May La Voz 2010

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New Mexico’s Experts in Workers’ Compensation Insurance 3900 Singer Blvd. NE • Albuquerque, NM 87109 • 505.345.7260 or 800.788.8851 •

www.NewMexicoMutual.com

Jump Into Spring!

IIANM Brings back the Mutual Benefits Program!

Starting March 1, for March, April & May, you can benefit by submitting applications for new business with New Mexico Mutual and receive even more by putting that business with them. IIANM is pleased to offer this visa gift card program that can benefit you and New Mexico Mutual, the largest financial supporter of IIANM.

Independent Insurance Agent ®

With new rates for 2010, New Mexico Mutual also launched their three new companies October 1 and wants you to take a look at what they can do for your customers. The Mutual Benefits program is designed to benefit you when you submit applications for new business. Even better you'll receive an additional gift card when you bind that new business with New Mexico Mutual in any of their companies.

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Make this a great Spring! The benefits will be distributed as Visa gift cards that you can use yourself, give to your family or anyone else you choose!

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Qualifications for Spring Program: • CSR receives $50.00 gift card for five new applications submitted to and quoted by underwriting • For a bound policy with premium from $5,000. to $24,999., CSR receives a $25.00 gift card.

Independent Insurance Agent ®

• For a bound policy with premium from $25,000. to $49,999, the CSR and agent each receive a $50.00 gift card • For a bound policy with premium over $50,000 the CSR and the agent each receive a $100.00 gift card.

• Program will run from March 1, 2010 thru May 31, 2010 • Must be a member of IIANM to participate.

Golf Tournament

16th Annual Scholarship May 17th, 2010 Santa Ana Golf Club

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IIANM offers convenient professional designation programs that keep independent agents on the leading edge:

Accredited Customer Service Representative

“La Voz� is the official monthly publication of the

Independent Insurance Agents of NM 1511 University Blvd. NE Albuquerque, NM 87102.

(505) 843-7231. Fax (505) 243-3367.

Web site www.iianm.org.

This publication is intended to provide accurate and authoritative information on the subject matter covered, but is distributed with the understanding that neither IIANM, nor any contributing author, publisher, contributor or advertiser is rendering legal, accounting or any other professional service and assume no liability whatsoever in connection with its use. Further, the electronic links to our advertisers and/or contributors found in this publication are provided as a courtesy to our readers and do not necessarily indicate an endorsement by IIANM. News items from members of Independent Insurance Agents of New Mexico and the general insurance industry are encouraged. The advertising deadline is the fifteenth day of the month, preceding publication.

Advertising rates are available upon request.

Please contact Rachel Sheffield at rachel@iianm.org for details

IIANM Staff President/CEO Thom Turbett, CIC VP Of Membership Services Lorri Gaffney Director Of Communications Rachel Sheffield Director Of Insurance Programs Carmen Reese Porter, ACSR, CISR Receptionist / Member Services Associate Renee Trujillo

Features

La Voz

"The Voice" of Independent Agents since 1934

Why Do Producers Fail?

08

Remote Deposit Offers New Road to Efficiency for Agents

11

NM FAIR Plan - Into the Future...

13

Lont-Term Care Insurance Rates Expected to Rise in 2010

14

Travelers Joins Trusted Choice

16

Sneak Peek at Southern Seminar

17

Best or Biggest?

19

NMM & IIANM Scholarship Golf Tournament

21

E-Learning Vs. Classroom

23

2010 Chile Earthquake: By the Numbers

25

Land of Enchantment in Hellhole

26

In Every Issue Tech Talk

06

Education Edge

28

May's Clickable Calendar

29

Odds n Ends

31

IIANM's Partners Program

32

Advertiser Index 2009-2010 Officers

Acuity

15

American Mining Insurance Company

24

Chair Alma Franzoy-Capron

Burns & Wilcox

22

CBIC

20

Colonial General Insurance Agency, Inc.

18

Secretary/Treasurer Scott Jones

Employers

09

Litchfield Special Risks, Inc.

12

National Director Sam Conlee

Market Finders, Inc.

10

New Mexico Mutual

02

Immediate Past Chair Angela Vasquez

Risk Placement Services (RPS)

30

Trustco / HCIC

17

Vice-Chair Kathy Yeager

Source: The Anderson Agency Report

Four Hardware Recommendations For the last three months, I've reviewed four Web-based services per month that we use in our home-based small business. This month, I'm providing four hardware recommendations, some of which might surprise you (especially the first one). Although your business is undoubtedly different than ours, some of these might be useful to you.

These are presented in order of cost, starting with the least expensive.

Hint: When you order yours, use "freeship" as the coupon code, and you'll get free shipping.

Etymotic:

The ultimate earphones

I've given up on Bluetooth headphones. Convenience aside, I always return to wired headsets for two simple reasons: people hear me better, and I hear them better. My problem is that full headsets aren't comfortable to wear all day long, and earbuds won't stay in my ears. So last year, based on a number of recommendations from people I trust, I bit the bullet and bought a pair of Etymotic earphones. Since I use an iPhone, I bought a noise-reducing pair that also contains the iPhone control unit.

Unique Skins:

Colorful, custom designed skins for your mobile devices

We all have mobile electronics—phones, cameras, notebook computers, iPads, MP3 players, ebook readers, and the list goes on. Your iPhone or Droid phone (or whatever) looks exactly like everyone else's iPhone, Droid phone, or whatever. How many of you have taken the simplest and most important step of putting your name and phone number on a sticker and attaching it to your device? (I recommend covering it with clear tape to make it last longer.)

Here's an inexpensive and much more fun suggestion.

Go to Unique Skins and custom design one of their adhesive-backed vinyl skins. You can upload your own favorite photo or logo, and then superimpose your name and phone number on it.

Page 6

They have skins for virtually every device you can imagine. As an example, the skin for my iPhone is only $6.99, and usually lasts a year or so before I replace it. Even though my wife and I have the same iPhone, we never confuse them because each has a different skin. For a nominal cost, we customize every phone, iPad, notebook, and Kindle that is part of our daily lives.

I decided to try them because of the triple-flange design, the same design that I see ground crew wearing at airports. For the first time in my life, I have a pair of earphones that doesn't fall out of my ears. In fact, I have to pull on them, and they come out with a satisfying pop. Most of the day, I have one or the other in my ear (I alternate), since I get a lot of calls. The nicest feature is that they are really high quality stereo, noise-reducing headphones, so I can drown out ambient noise (usually with soothing Hawaiian music, or maybe Willie Nelson's "Stardust") when I need to buckle down and crank out some work.

