Rough Notes
Recommendations to share with clients to lower their risk profile By Eric Spacek Winter is fraught with risk for your customers. From slips and falls on ice, to vehicle troubles, to the threat of carbon monoxide poisoning, there are myriad reasons wh...
Posted: Nov 01, 2024
How to create a healthier workplace through philanthropy Agencies that also weave charitable giving into an environment of inclusivity will create an even more enriching workplace, paving the path to better business results. By Lisa Lounsbury What’s...
Posted: Nov 01, 2024
A look at your crucial role in helping organizations identify and manage risks I realized that no amount of insurance could heal a serious injury or loss of life, and there were several risks where insurance wasn’t even a solution. By Randy Boss, CRM...
Posted: Nov 01, 2024
An exercise to develop a picture of what it costs to write and keep an account on the books There are many moving parts along the journey to understanding and identifying account profitability—but it is well worth the effort to uncover it. By Cheryl...
Posted: Nov 01, 2024
How to play to win It’s not about being busy; it’s about creating results. By Roger Sitkins According to the latest Growth and Profitability Study from Reagan Consulting, agency organic growth dropped to just 8.5% in both the first and second quarter...
Posted: Nov 01, 2024
Managing risks for unit owners and association boards Some condo owners receiving special assessment fees may be faced with the need to sell their units in Florida’s weak real estate market with rising insurance costs. By Sarah Warhaftig, J.D., CRM I...
Posted: Nov 01, 2024
Show your clients that you’re more than just another transactional agent [E]mpathy isn’t just a “nice-to-have”—it’s essential. In a world full of empty noise, being genuinely human is your superpower. By Carolyn Smith, APR, TRA Consumers today are sk...
Posted: Nov 01, 2024
A look at the concept, the culprit and the consequences Consider that your need to micromanage might be stifling just the productivity—and creativity—you’ve hired your team to provide. By Meg McKeen, CIC We all know those people, the relationships we...
Posted: Nov 01, 2024
Senators propose criminal sanctions “It is critical for these bad actors to be held criminally responsible and implement common sense consumer protections so families can confidently purchase quality, affordable health care insurance that works for t...
Posted: Nov 01, 2024
INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASES Digested from case reports published online COURT DECISIONS What does “cancellation” mean? Nhiem Tran and Nung Ha had a fire insurance policy with Nationwide General Insurance Company. Nationwide canceled the policy beca...
Posted: Nov 01, 2024
INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASES Digested from case reports published online COURT DECISIONS Subcontractor “goes bare” American Building Innovation LP (ABI) was hired by Balfour Beatty Construction, LLC, (Balfour Beatty) as a subcontractor for a school...
Posted: Nov 01, 2024
INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASES Digested from case reports published online COURT DECISIONS Bad day for insurer on UIM claim In 2019, Acuity Insurance Company issued Terra-Tek, LLC, a commercial auto policy, and Terra-Tek paid a premium to list owners...
Posted: Nov 01, 2024
Seizing the opportunity to learn pain points and figure out how you can truly help When you actually provide that cure and continue to keep them from falling “ill” again, you are in a great position to have a client for a long time. by Michael Wayne...
Posted: Oct 31, 2024
Has success in rebuffing COVID claims reduced the scope of income coverage? Since 2020, courts have changed their tune. Why? We all know why: the COVID-19 pandemic. By Joseph S. Harrington, CPCU Attorney Richard P. Lewis of the law firm Reed Smith is...
Posted: Oct 24, 2024
INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASES Digested from case reports published online COURT DECISIONS In search of defense costs Ferrellgas Partners L.P. and its subsidiaries had a claims-made policy with Zurich American Insurance Company that included a provisi...
Posted: Oct 01, 2024
INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASES Digested from case reports published online COURT DECISIONS Bad news for title appellants On September 28, 2016, Sanford Sachtleben and Luciann Hruza purchased approximately 20 acres of land unimproved except for a barn...
Posted: Oct 01, 2024
INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASES Digested from case reports published online COURT DECISIONS Who’s at fault? On November 19, 2015, Roger Burns, Scott Eastman, and Jillian Peterson were involved in a three-car consecutive rear-end collision heading eastb...
Posted: Oct 01, 2024
Education, prevention can make all the difference when it comes to women’s heart health You are uniquely positioned to help raise awareness among women to seek out cardiac care and talk to their doctors about how to start working now to prevent or le...
Posted: Sep 30, 2024
How to be a better coach using the Skill Will Matrix As a leader, you need to assess two things: team members’ skill level for the task and their will to tackle it. By Carolyn Smith, APR, TRA As we head into Q4, the insurance industry is rocked by cl...
Posted: Sep 30, 2024
Federal legislators ask Federal Insurance Office to subpoena climate change info The McCarran-Ferguson Act provided only a limited and contingent loan of Congress’s constitutional authority to the states. … And Congress could recall the loaned author...
Posted: Sep 30, 2024
Why your team feels so busy and how it’s jeopardizing effectiveness “When you’re busy, you’re more likely to make poor time-management choices: taking on commitments you can’t handle or prioritizing trifling tasks over crucial ones.” —Eldar Shafir Be...
Posted: Sep 30, 2024
Filling in the gaps [Let’s] explore a few additional business auto coverages that should be considered as agency standards. By Marc McNulty, CIC, CRM Our last “Mind the Gap” focused on procedures and endorsements that were included in a James K....
Posted: Sep 30, 2024
Playing the “dating game” Much like dating, the art of attraction (or marketing) and curiosity (or client intake) begin the process of deciding if the relationship is a good fit … and this impacts retention in the long run. By Dustyne Bryant, MBA, CI...
Posted: Sep 30, 2024
Zoning issue involving a stand-alone barn finds both buyers and sellers entangled in lawsuit By Bruce D. Hicks, CPCU, CLU The Court Decisions column is a popular part of Rough Notes magazine. One reason for this is that the court room is where the pr...
Posted: Sep 30, 2024
Making the most of AI’s capabilities, a new startup is working hard to flip the script and make insurance proactive instead of reactive By Lori Widmer “Our mission is to reinvent insurance with a model that takes us from risk reaction to risk prevent...
Posted: Sep 30, 2024