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2010 Post Vegas Convention Issue
OKLAHOMA

VOICE
JULY 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, July 7th 11:30 AM

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.

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

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

United Farmers Agents Assn. National Office 800-275-2662
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

2010 UFAA CONVENTION CONCLUDES with great
Speakers, Education & Agency Operations

Gordie Bunch President & CEO of The Woodlands Financial Group (TWFG) and Insurance Services to agents

Convention Delegates in session

X-DM Mike Pexa featured speaker on "Life after Farmers"

Pledge of Performance - Gordie Bunch
Trusted Choice agencies are insurance and financial services firms whose access to multiple companies and commitment to quality service enable us to offer our clients competitive pricing, a broad choice of products and unparalleled advocacy. As a Trusted Choice agency, we are dedicated to you and are committed to treating you as a person, not a policy.

TWFG Insurance Services is open 5 days a week from 8:00am to 5:30pm. Customer Service: 866-367-3424

President Tom Schrader closes 2010 UFAA Convention

UFAA Tech Reed Conger speaks on computer issues

E&O Broker Kevin Dahlke speaks on UFAA E&O Policy

UFAA 2010 Convention Report

Oklahoma UFAA Chapters recently returned from the UFAA National 2010 Convention held in Las Vegas Jun 8, 9, 10. We joined with scores of other UFAA Association Delegates from across the country to discuss the issues faced by agents. Many subjects were discussed to improve the agent's independent contractor status. Several great ideas were presented to improve subjects from MVR charges, agents production goals, to DARG and terminations. Lawyers were present to assist member's goals to true independence.

Although, many of the ideas had outstanding merit, the overall consensus was the vast number of non-member agents that consider themselves employees and will not involve themselves to improve their own independent status. This is sad, as the companies have seemed to placed more requirements, documentation, costs and pressure onto the agency force to increase field production while lowering corporate costs. Employee-mindset agents have seemingly embraced these changes to the point of their own demise. Agents have lost most of their independent controls while the company has taken more control of your agency and the processes within your agency. This severely affects the efforts of UFAA to protect the agent independence.

Rates were of particular concern from most all delegates in attendance. Policy rate run-off has been rampant in most of the operating territories while agent's success in growing their agencies is failing. PIF, NB commissions and renewals have declined, some seriously, along with contract values of agencies.

This trend is expected to continue, unless agencies pour thousands of dollars into their agency monthly to severely increase their marketing programs, producers, quotes, employees and hours of operations. Many, if not most, feel this is impossible due to the increased costs verses the low percentage of sales developed from such programs.

One agent made a point that Farmers Agents are doing the same thing that 21st Century does by marketing the masses with vast media exposure while writing a severely lower percentage, if any. The difference, he pointed out, under corporate pressure, agents take on a similar 21st Century marketing program paying the majority of the costs while the benefits on such a small agency scale are not profitable to continue.

Many agents have dropped such programs after spending thousands of dollars only to discover they cannot Are agents heading for a train wreck?

compete with the media blitz of Progressive's Insurance store, Geico's mass media ads, along with State Farm, Allstate. 21st Century and many others. The competition is furious and the small agency cannot effectively compete with limited, although expensive, marketing exposure.

Products were another issue that agent's discussed, where so many changes, additions, deletions and modifications occur so frequently that an agency cannot keep up and confidence sputters as they question coverage and the accuracy of their own system input as results are based on non-competitive rates against the majority of competing companies. Are we just going through the motions?

Is your business becoming or already a train wreck?

The old saying of,"I don't get to drive the train, blow the whistle or ring the bell. But, let the darn thing jump the track, and see who catches hell," is very true.

Over the years and due to their `silence is their approval,' agents have lost their strong positions of being partially in the driver's seat as field underwriters and blowing the horn and operating the bell to a point today of just being along for the ride. Your requests for underwriting changes or exceptions is a dead issue with Farmers That must change and the riders must stand up, get an aggressive attitude to grow their agencies and move to the front car to take over more control of the train.Your agency, your income and your success of your barely independent business is at stake. The company will survive without you.

