Tag Archives: client news

AAMGA Under Forty leaders and distinguished members featured on A.M. Best TV

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At the AAMGA Annual Meeting May 17 to 20, John Weber of A.M. Best discussed the U.S. wholesale insurance market with an expert panels of AAMGA members, including Hank Watkins, president of Lloyd’s America, Rodger Ware, incoming president of AAMGA, Nona McCreedy, COO of Aurora Underwriting, Matt Letson, president of AAMGA. View the discussion here.

John also spoke with leaders from the AAMGA’s Under Forty Organization (UFO) about how their membership helps them build alliances and advance the careers of young professionals. Check out the video at A.M. Best.

Sustainable Energy Fund hires Philadelphia firm to design an energy self-sufficient building

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Sustainable Energy Fund (SEF), a nonprofit non-governmental organization dedicated to educating, supporting and financing energy users seeking sustainable energy options, today announces it has awarded a contract to Re:Vision Architecture of Philadelphia to create a conceptual design for a commercially viable net zero commercial building.

As a net-zero project, the building will be extremely energy efficiency and create at least as much energy as it uses over a year from renewable energy. It will effectively minimize utility bills to a minimum monthly fee.

“SEF intends to show how a net-zero commercial office space can be commercially viable in the small office environment,” says John Costlow, president of SEF. “Net zero technology has been viable for some time but the challenge is to accomplish it at or near market rates while also significantly lowering traditional operating costs.”

Re:Vision Co-Founder and Principal Scott Kelly applauded SEF for inviting the architecture firm in early during the project’s concept stage.

“We’re thrilled to have found in SEF a partner focused on the end-goal of a net-zero building that is willing to bring in an architectural design partner so early in the development stages because early big moves have significant design and cost implications,” says Kelly. “There are multiple ways to get to net-zero in design and construction. Together, our shared goal is to create a compelling and efficient model that exemplifies SEF’s core mission and principles.”

Re:Vision was founded in 2002 as a green architecture firm dedicated to sustainability and transparent social and environmental performance standards.

Conceptual designs of the SEF project will be unveiled at EnergyPath 2015, held at the University of Scranton in July.

Addison Wolfe celebrates milestone, lands recognition in Courier-Times

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The Bucks County Courier-Times highlights a milestone for Addison Wolfe. The boutique real estate agency surpassed their $200 million sales mark last year, after only eight years of business. Headed by Art Mazzei, a retired schoolteacher, the agency specializes in high-end homes in Bucks County and the surrounding areas.

Mazzei dedicates Addison Wolfe’s success to their personal touch on each listing and quality service they give to each client.

Addison Wolfe, a client of Kimball Communications, is located in New Hope, Penn. Learn further about Addison Wolfe’s milestone in the Courier-Times article and short video interviewing Mazzei.

Lloyd’s announces new multi-year binding authority agreements

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AAMGA noted as being integral to this new, streamlined process

Lloyd’s, the world’s specialist insurance market, today issued a market bulletin announcing it is changing its requirements to allow multi-year binding authority agreements of up to 36 months. The bulleting lays out the new process and requirements, while also recognizing the American Association of Managing General Agents (AAMGA) for its years of advocacy on this important issue for Lloyd’s coverholders. The new agreements will take effect in 2016.

“We’ve been advocating for this change for several years to provide peace of mind and security – and frankly good business practices – for all Lloyd’s coverholders,” noted Roger Ware, president of AAMGA. “We met with Lloyd’s Chairman John Nelson as recently as May of this year at our Annual Meeting in Maryland to again press the issue, and we’re pleased to learn of Lloyd’s actions today.”

Currently, Lloyd’s coverholders can only enter into binding authority agreements of up to 18 months, while in most cases these agreements are renewed annually. Under the new multi-year binding authority agreements, Lloyd’s coverholders will be able to establish these agreements for up to 36 months. A streamlined annual confirmation component is included, in which Lloyd’s will send a simple form to its coverholders each November or December requesting appropriate confirmation of binding authority.

