AAIS has filed a
new "Motorized Vehicles" endorsement under its
Homeowners and Farmowners programs in Ohio, with an effective date of Oct. 1, 2010.
The new endorsement allows companies to
provide personal or farm personal liability coverage for
on-premises use of motorized vehicles not designed for
public roads, even if those vehicles must be registered with
the state.
Liability coverage for registered motor vehicles
is almost universally excluded from personal liability
policies, and reserved for auto policies. The new endorsement,
once approved, will be rated on a ‘refer to company’ basis.
The filing responds to an Ohio law
requiring "all-purpose" vehicles to be registered, no matter
where they are used. Upon taking effect, the endorsement
will allow companies to continue to provide coverage for
on-premises use of vehicles not designed for public roads.
AAIS continually monitors developments
in the insurance of new types of vehicles. A free online
report on
"Unconventional Motorized Vehicles" is currently
available.
Insurers that use the AAIS Inland Marine Guide and
AAISdirect will have access to a new automated online
rating worksheet for the Transit class as of Friday, Aug. 13,
2010.
The new Transit rating worksheet
provides an automated rating system for policies written
under the countrywide Rev 05 07 rating procedures. It was
developed using '.NET' technology, and has user-friendly
navigation and data entry to make it easier to rate policies
and provide quotes.
Among other things, the worksheet
provides:
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A quote summary prior to printing;
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The ability to save quotes for up to one
month; and
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Free-form fields to
document risk features (exposures and controls).
For information on using the Inland
Marine Guide or AAISdirect, contact
Rick Maka, director of marketing, at
rickm@AAISonline.com,
or by calling 800-564-AAIS, ext. 222.
SpeedBuilder
Systems, LLC, Columbia, S.C., a leading provider of
software and services for the insurance industry, recently
announced that Missouri-based Barton Mutual Group has
successfully implemented BindExpress Portal and several
other components of the BindExpress Suite.
The new system enables Barton and its
independent agents to quote and bind new business policies
for the crime, glass, BOP, liability, and CPP lines of
business, with endorsements soon to follow.
SpeedBuilder Systems’ BindExpress
Product Configurator, BindExpress Rating, and BindExpress
Underwriting components power the portal’s once-and-done,
straight through processing using all AAIS rates, rules, and
forms.
“BindExpress has transformed our commercial lines service,”
said Joel Dermott, CIO of Barton Mutual Group, an AAIS
member company. “Agents love the flexibility of getting
quotes themselves at any time. Since we now capture all
required information up front, our underwriters can focus on
reviewing risks and not chasing paper, improving overall
efficiency for submissions. It’s a true win-win.”
SpeedBuilder Systems, an AAIS associate member, offers
enterprise-class solutions for small-to-medium sized P&C
insurance carriers.
The BindExpress Suite is an integrated
set of components including policy administration, rating,
automated underwriting, agent and consumer portals, product
configuration, billing, automated workflow, analytics, and
document generation.
For more information, contact Gordon L.
Gaar, vice president, at
media@speedbuildersystems.com, or by calling
803-227-0225, ext. 467.
Town and Country
Computer Services (TCCS), Schenectady, N.Y. recently
announced that their software, INS PRO, insurance
applications now includes the capability to quote
businessowners, homeowners, and mobile-homeowners policies
online.
According to a company statement, the
new web-based quoting capability is a solution for carriers
dealing with agents’ time constraints and quick turnaround
in today's highly competitive market. With INS PRO Web
Quoting, an agent can process a quote online in a matter of
minutes.
The system also enhances accuracy on
carrier quotes when utilizing in-house rates and the
auto-underwriting controlled settings for customization and
control. Other recent enhancements include the ability to
attach picture and other documentation to a quote, as well
as to retrieve and modifying existing quotes.
Town and Country Computer anticipates
giving carriers the flexibility to customize and control the
quoting experience for the agents in a beneficial way.
For more information, contact Kerri
Goyette, marketing specialist, at kgoyette@tccs-inspro.com,
or by calling 800-388-7779.
SpeedBuilder Systems and TCCS are
associate members of AAIS. For information on becoming an
associate member, contact Rick Maka, director of
marketing, at rickm@AAISonline.com, or by calling
800-564-AAIS, ext. 222.
To support
ongoing efforts to monitor liability exposure, AAIS invites
insurers to share any information they have on claims or
potential claims arising from electronic communications, such as
e-mail, text messaging, online social networks, and more.
Research by AAIS and other organizations
indicates that the rapidly growing use of electronic
communications by individuals and organizations creates vastly
greater exposure for personal injury claims, as well as
potential for bodily injury and property damage claims.
Starting in 2006, AAIS has
revised its Homeowners personal injury provisions to
explicitly address what is covered and not covered regarding
electronic communications. Today, language addressing
"electronic aggression" is being contemplated for an upcoming
revision of the AAIS Personal Umbrella Program.
Companies seeking to provide input on this
topic can respond to Joseph Harrington, AAIS director of
corporate communications, at
joeh@AAISonline.com.
Companies are always invited to submit
information about new and emerging exposures through the
AAIS
Alert feature on the AAIS public website.
