2016
Breach Blankets: Statutes in NY, NJ, CT Prescribe Notification Rules for Data Breaches
Survey of Data Breach Notification Statutes By James Westerlind, Arent Fox LLP INTRODUCTION Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania have enacted data breach notification statutes which apply to any business (including any insurance company or insurance producer) that acquires, owns or licenses computerized data that includes personal information of […]
Charting Courses
Engagement Labs, a technology and data company, has ranked the top ‘Total Social’ insurance companies in the U.S. based on online and offline conversations. Here are the top five Total Social insurance companies in the U.S. as well as the top five Total Social insurance companies based on only offline and online performance. When analyzing […]
Fooled by a Phisher; Business or Hobby; Hurricanes and Civil Authority Orders; Cat Bonds Come of Age
Aqua Star, a New York fish importer, received an email supposedly from one of its suppliers, a fish exporter in China, instructing Aqua Star to change the bank information it used to wire payments to the supplier. Aqua Star’s employees complied with the request. Unfortunately, the supplier’s computer had been hacked and the instruction came […]
Ethics is its Own Reward
This summer, I participated in a webinar on ethics, offered by PIA and taught by Steve Lyon. Steve is the cream of the crop when it comes to teaching continuing education courses for our industry. I always encourage those who want something more than just credit from their professional education to take PIA’s classes—but especially […]
Metamorphosis
The independent agency business is going through a metamorphosis. The slow but steady caterpillar that served the public so well for so many years has become wrapped up in a cocoon of change and now must break out into an agile and quick flying modern day butterfly if it intends to survive. There are many […]
What’s Your End-of-Year Plan?
Kids are back to school, Pumpkin Spice is everywhere and the leaves are changing. For our area it’s the most perfect time of year. While all may be distracted by football, we should be getting serious about how we want to end the year. What are all the little projects, goals and details you wanted […]
Protecting Your Client — and Your Bottom Line — with a Crisis PR Plan
By Katherine Heaviside Here’s how it usually works. You’re finally enjoying a well-deserved day off when frantic coworkers begin sending you texts and emails about XYZ Company, your agency’s biggest client. There’s been a data breach impacting tens of thousands of customers. The company is all over social media and popping up on mainstream news […]
Does Improving the Customer Experience Matter to Your Bottom Line?
There are many traditional and non-traditional practices related to giving a great customer experience. Insurance companies are spending millions of dollars on studying what is working and what is not, but the million dollar question is this: how many independent insurance agencies are actually investing in a rewarding customer experience? My guess is not enough, […]
Intentional and Wrongful Eviction Not Covered
A“Wrongful Eviction” May or May Not Be Intentional Liability insurance policies, under the personal injury cover, agree to insure against certain offenses, including the offense of wrongful eviction. In State Farm Fire and Cas. Co. v. Otten, Not Reported in N.W.2d 2016, Court of Appeals of Minnesota, WL 2946110 (May 23, 2016), was asked to […]
