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| State News |
| Industry News |
| Association News |
| Big “I” Markets | | Cities See Growth in Apartment Construction | | Agents can look to Big “I” Markets for insuring residences. | | More Americans have been opting to rent in recent years as the allure of owning a home has diminished, due in part to tight lending restrictions, falling prices and rising foreclosures. These forces are driving up apartment building values—to levels unseen since 2007, in some cases. | | Author: Gary Heiligman | | |
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| Young Agents | | Play for a Cause: Third Annual Young Agent Benefit on the Books | | Casino-themed fundraiser for InVEST scholarships will be held during Legislative Conference & Convention. | | Help attract more young professionals to the insurance industry by attending YAC Gives Back: A Benefit for InVEST Scholarships. For the third consecutive year, the Big “I” national Young Agents Committee is hosting a casino-themed event in April to raise funds for InVEST students who want to pursue a career in insurance. | | Author: Susan Bonner | | |
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| Best Practices | | Webinar Explains Best Practices of Effective Agency Leaders | | First webinar of five-part series offers five steps for principals to boost agency production. | | In today’s workplace, command and control have given way to more effective ways of leading and managing people. There is less bossing and more partnering and teamwork to change how business is done, to solve problems and to win together in an intensely competitive business environment. | | Author: Jennifer Becker | | |
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| Big “I” Markets | | Travel Insurance Offered through Big “I” Markets | | Coverage is explained for common travel scenarios. | | For the survivors of the 4,000-plus passenger Costa Concordia that recently capsized near Italy, many were left without personal belongings, identification, money and other possessions. To return home—much less recoup the cost of vacation and travel—may be difficult for most unless they have a proper travel insurance policy. | | Author: Gary Heiligman | | |
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| Trusted Choice® | | Your “Likes” Granted Wishes: William’s Wish | | Stories from last summer’s Make-A-Wish Foundation® campaign. | | Seventeen-year-old William, of the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Metro New York and Western New York chapter, is one of 11 children whose wishes came true with a $171,590-donation from last summer’s Trusted Choice® campaign. Last July, Trusted Choice aligned with the foundation, which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to help provide hope, strength and joy. | | Author: Jill Schmidt | | |
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| Trusted Choice® | | Nominations Sought for Agency Volunteerism Award | | Agencies have until March 1 to apply for Dan Fulwider Community Service Award. | | Dan Fulwider was the government affairs coordinator and membership liaison for the Independent Insurance Agents of Iowa, and a supporter of Trusted Choice®. But beyond this, Fulwider, who passed away in 2009 after a valiant fight with cancer, was dedicated to his community and the causes he believed in. | | Author: Jill Schmidt | | |
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| P-C Trends | | 2011 Catastrophes Alarm P-C Industry | | Agents can review risks, insurance coverage options with clients. | | As a new year begins after a catastrophe-plagued 2011, insurers are justifiably nervous. Numerous media reports cite difficult January reinsurance renewals as 2011 was a truly scary year. | | Author: Paul Buse | | |
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| Tech Updates | | Agents Want More Carriers to Use Real-Time Systems, Survey Says | | “Sky is the limit” on what agents can do with time freed up because of real-time programs, an agent says. | | For independent agent Joyce Sigler, one hour of time can be the difference between a carrier that uses a real-time system and one that does not. She agrees with other agents and brokers who say more insurance carriers should offer real-time capabilities to improve workflow efficiency at their agencies, according to a recent Real Time/Download Campaign survey. | | Author: Victoria Goff | | |
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| On the Hill | | House Committee Moves CLASS Act Repeal Bill Forward | | Action clears way for full House consideration. | | The CLASS Act, a government-run voluntary long-term care insurance program that was included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), is one step closer to being removed from the books. Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means cleared a bill, H.R. 1173, the “Fiscal Responsibility and Retirement Security Act of 2011,” sponsored by Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.), that would fully repeal the CLASS Act. | | Author: Ryan Young | | |
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| Forms & Substance | | Don't Insure for the Mortgage Amount | | Insurance, lenders have different risk functions. | | Should an agent insure a property for the mortgage amount when the replacement cost is less because the lender insists on it to protect their interest? Read on for an insurance expert's take on the matter. | | Author: Bill Wilson | | |
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| Agency Management | | Accepting Responsibility for Sales Success | | Produce better by embracing personal responsibility, instead of having a victim attitude. | | That we live in a time of relentless and pervasive change is no longer news to anyone. There is one important implication of this situation that continues to be a challenge: Our employees need to continually change their behavior to adapt to the world around them. | | Author: Dave Kahle | | |
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