iTunes
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Markets in Motion: Solar Manufacturer Warranties
The alternative energy market has many complicated angles to it, including solar warranties, which are essential to solar manufacturers as well as to the development and funding of solar projects.
According to Mike McMullen, president of PowerGuard Specialty Insurance Services, banks are hesitant to lend against some larger solar projects because of the severe credit [...] -
Textile Restoration Specialists Partner with “Extreme Makeover”
Certified Restoration Drycleaning Network (CRDN) is a textile restoration organization specializing in laundry and drycleaning services for the insurance industry. In 2006 CRDN was invited to participate in “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition“, a hit show on ABC-TV. Four years later, CRDN has participated in 87 episodes in 40 states. In this interview with Claims [...]
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Markets in Motion: Going Green
One of today’s biggest insurance trends is green insurance as businesses look at ways to become more sustainable and cut costs. According to underwriters, the regulatory environment for green is changing dramatically as well. For example, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is requiring publicly traded businesses now disclose their climate risks and what they’re [...]
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How Green Roofs Are Changing Insurance Claims
Commercial roofing, already complicated, is getting more so as new types and materials are being introduced. Kenneth R. Gilvary, a senior engineer with Dallas-based Haag Engineering, specializes in assessing roof losses for insurers. Gilvary says claims professionals need to keep up with how green technology, including vegetative rooftops, and new building standards are changing the [...]
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Mission: To Honor and Empower Wounded Warriors
Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) began when several veterans and friends, moved by stories of the first wounded service members returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq, took action to help others in need. What started as a program to provide comfort items to wounded service members has grown into a complete rehabilitative effort to assist warriors [...]
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Growing Insurance Coverage for Trees, Shrubs and Landscapes
With a database of nearly a million wholesale base prices of horticultural assets and a nationwide network of certified arborists and licensed and insured tree crews, Horticultural Asset Management Inc. specializes in helping insurers come up with the replacement cost for lost trees, shrubs and other landscape assets. In this interview with Claims Journal, HMI [...]
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Continuing Education for Claims Adjusters
With over 600 courses and 24/7 access online, Vale Training Solutions provides quality instructors to anyone desiring improved job skills or a change of careers. In this interview with Claims Journal, Vale Training Solutions president Jon McCreath explains the qualifications for his school, the advantages of online training, and what he thinks about the current [...]
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Helicopter Business Revolves Around Safety
Corporate Helicopters is a San Diego business focusing on charter, tours, aerial filming and helicopter sales. In this episode of Watching the Risks, Corporate Helicopters president Ivor Shier explains how looking through the lens of risk analysis from the formative years to the present has led to a safer company.
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Nurturing a Newbie: Developing a Producer Training Program
Every independent insurance agency wants to find and keep good talent, but how exactly do you do that? Thoits Insurance might have figured it out. The San Jose, Calif.-based company developed a formalized program about 14 years ago to train and develop recent college graduates’ skills. And the program has become such a positive experience [...]
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Swett & Crawford Goes Global With Cooper Gay
Swett & Crawford, one of the nation’s largest and oldest wholesale insurance brokerage firms, and London-based independent wholesale, reinsurance and specialist broker Cooper Gay, are in final negotiations to form a combined entity under a new unified holding company. Despite the revised ownership structure, Neal Abernathy, CEO of Swett & Crawford and Steve Sadler, chief [...]
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Content is Crucial for Social Media Success
Building a social media presence is critical for independent agents to remain competitive. But insurance carriers like Fireman’s Fund are helping agents venture into this new technical world. John Hosbein, vice president of online services, and Alice Cameron, vice president of marketing, share how agents can create engaging Web 2.0 content.
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Some Florida Insurers Get a Break on Citizens Take-Out Policies
For a number of years, Florida has had a program allowing insurers to take policies out of the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance. The original deal was that they took them out and had to stay on the policies for three years. Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty is relaxing that rule and allowing some of the insurers [...]
