Blogs

Renting a Boat? You'll Need a Buoy!

By Dave Burt
Independent Market Solutions is proud to introduce our newest offering—Buoy! Buoy is a digital-based insurance solution that allows boat rentals and rental facilities to get insured in just a few clicks, whether you're in bed, at home, or out on the dock! Buoy is a usage-based boat renter and livery insurance policy that leverages native phone features through the Splash app to offer the coverage needed for each boat rental. The Splash app, as well as obtaining insurance through Buoy, aids in the compliance process with the new Florida Boater Safety Act of 2022 and allows boat rental facilities to rent their boats with ...
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Updated: Florida Department of Financial Services Announces Two Insurance Villages in the Wake of Hurricane Ian

By Kyle Ulrich
Below is the notice FAIA received from DFS Director of Agent & Agency Services Greg Thomas. In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis and the Florida Department of Financial Services will be setting up two insurance villages to assist consumers with insurance claims and other needs. The villages will be located in Charlotte and Lee counties. The Port Charlotte locations will become operational at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, October 3, 2022; the Ft. Myers location will be announced soon and is expected to open Tuesday. Moving forward, the locations will be open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. seven days per week. Participants ...
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Independent Market Solution Offers New Markets!

By Dave Burt
IMS is pleased to announce the addition of two new programs to the Florida IMS platform as well as an additional offering from an existing partner. Welcome, RentSense ! During these challenging times, property owners may choose to help current tenants by returning cash deposits. In turn, property owners get Deposit Plus+ insurance coverage, which provides 50 percent greater protection than the cash deposit. RentSense Deposit Plus+ is real insurance, not a surety bond, underwritten by an A- rated admitted insurance carrier backed by States’ Guaranty Funds.At a time when property owners are seeking solutions to deliver positive outcomes for their business, Deposit ...
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Certified Fire & Smoke Damage Restoration—Rytech Has Florida Covered!

By Preferred Provider
Those on America’s West coast not only know the destruction wildfires can create, especially this time of year, but...they are familiar with Rytech Restorations’ experience helping with the recovery process. Rytech Restoration locations in California and other western states are on full alert when things turn dry and windy. Same is true here in Florida where three such fires are currently sweeping through the Panhandle. Called the Chipola Complex, they’ve already burned more than 30,000 acres. As someone that represents homes and businesses affected by fires, you may be contacted for help and advice. We thought to remind you that Rytech Restoration offers ...
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Swiss Re/Westport Releasing New E&O Policy Enhancements!

By Amanda Chambless
Swiss Re and IIABA created a Professional Liability Committee for state E&O program managers, state executives, and independent agents to consistently review the Swiss Re E&O program and its offerings. Previously, former FAIA President & CEO Jeff Grady maintained a seat on this committee; currently, FAIA Member Services Operations Manager Amanda Chatham serves on this committee. Through this committee and the constant feedback shared by FAIA and its members, Swiss Re/Westport is releasing important enhancements to the policy form effective February 1, 2022. Below is a high-level summary of the changes. Information on these changes will also ...
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National ABEN Day, September 14, 2021. Gear up Against Violence, Viruses, and Hackers!

By Dave Newell
FAIA is celebrating National ABEN Day on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, and you are invited. The theme is Gear up Against Violence, Viruses, and Hackers. Many of you have taken an ABEN class, whether one of FAIA's Academies, or E&O, AIAM, business auto, and work comp to name a few. As we celebrate National ABEN Day, thank you to those that have taken these courses, and we want to encourage those who have not to join us on September 14, 2021, to give it a try. As a member of FAIA, you can register for the three classes on National ABEN Day at no cost to you or anyone in your agency. If your schedule allows, and you take all three courses, you will receive ...
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How Digitalization Can Reduce Costs For Agencies

By Preferred Provider
By Anamaria Cifuentes, ePayPolicy The world of insurance is incredibly traditional. At times, this is a good thing. Independent agencies believe in the personal touch, forging deep, lasting relationships with clients. But, in other ways, relying on what’s tried and true is a hindrance, especially when it involves a lack of digitalization. Many independent agencies are slow to incorporate new technologies. While you don’t necessarily need to embrace every emerging solution that arrives, a lack of digitalization can hold you back. Not only can it cause you to spend more than you need to; it can also mean missing out on revenue-boosting opportunities. If ...
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Are you ready to get back into the classroom for a National Alliance class?