The Etymotic earphones are available on Amazon, at Apple stores, and from other electronics dealers. They are amazingly durable, come with a two-year warranty and quite a few spare parts (they have a removable filter and various sized tips), and can take a lot of abuse. iPhone users should get the HF2 iPhone version.

Independent Insurance Agents of New Mexico - www.iianm.org - * May 2009

Fujitsu ScanSnap:

Fast, small footprint, high-speed scanner

Over a year ago, I decided to give up on my stacks and drawers of paper and install an imaging system. The heart of the system is the scanner, which needed to be small, convenient, and fast. After a false start with a slower scanner, we went with an amazingly small ScanSnap S series unit. In my case, we're a Mac shop so we got a Mac version, but they mostly make PC models.

This machine is fantastic. It scans stacks of documents at one sheet per second, both sides at once, in color. When not in use, the input and output feeder trays fold onto the unit itself, making it so small that it's actually portable, if you wanted to take it somewhere. When you flip open the front tray (I only fold the front one), it turns on, immediately ready for use. Unless you're going to be doing OCR (optical character recognition; making all the text searchable), you don't even need to get the computer involved.

These units are so small and inexpensive (approximately $400 on Amazon) that each CSR could easily have a unit on his or her desk, or one at home (which is where my office is).

One last thought. Treat yourself to a really good shredder, but don't shred until you're sure that the items are scanned and the imaging system is backed up. (I only shred once a month or so, and it's a job that the grandkids love to do.)

Drobo:

Self-managed, expandable data storage

The mortality rate for disk drives, just like humans, is 100%. Every disk drive dies. It's a fact of life. Even with good backup, it's time consuming and takes effort to stop and replace a drive and reload all the data from a backup.

The best solution (for your disk drives, at least) is to have a RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) hardware unit. With a RAID, your data is written simultaneously across multiple disk drives and is constantly monitored. If a drive crashes, or even starts to die, you're notified and can pop out the drive and pop in a new one, without ever interrupting the system.

Drobo is the leader for small office RAID units, and they also make larger ones as well. Specifically, you get a really cool black case, with their proprietary software built in, and you can use existing drives or buy new ones. We started with four one-terabyte drives, which netted us about 2.7 terabytes of redundantly backed up space for data. We've only filled about 10% of it, and I'm already 66 years old, so we probably won't need to expand it, but it's easy to do. To increase capacity, just pop out the smallest drive and put in a larger one and it will re-configure itself on the fly.

In our configuration for our small office, we use it as our primary drive, and it is attached to our router, so we can get to it from any machine on the network. For most customers, I suspect that it is used to back up existing network drives.

Drobo offers pre-sale tech support, in addition to the usual after-sale support, which I found quite helpful.

by G. Barry Klein G. Barry Klein is a former insurance agent who maintains UltimateInsuranceLinks.com as an industry service.

Independent Insurance Agents of New Mexico - www.iianm.org - * May 2009

Page 7

Why Do Producers Fail?

1. They can’t sell.

by Chris Burand

2. They hate selling.

3. They don’t have to sell to eat because the agency overpays them or they are independently wealthy.

4. They fear selling.

5. They’re paid for other employee’s efforts.

6. They are not trained to sell.

7. They don’t understand their product.

8. They don’t like their product.

9. They don’t like being held accountable.

10. Management picks on them.

11. The CSRs don’t like them.

12. They have no leads.

13. The carriers won’t write anything they bring to them.

14. Other agencies have blocked all the markets.

15. Other producers in the agency claim all the prospects.

16. Producers don’t have time to sell because they’re too busy doing paperwork (i.e., documenting files to avoid E&O claims).

17. The CSRs aren’t good enough to trust with clients.

18. There are not enough prospects (i.e., the local population is too small).

19. There are not enough quality prospects (i.e., not enough large accounts).

20. The producer should not have to sell. Clients should find the producer and tell the producer what they, the client, wants.

21. They aren’t motivated because they’re not paid enough.

22. They can’t sell because they don’t know how to use the agency’s IT system.

23. They can’t sell because the office environment is demoralizing.

24. They can’t sell because rates are too low.

25. They can’t sell because rates are too high.

Page 8

Independent Insurance Agents of New Mexico - www.iianm.org - * May 2009

Some readers are laughing. Some are crying. Some are cursing. Some readers think I am unfairly picking on producers. Some think I’ve hit the mark. Regardless of your reaction, the point of this list is the same: Every one of these reasons for failure has a solution and it is management’s responsibility to identify and implement the solution. The responsibility is not the producer’s .

Management is responsible for clearly stating any responsibilities the producer has and it is best if these responsibilities are enumerated up-front in their contract so no doubt or ambiguity exists. If these terms are not in the actual contract, then ask what the producer needs, what they will do if they get their request, and then hold them accountable.

If this approach seems too indulging, screen hires better for exactly what you want. Why hire someone that is not what you want thinking you will change them? This approach rarely works unless management is willing to dedicate massive time and energy to help these people realize their full potential. If management is willing and able to do this, then they have a huge competitive advantage. Otherwise, the odds of these producers changing are minimal.

Producers fail for many reasons, some legitimate and some not so legitimate. Smart producers will focus on making the best of a bad situation, taking charge, and so forth. But these producers are in rare supply. The bottom line is that only agency owners can address all these situations. They are the only ones with authority. They are the only ones in a position of leadership and leadership is what this article is about.

Leadership is a daily task. As an agency owner, what are you doing daily to lead your agency and the people within the agency to achieve the results you need? Take a moment to write down what you did yesterday to lead your agency. What did you do to help your producers overcome their barriers to making sales? Did you teach them anything? Did you build their confidence? Did you improve your hiring process? Did you improve your training process? What did you do to improve morale? What did you do to create a sense of urgency within the agency that improvements are necessary? If your list is empty, right now is probably a good time to start working on leading your agency.

This year our convention will be held at the beautiful Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino, in Santa Fe, NM, on September 15th & 16th, 2010.

Click here to see what’s in store for you this year.

Independent Insurance Agents of New Mexico - www.iianm.org - * May 2009

Page 9

T

Remote Deposit Offers New Road to Efficiency for Agencies

by Mary C. Grazen

he banking industry is striving to keep up with technology and more importantly, your expectations of a banking experience. What is important to your agency?

What can be done to enhance your experience and at the same time help increase the efficiency of your agency?

ATMs revolutionized banking more than 25 years ago and today online banking is now commonplace. These innovations give customers convenient access to their money any time they need it. And, now a new banking product, remote deposit, is being utilized to greatly improve business efficiencies, particularly for busy independent agents.

Remote deposit enables businesses to electronically submit checks for deposit without leaving the office. The system is web-based and therefore does not require application software. It utilizes a small, high performance scanner (should be provided to you by the bank) and a PC with an internet connection. The scanner captures images of both sides of the checks, analyzes them for image quality and authenticity and automatically balances deposits before submission.

