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Published monthly by United Farmers Agents Association,
aka UFAA, Chapter 15 Eastern Oklahoma. The chapter meets the first Thursday of each month.
Next Chapter 15 Meeting will be Thursday February 7th 11:30 AM
Lone Star Steakhouse 101 E Albany St. Broken Arrow
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Chapter 15 Meetings are held the first Thursday of the month at the
LONE STAR STEAKHOUSE
101 E Albany St. Broken Arrow
(this is right off the B/A Expressway @ 161 E A just past entrances to BASS PRO).
Non-members welcome.
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Oklahoma UFAA Contacts:
UFAA Chapter 15 serving Eastern Oklahoma:
President- Glenn Johnson 918/252-0561 Tulsa
UFAA Chapter 12 serving Central-Western Oklahoma:
President- Jeff Roberts -580-224-0808 -Ardmore
United Farmers Agents Assn. National Office 800-275-8668
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
Learn more about our advertisers in this issue. Ads are hot links to their websites.  As a result of several reader requests, we have changed most of the article background colors to white in the Oklahoma Voice to speed printing and use less ink.
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2013 Farmers National Broadcast Jan 24, 2013
Jeff Dailey CEO:
We were not competitive in 2011 & 2012.  Testing 21st C with some Ohio Agents (?)
2012 Retention Increased (But did not state what #'s)
Agency income up by 8.5% in 2012.
Farmers is leaving the direct market while agents are entering direct market. (?)
21C will not compete with Farmers Agents or Farmers brand. (That comment has UFAA Lawsuit written all over it!)
Will target customers they want. (pigeon hole process continues?)
We must have the best & knowledgeable agents.
Sunset of double growth by 2020 (dumped)
View the entire 2013 Farmers National broadcast here Just move the horizontal video bar to time below Subjects you may want to view-
Jeff Dailey- Video times: 06:00 - 13:15 2013 new Agency Contract- 59:00 - 1:05:00 including up to 2x Agency Contract Value Agency Platform 1:16 - 1:25 Includes branding, staffing, loans, training, 400 page playbook, Agency Business Consultant. << (Who pays for the ABC?) 
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Greetings!
Join us February 7th at the Lone Star Steakhouse
for the UFAA Chapter 15 Monthly Meeting
Chapter 15 members and guests shall arrive at 11:30 AM at the Lone Star Steakhouse 101 E. Albany St. Broken Arrow- located just past the driving entrance to Bass Pro. Exit B/A Exp. @ 161st E A aka (Elm PL) 101 E Albany St, Broken Arrow, OK Menu (scroll to bottom for lunch) Message From the President
AGENDA For February, 2013
AGENDA NON-MEMBERS ARE WELCOME (WE WON'T TELL)
1. We have a lunch sponsor:Noel Harrison, the best small business appliance repair man in the business! Previous instructor at Vo-Tech, Registered for repairs for several home warranty companies. He says that ours is as good as they come. Does his own work, billing, & is great with clients. He does want your repeat business & promotes home warranties. He is awesome for rent houses. You will not get his contact info, unless you come.
This is a 2fer, no hassle repair for client relationship building & confidence of the value of our warranty contract. Members are adding warranty contracts to to their book. Sorry, this profitable business doesn't count as PIF, Topper Club, AGM, etc. Sad.
2. Every Door Direct Mail: (Rescheduled to March 7th Meeting) The lady in charge of this for the State is making a special trip for our members to explain this marketing Program By the United States Postal Service.She will demo how easy it has become, how low cost it is, how it will build "your" brand in your neighborhood. Some members are leaving Amp for this. It fits the bill for those who want to be the go-to insurance person nearby.
3. Bethel Body Shop: The queen of making sure your client's auto is repaired, The one & only Sheila will visit with the latest trends of Farmers, as well as our competitors.
4. New Contract, Platform: This the ears only part that is for members only. Non-members may be asked to leave lawsuit discussion.
5. Chapter 15 Legal Donation
This valuable meeting may go a little longer than usual for those who want the full experience of getting your brain to a positive direction.
I hope to see Tulsa's finest agents there as usual. Glenn Johnson, Chapter 15 President.Non Members Welcome
Please arrive for Lunch @11:30
- UFAA Meeting begins at Noon.
Meeting attendees should prepare to order lunch upon timely arrival at 11:30 AM The staff will be prepared to take your order upon your seating and cooked to order. We will no longer order as a group as in the past as this has caused our meeting to run overtime.
