same as a paper document and as such, is admissible as the original of the document. In addition, in 2000 the United States Congress enacted the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (E-SIGN) which established the validity of electronic records and signatures under federal law. The key to remember is that once you create an electronic record, you should immediately destroy the paper document.
ALWAYS ASK THE QUESTION These are just a few of the questions that come in frequently. The first three I have been asked several times before, and the answers are readily available on several different IIABA resources, including the E&O Happens Website, the Virtual University, and the Agents Council for Technology. As you can see from the last question, many times I’ll take the subject that is being asked about, enter it in the Search feature on the main page of the IIABA website or on the E&O Happens page, and I’ll get numerous results pointing to different places in all three of those locations where the answers can be found. The reason I do this is not necessarily because I don’t know the answer, but because I want to know if there is a place for you as an agent and member of the IIABA and a Swiss Re Corporate Solutions policyholder to locate that information in the quickest manner possible and then to be able to pass that on to you.
QUESTION Our agency is trying to get our arms around some social media opportunities to help promote our agency. When we started our web-site redesign last year, I recall that we went through some hoops with our E&O carrier about what was permissible and what was not. This year we are crawling into Facebook and Twitter and wonder about the E&O implications, if any. Do you have any information about that?
So remember, there’s no such thing as a stupid question. The only stupid question is the one that is left unasked. •
This article is intended to be used for general informational purposes only and is not to be relied upon or used for any particular purpose. Swiss Re shall not be held responsible in any way for, and specifically disclaims any liability arising out of or in any way connected to, reliance on or use of any of the information contained or referenced in this article.
ANSWER Swiss Re Corporate Solutions and the IIABA have a module that specifically addresses Social Media in the new E&O seminar materials, “E&O Risk Management: Meeting the Challenge of Change”. Those materials are available on the E&O Happens Website. I also went to the E&O Happens website and entered “social media” in the search tool and got 30 responses. I then did the same thing on the IIABA Kentucky IA
The information contained or referenced in this article is not intended to constitute and should not be considered legal, accounting, or professional advice, nor shall it serve as a substitute for the recipient obtaining such advice. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of the Swiss Re Group (“Swiss Re”) and/or its subsidiaries and/or management and/or shareholders.
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Fall ‘26
AI adoption in 2026 AGENTS USING AI SAVE 4 HOURS/WEEK BY AGENT FOR THE FUTURE, Liberty Mutual From experimentation to everyday use: Rising adoption and reported time savings provide a clearer picture of how independent agents are putting AI to work.
and impact of AI in insurance agencies, making it possible to see how behavior is changing over time.
Just a few years ago, artificial intelligence (AI) in insurance agencies was largely theoretical. Today, a growing number of agents are putting AI to work in their daily tasks, and it’s already saving them time. Among those using AI for work, 38% say it has saved them a notable amount of time, with an average of four hours saved per week.
AI IS ALREADY PAYING OFF IN EVERYDAY AGENCY WORK The 2026 Independent Agency Growth Study found that AI tools are saving agents significant amounts of time at work. More than 1 in 3 (38%) of agents say that they have saved a notable amount of time using AI. A further 35% said they saved a little bit of time. Agents who use AI estimated that they saved an average of four hours per week.
The time savings come along with a dramatic increase in the individual use of AI in agencies. New research from Liberty Mutual found that the majority of agents report using AI for work in the past year. Momentum is growing in agencies, but most use cases remain at the individual experimentation stage. At the organizational level, agencies are still early in the journey of integrating AI into their agency infrastructure in meaningful ways. The 2026 Independent Agency Growth Study surveyed nearly 1,200 U.S.-based independent agency principals and staff members. The study marks the third year of research exploring attitudes, adoption, Kentucky IA
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More than half (52%) saved more than two hours per week, with 14% saving eight hours or more, the equivalent of a full workday. Agents who focus on commercial lines reported slightly higher time savings than those focused on personal lines, and agency leaders reported more time savings than staff. The agents saving meaningful amounts of time (more than two hours per week) used AI for more tasks than those saving less time.
AGENT ATTITUDES TOWARD AI ARE SHIFTING MORE POSITIVE
Their top use cases were summarizing meeting notes (44%), generating marketing content (43%), comparing policy details (34%), and automating routine tasks such as data entry or document maintenance (26%).
Agent attitudes about AI are shifting along with usage. In the initial Agent for the Future research on AI in agencies in 2024, agents were equally likely to view AI as a threat or an opportunity. In 2026, agents were almost twice as likely to say that AI is an opportunity (45%) rather than a threat.
