THURSDAY, JULY 29, 2010 

                                                Big “I” National News


Trusted Choice^®
Live Scoring Available for Final Day of Teen Golf Tournament
Thirty-five states are represented in the 42nd Annual Trusted Choice Big “I” National Championship.

Live scoring will be available online tomorrow, Friday, July 30, for the final day of the 42nd Annual Trusted Choice® Big “I” National Championship in Chesterfield, N.J. Players start teeing off at 7:30 a.m. Eastern and the tournament is expected to wrap up around 2 p.m. Eastern.

To access the live scoring, click here or go to http://bigigolf.com and click on the tournament page.

The tournament is a 72-hole stroke play event and this year it’s at the Old York Country Club at Chesterfield. The tournament field includes 102 boys and 54 girls, ages 12-18, from 35 states. Second-round cuts were made at 155 in the boys division and 159 in the girls division to include 55 boys and 27 girls for the third and final rounds.

The Trusted Choice® Big “I” National Championship has been called a critical test for many of today’s golf professionals. PGA and LPGA fields include numerous past champions and participants including the following men and women who have risen to the top of professional golf:  Billy Andrade, David Duval, Charles Howell III, Cristie Kerr, Candie Kung, Justin Leonard, Phil Mickelson, Grace Park, Craig Stadler, Bob Tway, Cheyenne Woods, Tiger Woods and Fuzzy Zoeller.

The annual tournament is sponsored and supported by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”). The tournament began in 1969 as a community service project and every year, more than 2,000 agents help organize and administer the qualifying tournaments that lead to the national finals. Independent agents donate valuable time, effort, and in many cases, personal resources to conduct successful local events.

For more information, visit www.bigigolf.com.


Young Agents
Capture the Power of the Creative Process Via Video
Leadership Institute keynote speaker gives a sneak peek and some freebies via video.

The demands and challenges of today’s marketplace require new techniques to help turn your agency’s goals into reality. How can you find the leverage you need to be successful in your agency, team and life with limited resources? Attend the Big “I” Young Agents Leadership Institute Sept. 24-25 in San Francisco and find out. Keynote speaker Bodine Balasco will share methods for generating innovative thinking, strategic action and sustainable energy. Check out this video for a sneak peak! The video also offers a few freebies, an SEO (search engine optimization) writing guide and goal setting tips. In addition to this session, young agents will have a chance to brush up their technology and workflow know-how, learn effective ways to market using social media, get the carrier perspective and most importantly—make connections. Click here to check out the complete schedule or register now.


Agents Council for Technology (ACT)
Weigh in on E&S Joint Industry Initiative Priorities
Group wants input on needed E&S standardized supplemental applications.

The Retail Agent E&S Joint Industry Initiative (led by ACT, NAPSLO, AAMGA and ACORD) has had a very active group seeking the use of standardized ACORD applications and the development of standardized supplemental applications in the E&S, specialty and program business markets. The group has been working in close partnership with the ACORD working group charged with developing these forms. The next step is determining priorities for needed standardized supplemental applications for the E&S/specialty/program markets. The use of standardized forms will make these markets more efficient, just as it has done in the standard market.

Whether you are a retail agent or broker, MGA or wholesale broker, or E&S or specialty carrier, please complete a very brief survey to help the work groups determine the next priorities for supplemental application development. To access this survey and more information on the standardized supplemental applications that have been developed to-date, click here.

While there, you can also sign up to become a participant in the Initiative.


Best Practices
Unravel the Legal Jargon in Producer Contracts
Best Practices guide offers tips on producer compensation and contracts.

Do your producer contracts reflect the difference between independent contractor and employee producers? Would your non-compete and non-piracy agreements stand up in court? Are developing fair compensation packages for your producers? If any of these issues are keeping you up at night, then the Best Practices Guide to Producer Contracts is what you need. This concise guide outlines how to compensate, create contracts and manage new producers. The tool also contains sample contracts, making it a must-have for principals, agents and their attorneys. For the complete picture on hiring, motivating and training new producers, check out Top Producers:  Discover, Train, Reward.  Click here for a detailed order form. For more information, e-mail BestPractices@iiaba.net.


