Better Feedback Means Better Coverage
By: Brett Nilsson
Have you ever looked at a policy form and wondered where all the coverage, exclusions and conditions came from? Would it surprise you to know that many policy provisions originated from agents like you? One of the Big “I”’s best kept secrets is technical affairs advocacy on behalf of its member agencies and their business and consumer insureds.
Every time you use the Insurance Services Office (ISO) CG 20 33 blanket additional insured endorsement, you can thank the Mid-America Technical Conference (MATC) which championed an industry-standard form. The CG 20 37 completed operations additional insured endorsement was largely the product of the former Far West Technical Conference.
The Big “I” national technical affairs committee led the fight for the amendment to the CGL contractual liability provision that grants defense to a third-party for assumed contractual liability. Y2K and terrorism endorsements were considerably gentler than the originally proposed endorsements due to Big “I” technical affairs advocacy.
If you reviewed the 2007 Insurance Services Office commercial property changes that were effective in most states as of December 2008, you know there were 16 primary changes in ISO’s commercial property forms and endorsements. What you probably didn’t know was that half of them came from peers acting within our technical advocacy roles.
ISO seeks feedback on coverage changes from several sources. First and foremost, it reaches out to its panels of insurance company representatives. In addition, the ISO staff monitors case law and market conditions around the country and makes recommendations to these panels. Most important, ISO seeks input from insurance agents through two primary sources, the MATC and the Big “I” Countrywide Technical Affairs Committee (CTAC).
Founded in 1934, MATC has been serving the American agency system for more than 75 years as a forum for discussion topics such as property-casualty coverage, rules, forms and other technical aspects in the insurance industry. In essence, the MATC serves as both a sounding board for agents committed to improving the technical side of the insurance industry, as well as a catalyst for change.
As an organization, MATC consists of Big “I” state associations in Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Every November, delegates from each member state convene in St. Louis with insurance company representatives, ISO and, if warranted, the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) and ACORD, to review important agenda items that participating states submitted in July or August.
Thousands of agenda items have been considered over the years, many resulting in meaningful improvements in the coverage agents are able to offer to their customers. In 2008, MATC celebrated its 75th anniversary by announcing that it would open membership to any Big “I” state interested in becoming a part of the collaborative process.
The national Big “I” CTAC consists of a chair and four regional representatives, along with a national staff liaison. The group usually meets in January to determine its agenda and reconvenes in May at ISO headquarters to discuss issues with ISO’s government affairs and line staff. Committee members often bring agenda items from their constituents, but many of these items arise from the Virtual University’s “Ask an Expert” service, which responds to coverage and claim questions from members nationwide. The committee plans to enhance the exchange of information by using the Virtual University as a clearinghouse in states that don’t participate in MATC or submit items via the Southern Agents Conference. A technical affairs lounge area is available on the VU and will be expanded in the coming months as a focal point for technical affairs efforts at the state level.
So, are the Big “I” technical advocacy efforts worth the price of membership? ISO will soon introduce its new homeowners program and the Big “I” anticipates that close to a dozen of the changes in this program originated from MATC and CTAC.
These are just some of the ways we continue to work for you and your customers. If you would like to play a more prominent role in our technical affairs advocacy, e-mail Bill Wilson at bill.wilson@iiaba.net.
—Brett Nilsson, Chairman
Every time you use the Insurance Services Office (ISO) CG 20 33 blanket additional insured endorsement, you can thank the Mid-America Technical Conference (MATC) which championed an industry-standard form. The CG 20 37 completed operations additional insured endorsement was largely the product of the former Far West Technical Conference.
The Big “I” national technical affairs committee led the fight for the amendment to the CGL contractual liability provision that grants defense to a third-party for assumed contractual liability. Y2K and terrorism endorsements were considerably gentler than the originally proposed endorsements due to Big “I” technical affairs advocacy.
If you reviewed the 2007 Insurance Services Office commercial property changes that were effective in most states as of December 2008, you know there were 16 primary changes in ISO’s commercial property forms and endorsements. What you probably didn’t know was that half of them came from peers acting within our technical advocacy roles.
ISO seeks feedback on coverage changes from several sources. First and foremost, it reaches out to its panels of insurance company representatives. In addition, the ISO staff monitors case law and market conditions around the country and makes recommendations to these panels. Most important, ISO seeks input from insurance agents through two primary sources, the MATC and the Big “I” Countrywide Technical Affairs Committee (CTAC).
Founded in 1934, MATC has been serving the American agency system for more than 75 years as a forum for discussion topics such as property-casualty coverage, rules, forms and other technical aspects in the insurance industry. In essence, the MATC serves as both a sounding board for agents committed to improving the technical side of the insurance industry, as well as a catalyst for change.
As an organization, MATC consists of Big “I” state associations in Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Every November, delegates from each member state convene in St. Louis with insurance company representatives, ISO and, if warranted, the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) and ACORD, to review important agenda items that participating states submitted in July or August.
Thousands of agenda items have been considered over the years, many resulting in meaningful improvements in the coverage agents are able to offer to their customers. In 2008, MATC celebrated its 75th anniversary by announcing that it would open membership to any Big “I” state interested in becoming a part of the collaborative process.
The national Big “I” CTAC consists of a chair and four regional representatives, along with a national staff liaison. The group usually meets in January to determine its agenda and reconvenes in May at ISO headquarters to discuss issues with ISO’s government affairs and line staff. Committee members often bring agenda items from their constituents, but many of these items arise from the Virtual University’s “Ask an Expert” service, which responds to coverage and claim questions from members nationwide. The committee plans to enhance the exchange of information by using the Virtual University as a clearinghouse in states that don’t participate in MATC or submit items via the Southern Agents Conference. A technical affairs lounge area is available on the VU and will be expanded in the coming months as a focal point for technical affairs efforts at the state level.
So, are the Big “I” technical advocacy efforts worth the price of membership? ISO will soon introduce its new homeowners program and the Big “I” anticipates that close to a dozen of the changes in this program originated from MATC and CTAC.
These are just some of the ways we continue to work for you and your customers. If you would like to play a more prominent role in our technical affairs advocacy, e-mail Bill Wilson at bill.wilson@iiaba.net.
—Brett Nilsson, Chairman
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