AI ADOPTION HAS HIT A TIPPING POINT IN INSURANCE AGENCIES
Agents were also more likely to agree that AI can make them more efficient (56% vs 39% in 2024) and that AI technology will help grow their agency in the future (52% vs. 33% in 2024).
AI adoption is gaining momentum in agencies. The majority of employees in agencies are now using AI for work individually. And while few agencies have implemented AI tools into their agency infrastructure, more are starting to identify opportunities to do so. Regular individual use of AI has doubled year over year. In 2026, more agents moved from theoretical interest in AI to regularly using it for work.
Younger agency employees are the most likely to have positive views of AI. Seventy percent of millennial and Gen Z employees believe AI can make their business more efficient, compared to 55% of Gen X and 42% of boomers. And 66% of millennials and Gen Z believe AI will help grow their agency in the future, compared to 49% of GenX and 42% of boomers.
Sixty-nine percent of agents expressed interest in using AI for work, compared to 57% in 2025. But the real jump came in usage. In just one year, individual use of AI in agencies increased by 75%, with 65% of agents reporting using AI at least a few times for work in the past year, compared to 37% in 2025. Agents are now using AI more frequently than in previous years. The portion of agents using AI weekly for work more than doubled, from 18% in 2025 to 41% in 2026.
Between the growth in positive attitudes and use, the number of regular AI users will likely continue to grow in coming years. Eighty-three percent of 33
Fall ‘26
AI users expect the frequency of their AI use to increase in the next year.
in annual premium, are more likely than smaller agencies to have implemented an AI tool.
MORE AGENCIES ARE IMPLEMENTING AND PRIORITIZING AI
INDIVIDUAL USE IS OUTPACING AGENCY POLICIES AND OVERSIGHT
Adoption of AI tools at the agency level lags behind individual use, but the research shows that momentum is building.
Individual AI adoption in agencies nearly doubled year over year, but agency oversight has not kept pace. And while overall attitudes about AI are increasingly positive, confidence and trust have leveled off.
Forty-three percent of agents said their agency is very likely to implement AI into business practices in the next five years, up from 25% who said the same in 2024.
Just18% of agents say their agency has a well-defined policy on the use of AI, up only slightly from 12% in 2025. This is in contrast to the nearly twothirds of individuals who say they use AI for work and means that most AI use in agencies is happening without clear guidance.
When asked what stage their agency was in with AI technology adoption, 14% of agents say their agency has implemented an AI tool or solution already, more than double the amount in 2025. Forty-two percent said their agency is learning about the potential and identifying opportunities. About a quarter of agents said their agency is interested in AI but not prioritizing it, a number that has held relatively steady over the years.
At the same time, confidence in AI among those charged with providing such guidance has slowed. Less than one-third (29%) of agency principals say they know enough about AI to make business decisions about the technology, a slight uptick from 26% in 2025 and 22% in 2024. Trust in AI has also stalled. In 2025, 19% of agents said they trusted AI technology. In 2026, 22% said they trust AI technologies with business data and client information.
When compared to numbers from our 2024 and 2025 studies, this shows a slow but steady increase in agencies that are implementing AI or seriously considering it.
This gap matters more as use grows. Concerns around data privacy and errors and omissions exposure are not unique to AI, but AI does add a new layer of consideration for agency leaders. Clear policies, training, and guidelines around responsible AI use can help close the gap and ensure that customer information remains secure.
Resourcing plays a role in why agency-level AI adoption is lower than individual adoption. While individuals can experiment with open-access tools such as generative AI, implementing tools at the agency level is a bigger lift. Larger agencies, those with more than 11 employees or $5 million or more Kentucky IA
HOW ARE AGENCIES USING AI? Along with measuring AI adoption and attitudes 34
in agencies, the 2026 Independent Agency Growth Study looked at how agencies are using AI. The research showed that agencies are currently using AI for mostly simple, routine tasks. AI has a broad range of uses in agencies. To better understand where use stands today compared to future potential use, we’ve broken these down into four categories based on the role AI can play at work: • • • •
Assist: Helps people complete routine work more quickly and efficiently. Advise: Provides insights, recommendations, and analysis to support decision-making. Execute: Performs assigned tasks and follows defined workflows with limited human involvement. Deliver: Works toward a defined outcome by planning and coordinating actions within boundaries set by people. This is “agentic AI.”
Agencies plan to go further with AI in the near future. When asked what their agency is planning to use AI for in the next year or two, interest rises across every use, and agents express strong interest in areas where AI is not being used today. For example, only 8% of agents say their agency uses AI to analyze customer data today, but 42% say they will consider this use case in the near future.
