Thursday, September 06, 2012

Surplus Lines Industry, Annual Market Report to be Focus of A.M. Best Webinar on September 24

A panel of industry leaders and editors of the A.M. Best Co.'s annual report on the excess and surplus lines sector will take part in a special one-hour webinar on September 24. The panel will review the market and highlights of the 2012 Special Report U.S. Surplus Lines – Market Review to be released soon.

The live 60-minute webinar will be offered at no charge and is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Eastern on Monday, September 24. Registration is now open at the A.M. Best website.

Since 1994, the Derek Hughes/NAPSLO Educational Foundation has provided a grant to A.M. Best to produce the detailed report on the excess and surplus lines insurance sector. The 2012 report will update the state of the market and the relative positions of carriers in the market, examine the sector’s solvency performance, market trends, legislative and regulatory developments, and distribution issues.

“We are pleased to continue our support to A.M. Best in producing the annual special report,” said Joseph Timmons, President of the Derek Hughes/NAPSLO Educational Foundation. “The report has become the authoritative study of the industry, demonstrating the stability of the excess and surplus lines sector.”

Panelists for the webinar will include:
• David Bresnahan, President, Lexington Insurance Company
• Maureen Caviston, President, Partners Specialty Group and a former NAPSLO President
• Brady Kelley, Executive Director, NAPSLO
• Robert Sargent, President & CEO, Tennant Risk Services and current NAPSLO President

Webinar attendees can submit questions during registration or email questions to news@ambest.com during the live event, which will be streamed in video and audio format. Coverage of the webinar will be featured in an upcoming issue of Best's Review.

For more information about the webinar, please call A.M. Best at (908) 439-2200, ext. 5561, or e-mail lee.mcdonald@ambest.com.

Wednesday, September 05, 2012

Online Regulatory Compliance Course Updated

NAPSLO’s online Surplus Lines Regulatory Compliance Course, launched in 2011, has been updated and improved to provide a more meaningful learning experience.

Key improvements include: updated surplus lines and commercial lines comparative year-end data; information and examples on working with the Nonadmitted Reinsurance and Reform Act (NRRA); and updated state requirements on diligent searches, tax report filings, and stamping fees.

The compliance course is aimed at professionals with less than two years of surplus lines compliance experience, and others who deal less frequently with compliance issues. Regulatory staff, brokers and support teams, and others who place business in the nonadmitted market will also benefit.

The course focuses on regulatory compliance while the recently introduced online Surplus Lines Fundamentals Course provides a general overview of the industry. Both courses continue to be available at no charge for a limited time.

The compliance course contains four sections and eight lessons, and the lessons contain learning objectives. Topics include: an overview of the industry; broker licensing and record keeping; surplus lines insurer eligibility; compliance process and procedures on diligent searches, tax remittance, policy disclosure and delivery, and independent procurement/industrial insured exemptions; and the NRRA.

An interactive glossary, links to excellent outside resources, sample state requirements, key general information for filings and reports, and lesson specific self-mastery tools, are part of the course. Learners can also send specific course questions to education@napslo.org.