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OKLAHOMA
VOICE
April 2010
Published monthly by United Farmers Agents Association, aka UFAA, Chapter 15 Eastern Oklahoma Chapter 15. The chapter meets the
first Wednesday of each month.
Next Chapter 15 Member Meeting: Wednesday, April 7th 11:30 AM |
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Chapter 15 will meet in the upstairs meeting room at the Silver Flame Restaurant located at the S/W corner of 61st & Sheridan, Tulsa.A
fixed cost of the meals @ $12.50 per person that includes meal, drink, tax,
gratuity and group appetizer. We'll have a choice of 5 entrees.
Lunch Menu Non-member agents welcome. .
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Mission Statement
The United Farmers Agents Association -UFAA-
is a professional association committed to helping our members through
education, communication, support and information and to establish a
true partnership with Farmers Group, Inc.Check out our website
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Oklahoma UFAA Contacts:
UFAA Chapter 15 serving Eastern Oklahoma
President- Mike Gately
918/481-3277 -Tulsa
UFAA Chapter 12 serving Central-Western Oklahoma:
President- Tony Reese 580/355-1335 - Lawton
UFAA Oklahoma Voice Editor
UFAA Oklahoma Voice Ads
To join an
Oklahoma UFAA Chapter
choose one closest to you and
contact the chapter.
Or, sign
up at the UFAA
Website.
United Farmers Agents Association Web Site
UFAA
Chapter 15 Newsletter Archive & Homepage Letters to the Editor
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Eastern Oklahoma Agents and DMs-
Send Message to Home Office
When Oklahoma Agents were polled last month on which song they would send to Home Office that best describes the current condition of their business, 93% of respondents related they were not happy with Farmers Management. 
Here are your poll results.
You can hear the songs again by mousing the song title below.
Rolling Stones- 1965
"No Satisfaction" 52%
Johnny Paycheck- 1977
"Take this job and shove it" 41%
 Sister Sledge- 1975
"We are Family" 4%
By the Family Foundation. Listen to the lyrics !
Kool and Gang- 1978
"It's a Celebration" 3%
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Have the results above improved since our March Agent's Poll?
You tell us.
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Pulse of the Agents: April Agent Satisfaction POLL |
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Greetings!
Will you be ready?
Will your staff be ready?
Will your clients be ready?
Will the Red Cross and rescue teams be ready?
Will Farmers, Foremost, 21st C, Zurich and the entire endurance Industry be ready?
Can it happen?
Will it happen?
See the 2012 predictions- just click the pic QUAKESChile, Taiwan, Haiti, Turkey and Japan all have had 6-plus earthquakes in the
last week, with Haiti experiencing a major aftershock after the 7.0
Haiti Earthquake. Whatever is going on, it's now clear to many that the
World is experiencing large earthquakes at a greater rate. Seems that earthquakes are already increasing in numbers and intensity in areas closer to home such as Sparks, Oklahoma 4.4 about 60 miles SW of Tulsa in Lincoln County.
Did movie trailer make you think of Quake-n-Flood?
Just may be good additional options with traditional P&C |
43% have less than $10k for
retirement
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com 3/9/0210 -- The percentage of American workers with
virtually no retirement savings grew for the third straight year,
according to a survey released Tuesday.
The percentage of workers who said they have less than $10,000 in
savings grew to 43% in 2010, from 39% in 2009, according to the Employee
Benefit Research Institute's annual Retirement Confidence Survey. That
excludes the value of primary homes and defined-benefit pension plans.
Workers who said they had less than $1,000 jumped to 27%, from 20% in
2009. Confidence in ability to save enough for a comfortable
retirement hovered at 16% of respondents, the second lowest point in the
20-year history of the survey.
A drop
in the bucket "Americans' attitudes toward retirement have
clearly tracked the economy the last couple of years, and that seems to
be the case in 2010," said Jack VanDerhei, EBRI's research director and
co-author of the survey, in a statement.
The percentage of workers
who said they have saved for retirement fell to 69%, from 75% in 2009.
While
VanDerhei attributed the decline in current savings rates to job
losses, mortgage problems and the suspension of corporate 401(k) matches
in 2009, he said the economy isn't entirely to blame.