What options do you have? Hiding behind your desk the rest of the year and hoping business will improve? You will likely agree that you've done that way too long already. Join with others that know your plight and expand your voice to a level to be heard. It's impossible to be heard as one. It's easy be be heard as a crowd in unison calling for the common goals of equality of agency and company success. Remember, your silence is your approval. Farmers recognizes this and takes great advantage of you and other agents. We await to hear your response by clicking the "Join UFAA Now" logo below. -ed

Click logo above to obtain UFAA Membership App

Click logo above to view the UFAA Website

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.

Annualized 2010 Oklahoma Agent/DM loss Nearly 25%
More agents have evaporated based on the Oklahoma Voice returned email stats for the period of Jan to June, 2010. We recently updated our email address listing for the June Issue and 30 addresses came back NON-EXISTENT from the May & June issues listed below-

You may click on the Queen logo

lgimlin@farmersagent.com          acolum@farmersagent.com okmbl54@aol.com    tjohnson4@farmersagent.com mjones@farmersagent.com    jgonzales1@farmersagent.com    jhendren@farmersagent.com     wmoore@farmersagent.com hgonzalez@farmersagent.com      bhill1@farmersagent.com awilliams@farmersagent.com mlippitt@farmersagent.com dwilson@farmersagent.com         calonso@farmersagent.com mhankins1@farmersagent.com rroberts2@farmersagent.com dhopper@farmersagent.com hnguyen4@farmersagent.com rdavis1@farmersagent.com     bwillis@farmersagent.com swilson4@farmersagent.com        tcurran@farmersagent.com msullivan2@farmersagent.com     bvaughn@farmersagent.com dmarler@farmersagent.com jlee@farmersagent.com
jmoore7@farmersagent.com      jrichardson6@farmersagent.com
sperry1@farmersagent.com         stubby1@farmersagent.com

According to our returned email stats, here are the number each month.
Jan. 5, Feb. 11, Mar. 6, Apr. 6, May 5, Jun. 25, Total 58 for first 6 months of 2010.* That's nearly 12% of the Oklahoma Agency Force in six months or 24% annually! The Oklahoma State Office reported in a May newspaper article Oklahoma had 503 Farmers Agents ranking in the top 5 states following California #1 and Texas #2 in Farmer's branded marketing territory. That number may have been incorrect or it's much lower today.

It appears two DMs listed above no longer exist- Al Williams and Mike Lippitt. We really hate to see Lippitt leave as he is a real agent's agent and great DM from all the reports we have heard. He has two sons, Richard and Steve that are agents in Grove and Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Lippitt did not overcrowd the smaller northern Oklahoma towns with agents, non-conforming to Farmers demands of one agent per 6,000 population. That, among other reasons, got Lippitt terminated two years ago and he litigated Farmers and kept his DM position for 48 of his 50 year goal. Unfortunately, it appears, he too is another one to bite the dust with Farmers. * numbers based on our returned mail from farmersagent.com addresses may not agree with state numbers.

Oklahoma Agents and DMs
Send Message to Home Office
June - 2010 Poll Results
Oklahoma Agents have been polled for the last 4 months on which song they would send to Home Office that best describes the current condition of their business, The March poll showed 93% dissatisfied jumping to 100% in April. However, 92% of May respondents relate they are not happy with Farmers Management following 2 months of waiting on FA2 promises. Now, June tied the April rating of 100% dissatisfaction among the agent poll respondents.

Previous Poll Satisfaction Results
No Satisfaction Take This Job We Are Family It's a Celebration

March: 50% 43% 4% 3% (Prior to FA2)
April: 79% 21% 0% 0% (Intro of FA2)

May: 65% 27% 5% 3% (1 mo. into FA2)

Here are your poll results for June (2 mos. into FA2)
You can hear the songs again by mousing the song title below.