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918-663-5848
Fire, Water, Storm Damage & Other Perils Full Service Mitigation and Reconstruction 10344-B East 58th St Tulsa, OK 74146
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Farmers Love Float Wedding Day Highlights During the Rose Bowl Parade Jan 1st.
Click kissing photo to view 2 minute video of the wedding atop the Farmers Love Float.
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 | | Click here to obtain an Oklahoma UFAA Membership App |
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Click logo above to view the UFAA Website
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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 its appreciation to the many members who assist in and support its 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. |
Found on the University of Farmers Facebook Page
Joe Hoell: Where are the handrails on those stairs? CIS is gonna be all over that! Robert Williams: That is the building that was in Back to the Future. January 4 6:09pm Via moble
Close Robert. This is not the same building. The BTTF building had 4 large concrete posts in front that supports a clock tower as shown in this video. -ed |
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Bethel Collision Center in Broken ArrowBBB Rated A+
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SAME DAY SERVICE VIRUS CLEANUP
FREE DIAGNOSTIC & ESTIMATE
DROP-OFF AND ON-SITE SERVICE 918-622-1700
10208 E 41 St. Tulsa click graphic for pricing
08/13 |
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"Do you know who I am?" In a lawsuit recently filed in Tennessee AGBeat 3.21.11
 In a lawsuit recently filed in Tennessee, Officer Ricky D. Ford alleges that as a result of his pulling over Tennessee Farmer's Insurance Company (dba Campbell County Farm Bureau) employee James Daniel "Danny" Arnold on September 25, 2010 for doing 60 mph in a 40 zone (to which Arnold pled guilty to in court and paid his fine), Arnold threatened to discontinue his homeowner's policy in retaliation.
Homeowner's insurance allegedly doubled
Officer Ford alleges that after this event, "the defendants sought to cause economic damages to the plaintiff by threatening to discontinue his homeowners insurance coverage, amending his homeowners coverage, which he had had for nearly 11 years, and thereafter doubling the plaintiff's insurance premiums, all for which the defendants sought to retaliate against the plaintiff for having performed his public duty functions and to otherwise cause serious economic consequences to the plaintiff."
Jury trial requested, suing for damages and more
Officer Ford is requesting a jury trial and suing for $225,000 in punitive damages, $75,000 in compensatory damages, attorneys and legal fees as well as "further and general relief to which he may be entitled under the law and evidence" for interfering with his homeowner's insurance contract.
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We now repair auto electric Windows
Call for Board up Service 24/7
 Click to check out our website 08/13
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.
 Ads are hot links to our advertisers websites. Click any ad for more details.
ads rotated for 02/13 issue.
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Farmers kept busy with catastrophes, public events and news releases
Here is a listing from Yahoo News
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A serious threat to your computer security! Take action now! Oracles' infamous Java program is back in the news. Hackers found a serious security flaw that affects all versions of Java 7, even the latest update 10. The exploit for this flaw is already available in two popular hacker tool kits, Blackhole (which I've already warned you is going to be a serious problem in 2013) and Nuclear Pack. That's bad news for you. Just visiting a malicious website will allow hackers to take over your computer! More on this issue here Oklahoma Voice has reprint rights. Copyright 1995-2012 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. KimKomando.com A look back at those 2013 Super Bowl Commercials
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Avoid Drought Foundation Repairs of $2,000k upwards to $14,000+
Foundation problems during drought. Repairs can escalate on size of home and plumbing damaged under the home.
  A Video 4U
Foundation problem ID, watering, maintain structure tips hereDon't forget to water those trees that have been in drought stress for 2 years. And, be sure to disconnect the garden hose to prevent faucet freezing. It's still Winter, uno? |
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2011 Joplin Tornado Losses Could Reach $2B Insurance Journal 01/11/13
State regulators say insurance claims from the May 2011 Joplin, Mo., tornado are likely to reach $2 billion. The tornado killed 161 people, injured hundreds of others and damaged or destroyed thousands of homes and businesses.
The Joplin Globe reports that as of Oct. 31, insurance companies had paid out $1.65 billion on 19,870 private and commercial claims. John M. Huff, director of the state's insurance registration department, said he expects the claims to reach around $2 billion. Huff says the department is no longer requiring monthly reports on claims submitted and paid by the state's insurance companies. But he says the department continues to monitor the situation to be sure claims are being handled in a timely way.
