AAIS EXPANDS DEPARTMENTS,
ADDS STAFF SPECIALISTS

AAIS is expanding its personal, commercial, and inland marine operations with the recent hiring of several new staff specialists, with more staff additions imminent. In addition to newly hired product development and actuarial specialists, two new managerial level staff members are:

• Tony Leist, assistant vice president for commercial lines, who comes to AAIS from American Modern Insurance Group, where he worked in commercial lines product development and implementation; and

• Todd Hester, director of inland marine, who has prior product development experience with Zurich Insurance and Encompass Insurance.

Also hired recently is Kirk Hansen, AAIS's newest director of education in the marketing department. Among various positions Hansen has held in insurance and risk management, he served as a specialist on claims issues for the Alliance of American Insurers.

BOP CAUSE OF LOSS REPORT
TO BE POSTED ON AAISdirect

Another new cause of loss report will be posted on AAISdirect next week.

AAIS Businessowners affiliates will have access to new tables that provide causes of both property and liability loss for calendar years 2004-06. Information will be available on a countrywide and state-by-state basis.

For property coverage, the tables will list the percentage of losses caused by fire & lightning, wind & hail, water damage, freezing, theft, and "other" causes. For liability coverage, the tables will list causes of loss by bodily injury, property damage, medical payments, and "other" causes.

The countrywide cause of loss report has an additional level of detail not found within the state reports.  The countrywide report breaks the experience down by class category (retail, service, restaurants, and more).

Additional data reports for other lines are planned for introduction over the next few months.

NEW TERRORISM LOSS COSTS
INTRODUCED IN ARTISANS PROGRAM

New terrorism loss costs and rating factors, similar to those developed for the AAIS Commercial Properties and Businessowners (BOP) programs, are now being filed countrywide under the AAIS Artisans Program. The proposed effective date is Dec. 1, 2007.

Like those filed for Commercial Properties and BOP, the Artisans loss costs for terrorism property losses were developed using modeled data, and vary by ZIP Code-based territories in several states. They are available for both "certified" terrorist acts covered under the federal terrorism reinsurance program, and for "non-certified" acts not covered by the program, as well as loss caused after the program terminates.

As in the other programs, revised rating factors are filed for pricing the liability share of an Artisans policy premium for terrorism exposure. The Artisans liability rating procedure for terrorism includes a refinement that modifies the terrorism premium by a factor reflecting the deductible for property damage liability, where applicable.

For information on affiliating with AAIS for use of the Artisans Program, contact Joyce Tignino, vice president of marketing and industry relations, at joycet@AAISonline.com, or by calling 800-564-AAIS.

FILINGS ADDRESS REQUIREMENTS
REGARDING CIVIL UNIONS

AAIS has filed mandatory endorsements under most programs in Connecticut and New Hampshire addressing new requirements related to civil unions between adults.

The New Hampshire endorsement implements a new requirement that partners in a civil union be entitled to the rights and obligations of married couples.

The Connecticut endorsement is a revision of an existing endorsement that is modified to extend coverage to partners of any civil union recognized under Connecticut law, not just those established in Connecticut.

Both filings have a proposed effective date of January first, 2008.

DELAWARE REQUIRING
SERFF FILINGS AS OF NOV. 1

In a recent bulletin, the Delaware Department of Insurance announces that, as of Nov. 1, 2007, all rate and form filings in Delaware must be submitted using "SERFF," the System for Electronic Rate and Form Filing developed under the auspices of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).

AAIS is a licensed third-party provider of SERFF filings, and can submit  custom filings of company forms and manuals, whether or not they are based on AAIS programs. For information, contact compliance@AAISonline.com.

AAIS STAFF AVAILABLE AT LAS VEGAS
CONTRACTORS & BUILDERS CONFERENCE

AAIS staff will be on hand at the July 26-27 Contractors & Builders Conference, an insurance training event sponsored by Insurance Skills Center, Huntington Beach, Calif.

AAIS is a co-sponsor of the event, which teaches property/casualty professionals about aspects of insurance and risk management as they relate to construction exposures. AAIS policy forms and other information serve as the basis for the segment on inland marine construction coverage.

Participants in the conference can take tests leading toward the designation of Certified Insurance Specialist in Construction (CISC).