..:: Insurance News & Views ::..

B I G " I " K A T R I N A R E L I E F F U N D
Relief Fund Tops $400K, Awards 70 Grants

The Big "I" Katrina Relief Fund has awarded grants to more than 70 applicants from the Gulf Coast insurance community.

With more than $400,000 in the fund from more than 470 contributors, the Big "I" Katrina Relief Fund grants have helped many individuals and businesses devastated by Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama, and there are plans to award more grants to those in need. The Big "I" donated $100,000 to the relief fund, and coupled with the generous contributions of insurance carriers (Safeco Insurance, Zurich Insurance, OneBeacon Insurance, Allstate Insurance and Encompass Insurance), agents, brokers, Big "I" staff and state associations, the Big "I" Katrina Relief Fund is making a meaningful difference in the lives of many in the insurance community.

"We’re so pleased to be able to help so many people in their time of great need," CEO Bob Rusbuldt says. "The amount of support the fund has received is overwhelming, and it keeps coming in. Everyone in the insurance industry is doing what they can to help residents of the Gulf Coast put their lives back together."

Sharon Kuntzman works at Hancock Insurance in Waveland, Miss., and received a grant to help rebuild her home.

"My hopes and dreams are to rebuild and refurnish my home," Kuntzman says. "We have totally lost everything. A house is replaceable, but my agency…my community is gone. The heart of the community is still here, though, and donations like this prove we’re still living in a good society.

"I have so many positive things I could say. I think about them when I go to sleep at night, but it’s hard to express how we feel. The gratitude we have down here—the people that are giving and donating get us through the hard times."

Aulton Vann, Jr., of Aulton Vann Jr. Insurance Agency, located in Pascagoula, Miss., had his office 1.5 miles off the beach. After Hurricane Katrina, Vann returned to see more than 5 feet of water in his office—nine computers, six typewriters, 11 file cabinets, seven desks and chairs, and countless paper and office supplies were all underwater.

"This grant was a tremendous blessing," Vann says. "It helped us pay bills we didn’t know we’d incur—such as new plumbing, new hookups and new office supplies."

Loretta Johnson, president and CEO of Third Millennium Insurance & Financial Services in New Orleans, did not have a flood in her office, but was trying to run her agency in an 8^{th floor office with no power.}

"This grant was quite helpful," Johnson says. "We had to get our equipment and files out of the office and to Baton Rouge. This covered our moving expenses. We had to get people to haul huge file cabinets down eight flights of stairs."

"I am proud of all of the Big "I" members from around the country who have contributed to this fund. It confirms what many already know, that independent agents truly care about their communities, their country, their customers and their colleagues in the independent agency system when they need help," says Big "I" President Bill Stiglitz, an executive with Hyland, Block, and Hyland in Louisville, Ky.

To donate to the Big "I" Katrina Relief Fund, make checks payable to "Big ‘I’ Katrina Relief Fund" and mail to:

Big "I" Katrina Relief Fund
c/o InsurBanc
10 Executive Drive
Farmington, CT 06032

If you prefer to contribute via credit card, please go to the Big "I" Katrina Relief Fund site: http://insurbanc.com/vsitemanager/smartforms/default.asp. The Big "I" Katrina Relief Fund has 501(c)3 status, so all contributions qualify as charitable contributions and are tax deductible, to the extent permitted by law. For more information, contact Emily Crane at 800-221-7917; emily.crane@iiaba.net.

IIABA, in close cooperation with the National Association of Insurance Women International (NAIW), has established a new scholarship program to further promote and assist insurance agents and brokers’ commitment to excellence.

During NAIW’s upcoming annual convention in June 2006, IIABA and NAIW will award the following scholarships toward the IIABA’s Accredited Customer Service Representative Designation (ACSR) at NAIW’s annual convention:

"We are thrilled to be partnering with NAIW to offer their members and our own association members the opportunity to continue their education and gain valuable technical and professional training," says Madelyn Flannagan, IIABA vice president of education and research. "The ACSR Designation is an important one—it promotes and recognizes the professionalism of customer service personnel in the insurance industry."

Scholarship recipients will gain critical professional development skills, improve their customer service tactics, retain accounts and reduce their agencies’ E&O exposure.

Applicants must be current and active members of the NAIW in good standing, work at an IIABA member agency, be employed full-time and be in the insurance industry for at least one year. Applicants must intend to complete and achieve the ACSR Designation within three years or take the ACSR class within one year and expect to continue their career for the next three years in the insurance industry. To obtain an application, which must be postmarked by April 1, 2006, click here or here.

The Big "I" considers the press an important part of its advocacy operations and work with the trade and consumer press to promote the interests of independent agents and brokers. The Big "I" works hard to educate, inform and help reporters understand issues of importance to independent agents. In 2005, IIABA was quoted or mentioned 628 separate times, resulting in more than 7,804,000 impressions in trade media such as National Underwriter, Insurance Journal and A.M. Best. In consumer media such as New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today, IIABA was quoted or mentioned 498 times, resulting in more than 75,166,000 impressions. That brings the total number of impressions for the year to almost 83 million.