Grant Kimball, president of Canadian-based Angus-Miller, an associate member of AAMGA, applauded the change to Lloyd’s binding authority agreements.

“Lloyd’s listened to our industry representatives, reviewed the market landscape and made an appropriate and practical decision,” noted Kimball. “These multi-year agreements will take some of the guess work out of renewing business as well as make it easier to work effectively and efficiently with Lloyd’s.”

TeenCentral.Net Educates Teens about Dating Violence

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Online graphic novel educates teens about domestic violence, offers resources

Schnecksville, Pa. – One in three teens will experience some form of abuse from someone they are dating. To raise awareness of dating violence and help abused teens get help, TeenCentral.Net today announces the launch of ‘A Good Date Gone Bad.’

This online graphic novel – another in a series of themed sections on TeenCentral.Net – provides teenagers with information about domestic violence, including signs of dating violence, advice to handle an abusive date, and a safety plan to help teens avoid abuse.

“Although we hear about domestic violence in the news sometimes, dating violence among teens, which occurs with alarming frequency, is rarely discussed in public,” says Julius Licata, Ph.D., director of TeenCentral.Net. “Teens often don’t know what is normal or abnormal in a relationship. Because they may not recognize certain behaviors as abusive, ‘A Good Date Gone Bad’ offers insight and help for teens with concerns.”

‘A Good Date Gone Bad’ provides an interactive quiz to help teens identify if they are in an abusive relationship followed by steps on how get help. The steps include a list of certified websites and hotlines for victims to call. Another important section of the site is the safety plan, which encourages teens to have a plan in place that has been shared with trusted individuals to lower chances of being abused.

ABOUT TEENCENTRAL.NET
TeenCentral.Net is a unique prevention, intervention and aftercare website developed by KidsPeace, a national not-for-profit mental and behavioral healthcare charity headquartered in Lehigh Valley, Pa. TeenCentral.Net’s mission is to help teens safely and anonymously tell their stories and receive sound advice within 24 hours from specially trained volunteers and counselors. All postings by teens and volunteers are reviewed by Master’s level clinicians before appearing on the site. To learn more, visit TeenCentral.Net.

Shawn Yingling Takes the Helm at Glatfelter Healthcare Practice

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York, Pa. — May 5, 2014 — Glatfelter Program Managers (GPM), a strategic business unit dedicated to Glatfelter Insurance Group’s program business, has appointed Shawn Yingling as president of Glatfelter Healthcare Practice, effective today. Yingling is currently president of Glatfelter Religious Practice (GRP) and will maintain this role.

Yingling is a 26-year veteran of insurance program business. In 1988, he joined Glatfelter as a commercial underwriting specialist for the VFIS program, and then joined the Claims Department as a liability claims representative. Later, he was promoted to regional marketing representative for Glatfelter’s Ambulance Insurance Services, served as a producer for VFIS and then was promoted to Pennsylvania marketing and sales manager. In 2012, he was hired to lead GRP.

Licensed in all states, Yingling’s insurance designations include: Associate in Underwriting (AU), Associate in Claims (AIC), Accredited Advisor of Insurance (AAI), Associate in Insurance Services (AIS), Associate in Customer Services (ACS) and Certified Professional Insurance Agent (CPIA). He is currently working toward the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Associate in Management (AIM) designations. Yingling holds a bachelors’ degree from the Pennsylvania State University.

Sue Federinko, who led GHP as a senior vice president since 2013, retains this title as she moves to a leadership role on GHP’s sales team and assumes responsibility for all relationships with the program’s “Most Valuable Producers (MVPs).” She will also oversee all GHP territory east of the Mississippi and is responsible for expanding GHP’s distribution.