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List of Company-Specific Sandy-Related Loss Estimates
Allstate- Pretax losses, net of reinsurance, include $975M for Allstate, $95M for Encompass, and $5M for Esurance.
American International Group
The estimate reflects a pre-tax loss estimate, net of reinsurance, totaling some $2.0B.
Chubb Corp. The company estimates Sandy-related losses to be around $570M after tax.
The Hanover
anticipates a net after-tax earnings impact in the range of $120 to $140M.
Hartford Financial Services Group expects pretax losses of $370 million from Sandy. Some 60 percent of the losses were in commercial segments and 40 percent in the consumer segment.
Liberty Mutual Ins has not issued loss estimates. Liberty Mutual is one of the major insurers of homeowners and commercial multi-peril risk in affected regions. Progressive Insurance Group The company anticipates total Sandy losses could reach $90M. USAA Group The company has so far received some 63,000 Sandy-related claims but has not yet issued monetary loss estimates. W.R. Berkley Corp. The company expects CAT losses attributable to Sandy to be between $40M and $50M, pretax. Zurich Insurance The company expects aggregate claims net of reinsurance of about $700M. This includes $40M related to Farmers Re in connection with the reinsurance cover provided to Farmers Exchanges.
Hurricane Sandy Update - Company Loss Estimates Fitch Newsletter Jan 2013
Fitch Ratings estimates insurance industry will likely see losses of $20 billion or more from Hurricane Sandy. The agency based the expected total on the approximately $16-$17 billion in loss estimates reported by individual companies thus far. This would put the total industry loss just below the high end of the range of the most recent insured losses estimated by third-party catastrophe modelers. Fitch Ratings notes that the complexity of assessing insurance losses from such a large and intense storm over a widespread region, particularly with respect to the impact of flooding and business interruption claims, has created uncertainty in estimating ultimate insured losses from Sandy. Based on Fitch Ratings' analysis, Hurricane Sandy is not likely to change market underwriting capacity and tip the balance to a hard property market.
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Greetings!
Attorney Behind $43M Award for Ohio Agent Against Nationwide Insurance to File Class Action Insurance Journal Jan 3, 2012
An Ohio law firm that represented a former Nationwide Insurance agent for a 42.8 million jury verdict is getting ready to file a class action against the insurer "in the near future."
Attorney Caryn Groedel and her law firm Caryn Groedel & Associates in Cleveland represented former agent Christine Lucarell. In November, a jury in Mahoning County, Ohio, handed down 42.8 million in damages for Lucarell for her claim that the insurer imposed unrealistic terms on her agency intended to make her fail and withheld support services.
Nationwide Seeks to Reduce Former Employee's [agent's] 42.8 Million Award
Christine Lucarell was awarded 42 million for intolerable working conditions and missing funds that forced her to resign from Nationwide's agency executive program. Nationwide wants the award amount drastically reduced.Property Casualty 360 National Underwriter Jan 2,1012
Christine Lucarell sued her former employer, Nationwide Mutual Insurance, alleging Nationwide stopped funding her Boardman agency in April 2009 even though she was enrolled in the company's agency executive program. She also claimed the company forced her to quit in July 2009 by creating unacceptable working conditions. She says Nationwide told her she could earn more than $200,000 in annual commissions by participating in and successfully completing the program. The civil suit alleged that Nationwide used "unsustainable" monthly production quotas to cease funding of and terminated about 90 of its agency executive agencies. Nationwide fired back, denying Lucarell's allegations and stating that she was not an agency employee but rather an independent contractor. Lucarell filed the suit in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court in Ohio. She was seeking 5 million in compensatory damages and an undetermined amount of punitive damages but won a larger verdict when the court ruled in her favor in November 2012. In total, the jury awarded her 5.7 million for lost profits, 1 million in emotional damages, $100,000 for retaliation and 36 million for punitive damages, corresponding to about one-twelfth of Nationwide's annual net profits. Nationwide is asking that the reward amount, a hefty 42 million, be reduced. The company's attorney filed motions stating the amount needs to be limited due to Ohio's tort reform statutes. He is arguing for a $350,000 cap on compensatory damages, reducing the overall award to 10 million. Nationwide's attorneys say several past cases show the Ohio Supreme Court find lawsuits originating in the workplace falling under tort law and thus requiring appropriate award caps. Lucarell's attorneys disagree, stating that the tort-reform statutes do not apply in work-related matters. They believe Nationwide's attorney's example cases do not fall under "good law" because they have been reversed or fall under versions of tort reform no longer in practice today. There is discussion surrounding possible staying of the original verdict until the judge has ruled on all motions filed by Nationwide. It has not yet been decided whether Nationwide will be made to hold bond to insure payment of the award until after all court proceedings have ended. The court will hear oral arguments on the motions beginning in mid-February 2013.