"In
previous years, there were a whole lot of people who had nothing to
begin with," said VanDerhei.
The gap between what Americans have
saved and what they'd need for retirement is forcing workers to prolong
their working years. **
According to the survey, 24% of workers said they have postponed
their planned retirement age in the past year, up from 14% in 2008. But
even as fears over health care costs and job prospects mount, the
survey found that only 46% of workers have tried to calculate what they
need for a comfortable standard of living in their golden years. "People
just don't want to think about this," said VanDerhei. "Everybody thinks
they're too young to think about it, until suddenly they're too old to
do anything about it."
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If you wish to be excluded from future mailings please let us
know by emailing us at ufaa15@.gmail.com or by using the Unsubscribe feature at
the located within this document. Disclaimer - The Oklahoma Voice is published
twelve times per year for the United Farmers Agents Association, Chapter 15
Northeastern Oklahoma. The United Farmers Agents Association and the editor
neither assumes any responsibility for the accuracy of the articles or
advertisers, nor any liability arising from reliance upon them. The Oklahoma
Voice expresses it's appreciation to the many members who assist in and support
it's publication,. Opinions in the Oklahoma Voice do not necessarily express the
views of any single member or Chapter officer or UFAA organization. Products and
services advertised are not endorsed by this Chapter or United Farmers Agents
Association, Inc. Complaints or inquiries should be forwarded directly to the
advertiser. All purchases and services are at the complete discretion of the
consumer. Trademarks and/or logos are the respective products or trademarks of their respective
owners. |
Investments Down?
 $1,000
Finders fee for each new franchisee we sign that you have referred to us in the States of: OK, AR, KS, MO, TX Contact us at webersrootbeer.net
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Computer Bugs |
Scheduled FA2 renewal roll out was scheduled for April 19th in many states. This email was sent to Okla DMs.
*IMPORTANT* FA2 Renewals Delayed The final decision was made yesterday and
at the last minute it was decided that we [Okla] will delay the renewals
until June
22nd. The good news is it gives the agents more time to focus on NB not worrying about their existing customers.Additionally, the
customers
that they lost in December and January, they can now quote in FA2
(over 60
days). The major concern is that IT is unable to even
measure the magnitude of [FA2] defects during conversion. We don't
want that customer experience on our existing book. Stay tuned.
Farmers Insurance -
Oklahoma State Office
5314
South Yale Avenue, Suite 305
Tulsa, OK 74135
state office!
We don't need more half-baked computer programming running off our agency PIF and your bonus based GWP. Thanks. Okie Agency Force.
Some
of our past polls related to vital agent info sent through DMs that was not
forwarded to you. So, we ask in the Pulse of the Agents POLL
Please complete these 10 second one question polls.
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 Foremost Insurance offers tips for adult children of
aging parents that shouldn't be on the road Grand Rapids, MI (Vocus/PRWEB ) February 27, 2010 -- Foremost Insurance offers tips for adult children of aging parents that shouldn't be on the road. Convincing parents or other elderly family members to give up driving may be one of the most difficult and awkward conversations a person might have with their family member. Hopefully that conversation never has to happen. Many older people remain competent drivers, but the normal processes of aging can hamper driving ability as can medications that affect reflexes or judgment or both. Adult children need to be alert to whether it's time for their parents to hang up the car keys.
Here are some things to check on for parents or family members who may be reaching their driving age limit brought to you by Foremost. You may consider printing this as a handout when the subject arises. Be sure to enclose an auto x-date card too as it appears Farmers will insure the senile with good credit scores at great rates. -ed
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FARMERS-
  LATE BREAKING NEWS-
Farmers Agents Rock!
Company breaks into new market.
Oklahoma FA2 Successes
Shush- Keep this among us and don't let it get out to the competition. Some Oklahoma Agents have reported some great successes with the new FA2 policy premiums. As reported, "Those with good credit scores in age groups 70's and 80's have saved some big money with Farmers FA2 auto insurance over the competition."
