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... O ) exposure – not to mention detracting significantly from the agency's professionalism. Binders I often ask agency personnel, "What's the basic difference between a binder and a certificate of insurance?" Far less than half of them seem to know the key difference is that a binder is a contract of insurance and a certificate of insurance is a form of proof of insurance. They don't understand that when they "bind" coverage, they're creating an insurance contract, while when they issue a certificate of insurance, they're simply warranting certain coverages exist at a given moment. This is why many agency personnel use binders, certificates, and evidences of insurance almost interchangeably, which is a huge mistake. Because binders are contracts, the people writing the contracts absolutely must know whether they have the authority to do so. This is why carriers provide binding guidelines to every agency that has binding authority with them. Although some carriers have made it more difficult to find these guidelines in recent years, the guidelines still exist. I often find that less than 25% of an agency's staff has a copy of the agency's binding authority. In some cases, agency management doesn't want the staff to know and simply allows them to write binders anyway. This is stupid. If staff and producers have authority from agency management to write binders, and assuming management wants the job done correctly, they must know the agency's binding authority! (" Guidelines" is a misnomer, because it's really a list of the agency's contractual binding authority by line.) . Some agency managers don't want staff to ...

... Policy Purpose To maximize the benefits of electronic communications to ABC Insurance Agency (The Company) and its employees, while protecting the Company and its employees from liability and/or performance challenges due to improper or unauthorized use of the systems made available to facilitate the business of the Company. Company Property As a productivity enhancement tool, the Company (including all subsidiaries) provides and encourages the business use of electronic communications (notably the Internet, voice mail, electronic mail, and fax) . Electronic communications systems owned by the Company and all messages generated on or handled by these electronic communications systems, including back-up copies, are considered the property of the Company. Any attempt to violate, circumvent, and/or ignore these policies could result in corrective action, up to and including termination. Authorized Usage The Company's electronic communications systems must be used solely to facilitate the business of the Company. Users are forbidden from using the Company's electronic communications systems for private business activities, personal, or amusement/entertainment purposes. Employees are reminded that the use of corporate resources, including electronic communications, should never create either the appearance or the reality of inappropriate use. Inappropriate use might result in loss of access privileges and disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Proper Usage Employees are strictly prohibited from using Company computers, e-mail systems, and Internet access accounts for personal reasons or for any improper purpose. Some specific examples of prohibited uses include, but are not limited to: Transmitting, retrieving, downloading, or storing messages or images that are offensive, derogatory, off-color, sexual in ...

... x No Thanks Loading.. Overtime Authorization Form 6/30/2015 by CompleteMarkets Editor This content has not been rated yet. OVERTIME AUTHORIZATION FORM Employee Name: Date: Title: Department: Overtime Needed From To Total Overtime not to exceed hours DETAILED EXPLANATION WHY OVERTIME IS REQUIRED: CUSTOMER(S )/ CLIENT(S ) OVERTIME IS NEEDED FOR: EMPLOYEE SIGNATURE: DATE: SUPERVISOR SIGNATURE: DATE: ©1998 Phin Enterprises. Donald A. Phin, Esq., CPCM. No portion of these materials may be reproduced by any means without the express written permission of the author. Login or Register (for FREE) to gain access to thousands of other great articles. Need more reasons to join? Need insurance for you, your business or your family? Get quality appointments - Save yourself a whole lot of time & money when you use our directory of carriers, wholesalers and service providers. Negotiate lucrative contracts with carriers and wholesalers. Net result. More revenue for your agency! Clients & Prospects will research you, your co-workers and your agency here. The most comprehensive online insurance industry reference library for - Personal Lines Professionals Commercial Lines Professionals Life/Health & Benefits Professionals Online newsletters and content that you can use for your clients and social media efforts. Ability to attach leads and clients to your specific market searches, with e-mail alerts for all the market, articles, blogs and people searches you make. And much more! All Articles by CompleteMarkets Editor Monetization type: None Comments (0 ) There are no comments posted. Search Articles/Libraries Select a ...

