Industry News

The election of Donald Trump as president and a Republican majority in both houses of Congress will bring about a unique opportunity to reexamine the regulatory framework for insurance. As part of regulatory reform, PIA calls on policymakers to fully repeal the Federal Insurance Office (FIO).

“With Congress poised to significantly roll back key provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank), we ask that they repeal the FIO,” said PIA National Vice President of Government Relations Jon Gentile. “A June 2013 report issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found the state-based system of insurance regulation helped to mitigate the negative effects of the financial crisis on our industry. This report highlights the unnecessary bureaucracy that the FIO represents.  Our longstanding and robust state-based insurance regulatory regime does not require this level of federal oversight.”

“If the goal is to eliminate unnecessary federal regulation, getting rid of the FIO makes good sense,” Gentile said. “Doing so would reaffirm that regulation of insurance should continue to be the responsibility of the states. PIA will remain vigilant in its efforts to ensure that no new paths to the federal regulation of insurance are created as part of any Dodd-Frank rollback.”

With control of both houses of Congress and the White House, Republicans are likely to concentrate on the broad goals of reducing regulations, cutting taxes, and generally pursuing business-friendly policies that promote economic growth. PIA looks forward to working with President-elect Trump and the 115th Congress to achieve these goals.

National Underwriter Property & Casualty, in partnership with PIA National and Flaspöhler, part of NMG Consulting, will conduct the 2017 National Underwriter/PIA Independent Agent Survey, a project whose findings will provide deep, revealing insight into the challenges, needs, and demographics of independent property & casualty insurance agents across the U.S.

The survey, which launches this week, will be hosted online by renowned intelligence firm Flasphler Research, with which National Underwriter has enjoyed a decade-long editorial relationship. The questionnaire, crafted by NU, PIA and Flaspöhler, will be distributed to NU’s proprietary lists of agents and brokers nationwide as well as by PIA to PIA’s national membership.

The results of this project will be shared in print and online as a data-rich cover feature of charts, graphs and editorial analysis in National Underwriter's February print edition, as well as on PropertyCasualty360.com.

“A survey of this size and scope has never before been attempted, and the findings and insight gained from this project will be a benefit to the industry,” said Shawn Moynihan, National Underwriter's Editor-in-Chief. “Our alliance with PIA in this effort will help us all gain broader perspective on the needs of the people who sell P&C products every day, and will help inform our editorial coverage going forward as we continue to serve them.”

“PIA is pleased to partner with the National Underwriter and Flaspöhler in this groundbreaking survey, which will provide our industry with the most comprehensive and accurate picture of what professional independent insurance agents need to best serve their P&C clients,” said PIA National Executive Vice President & CEO Mike Becker. “Independent agents have achieved an unparalleled track record of success as the preferred distribution system for P&C products. This survey will help them stay on top.”

Four out of five millennials are “optimistic” or “very optimistic” that the insurance industry will evolve to attract the next generation of insurance talent, due to productivity and efficiency gains from technology adoption, according to Vertafore’s second annual “Millennial Revolution” study. PIA examined the research results in an article in PIA Connection.

As a PIA member exclusive benefit with The Omnia Group, we recently created educational webinar tracks for a variety of positions within an agency. The first series which started September 14^th features subjects for those in management roles.

The next webinar in the series titled How to Succeed as a First Time Manager will take place on Wednesday, November 16^th at 2pm EST.

Sign up for one or all of the newly created webinars with Omnia by selecting the track that best suits you.

View the full schedule and descriptions at http://www.omniagroup.com/pia-webinar-registration/ Space is limited so sign up now!

Want to learn more about Omnia as a member benefit?

When first contacting Omnia, PIA members receive a free online, instant assessment or a free custom assessment of an agency employee or prospective employee. Plus, if you buy a package of Omnia Profiles you’ll receive one free.

Get started on your track to success today by calling Carletta Clyatt of The Omnia Group at 800-525-7117, x 1226 or email her at cclyatt@omniagroup.com and be sure to tell her you are a PIA member.

Or visit The Omnia Group website at www.omniagroup.com/pia-members/

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Many people in the insurance industry—especially agents—have a particular affinity for the sport of golf. That’s why the news of the passing of Arnold Palmer, whom many considered to be among the greatest professional golfers of all time, hit hard. Palmer passed away at the age of 87 on September 25 in Pittsburgh.

PIA National Past President Tom Adderhold of Duluth, Georgia was General Chairman of the PGA Championship in 2011. Tom shares some thoughts on the passing of Arnold Palmer:

“The world has lost one of the true legends of the game of golf, business and life. Arnold Palmer and television turned a game into a mega-million enterprise and influenced the lives of so many people, both in golf as well as the non-golfer. Mr. Palmer established a Legacy to live by: ‘Be a person of principle.’ He liked to say, ‘Success depends less on strength of body than upon strength of mind and character. Winning isn’t everything, but wanting it is.’”

“Mr. Palmer always had time for the fans, the kids and the volunteers. He gave back in so many ways, such as hospitals and scholarships. He was a ferocious competitor, but always a gentleman. He personally answered his own mail and autographed millions of items with a signature that is legible. I hope we all in the insurance world will adopt his legacy and strive to be the best agents in servicing our customers and our industry.”

Tom Adderhold

Past President, PIA National

General Chairman of the 2011 PGA Championship

PIA National issued this statement on the draft of the Financial CHOICE Act (H.R. 5983). The bill was introduced on September 9, 2016 by its sponsor, House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX). It then went to a committee markup on September 13, 2016.