By Dave Newell
Are you ready to get back into the classroom for a National Alliance class? If the answer is yes, FAIA is excited to offer an in-person Ruble Graduate Seminar on July 15-16, 2021, in Marco Island. This class will be the first in-person Ruble FAIA has provided since the Covid 19 pandemic began over a year ago, and it will be our only in-person seminar this year. Our goal is to offer this seminar in a safe classroom environment to help those interested in getting face-to-face learning from some of the best insurance faculty in the country. If you have attended one of these sessions in the past, you know the location is a bonus! The Hilton Marco Island Beach ...
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Thinking About Digital Payments? Consider What Your Customers Want! A Case Study from ePayPolicy

By Preferred Provider
ePay Policy Case Study: Brown & Brown Makes a Customer-Centric Decision Based on an interview with Kelton Robinson, Accounting Leader, Brown & Brown Fort Lauderdale Kelton Robinson was new to the insurance industry when he joined Brown & Brown in 2018. He immediately looked for new ways to modernize the agency and knew that enabling payments online was one of the first steps. At the time, not many Brown & Brown offices offered digital payment options, but those that did recommended ePayPolicy. Being FAIA’s payment processor of choice was also a big plus. The ePayPolicy implementation was “seamless,” despite it happening at ...
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Friday Morning Live April 2, 2021: Medical Marijuana and the Drug Free Workplace

By Dave Newell
Medical Marijuana and the Drug Free Workplace We are excited to have our friends from Oceanus Partners, a Resource Pro company, Frank Pennachio and Susan Toussaint, on Friday Morning Live April 2, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. FAIA continues to receive questions on medical marijuana and the drug free workplace from a workers' compensation perspective. Learn the latest on this topic from Frank, along with a discussion on exempt corporate officers, premium audits, and the impact of COVID in the work comp system. In addition, Susan will lead us in a discussion on a virtual sales environment, prospecting, and post-COVID tips to engage your prospects. Elevating the conversation ...
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The 20-44 Academy Opens on April 5, 2021. Have you registered?

By Dave Newell
As the governor's emergency order continues to be in place, expiring on April 27, 2021, FAIA is kicking off the 20-44 Academy to assist those who would like to convert their 4-40 to a 20-44 Resident Personal Lines License. Below is the definition of what types of insurance a resident personal lines agent can perform. A "PERSONAL LINES AGENT" is defined as a general lines agent who is limited to transacting business related to property and casualty insurance sold to individuals and families for noncommercial purposes. The 20-44 license will allow the agent to work remotely without an emergency order in place. The FAIA 20-44 Academy is web-based learning, ...
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Trusted Choice Continues to Help Make-A-Wish Grant Wishes

By Julia Freeman
Trusted Choice continues to help Make-A-Wish grant wishes by participating in walks held throughout Florida. Out of an abundance of caution for everyone’s health, many of them have changed to virtual or virtual/in-person hybrid events this year, meaning anyone in Florida, and even outside of, can participate. Three weeks ago, the walk that usually takes place in Sunrise, spanned an entire weekend. I walked in my neighborhood in Gainesville. More than 600 individuals participated, and the walk raised enough to grant more than 55 wishes ! And Trusted Choice was a part of it thanks to Lisa Davis, Victoria Cyccone, Katie Martin, and Javier Cubas who joined the ...
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Join FAIA for Political Engagement Month