While Foremost has them hang up their car keys, we now have a great new agent auto market for elderly leads. How about it LEAD CENTER? We are going from Good to Great in 2010. No, that's now changed to 2012 this time around with "NO RISK" exposure on bed-ridden drivers. What a great profit center. Is this our future customer base? There is good news. In the next 20 years the number of elderly drivers (persons 70 &
over) is predicted to triple in the United States. Good Selling. -ed
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 918-663-5848
Fire,
Water, Storm Damage & Other Perils
Full
Service Mitigation and
Reconstruction
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| Complimentary
Continuing Education on April 6 & 20
From Paul Davis Restoration
With the
new
increased in required CE hours for agents and CSR's, many persons have
asked when Paul Davis will be offering open CE classes. We have 2
scheduled so far, with more on the way.
The upcoming ones are Ethics for
Insurance
Professionals (3 hours) on Tuesday April 6 from 8:30 (registration at
8:15) to
11:30, followed by a lunch that we provide. It will be at the new
Safelite
Auto Glass building at 61st and 129th E. Ave in Broken Arrow.
The second course is Agency
Customer Service
(3 hours) on Tuesday April 20, at the same place and following the same
schedule. This deals, of course, with
communication and customer service skills, for both agents and
CSR's.
If you are interested in either one or both, please call or
email me
to register. We hope you or one of
your team can attend. ***Please register
early, as there are 16 seats in the training room, so this is on a
first-come/first-serve basis.***
Hope you can come!
www.RestorationTulsa.com
Tim Thurston
Paul Davis Restoration
"From Crisis to Calm
10344-B E. 58th St. Tulsa, OK 74146
Office: (918) 663-5848 Mobile: (918) 830-6422
Fax: (918) 663-4340
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Residential and Commercial
Edmond 405-330-0025
Tulsa 918-270-2888
Check out our website
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Bethel Collision Center in Broken ArrowBBB Rated A+
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News from around the country
Oregon
Toppers Club attendees
For
2005 production 79 agents qualified for Toppers Club
(Topper Club held in 2006).
I don't have 2006 numbers.
In 2007 24
agents qualified.
In 2008, 26 agents qualified.
In 2009, we
are down to 14 agents with a grand total of 1 agent qualifying for
Championship.
(last year 6 agents qualified). Looks like "Farmers Way" is quite a
success.
Oregon Agent
Seems they are throwing rocks at Farmers over on Insurance Journal Forums
Updated comments on Job Vent.com/Farmers
Employees fired up at 21st Century on Job Vent.com/21C
Caution: some language may not be appropriate on the above links. Reader discretion advised.
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Pulse of the Agents Results- March
Did your DM forward to you the Oklahoma State
Office email in this article concerning patio cover damage claims by
weight of snow being reviewed for coverage?
Yes 29%
No, I saw it in the Oklahoma Voice- Thanx! 71%
My district is DM free but, the state office
forwarded it to me. 0%
My district is DM free, I saw if first in the
Okla. Voice-Thanks! 0%
In the Colorado DM's email to agents advising on life production expectations with an attached email of the Colorado State Director we ask,
Do you believe the State Dir and DMs Emails above conform to the
FARMERSŪ CODE OF BUSINESS ETHICS AND PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
Yes 8%
No 92%
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Deductibles Up on Selected
New
Business Fire
Dear Oklahoma Voice,
Bulletin 10-0205 dated 3/15/2010 with this introduction- Homeowners new business minimum deductible
requirements.
"Minimum
deductible requirements on new business are being implemented in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and surrounding areas with high exposure to
weather events."
A similar bulletin 07-05363 on wood roof inspections was tried in Oklahoma and Tulsa Counties in July 2007 and state law
prohibited it as it discriminates in the underwriting and rating of a policy
against/for selected agents and their clients. Okie Agent
Okie Agent, Below is the Oklahoma law
you may be referring to. As to the "background" paragraph bulletin 10-0205 that states,
"Wind
and hail events have long been the most significant cause of loss to our book
of business in Oklahoma. As we have grown our policies in force,
our overall exposure to severe weather events has increased dramatically."
Is that statement correct?
