Rough Notes
Voluntary product covers planned and unplanned expenses “There can be two major sources of stress. First, the stress of the legal issue itself, and then the stress of figuring out who is going to help you deal with it.” —Emily B. Rose President, Busi...
Posted: Aug 30, 2024
The first thing to do is pause and step back; you may need some serious self-reflection Telling yourself you’ve done everything right and that you are where you are at because others have failed you is easy. It’s also wrong. By Michael Wayne Well ov...
Posted: Aug 27, 2024
California court says insurer must allow claimant to record exams under oath In a contentious claim scenario … settlement could be complicated by conflicting interpretations of nonverbal behaviors during an examination under oath. By Joseph S. Harri...
Posted: Aug 14, 2024
What’s holding you back? When you’re achieving good results, it’s tempting to not raise the bar on agency standards. By Roger Sitkins During our training and coaching sessions, I always ask participants if they are making more money than they expecte...
Posted: Aug 01, 2024
Helping clients understand and manage risk Effective risk management isn’t just about checking boxes; it’s the backbone of resilience for businesses. It keeps their assets safe, their reputation intact, and their future bright. By Randy Boss, CRM, MW...
Posted: Aug 01, 2024
Tooting the industry’s horn So, why the bad rap? …People don’t like what they don’t understand, and they don’t understand insurance. By Cheryl Koch, CPCU, ARM, AAI, ACSR, AFIS, and Mary Belka, CPCU, ARM, ARe, RPLU, CIC Most of us are aware that...
Posted: Aug 01, 2024
Mastering active listening for unmatched success By truly hearing and understanding your clients, prospects, and underwriters, you build trust, enhance satisfaction, and pave the way for successful relationships. By Carolyn Smith, APR, TRA In the Bey...
Posted: Aug 01, 2024
Six tips for making artificial intelligence work where you do A virtual assistant based in AI … can be used to do tasks such as answering client emails or filing claims, and they are available 24/7. By Theresa Pilmer, CIC, and Miriam Kasseris, ACSR F...
Posted: Aug 01, 2024
Six tactics for giving feedback to the hypersensitive employee [G]eneration Z and millennials … are showing an increased tendency to hypersensitivity, [which] is defined as being triggered by feedback and reacting negatively to criticism. By Kimberly...
Posted: Aug 01, 2024
Using cognitive AI processes, CogniSure gives the insurance industry automated data structuring “[The AI platform can convert] 100-page loss runs into something that an underwriter or broker can make sense of within minutes without somebody manually...
Posted: Aug 01, 2024
INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASES Digested from case reports published online COURT DECISIONS Insurer can’t subrogate In 2014, C.H. Yarber Construction entered into an agreement with Profile Properties to lease property in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The leased p...
Posted: Aug 01, 2024
INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASESDigested from case reports published onlineCOURT DECISIONS UIM claim was filed untimely On February 16, 2016, Melissa Keller and her daughter Caroline Keller, then a minor, were involved in an automobile accident that occ...
Posted: Aug 01, 2024
INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASES Digested from case reports published online COURT DECISIONS Was judge qualified to hear case? Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) is a quasi-government body that serves as an insurer of last resort, offering win...
Posted: Aug 01, 2024
Stay vigilant on health and safety, and good results may continue By Joseph S. Harrington, CPCU In June 2024, a Rough Notes article asked how long grim results could continue in commercial auto insurance. This article turns the question on its head a...
Posted: Aug 01, 2024
Despite the economic pressures of inflation, life insurance volumes remain stable By Len Strazewski Inflation is one of the hottest issues in the 2024 election campaigns and while employers may fear inflation’s higher costs of doing business, they ma...
Posted: Aug 01, 2024
Navigating the revised Hazard Communication Standard Adjustments can be difficult. They’re even tougher with a negative attitude. By Michael Wayne Twelve years ago, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released a revision of its H...
Posted: Jul 22, 2024
Will the first hard cyber insurance market slow the shift to stand-alone coverage? A decade ago, stand-alone cyber insurance accounted for less than half of all cyber premium. By 2022, it had become the coverage of choice for larger accounts, account...
Posted: Jul 18, 2024
When a literal and minor technicality was litigated, appealed and re-appealed Technically, the medical center “won.” Practically speaking, every party lost. By Bruce D. Hicks, CPCU, CLU The Court Decisions column is a popular part of Rough Notes maga...
Posted: Jul 01, 2024
How anxiety looks and feels will be different for each person experiencing it According to the World Health Organization, 4% of the population has an anxiety disorder, making anxiety disorders the most common of all mental disorders. By Meg McKeen, C...
Posted: Jul 01, 2024
What is the appropriate course of action when a candidate works for a competitor? With any key hiring decision, time and analysis are needed to identify risks and exposures and to determine the proper control and mitigation methods. By Sarah J. Warha...
Posted: Jul 01, 2024
Take continuing education seriously For those of us who are agents, the evolution of exposures—and in many cases corresponding coverage forms—is why continuing education is so crucial. By Marc McNulty, CIC, CRM If you’re new to the insurance industry...
Posted: Jul 01, 2024
The NAIC will provide anonymized climate data to the feds The association will launder the industry data through its servers and remove the stains of any … attributable … redlines. By Kevin P. Hennosy As this edition of Rough Notes goes to print, the...
Posted: Jul 01, 2024
How will coverages be affected, if at all, by the use of AI? By Paul Broussard Artificial intelligence (AI) will without a doubt reshape industries. As AI integration becomes more widely accepted and adopted in various industries, the insurance indu...
Posted: Jul 01, 2024
Spreading the good word Perhaps we can take a lesson from Mother Nature that applies equally to our industry, our organizations, and our own careers. By Cheryl Koch, CPCU, ARM, AAI, ACSR, AFIS, and Mary Belka, CPCU, ARM, ARe, RPLU, CIC Feeling both e...
Posted: Jul 01, 2024
Propel your agency beyond the competition with an effective differentiation strategy By setting yourself apart from competitors, you eliminate the need to compete on price. By Carolyn Smith, APR, TRA Are you tired of finding yourself in a 90-day bidd...
Posted: Jul 01, 2024