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| February 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Top 3 Articles
Welcome
From the Desk of the President & CEO
IIAV provides financial support to our friends through the Virginia Agents Political Affairs Committee – VAPAC. We are non-partisan! We don’t give money to just Rs or Ds. Frankly, there are members on both sides of the aisle that it wouldn’t break our heart if they lost their re-election. There are others who are friends and are highly vulnerable. And while there are also some seats where we would remain neutral ... there are a couple where I believe that VAPAC should be obligated to give money to the opponent.
   IIAV Member Resources
Why You Should Update Your Fax Right Now I thought that by now fax machines would be long gone. We don’t give much thought to the security threat these machines might pose to your organization. Thanks to Internet Scambusters for allowing me to reprint this excellent article on the problem and solution.
State & National News
TrustedChoice.com now recommends over 3,500 Advantage subscriber agencies every day to
insurance buyers, and those recommendations help agencies write business. When an insurance buyer clicks the "Request a Quote" button, the TrustedChoice.com Agency Recommendation Engine evaluates agencies in the buyer’s area and presents a list of agencies who have indicated that they want to work that type of prospect.
Unless you have a time machine, you probably don’t remember 1869. But Rockingham Insurance reflects on the year fondly, because it was 150 years ago when several property owners met at a small church in Port Republic, Va., in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley. Community members became members of the mutual company and had fire policies that covered whatever structures they owned, such as mills, silos, barns and homes. Over the years, Rockingham Insurance has experienced continued growth through mergers with Virginia mutual companies.
Many of you know that New York adopted a cybersecurity regulation regarding third party service providers (which includes agencies). The regulation is causing a great deal of confusion, and we hope the information provided in this memo will add some clarification. Following is a memo from Wes Bissett on the New York regulation, and attached is an actual copy of the New York third party provisions along with the relevant FAQs from the NY Department.
The Alliance to Fight the 40 | Don’t Tax My Health Care, a broad-based coalition committed to repealing the 40 percent tax on employer-sponsored health benefits — the so-called “Cadillac Tax” — applauds Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT), Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA), Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA), and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), for their bipartisan reintroduction of legislation to protect the health benefits of workers by repealing the onerous 40 percent “Cadillac Tax.”
The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) commends the Trump Administration for finalizing an IRS regulation making clear that owners and shareholders of insurance agencies and brokerages organized as pass-through entities can fully benefit from a new tax deduction.
Jackson Sumner & Associates (JSA) Board of Directors recently announced that Danielle Wade was elected as President & Chief Executive Officer, with Wayne Sumner to move to Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Charles Venus recently joined The Iroquois Group as its Vice President, Middle Market & Specialty. The former Commercial Lines Leader for Brown & Brown of Virginia is a seasoned insurance professional who will help Iroquois members further develop their Middle Market and Specialty Insurance business. Prior to working for Brown & Brown, Venus served in varying leadership roles with Travelers and The Hartford.
IIAV News
Along with two other organization lobbyists, IIAV's President & CEO Bob Bradshaw was interviewed this past weekend for the "This Week In Richmond" show on the Public Broadcasting Stations aired across the Commonwealth. They discussed the 2019 General Assembly as a whole: highlighted bills that have made it through Crossover or not, their favorite bills, and some insight into the "behind the scenes" of the legislature. Click Learn More to watch Bob in action!
IIAV's Trusted Choice Independent Insurance Agents of Virginia week is formally adopted by the House of Delegates Rules Committee introduced by Delegate Buddy Fowler of Ashland. The resolution recognizes Trusted Choice IIAV week as the first full week of March in 2019 and in each succeeding year, which is right before Flood Awareness Week, and of course ... shortly before hurricane season.
IIAV will send out press releases but encourages member agencies to use this week to promote flood insurance to their clients. Statewide, only 3 percent of Virginians have flood insurance ... and 68 percent in high flood areas of the Commonwealth do not have flood insurance. We should take a lesson from our friends in the Carolinas who found themselves without flood insurance last year in the devastating hurricanes.
IIAV endorses the Selective flood program and for additional details on this program, contact Annette Winston at annette.winston@selective.com.
Upcoming Events
 Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Hermitage Country Club | 11:30am-2:00pm There's great power in learning from others who have found success when facing the same challenges.
So, we're bringing a few of those people directly to you on March 20. They're on a road similar to yours and they have solutions to share with you.
And when we say that you'll be impressed with what they're willing to tell you, that's an understatement.
These experts bring a wide variety of expertise from the following industries:
Real Estate Banking Auto Sales Payroll As promised, we're doing the heavy lifting. But in order for your agency to benefit, you need to be there.
Education
IIAV offers a variety of great continuing education classes to help agents stay informed of changes to the industry and ahead of the competitive curve. Commonwealth Underwriters offers a variety of easy-to-use, instant online raters that help agents deliver excellent service and stay ahead of the competitive curve. Did you know that using these raters can also help your agency absorb Continuing Education costs for your team members? For all Commonwealth Underwriters instant web quotes that do not require a log-in, you will receive a continuing education voucher for $10 or $25. The value of the voucher is based on the premium. After binding the account, these vouchers can then be used for your continuing education needs with the IIAV. Products in the continuing education voucher program include artisan/service/general contractors, concessionaires, liquor liability, home healthcare, builder’s risk, commercial property, vacant property, stand-alone wind/hail, garage dealers/service, motor truck cargo and/or physical damage, homeowners, renters, and landlords/dwelling fire. Online raters can be accessed at www.commund.com at any hour of the day, on any day of the year. We begin our journey with curious roots. From our early years and along our lifetime, we learn something new every day.
There are an Abundance of Learning Opportunities! New Year – New Goals – Learning Something NEW. Self-driven learning should be part of every organization’s learning culture. Among the most in demand business skills for 2019: Persuasive Communication, Relationship Management and Time Management. Visit IIAV's Education site and share a business skills bundle with your team! Let us help you with your 2019 Learning Journey.
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