Big “I” Markets
Educate Customers on Affluent Market Options
Get the facts about new affluent market carrier ACE.

Big “I” Markets is proud to offer affluent homeowner market access through ACE. But according to affluent underwriter Linda Phillips, one challenge agents have quoting ACE is convincing customers that ACE is a strong and stable insurer. “Agents tell me that ACE has a branding challenge,” says Phillips. “Customers think it’s a division of the hardware store company, and they are reluctant to place their insurance with a hardware store enterprise!”

To help you overcome that challenge, here is some background information on ACE that you can use to help gain the confidence of your customers.

About ACE 
A Global Company with $78 Billion in Assets, ACE Private Risk Services® is part of the ACE Group, one of the world's largest providers of property-casualty insurance. With $78 billion in assets in 2009, ACE is distinguished by its stability, strength, underwriting expertise and superior claims handling. ACE conducts business in more than 170 countries and serves a diverse group of clients including individuals and families with substantial assets, local businesses throughout the world, multinational corporations with complex property-casualty exposures and insurance companies looking to reinsure their portfolios. ACE Limited, the Swiss-incorporated parent company of the ACE Group, is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ACE) and is a component of the S&P 500 stock index. The ACE Group maintains executive offices in Zurich, Bermuda and New York, among other locations, and employs more than 15,000 people worldwide.

Rated A+ by A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s:
ACE’s U.S.-based underwriting companies consistently receive the highest ratings for financial strength from A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s. The latest ratings (as of April 15, 2010) are: A.M. Best A+ Stable Outlook Standard & Poor’s A+ Positive Outlook.

Named One of the Best by Barron’s, Forbes, and Institutional Investor: 
Barron’s Top 10 Stock Pick: ACE was listed as the third company in Barron’s March 7, 2009, special report on 10 stocks that “could shine over the next 10 years.” ACE also placed 117th in the 2010 Barron’s ranking of the 500 largest publicly traded companies in the U.S. and Canada, based on an analysis of cash-flow-based return on investment and sales growth. Forbes Magazine's Global 2000: ACE placed 201st overall and 15th among insurers in the 2010 Forbes Global 2000, a ranking of the world’s leading companies based on an equal weighting of sales, profits, assets and market value. Institutional Investor’s Best CEOs and CFOs: Evan Greenberg, chairman and chief executive officer, ACE Limited, was named the No. 1 CEO in the Insurance/Non-Life category, and Phil Bancroft, Chief Financial Officer, ACE Limited, was named No. 1 CFO in the same category in Institutional Investor’s annual ranking of the best CEOs and CFOs in America for 2009.

Here is a pdf of this information to give customers. And remember, for high net worth customers with homes of replacement cost values of $1 million and higher, you have access to ACE, Chubb’s Masterpiece® and Firemen’s Fund's Prestige® Portfolio products via Big “I” Markets. Log onto www.bigimarkets.com to learn more.


Big “I” News
Post Your Agency Internship on the Career Center 
Job site offers new capabilities, including “featured employer” status.

The Insurance Career Center, www.insurancecareercenter.org, will continue to be a resource to post openings for experienced insurance professionals. However, InVEST is now starting to promote the Insurance Career Center to high schools and colleges with insurance programs. The Insurance Career Center fits in perfectly with InVEST’s mission to attract new talent to the insurance industry. If you have a current opening or are looking for an intern, post your agency’s position on this site to show students across the U.S. that there is a place for them in the insurance industry. To learn more about InVEST, visit www.investprogram.org.

Career Center features include:

• NEW. 60-day posting for $100; 90-day posting for $150.
• FREE. Internship Posting: If you have an established internship program in place, contact Diane Mattis (diane.mattis@iiaba.net). InVEST is working to help other agencies start internship programs.
• NEW. Featured Employer capability: Create a custom ad including your agency’s logo and an online profile that links to your agency’s website and/or job board, all for an annual fee of $500.  If you already have an internal job board, this tool is a great way to gain exposure without having to repost on multiple sites.
• FREE. Job seekers can post their resumes at no charge.
• FREE. Employers who post a position can search the resume database at no charge.