Rolling Stones- 1965
"No Satisfaction" 88%

Johnny Paycheck- 1977
"Take this job and shove it" 12%

Sister Sledge- 1975
"We are Family" 0%

Kool and Gang- 1978
"It's a Celebration" 0%



	Have the results above improved since our June Agent's Poll? You tell us.
	Pulse of the Agents: July Agent Satisfaction POLL
	Okla. Voice polls are confidential as we cannot tract your vote.

Do you have a poll question we can ask the agents? Let us know by email

Check out our website

Residential & Commercial

Edmond 405-330-0025
Tulsa 918-270-2888

At Red River Roofing, our goal is to provide you the proper information to make the best roofing decisions. Should you have any additional concerns, questions, or comments, please do not hesitate to contact either of our offices.

< Hail Loss Claims Up 61% While,

Suspicious Claims Up 136% >

June 3, 2010 Insurance Journal

The number of hail loss claims filed with insurers increased by 61 percent, from 256,000 in 2006 to over 413,000 in 2009.

At the same time, the number of claims referred for suspected fraud increased by 136 percent, from 301 in 2006 to 711 in 2009, according to a National Insurance Crime Bureau report that examines both hail loss claims and hail loss questionable claims (QCs) for the period Jan. 1, 2006 through March 31, 2010.

During this period, Texas was the top state in both hail loss claims and hail loss QCs with 298,798 claims and 521 QCs. The top 10 states represented 75 percent of the total number of hail losses and 82 percent of the QCs.

Illinois had the highest ratio of hail loss QCs to claims, with 881 hail loss QCs for every 1,000 hail loss claims. Nearly nine of every 1,000 claims filed for hail loss were deemed suspicious enough to forward to NICB for further investigation.

"These statistics back up what our agents have been experiencing in their field investigations," said Joe Wehrle, NICB president and CEO. "There are a lot of unscrupulous fly-by-night roofers and repairmen who are what we call 'storm chasers.' They follow the storms and deliberately try to rip off unsuspecting home owners and their insurers by making unnecessary repairs or deliberately inflicting intentional damage to a roof or siding to try to get insurance money."

The National Insurance Crime Bureau, headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill., is supported by nearly 1,100 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insurers.

June Pulse of the Agents Poll Results

Did your DM forward you an email invitation from the state office to visit the MOCC Claim Bus while it was in OKC or Tulsa?

YES- 20%
NO- 80%

Have you signed an authorization allowing Farmers to deduct MVR costs from your monthly commission payments?

YES- 0%
NO- 100%

MVR charges has become a widely discussed issue across our operating territory. Not only are agents being charged for validated no sales, where the premium is hiked, Many are NOT being credited for MVRs on validated sales made. Another issue discussed is that we believe all deductions made from agent's folio have been previously agent authorized such as benefits, marketing, CU loans, etc.

According to Farmers Oklahoma Final Legislative Update

Fee Increases that Passed One bill we were unable to stop (SB1556) will impact the company and the agents. This bill raises motor vehicle reports (MVRs) from $10 to $25, effective July 1, 2010. This was part of the revenue enhancements that the governor and legislative leadership agreed upon in the
last week of session, and negotiation requests were refused. Farmers will attempt to place a sunshine clause (expiration date) on this increase in a future legislative session. (That is more accurately referred to as a Sunset Provision in legislative terms)

Also, see John Lucido's FB No:10-0488 Date: June 30, 2010. Bulletin states "With the system
change, the cost per MVR in Oklahoma will change from $12.76 to $27.78. If you have questions, contact your Service Operations at (888) FARMERS." Your options are Auto press 1, Home 2, Billing 3, Umbrella 4, Agent Tech Support 5, Additional departments 6, If you know the person's extension press 9. Questions on Auto 2.0 press 8.

This editor called on the MVR bulletin and was placed on internal hold. When the line was answered the underwriter said. "Call your state office on agent charges for MVRs. So, here is the number 918-496-3244. Should you call?