Imagine logging into the system, scanning your checks and then processing them with the click of the mouse button. Whether its 6 a.m. or 6 p.m. you can process check deposits by logging on, scanning and hitting “send.”

Think about efficiencies you will gain by eliminating trips to the bank - time, money, security.

As an independent agent, your time is better served focusing on your clients and increasing sales than compiling checks for deposit and running to the bank. A bank that offers you the latest technology, such as remote deposit, is a bank that may ultimately be a better fit for your agency’s success.

Remote deposit includes many security features to safeguard your checks, verify information and ensure accuracy. By scanning and making deposits from your office, it reduces risks associated with the standard check process with more than one person handling the check and the potential to lose the check. It also provides for quick re-

turned check notification. All transactions are handled by a secure website to ensure that data remains private and unaltered.

In addition to the obvious convenience of banking directly from your office, remote deposit offers a variety of other benefits. First, you’ll improve your cash flow by having faster availability of funds and secondly, you can use the remote system on multiple accounts within your business.

Using remote deposit also greatly simplifies reporting. It eliminates the need to make check copies because it’s all right there saved in the system. You can upload and archive check images on your network and then print a detailed report without any hassle. The bottom line is remote deposit takes the worry and hassle out of making deposits, and whether you have a large volume of premium checks coming in, or simple day-to-day banking to do, this product can greatly improve efficiencies at your agency.

If the merits of a remote deposit system sound intriguing, you’ll want to first ask your bank if they offer it or plan to in the near future. Secondly, find out if they will provide the necessary technology and hardware required to facilitate the process, as well as an initial “how to” consultation.

You’ll also want to ask what the management control features are, the security functions and reporting capabilities.

The New Mexico Big I has used InsurBanc’s remote deposit system for several years to rave reviews. If you would like to see the system first hand, just drop by the association office in Albuquerque for a demonstration.

Mary C. Grazen is Chief Operation Officer for InsurBanc. InsurBanc is an FDIC, federally charted savings bank serving independent insurance agents, brokers and their clients. For more information, including a remote deposit demonstration, please visit www.insurbanc.com or contact them at 1-866-467-2262.

Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender.

Independent Insurance Agents of New Mexico - www.iianm.org - * May 2009

Page 11

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A

Into the Future...

by Bob Pratte

Important Changes Coming to the FAIR Plan

s many of you may have heard, there are changes coming at the New Mexico Property Insurance Program. (That is the name for the underwriting association that is charged with the implementation and administration of the New Mexico FAIR Plan.)

The NM FAIR Plan was enacted almost forty years ago to provide essential property insurance for responsible and qualified applicants in the State of New Mexico who are unable to secure such insurance in the normal insurance market. Contrary to some beliefs, we don’t write everything, or everyone.

It is not our intent, desire, or objective to be in competition with the standard or E&S marketplace, but rather, to function as a market of last resort. The coverage we provide is basic property coverage, named perils only. We do not write liability coverages, homeowners policies, or other broadened coverage that may be needed or desired by a consumer. We only write property located in New Mexico, and a number of risks are ineligible. (Vacant buildings, manufacturing exposures that meet our definition, etc.) Our capacity for an individual risk is also limited by type, protection class, and construction. We also have the authority to reject risks that do no meet our underwriting guidelines.

Our operating guidelines, application procedure, rating programs, premium payment plans, binding procedures, underwriting guidelines, appeals process, and other pertinent information can be obtained from our website: nmpropertyinsurance.com, or by calling our office at 505878-9563.

While we don’t appoint agents, a service fee of 15% on new business is paid to the licensed agent designated by the applicant. (10% on renewal)

IIANM Representative on the FAIR Plan Board

We have a Governing Committee consisting of nine voting members. Seven represent insurance companies, one from the Superintendent’s office, and one from IIANM. Current companies represented are State Farm, Allstate, Farmers, Fireman’s Fund. Colorado Casualty, Mountain States, and CNA. Our big news is this: since inception, we have used a servicing carrier to issue policies, oversee the claims process, handle premium accounting, and other service issues as negotiated. Over the years you and your clients have seen policies issued on our behalf by U.S.F. & G., Audubon, and Republic insurance companies. At the first of this year the Governing Committee has decided to opt out of our current contract with the servicing carrier. We will be issuing our own coverage documents and oversee our own claims effective June 1. There were a number of reasons for this decision, but basically it will give us more and better control over our own operations so we can best serve the consumers of New Mexico in the manner that was mandated by the legislature. Neither you nor your clients should notice changes in the operation, other than the appearance of the coverage cover sheet. (What you normally call a declarations page) Operations are only changing in the “back room”. Claims will continue to be handled by various adjusters around the state, depending on the locale. Please be aware that your clients will be receiving a “non-renewal notice” from our servicing carrier as required. They will also receive a letter stating that coverage will be continued in the New Mexico Property Insurance Program without lapse, assuming they pay the renewal premium.

While there may be some minor confusion initially, this is going to be an improvement for the consumer in the long run.

Again, if you have any questions, please visit our website: www.nmpropertyinsurance.com, or call the office: 505878-9563

Independent Insurance Agents of New Mexico - www.iianm.org - * May 2009

Page 13

L&H Trends

by Dave Evans

Long-Term Care Insurance Rates Expected to Rise in 2010 Increase attributed to low interest rates, longer life expectancies and lower-than-anticipated policy lapse rates.

tial for Americans to protect their assets, maintain their standard of living and their ability to procure care from a quality LTCi provider. On the other hand, imagine telling a client that carriers' assumptions surrounding pricing included higher lapse rates than expected. Of course, all insurance companies need to use realistic assumptions when pricing and reserving their insurance products.

However, many insurance agents have done a good job

R

of educating their clients to the need for LTCi and have sold them policies that reinforce the value of having good coverage. With this in mind, one has to wonder why typically conservative insurers would be aggressive when it comes to the lapse rate assumption for LTCi policies.

ecently, Employee Benefits News reported that

insurance agents can expect a significant increase in

Having purchased a policy, why would an insured drop

long-term care insurance (LTCi) premiums this year. The

LTCi coverage as he or she gets older? It is counterintui-

publication cites a report by Jeff Lane, an analyst for

tive to most agents and policyholders.