Farmers own customer management tally on
dashboard shows households falling over a decade from 368,000 in Aug. 1999 to 262,000 Oklahoma households
in June 2009 and that lower number is strangely the same for Feb 2010. That equates to a loss of about a quarter of a million Oklahoma P&C PIF loss. This has the smell of a rate increase as premium plus the deductible is the true cost of most policies.- ed | Okla. State Stature T 36 1435.15
E.
It shall be unlawful for any insurer to discriminate among or between the
insurance producers it has appointed. Any person or company convicted of
violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and
shall be punished by the imposition of a fine of not more than Five Hundred
Dollars ($500.00) or imprisonment in the county jail for not less than six (6)
months nor more than one (1) year, or be punished by both said fine and imprisonment.
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Weather Channel
Most severe storm Yrs. 2000 +
According to a recent report on the National Weather Channel, the most severe storms since 2000 occurred in Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia & Tennessee.
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Call for Board up Service 24/7
 check out our website
Tulsa Broken Arrow
918/664-7904 918/258-7578 |
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Ads are now hot links to websites
Support Our
Advertisers
Please support and recommend our supporters.
Learn more about our advertisers as you or your clients may need their services in the future. Educate yourself so you can give your clients more detail about the services they offer.
You may mouse any of our valued ads in this issue for direct access to their informative and educational website.
ads rotated for 03/10 issue
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Which P/C insurer currently
has the best ads on TV? Farmers- 5%
Travelers- 19%
Allstate- 12%
Geico- 30%
Progressive- 23%
This insurance ad poll is still open on the Insurance
Journal website. The results above were posted as of 3/12/10 showing
Farmers last in the poll. You may click here to vote
and view the current vote tally.
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By Kim Komando  | Client Shareware so share it with your clients-
CREATE A HOME INVENTORY THE EASY & FREE WAY
Linda from Russell, NY, listens by downloading my shows
because she is a Kim's Club member. Recent natural disasters have got
her thinking. She wants to create a home inventory for insurance
purposes. And she wants to know her options.
That's a great topic, Linda. More people should keep
inventories. It makes dealing with the insurance company much smoother.
The easiest method is a spreadsheet. You can log all your
items and their serial numbers. Take some digital photos of your items
for additional documentation.
Of course, that won't help if your computer is destroyed. That
is where online solutions come into play. You can back up your
spreadsheet and photos with Carbonite (one of my
advertisers). Or you can sign up on an inventory site.
Know Your
Stuff is a service of the Insurance Information Institute. (How's
that for alliteration!) It's free. The Web site will guide you through
making an inventory. You can even upload pictures.
Once the inventory is created, you can access it from
anywhere. You can also print out your inventory.
Stuff Safe
is another free option. It works the same way as Know Your Stuff.
However, less personal information is required to sign up. You can also
get inventory reports in PDF or Excel format. Oklahoma
Voice has reprint rights. Copyright 2008 WestStar TalkRadio Network. Reprinted
with permission. No further republication or redistribution is permitted without
the written consent of WestStar TalkRadio Network. Visit Kim Komando and sign up
for her free e-mail newsletters www.komando.com
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How can you tell when Okies have had
too much snow?
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You Tube: Video of Race
Car Crash Busts Two for Alleged Auto Insurance Fraud of $76k Against Farmers. See it here
A.M. Best Affirms Ratings of Farmers Insurance Group,
Its Members and Farmers Group Inc.This article list companies that are members of Farmers from the AIG company purchases. The numbers are surprising for, perhaps, the independent channel.
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 When will Farmers Fix their "Failing" ratings with the BBB? We hate to bring this subject up again, but corporate ratings by the BBB could be damaging to both your independent business and the company. In fact, several issues ago, we printed an article advising Okie Agents to check their low BBB ratings appearing to be caused by low corporate ratings.
This is our third attempt in the last year to have Farmers work with the BBB to correct their "Failing" ratings in Oklahoma and California. The BBB rates companies similar to a scholastic grade from an A+ to F. You may click on the addresses for details and BBB inquiries, if available.