It is believed the MVR pricing shown in the field bulletin is incorrect. There is a 27.6% up charge on the $10.00 MVR. The state's vendor charges 23% of that up charge according to the Tulsa World. So, who gets the other 4.6%? It is believed the new $25.00 pricing for MVRs will actually be $31.90 with the up charge when it appears on your folio deductions. Farmers cost should be $30.75. Remember, your continued silence is your approval. So, get on the phone or email your protest to the state office. We will print your protest copy in the next issue of the Oklahoma Voice signed by Okie Agent. -ed

So, why is no authorization required on MVR deductions by Farmers? Would you sign it?

Pulse of the Agents Poll #1

Pulse of the Agents Poll #2

918-663-5848
Fire, Water, Storm Damage & Other Perils

Full Service Mitigation and Reconstruction

www.pdrestoration.com/tulsa
Board up Service

Do you want to keep receiving the Oklahoma Voice Newsletter? With more Farmers changes coming in the next two weeks, it would appear you will need an alternate email address.

Join Our Mailing List! with your new address and reference your farmers address so we can delete it and verify your are a FIG agent.

Here's a partial list on the "Agent e-mail archive (AEA) roll out schedule"

June 29, 2010 - All users accessing their mailbox from the Agency Dashboard will be presented with a new Farmers e-Mail Program Acknowledgement Notice. This acknowledgement notice will address several important compliance-related issues.

You better read it. It's available by clicking the email envelope at the top of the main page on Dashboard.
emergency light flashing

July 14, 2010 - External bulk forwarding of e-mail will automatically be discontinued. The AEA program will assist agents and district managers in addressing proper e-mail documentation for a period of three years to help satisfy compliance and legal requirements.
Do you have an alternate email address other than Farmersagent.com? Looks like any newsletters or bulk outside correspondence you subscribe to may not be forwarded to you via the farmersagent.com email system. That should knock out most spam but what about the other stuff that you want? Better get that alternate email address and notify everyone now of your new address before July 14. -ed

Ufaa is taking action on this issue There's more on this at ufaa.com

Discontinuation of classic agent e-mail format on June 23

Since 2009 Farmersagent.com and Farmersagency.com e-mail users have had the option of choosing a new e-mail style. And since that time, over 70 percent of them have chosen the new version.

USA.Net will discontinue the older e-mail version on June 23. Those who haven't already transitioned to the new e-mail style, will have their e-mail system automatically updated to the new style on June 16. You will be able to switch back to the original style until June 23.

At that time, the new version will be the only version available. By doing this, USA.NET will be able to better focus resources on improving the e-mail system overall.

To learn more, click here. (You must be signed into dashboard)

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Zurich 1Q Profits 1.3 Billion up 19%

May 6, 2010 Zurich first quarter profit- $1.3 billion. "At Farmers, we continued to achieve strong operating margins, while increasing the surplus position of the Exchanges, which we manage but do not own, as a result of continued cost discipline and a strong contribution from the acquired 21st Century business.

Microsoft ends support for Windows 2000, XP SP2 on July 13th

Windows XP users can extend support at no cost by upgrading to SP3, but Windows 2000 users have no such option.

By J. Peter Bruzzese | InfoWorld May 10, 2010

Microsoft offers support for its products for five years and extended support for another five years. That time will soon be up for Windows 2000 (desktop and server) and Windows XP SP2: July 13, 2010 is the last day that extended support will be available.

According to Microsoft, self-help online support (such as Microsoft online Knowledge Base articles, FAQs, troubleshooting tools, and other resources) will be available for at least a year longer. But paid support, support assistance, and security updates will be discontinued on

J Microsoft uly 13.

Get all the details you need on deploying and using Windows 7 in the InfoWorld editors' 21-page Windows 7 Deep Dive PDF special report. | And subscribe today to InfoWorld's Technology: Windows newsletter.

If you're using Windows 2000, you'll need to migrate to a more recent version of Windows -- or live with the lack of support from Microsoft. Microsoft has a Windows 2000 End-of-Support Center with advice on migrating to Windows 7 (for desktops) or Windows Server 2003, 2008, or 2008 R2 (for servers).

If you're using Windows XP SP2 or earlier, there's a free and easy way to continue to get Microsoft support: Simply upgrade to SP3, which you can do via Internet Explorer's Windows Update utility. Or use the end-of-support date as the incentive to migrate to Windows 7, which many businesses are now doing.