A.M. Best Co., indicating that a combination of ultra-low interest rates longer life expectancies for LTCi and a low

If LTCi carriers do significantly raise rates this year,

lapse rate among policyholders is causing many carriers

the increase will serve to ignite the political health care

to seek higher premiums.

debate. Independent insurance agents may get caught in the middle with many of their clients who experience

Independent agents may wonder how to explain the rate

significant rate increases in 2010. While this sustained

increase to a customer. (It should be noted that rate in-

period of low interest rates would have been difficult to

creases are not expected to apply to customers who were

predict, the policy lapse factor may be a very difficult pill

70 or older when they purchased their policy). On one

for agents and their customers to swallow. It will be

hand, carriers have long maintained that LTCi is essen-

interesting to see where LTCi rates will end up in 2010.

Page 14

Independent Insurance Agents of New Mexico - www.iianm.org - * May 2009

trust. acuity.com

Travelers Joins Trusted Choice

T

he Travelers Companies, Inc. has joined the Trusted Choice® consumer branding program for indepen-

dent insurance agents and brokers. A leading provider of property-casualty insurance for auto, home and business, Travelers is one of the largest independent agency insurance companies in the U.S. A component of the

independent insurance agency distribution system and

Dow Jones Industrial Average, Travelers is rated A+

confirms its strong belief that independent agents are

(Superior) by A.M. Best, and built its success by provid-

the trusted advisors for consumers.”

ing innovative insurance and risk protection products and services.

Trusted Choice® was launched by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the

“Working with an independent agent is an excellent way

Big “I”) and several independent agency companies to

for consumers to choose the right insurance to meet

highlight the benefits independent agencies and bro-

their individual needs,” says Brian MacLean, president

kerage firms offer consumers—choice of companies,

and chief operating officer of Travelers. “At Travelers, we

customization of policies and advocacy support. It is

are dedicated to our continued partnerships with inde-

the premier consumer brand for independent insur-

pendent agents. With 13,000 agents and brokers around

ance agents and provides national advertising and

the country who sell our policies, we want to help them

other strategic tools to reach consumers.

grow their business. We’re pleased to support Trusted Choice® as a means to promote the unique expertise

Trusted Choice® educates consumers about the ben-

and high quality customer service independent agents

efits of using independent agents and brokers for their

provide.”

insurance needs: choice of companies, customized policies and advocacy support. Trusted Choice® is the

“Travelers is a premier global brand of insurance and

consumer marketing identity for over 10,400 indepen-

one of the largest writers of property-casualty insurance

dent insurance agencies and brokerage firms and 54

through independent insurance agents,” says Robert

leading insurance companies.

Rusbuldt, Big “I” president & CEO. “Joining Trusted Choice® further demonstrates its commitment to the

Page 16

For more information, visit www.trustedchoice.com

Independent Insurance Agents of New Mexico - www.iianm.org - * May 2009

Homeowners Catastrophe Insurance Trust

Your preferred homeowners clients deserve the broadest possible coverage for their homes and personal property. As an active member of IIANM, you have the original -- the very best such program available to you right now.

The HCIT Difference in Conditions (DIC) policy supplements basic homeowners coverage by providing protection for catastrophic losses, including FLOOD and EARTHQUAKE.

Just contact:

Trustco, Inc. - HCIT Program Administrator

2063 East 3900 South Ste. 100, Salt Lake City, UT 84124 1-800-644-4334 / Fax: 801-278-9051

www.hcitins.com

Bobbi Phillips / bobbip@hcitins.com Eric Kingdon / erick@trustcoinc.com

Click here for class descriptions and to register online!

Tentative Classes:

Hotel Encanto In Las Cruces, New Mexico July 21st & 22nd, 2010

Property & Casualty:

Life & Health:

• A Renewed Look at the Homeowners Policy

• COBRA and FMLA Update

• Agency Management in the Age of Technology

• Health Care Legislation Update

• Ask an Expert – Commercial Lines

• DI Insurance and LTC Insurance

• Ask an Expert - Personal Lines

• New Mexico Health Insurance Options

Ethics hour offered both days.

Colonial General Insurance Agency

Commercial Lines/Brokerage Department Founded in 1985, Colonial General Insurance Agency, Inc. is a wholesale General Agency providing quality insurance products to the Independent Insurance Agent.

Colonial General specializes in both standard and non-standard business. Our Property and Casualty business includes:

♦

Preferred BOP

♦

Property

♦

Inland Marine

♦

Professional Liability

♦

Commercial Liability

♦

Workers Compensation

Avoid monthly or annual membership fees, use Colonial General for your Preferred Business Owners Policies. We have several markets available to give you the best quote possible.

For additional information contact your underwriter.

Transportation Department

♦

Commercial Auto

♦

Truckers

♦

Physical Damage

♦

Commercial Contract

♦

NB Mexican Truckers

♦

Local Radius

♦

Personal Lines

♦

Garage

♦

Intermediate Radius

♦

Professional Liability

With 2,500 active producers under contract, Colonial General operates in eight states throughout the South-West. Our offices are located in Murray, Utah and Scottsdale, Arizona.

Most of all, we pride ourselves in our friendly customer service and our ability to help our producing agents with their many insurance needs.

Please contact our Utah office for all your Transportation needs!

P.O. Box 571770, Murray, Utah 84157 Phone: (801) 562-1188 Wats: (800) 594-8900 Fax: (801) 562-2218 Toll Free Fax: (800) 332-9285

Personal Lines Department ♦

Masterpiece Company

♦

Standard Company

♦

Umbrellas

♦

Stand-alone Liability

♦

Vacant

♦

Seasonal

♦

Dwelling Fire

♦

Homeowners

Preferred Commercial Lines Division P.O. Box 14770 Scottsdale, AZ 85267 8475 E. Hartford Drive, Suite #100 Scottsdale, AZ 85255 Phone: (480) 991-7889 Wats: (800) 848-8860 Fax: (480) 948-1394 www.colonialgeneral.com

You will never pay a fee to access our companies.

No volume or binding contracts.

Source: The Anderson Agency Report

I

Best or Biggest?

by Jack Burke

have spent a lot of time watching and studying the Toyota debacle. I even had a long interview with Peter van Aartrijk about this topic for Audio Insurance Outlook.

Perhaps the most truthful comment during Toyota's hearings came from the president of the company, who said, "Perhaps we got too big too fast."

Over a half century ago, Toyota began making headway in the U.S. market. They saw a weakness in the American auto industry and, much like Randy Schwantz's Wedge, they hit hard on the quality factor. And they did a good job! Toyota's vehicles had significantly fewer problems than the Big Three (Ford, GM, and Chrysler).

In fact, I remember when Ford tried to hit back with an ad campaign entitled, "Quality is Job One." Their television commercials showed an actor placing a marble on the separation between the fender and the hood of a vehicle.

The marble rolled smoothly along the gap. This was Ford's attempt to prove their commitment to fit and finish.

