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AAIS is seeking clarification from the Florida Office
of Insurance Regulation (OIR) on the implications of a recent
bulletin
advising insurers of the "opportunity" to provide insurance policy forms
in Spanish.
Noting that Spanish is spoken in 35% of Florida
homes, the OIR "encourages" but does not mandate the provision of
Spanish-language forms. The bulletin states that the OIR website will
add a list of carriers providing Spanish-language policies, and the
types of Spanish policies available.
The promotion of contracts in languages other than
English can have profound implications for a business that relies on
precise use of language. AAIS staff specialists are making inquiries to
the OIR regarding legal and procedural issues related to the use of
Spanish-language forms, a topic that was addressed in a
Viewpoint
article in 2003.
To date, AAIS and other U.S. advisory organizations
have not provided Spanish-language versions of their forms in Puerto
Rico, the Spanish-speaking commonwealth of the United States.
AAIS has filed several new endorsement options on a
countrywide basis under its Commercial Liability Program. The
endorsements, which carry an effective date of Jan. 1, 2007, include:
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An exclusion for certain personal and
advertising injury claims against insureds that are in the business
of providing Internet service or access;
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A professional services exclusion that applies
specifically to the rendering of or failure to render professional
services as a pharmacist;
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An endorsement that provides liability coverage
for the professional services of a pharmacist;
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An exclusion for errors of omissions committed
in connection with rendering services as a website designer or
website consultant; and
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A contractors exclusion for liability arising
from professional services such as preparing and/or approving plans
and documents for construction projects.
In addition, an endorsement providing professional
liability coverage for funeral directors was revised to include mental
anguish in its definition of bodily injury, among other revisions. It,
too, has an effective date of Jan. 1, 2007.
Robert Guevara, AAIS vice president for inland
marine, and Larris Larsen, AAIS assistant vice president for compliance,
recently participated in the inaugural meeting of the Massachusetts
property/casualty Form and Rate Filing Forum.
The forum brings together representatives of
insurance companies, industry organizations, and the Massachusetts
Division of Insurance (DOI) to review a range of filing and compliance
issues.
At the inaugural meeting on April 20 in Boston,
Larsen presented a detailed analysis of the Massachusetts "checklist" of
requirements for filing homeowners insurance policy forms, with
comparisons to checklists developed by other states. For his part,
Guevara discussed the general distinction between filed and nonfiled
classes of inland marine insurance, and made the case for not requiring
filing of forms for certain classes in Massachusetts.
AAIS members companies that want to participate in
future meetings can contact Larsen at
larrisl@AAISonline.com.
The next meeting is planned for late July .
Insurers authorized to provide property/casualty coverage in
Oklahoma are scheduled to receive an invoice this week for their $100
payment to the Oklahoma Market Assistance Program (OK-MAP).
OK-MAP provides residential insurance coverage to
residents who cannot find coverage elsewhere. Payments are due Sept. 1,
2006.
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