AM Best to host webinar on state of E&S Market

A.M. Best Co. is working with NAPSLO to host a Webcast entitled, "State of the Excess and Surplus Market" on Friday, September 25, from 11 a.m. to Noon (Eastern). Registration is free and can be done online at Best's Conference Center.

Company leaders and experts in the specialty insurance market will discuss the findings of a soon to be published report from A.M. Best and the Derek Hughes/NAPSLO Educational Foundation on the issues shaping the excess and surplus market and how companies are faring within it.

Speakers scheduled include:

• Steve DeCarlo, CEO, AmWins
• Neil Abernathy, CEO & President, Swett & Crawford
• Peter Eastwood, CEO, Lexington Insurance Co.
• Joseph Roethel, Assistant Vice President, A.M. Best Co.
  

Topics will include:

• An analysis of the performance of the leading excess and surplus insurance coverage writers.
• An exploration of changes in the distribution environment and the roles of agents and brokers.

Attendees can submit questions or comments for the discussion by e-mailing news@ambest.com. Questions and comments will be discussed before and during the live event. Coverage of the Webcast will be featured in an upcoming issue of Best's Review.

Nominating Committee Releases Report

The NAPSLO Nominating Committee has released their report with proposed slates of director and officer nominees for 2009-2010.

NAPSLO member firms will vote on the proposed slate of officers and directors during the Annual Business Meeting, scheduled for Friday, October 9 at the 2009 Annual Convention in Orlando.

Nominated for officer positions were:

President - Marshall P. Kath, Colemont Brokerage Group, Inc., Dallas, Texas
Vice President - Timothy P. Makowski, Specialty Lines Underwriters, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Secretary - Letha E. Heaton, Admiral Insurance Co., Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Treasurer - Robert T. Sargent, CPCU, RPLU, ARM, Mercator Risk Services, Inc., Hartford, Connecticut

Nominated for three-year terms on the Board were:

Gregory T. Crouse, Crouse & Associates Insurance Brokers, Inc., San Francisco, California
Gilbert C. Hine, Jr., McClelland & Hine, Inc., San Antonio, Texas
Matthew D. Nichols, ASLI, All Risks, Ltd., Hunt Valley, Maryland
Michael P. Fujii, Endurance American Specialty Insurance Company, New York, New York
Letha E. Heaton, Admiral Insurance Company, Cherry Hill, New Jersey

Directors are nominated for three-year terms on the Board. Officers are nominated for a one-year term. Mr. Fujii is new to the Board and Ms. Heaton recently changed NAPSLO member affiliations.

NAPSLO contests Montana assuming collection of stamping fees

NAPSLO is submitting a letter and will take part in hearings on August 21 to contest the decision by the state of Montana to take over collection of stamping fees from the Montana Surplus Lines Agents Association (MSLAA).

Effective July 1, 2009 the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance announced it would review and process surplus lines insurance submissions, determine applicable stamping fees owed, and send surplus lines agents tax and fee statements.

NAPSLO is questioning the basis for the state to take over the MSLAA’s duties in collecting the stamping fee. Under Montana state law “if a surplus lines advisory organization is not operating as set forth in this section, the stamping fee may be collected by the commissioner and placed in a state special revenue account for the expenses of regulating surplus lines” however the MSLAA was in operation at the time of the take over.

“NAPSLO’s view is that the state can step in only if there isn’t a surplus lines advisory organization collecting the fees, and there was an organization in place collecting the fees,” said NAPSLO Director of Government Relations Steve Stephan. “We believe under state law Montana must allow the MSLLAA to resume its role in collecting the stamping fees and processing submissions.”

In addition, Mr. Stephan noted in the letter to the department that it can only take over the stamping fee collection duties from an existing organization if there is a finding that the organization is not operating pursuant to Montana law. To date Mr. Stephan said there has been no examination by the commissioner finding a violation of law and no hearing has been provided to the MSLAA and as a result there is no basis to conclude that the advisory organization was not operating as required.

According to statistics from the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas, $54.2 million in surplus lines premiums were written in Montana in 2008, and approximately $1.5 million would have been collected in surplus lines taxes and $542,000 in stamping fees.