It was a good effort, but the quality behind the message wasn't there. Ford owners flocked into dealerships with their vehicles and their marbles. Needless to say, the marbles generally fell into the gap, rather than running down it. Ford and its dealers spent a lot of time and money adjusting hood and trunk alignments. Obviously, customers weren't impressed.

There are many lessons to be learned from Toyota's recent problems.

Everything seemed great for Toyota. They aimed for— and met—high standards of quality, treated their customers well, and grew as a result. Not a bad formula for any business, including insurance.

Unfortunately, there was a philosophical shift in management thinking during the 90s. The thought was that Toyota could leverage its position and reputation to become the biggest car manufacturer in the world. The goal was no longer quality; the new goal was growth—and that's where the Toyota dichotomy began.

Goals are singular in nature and require total focus. By setting "biggest" as the goal, both quality and customers moved to lower levels of importance. When problems in performance began to surface, those problems were not viewed as a threat to quality—but as a threat to growth.

Thus, there were denials and obfuscations from Toyota, which worked for a while. However, you can't keep secrets in today's world of transparency. So, the excrement finally hit the fan. In essence, Toyota was willing to sacrifice clients for image. And that is not a good formula for any business, including insurance.

So what does all this have to do with us?

Lessons can be learned and people within the insurance industry need to ask some tough questions:

Toyota, on the other hand, continued to craft a finelytuned brand of quality, backed by true quality. Toyota owners had fewer problems and the cars held their resale value extremely well. Toyota managed both consumer expectations and high quality manufacturing. In fact, during the 70s and 80s, experts and consultants rallied around Toyota's principles of management as the goal toward which all businesses should strive.

• Are you trying to be the best in your geographical area, or the biggest?

Add a couple of gas crises during the 70s and Toyota began to soar higher. Their cars had the fuel economy the public wanted, as well as a closely-guarded quality image and brand. Domestic manufacturers quickly lost market share to this Japanese phenomena.

• Do you have a client-focused culture, or a sales-focused culture?

Domestic manufacturers were further befuddled during the economic difficulties of the 80s. Interest rates soared, inflation was rampant, and the yen was devalued. All of this caused Toyota's price tags to spiral upward—yet, Americans were still willing to pay the tariff. This is a perfect example of price not being the primary determining factor in sales negotiations.

• Since we're measured by revenue, which has been decreasing for most agencies, are you selling out your clients for profits?

• Are you marketing renewals in the best interests of your clients, or quoting renewals that are well above the competitive market?

I truly believe in Toyota's original formula—if you focus on quality and the client, growth and success will follow in due time. Do you believe?

Jack Burke is the president of Sound Marketing, Inc., host/producer of Audio Insurance Outlook and author of Relationship Aspect Marketing and Creating Customer Connections. Jack can be reached at 1-800-451-8273.

Independent Insurance Agents of New Mexico - www.iianm.org - * May 2009

Page 19

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Golf Tournament

16th Annual Scholarship May 17th, 2010 Santa Ana Golf Club

It’s time to register for the New Mexico Mutual and Independent Insurance Agents of New Mexico’s 16th Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament which will be held on May 17th, 2010 at the beautiful Santa Ana Golf Club at 288 Prairie Star Road, Santa Ana Pueblo, NM 87004.

This event is designed to fund college scholarships for deserving candidates. Since we are set up as a ‘C-3’ charitable organization, your contributions are entirely tax deductible. We are asking that you contribute to this very worthwhile cause by way of monetary donations, gifts, sponsorships or participation to help us make a dream come true for a worthy nominee.

NMM & IIANM are also soliciting nominations for this years recipient. If you are interested in nominating an individual, please contact Cecil Rudd at (505) 343-2823. The scholarship will be awarded at the reception immediately following the tournament. Your participation is vital to the success of our scholarship program.

See the reverse side of this for a registration form.

Your contributions and registrations should be mailed to the address below. Registrations may be faxed to (505) 243-3367. Should you require additional information, please contact Lorri Gaffney at (505) 999-5805 or 800-621-3978 or email lorri@iianm.org.

Upon Completion of Play:

Registration Deadline: May 12th, 2010 Includes: Golf, Lunch & Dinner/Award Presentation $100/per person

2

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Recipient Award Presentation / Dinner / Golf Awards - Special prizes for: Hole-in-One, Closest to the Pin, Longest Drive, and Numerous door prize giveaways.

Click here for Nomination Form Click here for Registration Form

Tournament Details: Registration begins at 11:30 am Pick-up box lunches at 12 noon Tee-off at 1:00 pm

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I

E-Learning Versus Classroom; Which is Right for Your Company?

n recent years, e-learning has become a major part of many business HR strategies, but is it killing employee morale and undermining the value of teamwork? Some experts caution that too much solitary e-learning can lead to employee isolation and a breakdown of the team approach to business.

As a former classroom sales trainer for GEICO insurance for many years, I used a mixture of both, but can't imagine training employees on topics relating to interpersonal relationships through solitary e-learning programs. In this article, I'll explore the pros and cons of e-learning versus organized classroom training and when each format is most effective for success-driven businesses.

What really is "learning" anyway?

To learn something is more than just to memorize answers. To learn is to understand a particular problem and to respond with a new behavior. Just about anyone can memorize the answers to a set of questions, the real test though is weather or not a person can respond with the right behavior at the right time in a real-world setting.

When teaching sales training, I would start the course off with test-type training and assessments to measure knowledge about the technical aspects of insurance.

Many students would master this after about 2 weeks, but actually applying those answers in a real-world sales dialogue consumed the remaining 6 weeks of training. Even though the student's "intellectually" knew critical answers, the act of applying that knowledge to real world-situations was far trickier.

The Pros of E-Learning It's no wonder that e-learning has become so popular in business. Courses can be delivered instantly, without worry of physical boundaries or scheduling conflicts. In busy office environments, employees can take a training course at their desks while all of their test results are instantly compiled and fed into a database.

The Downside of E-Learning Although it's easy to administer and quantify test results, most e-learning courses transfer knowledge through memorization. Learning how to effectively manage people or to function as a key player in a team are not concepts based around memorization, but around actively participating in groups, something that is difficult, if not impossible, to convey through e-learning.

The Pros of Classroom Training Classroom-based training gives employees the opportu-

by Christine OKelly nity to connect and grow with other members within the organization. As Darin Hanks, president of Employee University says, "Classroom training gives employees an opportunity to mingle with leadership and folks from other departments or units that they may not otherwise rub shoulders with. It's a connection thing; a teambuilding opportunity."

Many of today's top employers like Google and Apple understand and actively promote social learning environments and team building activities as a way to strengthen the company as a whole. There's no better way to learn how to work together than to learn together.