By BG Murphy
COVID-19 has affected how we operate on a daily basis, from how we navigate public places to how we attend business meetings. Though this time has created many challenges, it has created unique opportunities for all of us to connect in new ways. This year, FAIA made the decision to cancel our annual in-person Capitol Days event. As it stands, the Capitol is limiting in-person participation from the public, and our members would not be able to engage with their legislators in the same way they have in years past. Instead, I am excited to announce that throughout the month of February, we will host our first Political Engagement Month. Our hope is that this virtual ...
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2021 Trusted Choice® Marketing Reimbursement Program (MRP) Guidelines

By Paul Peeples
Trusted Choice will reimburse a portion of expenses incurred in 2021 by Big “I” members for cobranding advertising and marketing materials. This is not meant to replace your agency’s brand, but to complement it by including the Trusted Choice branding in your marketing efforts. There are 3 options of reimbursement provided by the MRP in 2021: Option 1: Up to $750 for use of the Trusted Choice logo on consumer-focused items. Cobranding with Trusted Choice - Digital Marketing Focused – *Open to all members (INCLUDING those that have used MRP before) Use of any of the Trusted Choice customizable campaigns or custom campaign ...
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A Farewell (Sort Of!)

By David Thompson
Hi Folks: I apologize for the somewhat impersonal way of this notification, but there are just too many of you to call personally. I’m sure I have left some folks off of this email so please feel free to send the link to this blog to your staff. I will be leaving FAIA as a full-time employee effective December 31, 2020. After a conversation with our new CEO, Kyle Ulrich, we decided that I would remain associated with FAIA (let’s just call it a “consultant”) going forward. I am pleased with that decision and appreciate Kyle’s offer. You’ll likely “see” me on webinars that I’ll continue to do, just on a more limited basis. In my personal travels (50 ...
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IMS Partner, Attune, Says, "Write a Policy and Get $300!

By Dave Burt
Attune is an admitted small commercial market that specializes in unique risks for FAIA members. They offer an online portal that allows you to quote, bind, and issue policies in as little as 3 minutes —completely online and paperless . You can access Attune’s products DIRECTLY through IMS. And they make it so easy: Five minutes, quote to bind Zero forms required Live customer support Paperless direct bill Data-driven underwriting Self-service endorsements There is no better time than right now to book your very first policy with Attune. Why? Because you’re now able to earn a $300 gift card for the first policy you book from now through ...
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It’s Bonus Time and It Pays to be an FAIA Member!

By Dave Burt
Each fall, I get the opportunity to share the results of the FAIA Member Services utilization bonus program; it’s truly one of my favorite times of the year! In 2020, we are returning over $200,000 in bonus awards to FAIA member agencies that qualify by simply taking advantage of the many helpful products and services offered by FMS. This year, 495 agencies qualified to earn a utilization bonus ranging between $300–$800. So, exactly how does the FMS utilization bonus program work? Each September, we begin tracking the usage of products and services offered by the preferred partners of FMS. For each product or service a member agency uses, points are earned. ...
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Why Emotional Intelligence is a Key to Leading Teams Through the Pandemic

By Preferred Provider
From our preferred providers, Work at Home Vintage Experts (WAHVE) It’s probably been a number of years since your mother turned to you from the front seat of the car on a family road trip and told you to pipe down commenting, “You just don’t know when enough is enough. Read the signs.” Now one could have interpreted that to mean stare out the window and silently read the road signs along the side of the road, but what she was really asking you to do was exercise some social cueing and recognize that laughing uncontrollably about the silly joke your sister told was funny for the first 10 seconds, good for the next 30 seconds, and downright annoying at the ...
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How Does Your Agency Use Trusted Choice’s Marketing Materials and Resources?

By Julia Freeman
Trusted Choice is the national marketing brand created exclusively for Big "I" members to help consumers understand the value an independent agent offers. It’s been around for more than 15 years and is designed to complement an agency’s marketing plan. Trusted Choice has created a variety of free materials for agents to use to market their agencies. Here is a brief rundown of the resources available . Trusted Choice Logo First and foremost, there’s the Trusted Choice logo . It is available for download in a variety of formats, including for printed materials, website use, and other marketing efforts. Marketing Campaigns and Content to Share Check out ...
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