cess in the Senate which he said stalls progress.
Blue Dog Coalition Leader Hailed as a
Fiscal Watchdog and Small Business Advocate
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”) recognized Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.) as the Gerald Solomon-IIABA Legislator of the Year for 2009.
The award was presented during the annual Leadership Luncheon, just prior to the Big “I” Legislative Conference & Convention; Rep. Ross presented the keynote address.
“We don’t need a 2000-page bill that nobody understands, including members of Congress,” said Rep. Ross. He also discussed three items he says need to be done in this area: 1) health insurance reform; 2) a way for the uninsured and small businesses to have access to health care; and 3) cost containment. Rep. Ross voted against the House bill and said, “The best thing we can do is start over.” The Big “I” supports this position.
Get This House Back in Order
During the luncheon, he also an-
nounced that earlier that day he
co-sponsored a Balanced Budget Con-
stitutional amendment. He discussed
the history of America’s debt, his hesi-
tation to amend the nation’s founding
document, and said, “Folks, we’ve got
to get this house back in order.”
“Rep. Ross is a true Blue Dog Dem-
ocrat who practices what he preach-
es,” said Robert A. Rusbuldt, Big “I”
president and CEO in presenting the
award. “Mike is us. He’s a former in-
dependent agent from Arkansas and
has a great background as an indepen-
dent agent who knows the industry
very well.”
Rep. Ross chairs the Blue Dog Health
Care Task Force and was instrumen-
tal in ensuring [that] the House health
care bill included independent insur-
ance agents and brokers in proposed
“exchanges.”
His address also included discussion
of the recent banking bailout, taxes,
the number of bills with House pas-
sage that are currently pending before
the Senate, and the filibuster pro-
Remembering Solomon The Legislator of the Year Award is bestowed annually by the Big “I” upon a member of Congress who has provided outstanding leadership on in-
Your CSRs are the cornerstone of your agency.
Don’t leave them,
and your agency’s future, at risk by skimping on CSR education.
Get The CSR Advisor!
Vol. 20 No. 8
Many of your insureds, if they think about personal umbrella policies at all, probably think of them as something that only rich people buy, particularly in the current economy. After all, umbrella policy limits typically run in the $1 million to $10 million range. Most people can’t imagine needing that level of coverage. But realistically, it’s not that difficult to do a million dollars worth of damage. For example, in an auto accident, the insured could seriously injure a family of seven riding in their van or hit a commuter train – making the insured responsible for some pretty hefty medical bills. One unextinguished campfire or cigarette casually tossed into the underbrush can lead to a disastrous wildfire that damages property and injures many people.
The CSR Advisor
• Intentional acts • Vendorsendorsements
A CONTINUING EDUCATION SERVICE FOR INSURANCE PROFESSIONALS
I
• Number of uninsured motorists may climb
NDUSTRYINSIGHT
February 2009
• Whopayslegalcosts?
P
• Sleep and job performance Umbrella policies vary from insurer to insurer, but most share common elements with Insurance Services Office’s (ISO) umbrella, which our discussion focuses on.
ROFESSIONAL GRO W TH
LOOK AT THE LAW
ES T YOUR KNO WLEDGE
ON THL Y QUIZ
A
Who needs a personal umbrella?
• Is allowing minors to drink an occurrence?
In This Issue:
OVERAGENOTES T
If a court orders the insured to pay damages, the insured has to pay, even if the amount exceeds his or her homeowners or auto policy limits. That could leave the insured in a huge financial mess. Personal umbrella policies are designed to protect the insured against catastrophic losses by providing additional limits for occurrences covered by an underlying primary policy, such as the homeowners, personal auto, or watercraft policy.
C
• Personal umbrellas • Theimpaired property exclusion
M
• Commercial inland
marine
In some cases, the umbrella policy provides broader coverage
than that offered in underlying policies. The policy pays damages
for bodily injury, property damage, or personal injury for which an
insured becomes legally liable due to a covered occurrence. There
are a number of exclusions that apply – expected or intended injury,
except the use of reasonable force to protect people or property;
injury arising out of the insured’s business; war; communicable
diseases; bodily injury that should be covered by workers compen-
sation; and others. Still, there are typically fewer or less restrictive
Excess and drop-down coverage
S P TANDARD UBLISHING
© 2009 by Standard Publishing Corporation. The CSR Advisor (ISSN #1044- 9884) is published monthly by the John Liner Organization, a division of Standard Publishing Corp., 155 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110. Subscriptions: $197/year plus S&H United States and U.S. possessions; $256.10 plus S&H in Canada and elsewhere. Periodicals postage paid at Boston , MA, and additional mailing offices. POS TMAS TER: Send address changes to The CSR Advisor, 155 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110.
Continued on page 2
Board of Editorial Advisors: Virginia M. Bates, Co-founder, VMB Associates, Melrose, MA; Elise Farnham, ARM, AIM, CPCU, CPIW, RPA, President, Illumine Consulting, Atlanta, GA; Jill H. Gidge, CPCU, CIC, AAI, CPIW, President, Insure-Ed., Nashua, NH; Russell Granger, President, Insurance Learning Systems, Easton, MD; Jean Lucey, Librarian, Insurance Library Association of Boston; Irene Mor-rill, CPCU, CIC, CRM, ARM, LIA, CPIW, Director of Technical Affairs, Massachusetts Association of Independent Agents, Framingham, MA; Mark J. Rolland, President, Society of Certified Insurance Service Representatives, Austin, TX; Cynthia Ziegler, CPCU, ARM, AAI, CPIW, Executive Director, Casualty Actuarial Society, Arlington, VA.
In this ever-changing insurance marketplace, your CSRs are required to know more than ever before… respond to greater demands from clients… and to do it all while providing superior customer service.
Give your CSRs the tools they need to succeed. Begin your subscription to
THE CSR ADVISOR today!
Order online at http://csr.spcpub.com [no www] Call toll-free 800-682-5759 or mail: Standard Publishing Corporation, Print Edition: $197 for 12 issues • Online Edition: $195 per year for single-user subscription • Call for extremely reasonable multi-user rates.
THE INSURANCE RECORD • MARCH 11, 2010 15
References:
Archives