The difference between the Execute and Deliver levels is the starting point. At the Execute level, people define the process and AI follows it. At the Deliver level, people define the desired outcome and the boundaries, and AI determines how best to achieve the goal.
In other words, agents expect to move from the Assist level to the Advise and Execute levels, putting AI to work in decision-making and workflows rather than only on individual tasks. Some limits are deliberate. The uses agents are least willing to consider are the ones closest to the client relationship. About a quarter (26%) will not consider AI for taking a customer’s initial contact info.
Today, agents are primarily using AI as an assistant. They are experimenting with tools that help complete work they are already doing such as generating marketing content (18% of agents say their agency uses AI for this), summarizing meeting notes (17%), and comparing policy details (13%).
MAKING AI PAY OFF TAKES BETTER TOOLS AND STRONGER SKILLS The 2026 research shows that AI is gaining real momentum in insurance agencies. Individual agents are using AI and saving real time. Agencies are beginning to follow suit, with more implementing company-wide tools and identifying where AI can make a difference in their businesses.
At this stage of adoption, few agencies have invested in AI as part of their infrastructure, the kind that supports decisions, carries out routine tasks, or manages workflows. Agency use thins out at the Advise and Execute levels. The research did not ask about the tools at the Deliver level. Those types of tools are often called “agentic AI” – tools that can operate across different tools and systems to proactively handle a workflow from end to end without human involvement. For now, that remains the frontier.
Unlocking the full potential of AI in insurance agencies requires a balance of adopting the right tools to solve real problems and training people in the skills needed to make those tools effective. 35
Fall ‘26
Four hours per week saved by one agent is a real gain. Multiplied across a skilled team working with tools built into the agency’s operations, it becomes a lasting advantage, freeing up every member of the agency to do more of the high-value work building and nurturing customer relationships. WHAT’S NEXT? Find the right tools for your agency Turning AI into a lasting advantage starts with the right technology. Explore our list of 100+ AI-enabled vendors built for independent agencies. Build your AI skills and confidence Want to get more value from AI in your day-to-day work? Join our email list to be the first to know when Agent for the Future™ AI Bootcamp returns this fall. •
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Ethics & Annual Events Ethics (3 HRS CE) LIVE Webinars Ethics, Diligence, Success: What Agencies Need to Know 10/27 1pm-4pm 11/17 1pm-4pm 12/01 9am-12pm
Rental Reimbursement (2 HRS CE) 10/7 2pm-4pm 11/10 11am-1pm 12/9 2pm-4pm
National ABEN Day Expect the Unexpected (4 HRS CE) 10/15 11am-5pm
Using Your Valuation as a Business Planning Tool (1 HR CE) 12/1 1pm-2pm
Virtual November Continuing Education 2 Adding Value In Personal Lines 3 You Gotta Be Kidding Me! Strange but True Claims 4 Certificates of Insurance: Embrace the Pain 5 Issues in Named Insured: The Rules and the Whys 6 Cyber 101: The Basics of Cyber Insurance 9 Artificial Intelligence and Agents—Panic or Promise? 11 The Greatest Insurance Product Ever Created 12 Recognize. Respond. Survive. Active Shooter 13 Kentucky Agents - Coverage Essentials 16 Flood Overview: NFIP Basic 17 Power of Prevention: Agency Risk Management 18 Cannabis 101 19 What's News Now! 20 Cybersecurity Risk and Insurance Are... 23 Hot Topics In Personal Lines 24 Watch Your Six - A Half Dozen Ethics Scenarios 25 What To Do With Rental Cars 30 The “Lucky” Thirteen Most Important Issues
December 1 Directors and Officers Liability Insurance 2 Studies in Ethics - A Hippocratic Oath for Insurance 3 What Ever Happened to “And They Lived Happily Ever After?” 4 If It Moves On The Farm – It Presents A Risk 7 Gigs and Side Hustles - The Insurance Issues 8 An Hour Of True Crime - Wrong Way Driver 9 Flood Insurance: Beyond The Fundamentals 10 Flood Overview: NFIP Basic- 3 Hour 11 Agency Risk Management Essentials 14 To Be or Not to AirBnb 15 Don’t Leave Money on the Table 16 Crafting Your Ownership Journey
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17 Should I Do a Roth IRA? 18 The Greatest Insurance Product Ever Created 21 A Not-So Serious Look at Serious Personal Lines Claims 22 An Insurance Horror Story - Hoarders 23 Issues in Named Insured: The Rules and the Whys 28 The Many Faces of Insurance Fraud-Modern Day Swindlers 29 An Hour of True Crime - Schoharie Limousine Accident 39
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