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Top 10 Insurance TV Brands, Ads Insurance Journal 01.04.13
Congratulations! Farmers near the top of something, finally
Ace Metrix, a California company that provides television and video analytics, announced the top TV brand advertisers and ads of 2012, with Liberty Mutual Insurance taking honors in the insurance category.
Other brands rated tops include Cadillac, Ford, Blue Moon, Ocean Spray, Visa, Olive Garden, Samsung and T-Mobile.
Ace assigns a score that measures ad creative effectiveness based on viewer reaction to national TV ads. The results are presented on a scale of 1-950, which represents scoring on creative attributes such as persuasion, relevance, information, attention, change, desire and watchability. Within the insurance category, Ace Metrix rated the following as the top 10 TV advertisers:
1. Liberty Mutual 589; 2. Farmers 545; 3. Allstate 535; 4. State Farm 534; 5. MetLife 528; 6. Nationwide 527; 7. Progressive 518; 8. Aflac 516; 9. Esurance 507; 10 Gieco 482
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 Study: Uninsured Driver Problem Costs Oklahoma $8.8M a Year
A new evaluation by the Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) found that the state of Oklahoma is losing 8.8 million a year in premium taxes from drivers who fail to obtain the state-required minimum coverage for auto insurance. Using data provided by the Insurance Research Council, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, OID Chief Actuary Frank Stone calculated the financial losses created by non-compliance: | Average Annual Cost of Liability Insurance in Oklahoma | $700 | | Estimated Number of Uninsured Vehicles in Oklahoma | 563,692 | | Premium Tax Rate | 2.25% | | Total Potential Premium Tax | 8,878,149 |
| Potential Disbursement | | | General Revenue (47%) | 4,172,730 | | Firefighter Pension Fund (34%) | 3,018,571 | | Police Pension Fund (14%) | 1,242,941 | | Law Enforcement Pension Fund (5%) | 443,907 |
The Oklahoma Insurance Department has begun tackling this issue with public service announcements and driver safety checkpoints. The department is pushing for more change through its 2013 legislative agenda. Working with state lawmakers, the OID hopes to increase the fine for driving without insurance and make the offense subject to a primary stop by law enforcement.Source: OID |
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SO TRUE
The Oregon Department of Government Offices claimed a Farmer's agent was not paying proper wages to his help and sent an agent out to investigate him.
The conversation went like this:
Oregon Govt Employee-
I need a list of all your employees and how much you pay them.
Farmers Agent-
Well, there's an employee, who's been with me for three years. I pay her $200 a week plus cover her retirement and health care. Then, there's the mentally challenged worker. He works about 18 hours every day and does about 90% of the work around here. He makes about $10 a week, I buy him a bottle of Bourbon every Saturday night so he can cope with all the computer crashes, claims fiascoes and continually increasing rates which he has ZERO control over. He also sleeps with my wife occasionally.
Oregon Govt Employee-
That's the guy I want to talk to... the mentally challenged one.
Farmers Agent- That would be ME!
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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 or too large to publish above.
The Articles below are on our Home Page link this month
UPDATED: Okla. Company Comparison Rate Charts- Auto: 11/12 Home: 11/12
CFA Report: Largest Auto Insurers Often Charge Higher Premiums to Safe Drivers Allstate, Farmers, Gieco, Progressive, State Farm Fitch Affirms The Farmers Exchanges' IFS Ratings at 'A+'
Would FGI be ranked A minus without ZIGS backing?
Will Farmers ever be competitive with both Zurich and FGI taking Management Fees?
FGI takes up to 20% of GWP in management fees.
ZIG, which is FGI's ultimate parent, recorded 2.1 billion in management fees from Farmers through the first nine months of 2012.
The Farmers Exchanges ceded 20% of the company's business to ZIG in 2012.
Farmers' underwriting results, which have averaged near break-even over the past five years, compare unfavorably to several of the company's closest peers over the same time period.
The new 2013 Agent Appointment Agreement (AAA) on our home page this monthSee our home Page link above
Introduction
New Farmers Contract/Addendum
Several agents have received emails from their District Manger with the New Farmers Contract/addendum attached. Emails from District Managers vary in the text from saying...the agent must bring the signed addendum with them... to... read the addendum and bring any questions to the meeting.