The Downside of Classroom Training Especially for large organization, classroom training can pose a bit of a logistical problem. It's difficult for all employees that need training to fit it into their schedules.

Additionally, it can be tough to deliver consistency with training since the classroom experience and perhaps the trainer is different every time.

However, there are many training videos available today designed for classroom-based training that come with leader guides, instructing the trainer when to pause the training video and which questions to ask to initiate discussions. Many training video programs even include pre-packed assessment tools.

Which to Choose: In general, e-learning is best for subjects that require memorization. Speaking in terms of insurance, e-learning was wonderful when teaching facts like how to apply points to various drivers and when to apply discounts.

Classroom based training, led through discussion, role play, or training videos in conjunction with discussion work best when teaching complicated ideas or methods of interacting with other people. Sexual harassment training, leadership training, sales training, interview training, and other types of real world interactions are best suited for a classroom training environment using training videos as a supporting resource.

Businesses should utilize a variety of different training strategies in their employee learning programs including elearning, classroom training, and interactive training videos.

Assess each topic before deciding on a type of training.

Independent Insurance Agents of New Mexico - www.iianm.org - * May 2009

Page 23

Login/Register

HOME

COURSE CATALOG

MY STATE

RETURNING STUDENTS

FREQ ASKED QUESTIONS

Having a hard time getting out of the office to attend our seminars or classes?

IIANM has joined forces with Big I National to offer you some great educational courses online. Many of these classes have already been approved by the state for CE! We take our commitment seriously to getting quality education into your hands. From educating your new employees in the basics of insurance to helping your seasoned CSR’s grow in knowledge, our on-line classes can help.

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2010 Chile Earthquake: By the Numbers

T

Damage estimates aren’t the only way to compare the impact of different natural disasters.

he impact of the 2010 Chile earthquake is still being sorted out, but estimates of insured damages are between $2 billion to $8 billion. Compared to top ten disasters in the United States, the insured damages of the Chilean earthquake, while significant, would not make the United States top ten. However, considering its impact on the people in Chile and its insurance industry, independent agents should take notice of the event and consider their clients’ exposure to the peril of earthquake.

The Feb. 27, 2010 8.8 magnitude earthquake occurred about 200 miles south of the Chilean capital of Santiago and caused 500 deaths and damaged 500,000 homes (about 1 in 10). While commercial buildings are expected to fare better due to compliance with building codes, reports of damage to infrastructure like roads remains uncertain. This situation has made estimating the total amount insured damage difficult and estimates vary considerably, but Eqecat, AIR Worldwide and the Chilean Insurance Association indicated damages should be about $3.3 billion.

Naturally independent agents in the U.S. compare the Chile catastrophe to domestic events. At the estimated $3.3 billion in damage, the event would not make the top ten list of the most costly catastrophes in the U.S. as tabulated by the Insurance Information Institute. The graph below illustrates that the 2010 Chilean earthquake should be less costly than the smallest of the top ten catastrophes. (Much smaller, for example, than the Northridge earthquake in 1994 and even smaller than the lowest-ranking hurricane on the list, Hurricane Rita in 2005).

Of course, insured loss costs are not a complete picture and that is apparent from the disproportionate number of fatalities caused by the earthquake. At 500 deaths, the earthquake would go from not making the top 10 U.S. disasters to to third place behind the Sept.

11, 2001 attacks and Hurricane Katrina. Moreover, considering the Chilean earthquake occurred in a country of only 17 million people(about the size of Texas), the dramatic impact on the Chilean citizens is clear. Perhaps more dramatic is the fact that the total p-c insurance premiums in Chile are about $2.3 billion (less than the state of Delaware), making losess about 150% of p-c premiums in the country for the entire year.

Earthquakes are perhaps the mother of all disaster perils and independent agents need to remember that most standard insurance policies exclude the peril of earthquake. Special handling is required, typically requiring the support of a specialty underwriter. What is often not recognized is the exposure to earthquake outside of California. To learn about the earthquake history in your state, visit link. Another handy reference is the U.S. Geological Survey with information by state at link. USGS has a wealth of maps as well. Check out the pictorial of damaging earthquakes from 1750 to 1996 at this link.

Source: Costs-Information Institute, Eqecat, AIR Worldwide and Chilean Insurance Association.

Deaths- www.wikepedia.org articles by catastrophe. Dollars adjusted to 2008 as needed.

Independent Insurance Agents of New Mexico - www.iianm.org - * May 2009

Page 25

'Land of Enchantment' in

Hellhole

Tort reform group calls New Mexico's appeals court 'pro-liability' To tourists, New Mexico's heavenly vistas make it the "Land of Enchantment," but to legal reform advocates, the state's appeals court makes it a hellhole.

Within the past year, the New Mexico Court of Appeals has thrown out three rules that traditionally apply in court, Silverman said.

For the first time, the American Tort Reform Foundation (ATRF) ranked the New Mexico Court of Appeals on its 20092010 "Judical Hellhole Report." Each year the group lists the courts it believes are dispensing uneven justice.

In one decision, appellate court judges overturned a long-recognized "baseball rule" that says stadium owners and teams are not liable if a spectator is injured by a flying ball as long as there is a net behind home plate where the risk of injury is greatest.

In the No. 5 spot, the New Mexico appellate court is now among infamous "hellhole" jurisdictions like the No. 1-ranked South Florida and the No. 2-ranked West Virginia.

"The main issue that we have found is that the (New Mexico) appellate court seems to take a liability expanding predisposition," said Cary Silverman of the Washington, D.C.-based law firm Shook, Hardy and Bacon, who helped the ATRF compile the report.

"The areas that we've outlined show not just pro-plaintiff, but also pro-liability rulings," he said.

The ATRF first took notice of New Mexico's court system in 2003 when a state Supreme Court decision allowed an owner who had left his keys in his car at a repair shop to be sued for injuries that resulted when a thief stole the vehicle and led police on a high speed chase that ended in a crash.

Since then, New Mexico's appeals court has received rankings such as "Dishonorable Mention" or "Places to Watch" in the ATRF's annual report. Despite its status, though, the ATRF said the court shows no indications of changing, prompting the group to move it to full "hellhole" status.

"Every year, we go through this again and again," Silverman said. "It shows no signs of improvement while other jurisdictions have shown improvement. Places like Madison County [Ill.] have come off the list."

Page 26

On July 31, the appellate judges decided that owners would be held responsible for severe injuries a 4-year-old boy received during pregame batting practice at a minor league baseball stadium in Albuquerque. In the incident, the boy had been standing with his family when a home run over the left-field fence entered the picnic area and struck him.