About Glatfelter Program Managers (GPM)
GPM (www.glatfelters.com/specialty_insurance_programs.asp) is a strategic business unit dedicated to Glatfelter Insurance Group’s program business. Based in York, Pa., GPM is one of the premier managers and recognized specialists of niche markets in the country. GPM manages and markets several specialty programs, including VFIS for fire departments, ambulance and rescue squads, and 911 centers; Glatfelter Public Practice for educational institutions, municipalities, independent school bus contractors and water/sewer entities; Glatfelter Healthcare Practice for skilled care, assisted living, independent living, continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), personal care and group homes, hospice, home health care agencies and other private homecare agencies; and Glatfelter Religious Practice for churches, synagogues, temples and other religious institutions.

Cohen Feeley Marks 20 Years With Scholarships for Best of the Best

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BETHLEHEM, Pa., April 21, 2014 – On May 17 Cohen, Feeley, Altemose & Rambo will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its Annual Best of the Best Scholarships Program. The law firm will award scholarship assistance to 37 Lehigh Valley, Hunterdon and Warren County high school students at the Event Center at Blue in Bethlehem.

The Best of the Best Scholarship Program was established by Martye Cohen and Dennis Feeley in 1994 to recognize one outstanding high school student from each high school in the Lehigh Valley. The program added 10 high schools in Hunterdon and Warren counties in 2013.

“The kids receiving these scholarships are selected through a committee that considers their academic achievements, extracurricular activities and the challenges they have overcome to excel at school and in life,” explained Martin D. Cohen, founding partner of the personal injury and commercial litigation law firm. “They are, without question, the best of the best.”

In addition, one male and one female from the Lehigh Valley and Warren and Hunterdon Counties is selected from the 37 honorees to be named overall Best of the Best. Two other students from all the applicants are granted the Team Capital Bank Community Service Award.

“Martye and I started Best of the Best 20 years ago to help make a difference in people’s lives,” said Dennis Feeley, a partner at Cohen, Feeley, Altemose & Rambo. “In the past 20 years we’ve provided assistance to nearly 700 area high school students and helped improve their lives and their communities at the same time.”

In the spirit of the program’s efforts to give back, the law firm also makes charitable donations in the name of each award recipient to a charity of the student’s choice.

The scheduled keynote speaker for the May 17 breakfast ceremony will be Temple Law School Dean JoAnne A. Epps.

ABOUT COHEN FEELEY
Cohen Feeley, Altemose & Rambo is a personal injury and commercial litigation law firm serving the needs of those in the Lehigh Valley and beyond for more than 30 years. Cohen, Feeley Altemose & Rambo has offices in Bethlehem and Allentown, Pa. For more information, please visit www.cohenfeeley.com

NAPCO Report: Low Property Catastrophe Losses and New Capital Drive Down Pricing and Increase Competition Among Insurers

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State of the Market Insights Report asks whether the continued increase in industry capital from non-traditional sources will force insurers to rethink products and pricing

Iselin, N.J. — April 8, 2014 — With low global insured catastrophe losses and added capacity from non-traditional market sources, insurers have become increasingly competitive and are reducing rates for most accounts. This is a key takeaway from State of the Market: NAPCO Property Catastrophe Insights report from NAPCO, a wholesale insurance broker with expertise in the property catastrophe market.

Drawing on broker and insurer insights, as well as industry wide statistics, this report analyzes property-catastrophe insurance industry performance in 2013, catastrophe losses and trends for 2014.

“While catastrophe model guidance and rating agency pressure continue to play an important role in pricing and evaluating risks, the continued increase in the industry’s capital – including new capital from non-traditional sources – is changing how pricing is done,” says David Pagoumian, CEO of NAPCO. “These developments may begin to disrupt old business models and force insurers to rethink products and pricing.”

According to Pagoumian, brokers who understand the marketplace have an opportunity to help clients figure out when to remarket programs and how to structure programs to provide better coverage and pricing.