Note that if you're using Windows Vista with no service packs installed, Microsoft support ended on April 13, but you can upgrade for free to SP2 for continued support.

Progressive's May Net Income Drops 19 Percent On Cat Losses

Bethel Collision Center in Broken Arrow

BBB Rated A+

View our website

By Kim Komando

IS THERE A KEYLOGGER ON MY MACHINE?
Mike from Johns Creek, GA, listens to my national radio show on WSB 750 AM. Mike's company laptop has a program installed called Bradford Persistent Agent. He is concerned it might be recording his personal information. He would like to know a little more about the program.

Not to worry, Mike; Bradford's programs aren't keyloggers. They're designed to protect computer networks. This particular agent makes sure your computer is up to date.

It checks for both Windows updates and security software updates. It also makes sure you haven't altered security settings. Your company can block computers that aren't secure from its network.

This helps prevent viruses from infecting your computer. And it keeps viruses from spreading around the company. The program isn't there to record personal information.

Companies may be spying on you!

Of course, that doesn't mean there isn't a keylogger on your computer. Some companies like to keep tabs on what their employees are doing. And that's perfectly within their rights on company equipment.

I would assume that your company is recording what you do. If you must know, you can scan the computer. Keyloggers are designed to be invisible. It takes special software to find them. But, if you discover a keylogger, don't try to delete it. After all, this isn't your computer.

In fact, you shouldn't install any personal programs, either. And I wouldn't keep personal data on the laptop. You never know when the company will want it back. You could lose your data.

Instead, access your personal programs and files on your home computer remotely. It's easy with GoToMyPC (one of my advertisers). Setting up GoToMyPC and connecting to your home computer is a snap. And it has tools to help protect your data. Use promo code Kim for a 45-day free trial.

You can never be sure who is spying on you. Learn how to stay safe with these tips:

Getting a new phone is a lot of fun. But cell phones contain tons of personal information. Make sure to clean out your old phone before dumping it.
Don't let criminals get into your bank accounts. Learn how to keep your security strong while banking online.
Your Web searches reveal a lot about you. But you can keep your Web travels a secret.

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

A look at the hottest new video game technology

TVKim video- 4:32

HelpPoint Kicks off
Salvation Army Campaign

The Kansas City Star Thu, 03 Jun 2010 10:30 AM PDT
More families will have a temporary place to live under a campaign that began today to replace the Salvation Army's homeless shelter in Johnson County with a larger one. The Salvation Army kicked off its Hope for the 'Homeless fund' raising drive with a rally at the Farmers Insurance HelpPoint Claims facility in Olathe, Ks.

Houston Terminations to Expand?

Just two weeks prior to the UFAA 2010 National Convention, we were hearing 90 Farmers Agents had been terminated in Houston Texas. It seemed the reason was to mitigate weather related catastrophe losses in south Texas.

The consensus was, Far You're Fired

mers would avoid bad press in Texas
(they became embroiled in bad press when placing moratoriums on H/O NB in 2005) and backdoor the loss mitigation by destruction of several agencies and the orphan policies would be handled by Austin ServicePoint. Then, non-renewed over time reducing losses and bad press exposure.
   At the convention, it was reported termination numbers may have expanded to as many as 105 agents while the orphan policies were being recycled to newer agents, President's Council and Championship members. Does that make sense in reducing loss exposure?
   What does make sense is that the majority of terminated agents are over age 50. (Age discrimination?) Some were terminated with reason of low production while others were terminated "At Will" per the agent contract.
   Texas agents have complained for years that their rates are totally uncompetitive and sales have been extremely limited. We understand that some agents were terminated for outside contracts with other carriers to help pay their overhead and survival in the marketplace that Farmers is not supporting!
   Some agents feel this is a conspiracy as Farmers controls both the rates and the terminations. And, the mitigation subject may just be another excuse to bring the remaining starving agents in line and under corporate control. -ed

Breaking news- Talk is growing that Houston termination numbers may double. Four states may be on the target list. Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. See must read Bulletins 10-0304 4/15/10 & 10-0141 2/22/10 concerning field execution[s].
Hint: If fired, Google the 4-letter words- RICO & EEOC & the three letter words- ADA & DOL.

