Celebrate the New Year with More Market Access

In this challenging market, you need every edge you can get. Competition is tough and keeping carrier appetites well-fed can be even tougher, especially when your direct appoint carriers can’t write an account you really need. That’s where Big “I” Markets can help. A service exclusively for Big “I” members, more than 8,000 agencies have registered for Big “I” Markets, a gateway to specialized products and services with no access fees and no minimum volume commitments.

And the market access opportunities keep growing. Big “I” Markets has added more than a dozen new markets in recent months. For a closer look, log on to www.bigimarkets.com. Here is a quick glance at some of those markets:

• RLI corporation has long been the endorsed provider of an A+ rated stand-alone personal umbrella market. In many states RLI is now offering UM/UIM and with the introduction of PUP special, RLI will write most risks you come across. You can download an application from Big “I” Markets or logon to www.iiaba.net/umbrella for more information.
• Travelers Contractors Pac is designed primarily for small residential, specialty trade contractors and is priced to be highly competitive. Eligibility includes up to two locations, up to $1.5 million total insured values (building and business personal property) at each location, up to eight employees and up to $200,000 in payroll. Eligible classes include but are not limited to carpentry (SIC codes 1751 and 2431), landscape gardening (SIC code 1711), contractors, masonry (SIC code 1741) and plumbing (SIC code 1711).
• When you need access to a non-standard homeowner market, Big “I” Markets has 11 classes on Lexington paper including access to coastal, vacant and homes with prior losses.
• Many agents are having great success placing specialty habitational risks through Big “I” Markets. Student housing, HUD housing and Section 8 housing are all markets many carriers won’t write but Middleoak will through Big “I” Markets.
• Travelers Store Pac is designed for a wide variety of retailers primarily engaged in brick-and-mortar commerce. There are
  more than 100 eligible classes/SIC codes, but some of the most highly accessed include bakeries and bagel shops, beverage stores, coffee bars, delicatessens, donut shops, jewelry stores, pet stores, paint/wallpaper and home improvement stores and sporting goods stores.
• Big “I” Markets now also offers a stand-alone fine arts and valuable articles policy. This product enables you to recognize the unique needs of clients. This fine art and valuable articles program offers tailored products and services for
  personal and commercial fine art and floater risks.
• Commercial Auto Travelers Select appears on the Big “I” Markets commercial product menu. Travelers will entertain vehicles used commercially, but is not a market for livery services, hauling of hazardous materials, truckers or dump
  truck operators.
• In our litigious culture, it’s important for professionals to protect themselves with a professional liability policy. To help you help your clients do just that, Big “I” Markets has just added 11 new classes of non-agency E&O Professional Liability products. The product is listed as Proliability on the Big “I” Market commercial product menu.
• Travelers Monoline Workers’ Compensation market eligible industries include (with common but non-exhaustive exclusions): offices, business segment (no alarm services, security systems, day spas), stores/retail (no mail order, diet food stores, drug stores), restaurants (no country clubs, night clubs, pubs, happy hours), contractors—artisan trades (no roofers, riggers, exterior work over three stories), garages (no parking garages, 24-hour operations, towing services more than one truck) and religious institutions (no day care, schools, media publishing).
• Environmental Impairment–Pollution Coverage Big “I” Markets has partnered with American Risk Management Resources Network, LLC of Middleton, Wisc. The firm is a unique blend of subject matter expertise and a licensed E&S specialty environmental insurance wholesaler. Recent trends in contaminated drywall, cancellations and premiums of fuel storage tanks over 25 years old, mold exclusions and regulations covering lead abatement are excellent examples.

If you haven’t yet signed up for Big “I” Markets and would like to learn about new product introductions, register for Big “I” Markets at www.bigimarkets.com. Once registered, you will receive new product announcements and a schedule of free webinars.

As we begin the New Year, have you leveraged every opportunity to grow your agency?

—Mike Miley, Big “I” chairman