In PIA’s statement, we express serious concerns about the creation of a new federal office called the independent insurance advocate, stating that “we remain unconvinced of the need to create a permanent insurance office in the federal bureaucracy.”

Days before he is set to speak in Washington, D.C. at a Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) roundtable discussion about international insurance regulation, former Connecticut Insurance Commissioner Thomas Leonardi gave an interview which reminded everyone about his well-deserved reputation for outspokenness.

In a wide-ranging interview with Best’s News Service, Leonardi said international regulators need to be more transparent in developing global insurance capital standards and maintain an open dialogue with the carriers they seek to supervise, as well as U.S. state regulators.

Leonardi is a steadfast supporter of state regulation of insurance. He sounded a warning about the Federal Insurance Office (FIO), a part of the U.S. Treasury Department.  FIO and the Treasury are now in negotiations for a covered agreement with European regulators, who have pushed the U.S. to adopt a system of federal insurance regulation similar to theirs. There are concerns that possible outcomes of these covered agreement talks could threaten the U.S. system of state-based insurance regulation.

“Since its creation, the FIO has often taken positions in direct contradiction to the views of the state regulators,” Leonardi said. “We are seeing this happen right now in the context of the negotiations around the covered agreement.”

“FIO’s approach is one of ‘we’ll let you know what happens’ as opposed to having the state regulators, that are ultimately responsible for prudential regulation of insurers in this country, actively at the table,” Leonardi said.

State regulators need to be involved in the process, Leonardi said, adding that he supports the Transparent Insurance Standards Act of 2016 (H.R. 5143), a bill endorsed by PIA that sets objectives for U.S. negotiators regarding international insurance standards, grants Congress 90 days to approve or reject proposed agreements, and mandates a public comment period.

“The state regulators regulate 6,600 insurance companies in this country and that is not going away anytime soon,” Leonardi said. “It’s really important that the Fed and FIO not enter into an agreement that is not supported by the state regulators. Otherwise you have chaos.”

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says his state had more than $8.7 billion in damage in both insured and uninsured losses from catastrophic flooding in August, and the figure will increase as officials finish assessing damage to roads and other public infrastructure.

A storm that started Aug. 12 dumped as much as two feet of rain in some parts of Louisiana over two days, and the flooding has been described as the worst disaster in the U.S. since Superstorm Sandy struck the East Coast in 2012.

READ: 6 Tips for Flood Survivors on Avoiding Fraud and Scams

Edwards said documented flood damage has affected more than 55,000 houses in Louisiana, and that could double as aid applications and inspections continue. He said initial evaluations show the majority of flooded households were resided in by people with low to moderate incomes, and 20 per cent of flooded homes were resided in by renters.

READ: Agent Tools for Flood Insurance

More than 6,000 businesses flooded, with more than $2.2 billion in damages to buildings, equipment and inventory, Edwards said. He also said there are “conservative estimates” of more than $110 million in damage to agriculture.

Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says officials have said that the August flood event will be the fourth most costly event for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Approximately 28,000 claims have been filed with the NFIP, and Donelon expects that number to rise to approximately 30,000.

Aetna Inc. warned U.S. officials more than a month ago that it would pull out of Obamacare’s government-run health insurance markets if antitrust officials attempted to block its $37 billion merger with Humana Inc.

In a July 5 letter to the Justice Department from Chief Executive Officer Mark Bertolini, Aetna said that challenging the merger “would have a negative financial impact on Aetna and would impair Aetna’s ability to continue its support” of plans sold under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Such a challenge would leave the insurer “with no choice but to take actions to steward its financial health.”

READ: In Reversal, Aetna Pulls Back From ACA

“If the DOJ sues to enjoin the transaction, we will immediately take action to reduce our 2017 exchange footprint,” Bertolini wrote. He said that the cost of litigation and debt taken on by Aetna, the need to plan for a breakup fee it would owe Humana, as well as cost savings already anticipated as a result of a successful deal, would all factor into Aetna’s need to pull back.

“By contrast, if the deal proceeds without the diverted time and energy associated with litigation, we would explore how to devote a portion of the additional synergies (which are larger than we had planned for when announcing the deal) to supporting even more public exchange coverage,” Bertolini said in the letter.

An agreement that would provide regulatory equivalency for U.K. and U.S. insurers could be fast-tracked for approval after Britain exits the European Union, according to Michael McRaith, the director of the U.S. Federal Insurance Office. U.S. and European Union officials are currently negotiating such a regulatory agreement, and until the U.K. completes its “Brexit,” the covered agreement would also apply to Britain, which is home to the world’s hub for specialty lines of insurance. A separate agreement covering UK and U.S. insurers probably would be needed once Britain goes through with the split.

“Our view is, until the U.K. withdraws from the EU, that we are dealing with the EU,” McRaith told members of the U.S. Treasury’s Federal Advisory Committee on Insurance, which is comprised of state insurance regulators and consumer groups along with many of world’s leading insurance companies, including Marsh & McLennan Cos., Inc., American International Group Inc., Lloyds of London and Liberty Mutual Co., and other insurance research and analysis groups.

READ: NAIC, Industry Renew Calls for Equivalency

There are concerns that possible outcomes of covered agreement talks between the U.S. Treasury Department and the European Union could threaten the U.S. system of state-based insurance regulation. PIA strongly supports the Transparent Insurance Standards Act of 2016 (H.R. 5143), which enhances Congress’s oversight of international deliberations relating to insurance standards by requiring the U.S. Treasury Department and Federal Reserve to consult with Congress and state insurance regulators before approving any international insurance standards.