DOL- Dept of Labor. ADA - American Disabilities Act.

RICO- Raceteering Influence of Corrupt Organizations.

RICO: Racketeering = Conspiracy and a good read..

EEOC - Equal Employment Opportunity Commission -ed

Want a Get-a-Way?

06 - 11 This property is located in Panama City Beach, FL.

Greetings!

Tenn. Agents Facing E&O Lawsuits Over Flood Claims

As insurance agents in Tennessee are challenged by the number of claims from floods and tornadoes that hit the state earlier this month, some may also be dealing with the prospect of lawsuits over accusations that they failed to properly advise customers about flood insurance. An attorney in Nashville says he is pursuing more than 50 complaints that homeowners were never properly informed that their policies did not cover flooding.
Earlier this month, the state was roiled with tornadoes and excessive rainfall that produced tremendous flooding and destruction. The state has requested that 52 counties be declared federal disaster areas.
To date, 45 counties are receiving federal assistance and close to 50,000 people have registered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for assistance. Nearly $113 million in disaster grants and low-interest loans have been approved.
David L. Raybin, a criminal defense attorney in Nashville with the law firm Hollins, Raybin & Weissman P.C., said his firm is currently investigating in excess of 50 claims that insurance agents failed to properly advise customers about flood insurance for their homes.
"For many people, their agents did the right thing and they are very happy with them," said Mr. Raybin. "But there are a minority of cases where they did not, and that is what we are going after."
He said the cases involve both independent agents and "big box" or direct writing agents. For the direct writers especially, he said a major question is whether they were properly trained.
There is also an issue with mortgage companies that required homeowners to purchase flood insurance for the structure but failed to inform homeowners that the insurance did not cover contents, he noted.
The Insurers of Tennessee-an independent agent association-has gotten in the middle of the controversy with a letter sent to members advising them not to admit any wrongdoing if a customer asks why they weren't covered for flood. The letter advised agents to consult with their errors and omissions carrier before responding to any allegations.
Ashley Arnold, general counsel for the association, said the letter was only part of a series of pieces of information the group sent to members advising them on how to handle this crisis. She said the destruction was widespread, noting that one office had 1,000 claims in a matter of days.
"Nothing like this has ever happened before," she said. "It just doesn't exist."
While controversy swirls over flood coverage, she said what has been overlooked is the fact that agents were among the first going out to their customers' homes, helping with the cleanup, filing claims and getting temporary housing.
"None of our members were looking for the 15 minutes of fame while they were doing their jobs," she said.
Mr. Raybin said he is hopeful that whatever cases are brought will avoid litigation and that settlements can be reached with the agents' E&O carriers.
No matter the merits of the case, however, Randy Maniloff, an attorney for the law firm White & Williams in Philadelphia, which handles litigation for insurance companies, said that if the claims do end up going to trial, due to the extent of damage judges may feel pressure to find liability against agents because they know there are E&O policies backing them up.
However, because of the sheer number of potential claims, he warned that the limits on these policies could be exhausted "very quickly."

Have you reviewed the UFAA sponsored E&O Policy? Many agents have saved as much as $300/yr.

Flood insurance policies in force as of March 31

OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma City .......... 2,030 Are you missing this devistating policy?

Gone in 60 seconds: a treasure on your vehicle

Dear Oklahoma Voice. If you have been in the P & C business long enough, you will remember vehicle items that have been or currently targets of thieves. Remember hubcaps, under dash tape decks, radios & sound systems, tailgates, radar detectors and rims? Now, the tide has turned to GPS units and catalytic converters.

When I returned from the 2010 UFAA National Convention, I noticed on dashboard that a client had filed a claim for vandalism on his Toyota 4Runner. Some one had stolen the CATALYTIC CONVERTER from the exhaust system while parked at his Tulsa residence located in a gated community. Okie Agent

Catalytic Converters contain precious metals worth up to $6,000 per ounce.

