<![CDATA[Home, Auto, Business, Life, Disability & Health Insurance Agents

<![CDATA[Home, Auto, Business, Life, Disability & Health Insurance Agents - Our Blog]]>Mon, 28 May 2012 00:48:45 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Professional Designations - Proven Training Programs in MA]]>Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:06:26 -0800http://www.capeagents.com/1/post/2012/02/professional-designations-proven-training-programs-in-ma.html It's never too late...or too early...to begin a professional training program. Gain a competitive advantage by earning a new designation. Our programs will keep you motivated and up-to-date with industry trends and policy provisions - key ingredients for personal growth and agency profitability! NOW is the time to consider taking one of the following programs...

CISR | CIC | AAI | CPPL | CRIS | LIA | CRM

CERTIFIED INSURANCE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (CISR)

is a practical program that stresses the understanding and analysis of risks and exposures. A student should have a basic knowledge of insurance. The CISR program consists of 5 one-day courses that cover all phases of the CSR's daily work.

Begin working towards the CISR designation with Personal Auto.
Program Details | Register Now

CERTIFIED INSURANCE COUNSELOR (CIC)

is a nationally acclaimed continuing education designation program. Its course content and practical application make it the most essential program for both agency and company personnel.

Start working towards the CIC designation with Commercial Casualty Institute.
Program Details | Register Now

ACCREDITED ADVISER IN INSURANCE (AAI)

gives you the tools you need to establish a clear professional advantage in the marketplace and fulfill your commitment to customer service. In today's increasingly complex property-casualty insurance marketplace, producers with in-depth insurance knowledge and a strong focus on customer service have a competitive edge.

Start working towards the AAI designation with AAI 81C Commercial Property.
Program Details | Register Now

CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSONAL LINES (CPPL)

Expanded offerings...Now offered in multiple locations!

The CPPL provides the necessary tools for Personal Lines Account Managers to succeed in the marketplace of Managed Competition! They are asked to sell AND to service accounts which is a different job. Help them...

Begin to earn the CPPL designation with Comprehensive Personal Lines Coverage.

CONSTRUCTION RISK AND INSURANCE SPECIALIST (CRIS)

is a specialized 5 part curriculum that focuses on the insurance and risk management needs of construction projects and contractors. Those who complete the programhave cerified their knowledge of construction insurance and risk management and dedication to the industry.

Work towards the CRIS designation with Commercial Liability Insurance for Contractors.

P&C and LAH LICENSED INSURANCE ADVISER (LIA)

authorizes qualified individuals to provide insurance advice for a fee and demonstrates to the public that the licensee possesses advanced knowledge and skills as an insurance professional. It is also the ONLY license attained in Massachusetts that authorizes you to call yourself an Adviser.
>>Attend the next 2-day Property & Casualty LIA Review class.
P&C LIA Program Details | Register Now
>>Attend the next 2-day Life Accident & Health LIA Review class.
LAH LIA Program Details | Register Now
Program Details | Register Now

CERTIFIED RISK MANAGER (CRM)

offers risk management practitioners the premier educational opportunity available today. The CRM Program, a part of The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research, is designed specifically to meet the needs of practicing risk management professionals for technical knowledge in all major areas of risk management. The focus of the program is directed towards current, relevant, comprehensive information and the application of skills.

Begin to earn the CRM designation with Financing of Risk.
Program Details | Register Now

]]><![CDATA[2012 CCIAA Annual Dinner]]>Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:14:33 -0800http://www.capeagents.com/1/post/2012/01/2012-cciaa-annual-dinner.html

A big thank you , again, to all those who attended last nights Cape Cod Insurance Agents Association's Annual Dinner Meeting! The event was very successful and it appeared everyone enjoyed the night out. We are very grateful to Senator Scott Brown for attending and offering words of inspiration.

If anyone is interested in viewing and/or purchasing the photos taken of the evening, including those with Senator Brown, please visit the photographers website as follows;

WEBSITE: WWW.CLEMENCEPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

CLICK ON "PROOFS"

PASSWORD: cciaa

You will see a slideshow. Click on Thumbnails for individual photos & select favorites in order to purchase.

]]><![CDATA[The Fair Plan has a Rate Hike Hearing in progress at the Division of Insurance.]]>Wed, 04 Jan 2012 06:42:47 -0800http://www.capeagents.com/1/post/2012/01/the-fair-plan-has-a-rate-hike-hearing-in-progress-at-the-division-of-insurance.html The Fair Plan has a Rate Hike Hearing in progress at the Division of Insurance.

The Cape and Islands - a 6.7% rate increase - Quincy and Plymouth County- 10% increase-
New Bedford and Fall River area- 10% increase.
Inland territories also have increases- (note Western MA has a decrease.)
Rule changes are also proposed.

There is a Public Hearing before the Division of Insurance

January 19, 2012 at 10 A.M.
We have a bus which will cost $ 20 round trip.