The court found that the baseball rule provided unnecessary immunity to sports teams and owners. The case is now on appeal to New Mexico's high court, where the ruling could have a signifcant impact on little league, high school and college baseball teams if the decision is allowed to stand, the ATRF's report states.

"Anyone who has attended a baseball game has seen the signs warning spectators of the risk that a ball may get hit into the stands," the report states. "It is an inherent risk of attending a game, one that could only be avoided if the team installed netting around the entire stadium and eliminated the hope and joy of kids' catching a batted ball."

Justice Roderick T. Kennedy dissented from his colleagues, saying their decision overturned years of judicial precedence.

"My colleagues rejected nearly 100 years of American jurisprudence today," Kennedy wrote. "By refusing to adopt the baseball rule, they isolate our state from others having already considered the matter."

Independent Insurance Agents of New Mexico - www.iianm.org - * May 2009

In another controversial ruling, appellate justices decided that a manufacturer of a machine could be held liable for a person's injuries, even if that person has ignored training and even if the equipment has been altered from its original state making it more dangerous.

Source: Legal Newsline.com

In doing so, the appellate court reversed a trial court's dismissal of a product liability claim brought against the manufacturer of a rock-crushing machine. In the complaint against the manufacturer, it was admitted that the plaintiff climbed into the portable rock crushing machine to free a lodged rock while it was operating.

But at some point previous to the incident, a company other than the manufacturer had removed metal plating on the machine, exposing the flywheels, court papers say. Thus, when the man attempted to free the jammed machine, he extended his leg into an uncovered flywheel, causing his leg to break. The man later died from a blood clot.

Although no other person had climbed into the machine prior to the deceased man's attempt - most stood on a platform above the hopper to remove rock jams -- New Mexico's justices found it reasonably foreseeable that the man would climb into the machine without turning it off. And they found it acceptable to blame the manufacturer despite the fact that alterations had been performed to the equipment.

Justices of the New Mexico Court of Appeals.

Top row: Linda M. Vanzi, Michael E. Vigil, Roderick T. Kennedy, Robert E. Robles, Timothy L. Garcia. Bottom row: Jonathan B. Sutin, James J. Wechsler, Cynthia A. Fry, Michael D. Bustamante, Celia Foy Castillo

apply the traditional rule while the appellate court said we'll let them think about it," Silverman explained.

Again, Judge Kennedy dissented from his colleagues.

"While [the manufacturer] might reasonably expect that jams need to be cleared, modifications that facilitate the process while the machine is running and expose workers to moving parts is beyond the limits of reasonable anticipation," Kennedy wrote.

"Misuse of the plant by climbing into a place made even more dangerous by another's modification and yet more so when the plant was still running is something an objective observer could fairly regard as inconceivable."

And, in a third controversial decision, justices allowed a lawsuit for emotional distress filed by emergency workers to continue through the court system. The ruling came despite the fact that most courts recognize that emergency responders, such as police officers and firefighters, cannot sue for emotional distress injuries that are an inherent part of the job. Ultimately, the jury did not award any damages to the plaintiff.

"Here you had a jury that actually decided they would

These three cases and other New Mexico appellate court rulings show that the court is likely to rule for liability expansion, Silverman said.

"The message being sent by the report is that New Mexico's appellate judges need to carefully consider cases and whether they are adhering to traditional bounds of liability or whether they are going to expand the bound of liability," Silverman said.

The New Mexico Court of Appeals is the intermediate court in the state. With a jurisdiction covering the entire state, it reviews appeals in all cases, except those criminal cases involving the death penalty or life imprisonment. According to the court's Web site, its caseload is about 900 cases per year.

There are 10 judges on the court who act in panels of three on all appellate opinions, and agreement of two judges is required. Six of the judge's are located in the state capital, Santa Fe, and the other four are in the state's largest city, Albuquerque.

Independent Insurance Agents of New Mexico - www.iianm.org - * May 2009

Page 27

IIANM’s

EducationEDGE Insurance Education Programs in New Mexico are critical to a successful and profitable career in the insurance industry. Every year, we offer exciting opportunities to expand your professional horizons.

All of these education programs are designed to help insurance agents thrive in the most competitive of marketplaces.

The pre-licensing classes are designed to be a review for the state licensing examination.

We recommend that students be familiar with the study material prior to attending class.

Pre-Licensing Study Materials

Pre-Licensing Classes

To see a list of what is available and to purchase your study materials online, click here.

Study materials are NOT included in class prices.

Property & Casualty Review Class (2 days)

Life & Health Review Class (1 day)

Regular Price: $150 Member Price: $120

Regular Price: $115 Member Price: $90

Instructor: Instructor:

Kitty Leslie Jack Cleary

- May 11 - 12 8am - 5pm - June 15 - 16 8am - 5pm

Instructor: Instructor:

Our 14th Annual Southern Seminar will be held July 21 & 22nd in Las Cruces, NM. Click here for more information or to register.

Manny Mansour - May 13 8am - 5pm Bob Ouellette - June 17 8am - 5pm

The FINE PRINT: IIANM reserves the right to cancel/reschedule classes. Please call ahead to verify when classes will run. Decisions will be made three days prior to class. Cancellations received after 5 business days, will be assessed a $50.00 cancellation fee. Cancellations received on or after deadline and ‘no shows’ will forfeit the registration fee altogether. A substitute is always welcome, with no extra fee, but prior notification would be appreciated.

Class Name/Date: Full Name:

Method of Payment:  Bill Agency (Members Only)

First Name for Badge:

 Check Enclosed (Payable to IIANM)

Agency / Company:

 M/C  Visa  Disc  Amex

Address:

Amount:

(all prices include tax)

Card No:

City, State, Zip:

Exp. Date:

Telephone: ( Fax: ( Send in your registration:

)

Signature:

E-Mail:

) Go on-line: www.iianm.org or E-mail: jeff@iianm.org

Page 28

Give us a call: (505) 843-7231 (800) 621-3978

Mail in: 1511 University Blvd. NE Albuquerque, NM 87102

Fax in: (505) 243-3367

Independent Insurance Agents of New Mexico - www.iianm.org - * May 2009

May's Clickable Calendar

Click here for a full listing of our education program.

- Click on a class to register online -

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

CE = continuing education hours

Friday

Saturday

1 2010 ACSR Update 8CE Hours

2

3

4

6

5

8

P&C Pre-licensing Class

P&C Pre-licensing Class

10

11

12

13

14

15

16 17 23 24

18

19

20

21

22

25

26

27

28

29

9

Classifieds

30

ce Offilosed C

31

L&H Pre-licensing Class

Where Will You Find Your Next Great Hire?

Looking to fill a position within your agency? Trying to find a job but don’t know where to look?

Whether you are looking for somewhere new to share your special skills or an employer looking for quality, professional employees, we are there to lend a helping hand.