By Alex Johnson Reporter msnbc.com

Tues., Feb. 12, 2008

As prices of precious metals skyrocket, thieves are targeting an obscure component of automotive exhaust systems in lightning thefts that can be accomplished in less than a minute, police and automotive experts say. The component is the catalytic converter, which has been a mandatory part of exhaust systems since 1975. Police across the country say they have seen a dramatic rise in thefts of the components in recent months.

If you peer inside a used catalytic converter, nothing looks salvageable, much less valuable. But some of the gray gunk in there hides three expensive precious metals. Catalytic converters have only small traces of the metals - platinum, palladium and rhodium - but there's enough in them for a thief to resell stolen units for up to $300 apiece. Rhodium is among the most expensive metals on Earth, commanding as much as $6,000 an ounce on the open market.

Scrap dealers "are paying top dollar - platinum, palladium, rhodium inside of them - and they're getting top dollar" on resale, said Jack Bell of North Shore Towing, which tows vehicles for the Evanston, Ill., police. "The word spreads real quick about it, what they're worth," said Marty Antonelli of Marty's Welding and Muffler Shop in Pittsburgh. "Everybody is on them now."

The converters are inviting targets because they're easy to grab. Mounted on the exterior undercarriage of vehicles, they can be removed in about a minute with any standard metal cutting tool. An enterprising thief in a crowded parking lot or garage can make off with enough converters to clear $2,000 or $3,000 in half an hour. "These thieves are targeting shopping malls, school parking lots, busy business districts, and they are hitting these places in the daylight," said Jennifer Krings, a spokeswoman for AAA. "A lot of the large passenger cars - SUVs, trucks and vans - have two, so those are a target."

Okie Agent, Thanks for the information and advising us of the new trends in vehicle parts theft. I should add that your email also included the amount of the claim paid to you by Farmers for repairs at just over $2,000 after a $750 comp deductible. Plus you stated...

A witness saw the whole ordeal and called 911 as a crime in progress. A Tulsa Police complaint taker stated, they would not send a police unit as it was not a life/death situation. If the above MSNBC story is accurate with the crime occurring within one minute is understandable. Tulsa police response times are not that quick with 90 officers laid off with recent city budget cuts and I am hearing that another 60 scheduled for retirement by the time you receive this issue. And, There is no budget for a new police 2010 police training academy. City budget figures and the number of officers to be rehired seems to change daily. -ed

Legislation to Impound Uninsured Vehicles Advances in Oklahoma

May 28, 2010 Insurance Journal

Legislation that would allow law enforcement in Oklahoma to impound uninsured vehicles is one step away from becoming law.

House Bill 2331, by state Rep. Steve Martin and state Sen. Gary Stanislawski, passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives 93-3 and the Oklahoma Senate 41-4. It now goes to the governor. The bill would allow law enforcement, upon making a traffic stop, to seize an uninsured vehicle and have it towed to an impoundment lot until it can be legally redeemed by the owner.

Martin said that House Bill 2331 would take advantage of a recently activated instant-verification system available to law enforcement officers. The system allows officers to determine within seconds of a traffic stop if vehicles are covered by qualifying liability insurance. "Law enforcement officers can now enter a license tag number into a data base and know immediately if a car is insured," Martin said.

The instant verification system, ordered by an act of the state legislature in 2006, has been created through cooperation of the insurance industry and the State of Oklahoma. It is now fully operational and has been available to law enforcement for several months. Up to this time, however, law enforcement has had no power to seize an uninsured vehicle. Many times the uninsured driver who was the cause of an accident would be allowed to drive away from the scene while the innocent victim, whose car was disabled in the accident, was towed by a wrecker.

Source: Oklahoma House of Representatives:

This act shall become effective November 1, 2010. Passed the House of Representatives the 27th day of May, 2010. Passed the Senate the 27th day of May, 2010. Approved by the Governor of the State of Oklahoma on the 9th day of June, 2010, at 11:58 o'clock p.m. -ed

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