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Jumping in with Both Feet: Making the Change to Internet Leads
Heidi Holdam and Craig Forte of HG Insurance and Tax Accounting in Palm Beach, Florida, are coming off one of the most prosperous tax seasons they have had in years, which they attribute to an email marketing campaign they started a little over a year ago. In this Interview with Adam DeGraide, They discuss [...]
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Florida’s Mitigation Credit Program: What Went Wrong?
Florida’s program of premium credits for storm-proofed homes has been one of the contributors to the financial woes of some property insurers. The program appears to have encouraged fraud with millions of dollars in credits being awarded based on questionable inspections. Re-inspections found error rates as high as 80%. So how did such a well-intentioned [...]
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Why Florida Is Rethinking Its 1-in-100 Reinsurance Requirement
Reinsurance for that 1-in-100 year storm. That’s a criterion that the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has used for years in assessing property insurers’ reinsurance programs. It’s also a standard that some rating agencies use. But Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty has decided to take a fresh look. He wants to look not just vertically [...]
Featured
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Markets in Motion: Solar Manufacturer Warranties
The alternative energy market has many complicated angles to it, including solar warranties, which are essential to solar manufacturers as well as to the development and funding of solar projects.
According to Mike McMullen, president of PowerGuard Specialty Insurance Services, banks are hesitant to lend against some larger solar projects because of the severe credit [...] -
Excellent Claims Service when Clients Need it Most
Engle Martin & Associates is an independent adjusting firm providing claims services to the insurance industry. In this interview with Claims Journal, Susan Froman, Engle Martin’s Director of Sales, discusses the growth of the company and providing service to their clients when they need it most.
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‘Uncomfortable Change’ Paves Road to Perpetuation
Too often agency principals find themselves facing a forced sale as a result of not having a proper perpetuation plan. In this podcast, MarshBerry president John Wepler discusses the many difficult and “uncomfortable” decisions required of an owner seeking to properly–and profitably–perpetuate the firm. Listen to this frank conversation as John offers some good news: [...]
Popular
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Get Smart About Insuring Intellectual Property
The Internet makes it easier to get into business but it also makes it easier to steal others’ ideas. The Web is also expanding the notion of what materials, images and designs need to be protected. Intellectual property attorney David Branfman advises agents on questions to ask clients about intellectual property exposures and warns about [...]
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Risk Management’s a Priority for Moving Company
Moving companies face a number of exposures in their daily operations, including workers compensation, cargo, fleet and general liability. Priority Moving in San Diego, Calif. is no exception. A Wheaton Van Lines agent, Priority Moving has created a series of internal procedures, reinforced by a strong employee screening process and training program. Analytics software [...]
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Cyber Breaks, Insurance and Data Breach Response Advice
Stroz Friedberg is a consulting firm that does computer forensics, mobile phone forensics, electronic discovery and cyber crime response, operating at the intersection of law, technology and behavioral sciences. David Garrett, managing director of Stroz Friedberg’s San Francisco office, explains why clients may or may not have cyber risk insurance, whether those that have the [...]
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Helicopter Business Revolves Around Safety
Corporate Helicopters is a San Diego business focusing on charter, tours, aerial filming and helicopter sales. In this episode of Watching the Risks, Corporate Helicopters president Ivor Shier explains how looking through the lens of risk analysis from the formative years to the present has led to a safer company.
Random
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Big Reforms for Mass. Big ‘I’
Mass. Association of Insurance Agents President and CEO Frank Mancini thinks upcoming changes
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Frank Ruyak and Chris Walker of Arrowhead
Frank Ruyak and Chris Walker, co-CEOs of Arrowhead General Insurance Agency, discuss the advantages
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Focusing on Small Business is Key
Joseph Morris, president and CEO of Penn-America Group, says despite a leadership and ownership
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Hurricanes and Storm Surge: Report Shows Just How Much Damage They Can Do
Until Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the impact of storm surge on the overall property losses caused by hurricanes was generally not in the forefront of concern to most residential property insurance companies. After all, storm surge was a flood loss not covered by the traditional homeowners insurance policy. Katrina and the lawsuits that followed changed [...]
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