E&O: E-MAILS AND BINDING COVERAGE by Curt Pearsall E-mail between agents and their clients is becoming increasingly common. Curt Pearsall recommends that you and your staff develop and implement ...

Although the technology is in place to sell insurance via the Net, consumers aren’t giving up the one night a year when they sit in their living rooms and listen to their agent pontificate about the advantages of "Plan A" versus "Plan B."

This dynamic might be changing. Insurers have cleared a huge hurdle for online sales — the need for a customer signature — either by using credit cards to bind coverage until the policy can be issued or by legalizing electronic signatures. Despite this advance, a very low percentage of insurance transactions are being handled online.