Please join us and come and support our efforts.

Pick up locations and times:
6:20 AM Orleans Stop and Shop
6:50 AM Barnstable Burger King- Exit 6 Call Paula at 508-240-5231 to reserve your seat.
7:30 AM Sagamore Bridge Bus lot.

If you can drive in ,come- MA DOI 1000 Washington Street Boston Ma

If you cannot attend please write your complaints :reference Docket No. R2011-02 and mail to :

Docket Clerk, Hearings and Appeals, Division of Insurance, 1000 Washington Street, Suite 810, Boston MA 02118-6200

Please send a copy of your letter to Gov. Deval Patrick, State House RM 280, Boston MA 02133

Paula Aschettino
Chair Citizens for Homeowners Insurance Reform

www.homeownersinsurancereform.org/

insreform@aol.com

]]><![CDATA[Fixed Rate For Auto Commissions Expiring April 1, 2012]]>Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:51:53 -0800http://www.capeagents.com/1/post/2012/01/fixed-rate-for-auto-commissions-expiring-april-1-2012.htmlOn April 1, 2012, the second paragraph of Massachusetts General Laws c.175 §162E will expire by its terms. With the expiration of this part of c.175 §162E, the right that independent agents have had to receive the statutorily required commission rate enjoyed since the implementation of managed competition also will end. Chapter 175 §162E specifies that automobile insurance commissions shall remain fixed for a four year period after the transition from the fixed-and-established system to managed competition. That four year period will end on April 1, 2012.

Since the start of managed competition, insurance companies have had to pay their independent agents the commission rate that had been fixed and established by the Commissioner of Insurance under the old system of rate making. This fixed commission equaled approximately a 12.8% of the premium fixed and established by the Commissioner of Insurance for 2007.

Starting April 1, 2012, this mandatory commission law disappears and along with it an important aide supporting many agencies’ current commission payments. Managed competition for Massachusetts auto insurance premiums began April 1, 2008, but the old fixed-and-established system of rate making by the Commissioner of Insurance did not entirely disappear. Under the requirements of Section 162E, insurance companies had to pay out the full fixed-and-established commission rate but could “…vary the amount of commission paid to any agent by not more than plus or minus ten per cent.” Since 2008, this has effectively placed a legal minimum and maximum on commission payments made to agents. The minimum commission requirement probably benefited agents with acceptable but less profitable books of automobile insurance business where companies could not reduce their commission rate below the ten percent deviation allowed by law.

That, however, is about to change.

Under competitive rating, insurance companies still have to “specify the amount which such insurer shall pay to such agents as fair and reasonable expense premium commissions” and also will be required to guarantee that the “total amount paid out shall in the aggregate, total the amounts applicable” to the policies that are placed with these companies. In other words, all commissions specified in the rate filing have to be paid out to the companies’ agents.

But, it appears that come April 1, 2012, companies will no longer have to abide by the limitation on the ten percent deviation in commission rates. As such, insurance companies will be legally free to allocate commissions within their agency plan based upon whatever market criteria they deem advantageous. Agency Checklists wanted to warn agents of this change as the removal of a commission floor could affect a number of independent agencies, both favorably and unfavorably.

Review Chapter 175 Section 162E .

]]><![CDATA[2012 CCIAA $2,000 Scholarship]]>Tue, 06 Dec 2011 08:06:19 -0800http://www.capeagents.com/1/post/2011/12/2012-cciaa-2000-scholarship.html

Deadline for Application Submission - April 1, 2012

This $2,000 Scholarship is for full agency members only.
Please forward to any eligible person in your agency.
For 2011 Membership in good standing.

Click here for more info.

Click here for an application.

Whether you're interested in Business, Nursing, Art, Engineering, Criminal Justice, Technology or another field, our CCIAA College Scholarship Program could help you pursue a college education.

]]><![CDATA[Scott Brown visits Cape Cod, January 12th, 2011 - Cape Cod Insurance Agents Assoc.]]>Thu, 01 Dec 2011 06:10:40 -0800http://www.capeagents.com/1/post/2011/12/scott-brown-visits-cape-cod-january-12th-2011-cape-cod-insurance-agents-assoc.htmlJoin Scott Brown at the Cape Cod Insurance Agents Association 34th Annual Dinner - Yarmouth House Restaurant

Since his days as a State Representative, Scott Brown has made constituent service his top priority.
Please check the status of his visit before heading out. You can also keep track of upcoming visits by following the Senator on Facebook or Twitter.

Please follow the links below to request assistance. If your matter is urgent, please call his Boston office at (617) 565-3170.