BBB Rated "F" on Oklahoma Claims Offices
Farmer's Insurance
BCO Phone:
(800) 445-8055 Address:
P.O. Box 268994 Oklahoma City, OK 73126
Farmer's Insurance Claim Office
Phone:
(800) 435-7764
Address:
PO Box 108815 Okla City, OK 73101
Farmers Insurance - Property
Phone:
(918) 660-8866
Address:
PO Box 470244 Tulsa, OK
74147-0244 Oklahoma State Office 5314 South Yale Suite 305
Tulsa, Ok rated B+
Other Farmers BBB RatingsP.O. Box 89-4729 Los
Angeles, CA
90189 Tel: (800) 435-7764 Fax: (866)
223-5727 BCORated FP.O. Box 30388 Los
Angeles, CA
90038-3088 Tel: (314) 995-3633 Fax: (314)
995-3624 BCO Rated B
P.O. Box 9075 Van
Nuys, CA
91409 Tel: (866) 857-5052 Fax: (323)
932-342 This is Home Office Rated A+ that is the only BBB Accredited business since 06/01/1951
Ratings per the BBB website as of 2/25/10.
Pulse of The Agents POLL |
Source: Smartmotorist.com
 | Adjusting Your Mirrors Correctly
Don't assume that modern car door mirrors adjust themselves or you could
be putting your life and others at risk. You need to adjust all three
of your rear view mirrors so that you get the widest view possible while
keeping your blind spots to a minimum. This is particularly important
on multi-lane highways where you may have to keep tabs on lanes on both
sides. Many drivers do not turn their outside mirrors out far enough and
simply duplicate the same scene in all three mirrors. Rule of thumb: If
you can see even a glimpse of the sides of your car in your outside
mirrors they are turned too far inwards.
Click the pic. Then, click adjusting mirrors in right column for more valuable info.
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 State Farm Follows 'Lose-One, Write-One' Policy State Farm gave consumers one part of its policy change when it
announced eight months ago it would resume issuing insurance policies in
Mississippi. What the company didn't say is it is writing policies on a lose-one,
write-one basis. So it will write a new homeowner's policy only if
another of its policies is canceled. "There is not unlimited growth. There is managed growth,'' State Farm
spokesman Roszell Gadson said.
"This is all part of managing our growth and making sure that we're
able to take care of all the risk that we take on in case there is a
catastrophe,'' Gadson said. State Farm stopped issuing polices in 2007, as it weathered Hurricane
Katrina-related claims and lawsuits.
An approved rate increase -- an average of 3.9 percent across the
state- took effect on Aug.1. The insurer still isn't writing policies in the state's three coastal
counties.
With the lose-one, write-one policy, agents are only allowed to have a
certain number of policies. If that agent drops below that number --
loses a customer --then he or she can write a new policy to replace the
lost business. Source; Ins. Journal 2/26/10
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Check out the UFAA  Chapter 15 Home Page
with more Farmers, industry news, lots of member benefit information, newsletter archives and breaking news too late to publish above.
Chapter 15 HOME PAGE Link
Have you missed past issues of the Okla. Voice? If you missed past issues due to the spam problems, you can access them on our home page link above.
- Well it has finally happened! Farmers Group Incorporated
(Management Company-Home Office) admitted the second week of March 2010
that they are actively blocking emails to the agency force as they see
fit.
- Recruiting Generation Y into your business.
- Small
Fish Makes Big Splash in the Online Insurance Industry
- UFAA E & O Update
- Powerful Search Lists Prospects for Insurance Agents
- Agents
tell carriers technology lacks ease of use
- Webcast on Information-Based Insurance
Marketing by A.M.Best
- Printer ink costs $10,000 per gallon. Save Money by Changing Your
E-mail's Font -
- Farmers Airship Returns to the skies
- Updated (03/2010) Okla. Ins. Dept. Auto & Home comparison rate charts
- Free Oklahoma Insurance License Printing
^ These articles and more on the home page link above. ^
Hot articles on our home page
Have you joined UFAA yet? We just can't make it much easier. Just mouse the logo above to obtain the membership application. Fill it out; attached a check and mail or use the bank card option and fax it to 1-314-631-7963. United we stand. Divided we fall. |
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