... All comments should be noted, any changes made and agreed upon, and final draft of the procedure made. 4. Amend these printed sheets or reissue, making copies for each person involved with a procedure. Then file one copy in this manual for ready reference. 5. Suspend your procedures every six months, to again review with all staff to be sure everyone is still following the procedure to the letter, the procedure is still effective and does not need changing, and all new staff people have been trained on these procedures. A WORD ABOUT ERRORS & OMISSIONS PROTECTION Establishing standard agency procedures offers you many benefits, but the most important for most agencies is the protection that procedures offer against Errors & Omissions lawsuits. Where can errors and omissions occur? In placing coverage By exceeding company authority (per your agency contract) By not issuing proper binders or documentation of coverage Through failure to renew expiring insurance (whether insured is contacted or not) By not maintaining proper amounts of insurance (when average clauses apply) By overlooking and not covering certain types of hazards/perils Through a misunderstanding with the insured (lack of proper communication) By not having proper documentation to prove the error or omission false By giving false information to the company, or not giving all the information to the company when submitting or renewing coverage What to do to help prevent errors or omissions: l. Telephone Messages a. Date, time, and sign every phone message. b. Write the exact information given, and deliver to the proper person immediately. c. Don't take messages or try to ...

... x No Thanks Loading.. 4/30/2013 by CompleteMarkets Editor This content has not been rated yet. SAMPLE JOB DESCRIPTION: COMMERCIAL CSR Every position in the agency should have a written job description. An ideal job description contains the following elements: 1. Position title 2. Department to which the position is assigned 3. Job classification assignment (tied to salary ranges) 4. Job objective, which outlines whom the person reports to and the goal of the job 5. Duties 6. Authority that goes with the job 7. Performance-measurement criteria that will be used to evaluate performance With this information, employees know what is expected of them and what training they need to advance. The job description becomes part of the performance-evaluation process. A good automation system can measure work and follow-up processing, and compare positions and units that enable agency management to develop standards for work processing. This comparison can be used very effectively in performance evaluation and in correcting unacceptable performance. Writing job descriptions can be difficult. However, deciding on the jobs to be included and then having all the employees doing each job list the tasks they perform will give you a good start. For example, if you decide to do Commercial CSR job descriptions, all of the Commercial CSRs working on the project together should arrive at a fairly accurate job description. You may find that many employees duplicate work or perform functions that might better be performed by a lower-paid employee. Here's a sample job description for a Commercial CSR: POSITION DESCRIPTION/CHARTER POSITION: Commercial CSR III DEPARTMENT: Commercial Lines CLASSIFICATION: ...

... the four specific time periods: 7.5 Prior to Crisis Timing The most important time segment concerning Crisis Management Plan timing is the period identified as "prior to crisis" . This involves an on-going time period without any definable termination. Within this major time segment lie Crisis Management Plan formulation, implementation and on-going maintenance. At the time of a crisis, the ultimate success of the Crisis Management Plan is dependent upon the effectiveness of the strategic planning which has been completed during this time period. 7.6 During Crisis Timing This time segment is relatively brief and addresses only action necessary during the actual crisis occurrence. This involves immediate action by the Emergency Response Team and Crisis Management Committee. The plans for anticipated crises must involve pre-determination of sequential task actions, establishment of priorities and delegation of authority. At the time of a crisis occurrence, Crisis Management Plan policies and operational procedures should immediately implemented. To be successful, the control of a crisis involves a logical sequence of activities with pre-determined priorities. 7.7 Immediately following Crisis Timing The post-crisis period is of relatively short duration and includes initial salvage operations, containment of loss and evaluation of the situation. Recovery plan assessment considerations, include, but are not limited to impact on staff, operating status, third party exposures, claim value and recovery considerations. During the relatively brief time period following a crisis, a preliminary assessment of the existing situation should be completed; the crisis media and public relations strategy should be implemented and decisions concerning contingency plan implementation for as alternate locations and resources should be acted upon. 7.8 Post Crisis Timing The ...

... means liability for damages because of injury to any person, damage to property, or other loss damage to property, or other loss or damage resulting from any personal, familiar, or household responsibilities or activities, rather than from responsibilities or activities referred to in paragraphs (2 )( A ) and (2 )( B ); (4 ) Risk retention group' mean any corporation or other limited liability association (A ) whose primary activity consists of assuming and spreading all, or any portion, of the liability exposure of its group members; (B ) which is organized for the primary purpose of conducting the activity described under subparagraph (A ); (C ) which - (i ) is chartered and licensed as a liability insurance company under the laws of a State and authorized to engage in the business of insurance under the laws of such State; or (ii) before January 1, 1985, was chartered or licensed and authorized to engage in the business of insurance under the laws of Bermuda or the Cayman Islands and, before such date, had certified to the insurance commissioner of at least one State that it satisfied the capitalization requirements of such State, except that any such group shall be considered to be a risk retention group only if it has been engaged in business continuously since such date and only for the purpose of continuing to provide insurance to cover product liability or completed operations liability (as such terms were defined in this section before the date of the enactment of the Risk Retention Amendments of 1986) . (D ) which does not exclude any ...