Casework Topics

]]><![CDATA[MAIA Big Event - Boston, MA]]>Mon, 31 Oct 2011 06:43:36 -0800http://www.capeagents.com/1/post/2011/10/maia-big-event-boston-ma.html

Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents
Annual Convention & Trade Fair

November 3, 4, 5 & 6, 2011

Marriott Hotel, Copley Place, Boston, MA

Be sure to print out your class materials before the event. (click here)

]]><![CDATA[Mass. Agents’ Underwriting Ban Passes First Ballot Test]]>Wed, 05 Oct 2011 08:36:52 -0800http://www.capeagents.com/1/post/2011/10/mass-agents-underwriting-ban-passes-first-ballot-test.htmlNearly all of the proposed questions for Massachusetts’ 2012 state ballot have been given preliminary approval including one that would ban insurers from using credit scores and socioeconomic factors in pricing auto insurance.

The Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents (MAIA) petitioned for the ballot proposal to prohibit insurance companies from using a person’s credit score, occupation, or level of education as factors in underwriting and rating of private passenger automobile insurance.

Attorney General Martha Coakley certified 23 of the 31 initiative petitions filed with her office, allowing them to move on to the next round of the approval process. Now petitioners will have three months to collect nearly 69,000 signatures from registered voters to put their questions on the 2012 ballot.

MAIA’s petition mirrors legislation the group filed this session, Senate Bill No. 461, to prohibit the use of these socioeconomic factors. “While we remain focused on passing this important bill through the legislative process, we felt it was essential to keep all avenues open to us,” said Frank Mancini, president of MAIA.

The agent group’s opposition to the pricing practices pits agents against some of the very companies whose policies they sell.

A trade group for insurers in the state said the agents are not happy that the state now has a competitive market. The insurer group, Massachusetts Insurance Federation (MIF), called the action by the MAIA to place a question on the 2012 state ballot “unnecessary, redundant and completely without merit.”

“This is political grandstanding pure and simple,” said James T. Harrington, executive director of the MIF. http://www.insurancejournal.com/magazines/features/2011/09/19/215945.htm ]]><![CDATA[Mass. Businessman Charged with Filing False Claims, Stealing $40K]]>Wed, 05 Oct 2011 08:24:38 -0800http://www.capeagents.com/1/post/2011/10/mass-businessman-charged-with-filing-false-claims-stealing-40k.htmlA Waltham, Mass., businessman who is alleged to have stolen nearly $10,000 with his insurance fraud and another $30,000 in a separate unemployment fraud scheme is scheduled to appear in court this week.

In mid-August, John Toyias, age 45, was charged with two counts of motor vehicle insurance fraud, 55 counts of unemployment fraud, two counts of larceny over $250, and attempted larceny. He entered a plea of not guilty and was released on personal recognizance. On Friday, Oct. 7, he is expected to appear at Suffolk Superior Court for his criminal case court hearing. The case is Commonwealth v John Toyias.

According to authorities, Toyias, who owns Waltham-based Jayco Landscaping Co., had filed fraudulent insurance claims five years ago for alleged property damage to a methane pipe owned by the town of Canton. Toyias’s company manages waste removal and dumping contracts for several cities and towns.

Allegedly Submitted False Repair Invoices
In May 2006, a driver allegedly backed over a methane pipe with their vehicle on a contracted site in Canton. Authorities said that although there was no visible damage, Toyias insisted that the driver report the incident and alleged damages to his insurer, Arbella Insurance Company. Toyias subsequently submitted invoices for emergency repairs made to the methane pipe to Arbella, without contacting the town of Canton. As a result of the claim, Toyias was paid $9,925 by the insurer.

Authorities also allege that in May 2007, Toyias’s company employee contacted Premier Insurance Company to report a similar incident in which he backed his vehicle into the same methane pipe claimed in 2006.

Toyias again claimed emergency repair work was completed on the methane pipe immediately following the accident and submitted repair invoices to Premier for $9,925. Subsequent investigation by Premier noted the previous claim made in 2006. Further investigation by an outside property damage appraiser at the site of the alleged incident found no evidence of any repairs made to the pipe. Premier ultimately denied the claim and referred the case to the Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts (IFB) for further investigation. Following its investigation, the IFB referred this matter to the Attorney General’s Office.

In a separate scheme, Toyias allegedly applied for unemployment benefits from the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development’s Division of Unemployment Assistance on two separate occasions while fraudulently claiming to be unemployed and began receiving benefits from January 2006 through July 2006, and from March 2007 through September 2007. During these time periods, Toyias allegedly continued to operate as the president and owner of his company, and failed to disclose his employment status. Authorities allege Toyias collected fraudulent benefits totaling $30,620.

Source: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General ]]><![CDATA[Cape Cod Agent Fall Outing 2011 ]]>Wed, 05 Oct 2011 07:09:39 -0800http://www.capeagents.com/1/post/2011/10/cape-cod-agent-fall-outing-2011.html

The Cape Cod Insurance Agent's Association got together in the Fall, 2011 for a day of golf, dinner & networking. This was a great opportunity for Insurance Company reps and others to mix with insurance agency owners on Cape Cod.

Photography by: Disaster Specialists

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