AAIS INVITES PARTICIPATION
IN PERSONAL INJURY STUDY

Insurers that write liability coverage are invited to participate in a special AAIS research study regarding the frequency and severity of claims for personal injury, such as libel, slander, and violation of privacy.

In particular, carriers are asked to respond to a voluntary call for personal injury claims data from 2002 through 2006. Information and instructions are available in a Microsoft Word document, and a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet is provided for responding to the data call.

The study seeks to determine how the frequency and severity of personal injury claims have been affected by:

• The growing use of e-mail, blogs, "gripe sites," networking sites, picture/video phones, and other forms of electronic communication; and

• The growing incidence of "cyberbullying" and other offensive behaviors associated with these communications.

All carriers that write personal injury coverage can participate, whether they are AAIS members or not. Companies that provide data will receive a report with the aggregate results, plus analysis.

If you have questions about the study, contact Greg Jaynes, director of actuarial services, at gregj@AAISonline.com, or Larry Thill, manager of data management, at larryt@AAISonline.com.

DELAWARE FILING DEADLINE IS SATURDAY

Insurers writing property coverage on dwellings (including farm dwellings) in Delaware have until Saturday, Dec. 15, to file policyholder notices that include information on deductibles, as required under a rule published this week.

On Nov. 30, AAIS provided sample notices to its Delaware affiliates for Dwelling Properties, Farmowners, Farm Properties, Homeowners, and Mobile-Homeowners. AAIS is not able  to file the notices on behalf of its member companies, because of the need to include company-specific information. They must file on their own by Saturday.

LATEST INLAND MARINE
CAUSE OF LOSS REPORT
POSTED ON AAISdirect

The latest version of AAIS's annual Inland Marine Cause of Loss Report has been posted on the AAISdirect Internet service, where it is available free of charge to AAIS inland marine affiliates that use AAISdirect.

The report provides premium and loss data for nearly 50 filed and nonfiled classes of inland marine insurance. The latest version provides data on about $2 billion in premium and more than $725 million in reported losses for the period 2002-2006, broken down into these categories:

• Yearly written premium and paid losses for each class, and the ratio of paid losses to written premium;

• Yearly earned premium and incurred losses for each class, and the ratio of incurred losses to earned premium; and

• The amount and percentage of paid losses, along with average loss severity, categorized by nine different causes of loss.

Those causes of loss are fire, extended perils, collision, burglary and robbery, theft and disappearance, breakage/collapse/landslide, water damage and flood, marine perils, and all other.

Companies not affiliated with AAIS for inland marine can purchase a copy for $250. To order a copy, or to sign up for AAISdirect service, contact Rick Maka, director of marketing, at rickm@AAISonline.com or by calling 800-564-AAIS.

PAMIC PROVIDES ITS MEMBERS WITH
ANALYSIS OF 'TRANSITIONAL PLANS'

Members of the Pennsylvania Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (PAMIC) recently received a PAMIC analysis of requirements regarding "transition plans of withdrawal."

In Pennsylvania, personal lines carriers operate under strict requirements governing the terms of renewal policies. When seeking to move to newer versions of forms, carriers essentially have two options:

• File a transition plan with the department; or

• Adopt the newer versions for new business only and maintain the older versions for existing policyholders.

The analysis is available to PAMIC member companies only. For information on membership, go to www.pamic.org.

KANSAS TO USE SERFF
TO STORE ALL FILINGS

Effective this week, Kansas Insurance Department's property/casualty division will move to a paperless filing system in which all filings will be stored using "SERFF," the System for Electronic Rate and Form Filing.

According to a recent bulletin, P/C carriers can still submit paper filings in Kansas, with as yet no restrictions on the size of those filings, and the documents will be scanned into SERFF for review in the normal fashion. Insurers are advised to consult the bulletin for specified procedures required of paper and SERFF filings.

 As a licensed third-party SERFF filer, AAIS can submit custom filings using SERFF on behalf of any property/casualty insurer, whether it uses AAIS programs or forms and manuals from some other source. Send an e-mail to compliance@AAISonline.com for more information on this custom service.

PENNSYLVANIA REQUIRES INSURERS
TO REPORT ARSON TO LAW ENFORCEMENT

The Pennsylvania Insurance Department has issued a notice reminding insurers of their statutory obligations to investigate fire losses for evidence of arson, and to report cases of arson to federal, state, or local law enforcement. Such reports are to be made within 30 days of a determination that a fire was caused by arson.

The notice specifies that reporting a suspected arson to an insurance claims database will not, in itself, satisfy the statutory obligation to report suspected arsons to law enforcement. The notice adds that insurer fraud control programs are to include review of arson investigations and reporting.

FREE AAISdirect TRIAL OFFERED
THROUGH THE END OF 2007

AAIS affiliates that do not currently use the AAISdirect Internet service can sign up for a free trial through the end of 2007.

AAISdirect provides direct online access to forms, manuals, bulletins, and other information for which a company is affiliated with AAIS. The free trial also includes access to value-added services:

• The "Risk Meter" risk mapping service, which provides geographic information related to hazards at a location; and

• The residential, commercial, and farm property valuation applications developed by e2Value, Inc.

Use of these services is subject to limitations in the trial agreement.

To start your trial immediately, print and sign the trial agreement and fax it to 630-681-8356. If you have questions, contact Rick Maka, director of marketing, at rickm@AAISonline.com or by calling 800/564-AAIS.

PROGRAM PLANNING UNDERWAY
FOR 2008 AAIS 'MAIN EVENT'

AAIS is now evaluating topics for its 2008 Main Event conference, April 20-22 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

This executive conference focuses on product-related issues of strategic importance to property/casualty insurers. To that end, AAIS is seeking speakers on trends in science, technology, law, economics, and other fields that will impact property and liability risk and, consequently, the design and development of P/C insurance products.

There are two ways to submit ideas for topics:

• Use the AAISalert online submission form. This web page asks users to describe new exposures they are concerned about, indicate how they address the exposure or plan to address it, and how it is likely to affect property/casualty insurance.

• Contact Joseph Harrington, AAIS director of corporate communications, at joeh@AAISonline.com, or by calling 800-564-AAIS.