... with the threat of losing business to non-residents based on mass television advertising, agent groups banned together in the early 1950s and expanded the concept of countersignature. Agent groups wrote their own model laws, proposing to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and state legislatures that a resident agent must countersign any policy written by a non-resident agent. This was based on the theory that because non-resident agents weren't familiar with state laws, a licensed resident agent should review the policy before delivery to the consumer. The resident agent could assure the public that the policy language complied with state law. The model law also included a requirement that the resident agent be paid 25% of the commission or 5% of the premium, whichever was less. According to the Agent's Guide: [Countersignature laws] authorize the agent under his agency agreement to receive and accept proposals for insurance, covering risks of such classes as he is authorized by the company to insure; to countersign, deliver, and continue policies of insurance signed by the authorized officials of the company. Nearly all states passed countersignature laws. However, the degree of responsibility on the part of the agent varied significantly. Some states required the resident countersigning agent to be physically present with the non-resident agent at the time of the sale. Other states expanded the requirement of "countersign" to include the wet signature of an "authorized" agent on any policy issued in the state, whether written by the contracted agent or a broker representing that agent. Still other states defined "authorized" to mean a hard copy authorization (appointment) ...

... x No Thanks Loading.. Management And Leadership 4/30/2013 by CompleteMarkets Editor This content has not been rated yet. &# 160 MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP Management implies the existence of formal authority, while leadership may not have any connection with formal authority. Marketing managers are in their positions because they have been given the formal authority to perform a job, including directing the actions of others. The responsibility for seeing that the job gets done accompanies this authority. Leadership does not require a delegation of formal authority from above' in an organization. The distinction between leadership and management is not always clear. Agency employees follow the directions of marketing managers partially because they must; however, people may follow the directions of a leader for entirely different reasons: because the individual is physically attractive, knowledgeable, or for any number of other reasons. Marketing managers do not always have to be leaders to be effective, but some key ideas about leadership can be useful. The successful marketing manager's concern with leadership focuses on obtaining premium performance from employees. There are several types of leadership approaches. The approaches applicable to the role of a marketing manager include: trait, style (this is probably the most applicable), and situational. Though there are others, I feel these are specifically appropriate. TRAIT Early studies about leadership focused on the personality traits of past leaders. Leaders were thought to be dominant extroverts who possessed self-confidence, empathy, and intelligence. This approach assumes that a better understanding of leadership can be gained by studying the personalities and behavior of famous leaders. Keep in ...

... . Vehicle Safety, Part 3 4/30/2013 by CompleteMarkets Editor , Bill Grieb This content has not been rated yet. VEHICLE SAFETY, PART 3 by Bill Grieb Because half of workplace injuries are caused by vehicle accidents, you can make a substantial difference in reducing your firm's costs by minimizing these risks. Toward this goal, your employees should follow the vehicle safety guidelines provided here. Vehicle Safety Guidelines All company vehicles must be driven safely according to the laws of the road. Employees must also follow these formal guidelines that were integrated into the Vehicle Safety Program to reduce vehicle accidents and limit the company's liability resulting from driver negligence. Use of Personal Vehicles Before employees can use their personal vehicles for company business, they are required to provide proof that they own the vehicle or have authorization from the registered owner to drive the vehicle for their work. A copy of the vehicle registration or a letter or other document must be supplied to the employee's supervisor and will be kept on file. Employees using personal vehicles for work must also provide proof of Auto insurance as required by law in their state. A copy of the employee's current policy must be kept on file with the employee's supervisor. After a policy expires, a copy of the renewed policy must be provided to prove continuation of coverage. Transporting Employees When several employees are transported in a van, bus or truck, the operator must have a license to drive the class of vehicle driven by the employee. All vehicles must be equipped with adequate seats and working lamps, brakes, horns, windshields, mirrors, and ...