Second Agent to Broker/MGA Data Transfer Demo Set

The General Agent Interface Subgroup will be hosting the second in the series of Proof of Concept demonstrations showing the importation of data from retail agent systems to MGA/Broker Systems on Wednesday, Sept. 2 from 11:00 a.m. to Noon (Eastern).

This webinar will feature technology provided by Appulate and the presenter will be Dimitri Nikouline, assisted by Subgroup Chair Mike Roy of CRC Insurance Services, Scott Montney of Cochrane & Company and Retail Agent E&S Working Group Co-Chair Angelyn Treutel.

Please reserve your Webinar seat in advance by clicking the registration link. After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar. There is no charge to attend the Webinar.

A replay of the first webinar demonstration with ADTS is available online.

Committee Volunteer Deadline is August 21

NAPSLO members interested in volunteering for a committee need to contact the NAPSLO office by August 21. Interested people should e-mail your request, or fax the NAPSLO office at (816) 741-5409 to volunteer for a committee assignment.

In the correspondence, potential volunteers need to provide background information on yourself (including name and address information), areas of interest and any current or past involvement with other industry associations.

In addition, you should indicate your availability to attend Committee Day, which is scheduled for Nov. 16-17 at the Grand Hyatt DFW at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport.

NAPSLO committees are as follows: Budget, Finance, Audit & Investment; Career Awareness; Communications & Technology; Convention; Education; International; Internship; Legislative; Membership & Ethics; Mid-Year Educational Workshop, and PAC. Please see the NAPSLO website for additional information on the committees

First Retailer to MGA/Broker Data Transfer Demo is Aug. 11

The first in a series of demonstrations of technologies that enable the import of data from retail agent systems to general agent/broker systems is set for Tuesday, August 11 from 2:00-3:00 PM (Eastern) and the webinar is open to NAPSLO members.

The General Agent Interface subgroup of the Retail Agent - E&S Working Group is putting on the demonstrations and the first webinar will feature technology provided by ADTS/Insurance Technologies Corporation. The presenter will be Dave Huff of ADTS, assisted by Subgroup Chair Mike Roy and Tammie Miller of CRC Insurance Services and Retail Agent E&S WG co-Chair Angelyn Treutel.

Reserve your spot at the demonstration by registering at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/459995457. After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

There is no charge to attend this Webinar. After you logon to the Internet session, you will be able to listen to the audio through your computer headset or speakers. If you would prefer, you will also be provided with a toll number you can call to listen to the audio.

Webinar System Requirements
PC-based attendees: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista
Macintosh®-based attendees: Mac OS® X 10.4 (Tiger®) or newer

The Retail Agent - E&S Working Group was formed by ACT, AAMGA, and NAPSLO in 2008 to improve the efficiencies for retail agents interacting with managing general agents and wholesale brokers in the E&S market and to promote the electronic exchange of data between the parties. The working group also has three sub-groups addressing retail agent interface (including applications and supplementals), electronic interfaces between the parties, and general agent Web site functionality.

Hotel Rooms at Main Hotel Are Sold Out; Rooms Available at Caribe

Hotel rooms at the Orlando World Center Marriott for the 2009 NAPSLO Annual Convention are sold out, however rooms are still available at the Caribe Royale Resort.

Update - a few rooms are now available at the Marriott because of cancellations, however all dates may not be available. A few suites are available - contact vicky@napslo.org for details.

More than 2,350 people are registered for the convention, set for October 7-10. Representatives of NAPSLO member firms may registered for the convention, and reserve a hotel room, through the NAPSLO Convention site - http://annual.napslo.org. Registration rates rise on September 1.

The convention will open on Wednesday evening, October 7, with the Opening Reception. Programs start on Friday with the Derek Hughes/NAPSLO Educational Foundation Lecture featuring Dr. Robert Hartwig of the Insurance Information Institute. There will also be a panel discussion on Friday featuring company and broker representatives discussing the current state of the industry. The Next Generation Rendezvous, second annual Cocktail Party will be held on Friday, October 9. A special discussion panel with the Next Generation of E&S vs. the Baby Boomers on current workplace issues will take place on Saturday morning from 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.