Key report findings include:

  • At about $31 billion, 2013 global catastrophe losses were well below the 10-year average, with no one event proving capable of affecting pricing.
  • Insurers’ net income rose 55 percent to $43 billion, thanks to strong growth in premiums and low catastrophe losses.
  • New capital from non-traditional sources now totals $50 billion, and catastrophe bonds are being used to protect against a wider array of risks.
  • Low catastrophe losses plus competition from alternative markets are driving down the price of reinsurance, 10 to 25 percent on loss-free accounts.
  • The frame habitational and commercial flood insurance markets remain difficult.
  • After raising rates in 2012 following a CAT model release, insurers kept rates relatively stable throughout most of 2013; in 2014 expect a soft market where insurers offer lower prices and plenty of capacity.

Download the full Fall 2013 State of the Market report at http://bit.ly/SOTMSpring14 for a deeper analysis of these trends detailed placement considerations for brokers.

About NAPCO
NAPCO (www.napcollc.com) is a leading wholesale broker of commercial property insurance coverage, providing retail agents and brokers with an efficient, single-source independent marketing arm for difficult placements that have significant exposure. The company utilizes in-depth research and sophisticated risk modeling to implement coverage and cost-effective programs. Headquartered in Iselin, N.J., NAPCO provides access to the global insurance market, including major and specialty domestic carriers, excess and surplus lines markets, reinsurers and international providers.

Cohen Feeley Altemose & Rambo Takes Time For Lehigh Valley Big Brothers Big Sisters Event

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BETHLEHEM, Pa., March 4, 2014 – Cohen Feeley Altemose & Rambo, a Lehigh Valley personal injury and commercial litigation law firm, was an event sponsor for Bowl for Kids’ Sake on Sunday, March 2, 2014. The annual event is hosted by Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Lehigh Valley and was held from 9 a.m to 4 p.m. at the AMF Parkway Lanes in Allentown.

The law firm received a Corporate Sponsor Award for making a $1,000 donation to the event. Employees of the firm volunteered their time to participate and bowl for the children. Cohen, Feeley, Altemose & Rambo has supported Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Lehigh Valley for more than 20 years.

ABOUT COHEN FEELEY
Cohen Feeley, Altemose & Rambo is a personal injury and commercial litigation law firm serving the needs of those in the Lehigh Valley and beyond for more than 30 years. Cohen, Feeley Altemose & Rambo has offices in Bethlehem and Allentown, Pa. For more information, please visit www.cohenfeeley.com

ReSource Pro Named a Top 100 Best Human Resource Management Company

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NEW YORK – ReSource Pro, a leading provider of business process management solutions for the insurance industry, has been named to the list of Top 100 Best Human Resource Management (HRM) Companies operating in China. This is ReSource Pro’s fourth time being listed as a Top 100 Best HRM Company since the list began in 2006.

The independent panel of judges that selected ReSource Pro identify companies that distinguish themselves based on a series of criteria that include training, employee benefits, leadership development programs, and an outstanding dedication to making the workplace a postive and rewarding experience.

The list is compiled annually by 51job (Nasdaq: JOBS), a leading human resource solutions provider with 25 offices in mainland China serving hundreds of thousands of domestic and multinational companies.

“We pride ourselves on building a culture that respects and provides opportunities to our people because it aligns with our values and returns better results to our clients,” said ReSource Pro CEO Dan Epstein.

Headquartered in Manhattan, ReSource Pro recently announced the opening of a third China office in the city of Huangdao.

About ReSource Pro
ReSource Pro LLC, a premier provider of business management process solutions, was named one of the top 100 global outsourcing companies by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals, and has appeared on the Inc. magazine list of fastest growing US companies in the past five years. ReSource Pro is focused on productivity growth for more than 160 of its insurance business clients including retail and wholesale brokers, MGAs, program administrators, carriers, and TPA’s. For more information, please visit www.ReSourcePro.com.