The Big "I" is kicking off 2006 at the same pace as the voice of independent agents. In January, the Big "I" has been quoted on CNNMoney.com twice about financial resolutions and safeguarding consumers’ financial future. CEO Bob Rusbuldt was quoted in a New York Times article on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and its impact on the National Flood Insurance Program. Vice President of Education and Research Madelyn Flannagan was quoted in a USA Today article discussing how to update insurance coverage. A recent study by Trusted Choice® was heavily cited in that same article. Additionally, an Associated Press articles discussing renters insurance cited Big "I" reseach. For more information, contact Emily Crane at 800-221-7917; emily.crane@iiaba.net.

May is Trusted Choice® Month 2006, and the brand program has prepared a national two-week, $600,000 nationwide cable TV ad flight and an Internet ad campaign to highlight the brand to consumers. Company partners, individual agencies and Big "I" state associations will augment the concentrated national advertising activity.

This is the second consecutive year for Trusted Choice® Month. "Last year’s event was so successful in increasing awareness of Trusted Choice® that we decided to bring back this month-long promotional campaign," says Ronald A. Smith, CPCU, chairman of the Trusted Choice ® Board of directors and president of Smith, Sawyer & Smith Inc. in Rochester, Ind.

The national ads for Trusted Choice® Month are just part of an overall national advertising campaign. The 2006 ad plan includes a mix of nationwide cable television advertising, Internet advertising, as well as print advertising in targeted professional trade journals.

Activity will occur in each of the first eight months of 2006 with three TV flights, three Internet flights and print ads in targeted business-to-business (B2B) publications through August. Here’s a monthly activity calendar:

· Through August—Print ads in targeted B2B publications;

· February—Four-week Internet ad flight;

· March—Two-week nationwide cable TV ad flight with nearly 100 ads;

· April—One-week Washington, D.C.-area ad flight timed with the Big "I" National Legislative Conference & Convention;

· May (Trusted Choice® Month)—Two-week, $600,000 nationwide cable TV ad flight;

· May-June—Four-week Internet ad flight beginning during Trusted Choice® Month and ending in June;

· July—Four-week Internet ad flight.

Each media will increase consumer awareness of the brand, drive consumers to the Web site and reach business owners seeking a trusted insurance counselor. "Through this advertising, more consumers will become aware of what the Trusted Choice® brand stands for and seek out a Trusted Choice® agency," says Jeffrey A. Myers, executive director of the brand program.

To make the most of the national campaign, Trusted Choice® encourages participating agencies to launch a local ad campaign using the tag-able TV, radio and print ads available in the "Advertising" section of the "Agents/Brokers" area of www.TrustedChoice.com. You can personalize these tag-able ads with your agency name and contact information. Download the print ads directly from the Web site; you must download an order form for the TV and radio spots from the site. You also will find in this section helpful information about how to launch a local Trusted Choice® advertising campaign.

Remember, it’s paramount to complement the national ad flights and state-level campaigns with your local efforts to build local awareness of your Trusted Choice® agency. So start planning your advertising activity for Trusted Choice® Month and the remainder of the year now. For more information, contact Jeff Myers at 800- 221-7917; jeff.myers@iiaba.net.

Big "I Markets, the online market access program available exclusively to Big "I" members, continued to add products and add registered users in 2005. Big "I" Markets helped members place 1,739 pieces of business they may not have otherwise been able to write in diverse markets such as flood, event liability, community banks, non-standard homeowners, fine dining restaurants and renters. Big "I" Markets was created to help independent agents members by providing market access through an efficient, convenient online portal. Given the 5,453 requests for quotes submitted last year, the system is working. With over 14,000 licensed producers registered to use the program, Big 'I" Markets is poised for continued growth in 2006. We will be aggressively pursuing new markets, especially higher average premium commercial markets. And because Big "I" Markets is an IIABA member benefit designed to help your agency succeed, there are no access fees and no minimum volume requirements. If your agency is not yet taking advantage of the product availability and competitive commissions through Big "I" Markets, visit www.bigimarkets.com to learn more and to complete the simple and free online registration.

Check your mailbox for the January issue of Independent Agent. Start the New Year off right by making good on your resolution to keep up to date on all the industry’s trends and developments. Inside the January issue, you’ll find "Check Your Agency Dashboard," a primer on new dashboard technologies, "Retirement Planning Reminder," which explains the unique 412(i) plan, "Success Comes Full Circle," about an agency that puts culture first, and "Outsmarting Disasters," an article that will inspire you to create an agency disaster plan. And it doesn’t stop there—don’t forget to visit IAmagazine.com for this issue’s Online Extras as well.