The staff at IIANM knows that “Teamwork Makes Us Stronger” and we want to help all interested individuals find that perfect fit.

Click here to take advantage of IIANM’s Job Bank.

Do you have an agency you’re trying to sell, or in the market to buy one? Check out our Classifieds!

Independent Insurance Agents of New Mexico - www.iianm.org - * May 2009

7

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Cinco de Mayo has become a

May

Odds Ends

holiday tradition in the United States for Mexican Americans much the way St. Patrick’s Day has for the Irish, or Chinese New Year for the Chinese.

It’s a day to celebrate your nationality with music, food and dance. Cinco de Mayo is known for its parades, folklorico, mariachis and of course, its amazing food.

The story of the most misused Social Security number of all time. . .

The most misused SSN of all time was (078-05-1120). In 1938, wallet manufacturer the E. H. Ferree company in Lockport, New York decided to promote its product by showing how a Social Security card would fit into its wallets.

A sample card, used for display purposes, was inserted in each wallet. Company Vice President and Treasurer Douglas Patterson thought it would be a clever idea to use the actual SSN of his secretary, Mrs. Hilda Schrader Whitcher.

The wallet was sold by Woolworth stores and other department stores all over the country. Even though the card was only half the size of a real card, was printed all in red, and had the word "specimen" written across the face, many purchasers of the wallet adopted the SSN as their own. In the peak year of 1943, 5,755 people were using Hilda's number.

SSA acted to eliminate the problem by voiding the number and publicizing that it was incorrect to use it. (Mrs. Whitcher was given a new number.) However, the number continued to be used for many years. In all, over 40,000 people reported this as their SSN. As late as 1977, 12 people were found to still be using the SSN "issued by Woolworth."

Mrs. Whitcher recalled coming back from lunch one day to find her fellow workers teasing her about her new-found fame. They were singing the refrain from a popular song of the day: "Here comes the million-dollar baby from the five and ten cent store."

Although the snafu gave her a measure of fame, it was mostly a nuisance. The FBI even showed up at her door to ask her about the widespread use of her number. In later years she observed: "They started using the number. They thought it was their own. I can't understand how people can be so stupid. I can't understand that."

M

&

o

’s Day! r e th

"No matter how old a mother is, she watches her middle-aged children for signs of improvement." ~ Florida Scott-Maxwell People in many ancient cultures celebrated holidays honoring motherhood, personified as a goddess. Here are just a few of those: • ancient Greeks celebrated a holiday in honor of Rhea, the mother of the gods • ancient Romans celebrated a holiday in honor of Cybele, a mother goddess, March 22-25 - the celebrations were notorious enough that followers of Cybele were banished from Rome • in the British Isles and Celtic Europe, the goddess Brigid, and later her successor St. Brigid, were honored with a spring Mother's Day, connected with the first milk of the ewes

a very special thank you to iianm’s partners The following companies have committed to support IIANM events throughout the year:

Diamond New Mexico Mutual is the state’s expert in workers’ compensation insurance and the preferred provider of the Independent Insurance Agents of New Mexico. New Mexico Mutual is recognized as an industry leader in customer service, advocacy, and integrity; providing protection for employees and security for New Mexico’s businesses. Adding three new companies in 2009 to the Group, New Mexico Mutual provides agents a comprehensive portfolio to meet your customers’ workers’ compensation insurance needs.

Gold ACUITY, headquartered in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, is a property and casualty insurer that operates in nineteen states, writes $750 million in premium through over 900 independent agencies, and manages $2 billion in assets. The only company in the nation to be named six consecutive years to the Great Place to Work Institute’s top five mid-sized companies, ACUITY employs 850 people.

At Mountain States, we are dedicated to helping protect the assets of our policyholders by providing them with sound, affordable insurance products. We do this through an expanding network of professional independent agents. We believe in sustaining a strong chemistry with our agents and policyholders. It is our prime reason for narrowing our focus to the Mountain States/ Southwest region.

The Republic Group offers personal property, dwelling fire, personal automobile and commercial lines of insurance through independent agents primarily in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi and New Mexico.

Our companies have flexibility to offer the insurance coverage most insureds need, whether for home, automobile or business. Competitive rates and coverages are available for both standard and non-standard risks, which meet our underwriting criteria.

Travelers Insurance Company is a National Company serving the needs of our Independent Agents’ all across America, from the East Coast to the West Cost and everything in between, we offer a wide variety of Commercial and Personal Lines products. We have an intimate knowledge of all lines of insurance and can offer solutions that are truly in-synch with the needs of your customers.

Silver

Letcher Golden & Assoc.

Bronze Colonial General Insurance Agency

Commercial Lines/Brokerage Department Founded in 1985, Colonial General Insurance Agency, Inc. is a wholesale General Agency providing quality insurance products to the Independent Insurance Agent.

Colonial General specializes in both standard and non-standard business. Our Property and Casualty business includes:

♦

Preferred BOP

♦

Property

♦

Inland Marine

♦

Professional Liability

♦

Commercial Liability

♦

Workers Compensation

Avoid monthly or annual membership fees, use Colonial General for your Preferred Business Owners Policies. We have several markets available to give you the best quote possible.

For additional information contact your underwriter.

Transportation Department

♦

Commercial Auto

♦

Truckers

♦

Physical Damage

♦

Commercial Contract

♦

NB Mexican Truckers

♦

Local Radius

♦

Personal Lines

♦

Garage

♦

Intermediate Radius

♦

Professional Liability

With 2,500 active producers under contract, Colonial General operates in eight states throughout the South-West. Our offices are located in Murray, Utah and Scottsdale, Arizona.

Most of all, we pride ourselves in our friendly customer service and our ability to help our producing agents with their many insurance needs.

Please contact our Utah office for all your Transportation needs!

P.O. Box 571770, Murray, Utah 84157 Phone: (801) 562-1188 Wats: (800) 594-8900 Fax: (801) 562-2218 Toll Free Fax: (800) 332-9285

Personal Lines Department ♦

Masterpiece Company

♦

Standard Company

♦

Umbrellas

♦

Stand-alone Liability

♦

Vacant

♦

Seasonal

♦

Dwelling Fire

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Homeowners

Preferred Commercial Lines Division P.O. Box 14770 Scottsdale, AZ 85267 8475 E. Hartford Drive, Suite #100 Scottsdale, AZ 85255 Phone: (480) 991-7889 Wats: (800) 848-8860 Fax: (480) 948-1394

You will never pay a fee to access our companies.

No volume or binding contracts.

More information can be found about IIANM’s Partner Program by visiting our website at iianm.org or calling Lorri Gaffney at (505) 999-5805.