James Bessler, AAIS manager of farm and agribusiness
programs, will lead a session on animal mortality at the
Midwest Agribusiness Conference, Oct. 9-10 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Bessler spent more than 16 years as an animal
mortality underwriter for American Live Stock Ins. Co., Geneva, Ill.,
before coming to AAIS earlier this year. Prior to that, he held
positions with the American Angus Association and Ralston Purina.
Among the other sessions at the conference will be a
presentation on the AAIS Agricultural
Output Program by Fred Macy, an insurance trainer who speaks on
coverage programs throughout the U.S.
AAIS is a regular co-sponsor of regional
Agribusiness Conferences, where
attendees take courses and examinations leading to the designation of
Agriculture and Farm Insurance Specialist.
AAIS has so far received approvals from 28 of 51
jurisdictions for its latest filings of terrorism exclusions under its
Commercial Umbrella/Excess Liability Program.
The Commercial Umbrella exclusions were filed
following the recent release of the U.S. Treasury's final rule on the
extension of the federal terrorism reinsurance program. As with earlier
terrorism filings described in a previous Advisory, the exclusions
address both "certified" and "non-certified" terrorism losses.
In addition, the Commercial Umbrella filing
introduces an optional endorsement excluding coverage for commercial
auto losses arising from certain acts of terrorism. Commercial auto
insurance is no longer reinsured under the federal terrorism program,
and the Treasury rule provided definitive guidance regarding the
treatment of auto exposures under policies otherwise covered by the
program.
AAIS has enhanced the filings and compliance service
it offers companies on a custom basis. The expanded service is called
AAIScompliance, and is available to all property/casualty
companies, whether they are members of AAIS or not.
The specific services available through
AAIScompliance include, among other things:
-
Management of administrative tasks of state
filings;
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Expedited filing of forms, manuals, and other
materials through the "SERFF" system (where permitted); and
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Compliance reviews for new and existing
programs.
AAIS filings and compliance staff will be at Booth
#15 to provide information and answer questions at the 2006 annual
conference of the Association of Insurance Compliance Professionals,
Oct. 8-11 in Orlando, Fla.
For further information, send an e-mail message to
compliance@AAISonline.com.
Insurers and agents can direct consumers to a new,
free booklet produced by The Actuarial Foundation, Schaumburg, Ill., in
conjunction with the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes.
The 40-page publication is entitled, "If
Disaster Strikes, Will You Be Covered: A homeowner's insurance guide to
natural disasters." It explains the terminology used in common
homeowners policies, identifies what is generally covered and not
covered, describes the factors that affect the cost of insurance, and
suggests steps consumers can take to mitigate losses.
Internet users can download a PDF of the report or
request a printed copy.
A recent
order states that members of the New Jersey
Property-Liability Insurance Guaranty Association may impose premium
surcharges amounting to 1.6% of net direct written premium.
The order applies to policies in specified lines
issued or renewed on or after Oct. 1, 2006 by assessment-paying members
of the association.
The Mills House
Hotel in Charleston, S.C., has been selected as the site for the "AAIS Main Event," an updated successor to
AAIS's annual conference, scheduled for April 22-24, 2007.
The full name of the enhanced meeting--"The AAIS
Main Event:
Where insurance
leaders come together to explore product issues, discuss solutions,
exchange ideas"--signifies the importance of this
event
as a venue for AAIS customers and other insurance professionals to network with each other and share
ideas.
Among other things, the program content and format
will be designed to strengthen the connection between AAIS and its
member companies, prospective new members, and business partners. The
program will focus on product-related issues of strategic
importance to company CEOs and heads of operational units. AAIS also
plans to vary the format with concurrent sessions and small group
discussions to provide more opportunity for exchanging ideas.
For more information, contact Joseph Harrington,
director of corporate communications at
joeh@AAISonline.com or by
calling 800-564-AAIS.