UFAA wants to remind all agents that any decision that affects your business is your decision as a business person. You should always thoroughly read ANY DOCUMENT that you are signing and if you have questions about the document to get the answers from the entity supplying the document, a third party opinion and/or an attorney.
Signing a new contract/addendum is your choice, not a requirement. Pay close attention while you review the FULL Contract and appropriate addendum as there are SEVERAL ADDITIONS to the contract that WERE NEVER THERE BEFORE.
To review the contract/addendum, please visit the UFAA website, www.ufaa.com, and look under Legal/Contracts.
FARMERS HAS STATED THAT SIGNING THE NEW CONTRACT/ADDENDUM IS YOUR DECISION. IT IS NOT REQUIRED THAT YOU SIGN THE NEW CONTRACT.
Things to keep in mind when reading the new contract/addendum available on our home page link above - The Location of the agent's office must be approved by the Companies and though the location may not unduly interfere with the business of another agent this is determined at the SOLE DISCRETION of the Companies.
- FULL COOPERATION in the review of ALL AGENCY RECORDS by Farmers.
- The companies now require you to carry Errors and Omission insurance and the companies must be named as an additional insured on your Errors and Omissions Policy. This would more then likely raise premiums and could give Farmers the ability settle claims on your behalf no matter who your EandO carrier is.
- Conducting business in accordance with published policies, rules and manuals both at the time the agreement is signed and MODIFICATIONS MADE BY THE COMPANIES. This includes customer service standards and use of the Companies trade names, trademarks, service marks and other names associated with the Companies AND ONLY as authorized and pre-approved by the COMPANIES and at their SOLE DISCRETION.
- In the 3 month termination clause (90 day clause) "WITHOUT CAUSE" has been added.
- Immediate termination of the contract may be made for Embezzlement, conversion, misappropriation or theft in connection with the Agency or disappearance of premium or PROPERTY belonging to the Companies or customer that is not explained to the COMPANIES SATISFACTION.
- Immediate termination of the contract may be made for directly or INDIRECTLY causing switching of insurance from the Companies
- Immediate termination of the contract may be made for CONDUCT THAT IS DISPARAGING OF OR DETRIMENTAL TO THE COMPANIES including, WITHOUT LIMITATION, CONDUCT DETERMINED BY THE COMPANIES TO CONSTITUTE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
- If the contract is terminated on 30 day or immediate notice and later it is determined that the requirements were not met for the termination, the agents may only recover lost profits incurred during the shortest notice period deemed appropriate (which will not exceed 3 moths) AND THE TERMINATION REMAINS EFFECTIVE.
- An agent may no longer request a Termination Review Board hearing (TRB) if the contract is terminated using the 3 month (90 day) clause.
- The TRB will be held in accordance with the Companies procedures in place AT THE TIME OF THE TRB REQUEST.
- The notification of intent to sell and agency to another agent/agency must be 6 MONTHS in advance to the Companies.
- At the request of the Companies all telephone or facsimile numbers, domain names, websites, and email addresses USED IN CONNECTION WITH THE AGENCY will be reassigned to the Companies.
- The Companies have SOLE AND ABSOLUTE DISCRETION in the approval of any proposed purchaser and the approval may be WITHHELD FOR ANY REASON OR NO REASON.
- In addition to not directly or INDIRECTLY soliciting, accepting or servicing the insurance business of any policy holder of record from the terminated agency the agent will not at ANYTIME use confidential information or trade secrets after termination.
- The agent agrees that all manuals, lists and other policy or customer information of any kind contain trade secret and confidential information of the Companies. SUCH INFORMATION WILL NOT BE USED OR DIVULGED, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN ANY WAY DETRIMENTAL TO THE COMPANIES. Also the agent will not retain ANY INFORMATION IN ANY FORM AFTER TERMINATION.
| Editor's note: Read the contract several times- you will pick up something you missed on passed reads. Think like the company when reading as they wrote it, not you.
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This email was sent by United Farmers Agents Association, 9785 Mackenzie Rd, Ste 104, St. Louis, MO 63123, using Express Email Marketing.
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Quick reference Advertiser listing in this issue you can print or download for your office referral  ===================== Okla Ins Dept: Change of address or name more than thirty (30) days after the change occurred shall be $50.
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Did you know? As a member of UFAA you get:
1 hour of tech support a month
1 Free @ufaa.com email address
1 Free web page with your domain name
Call us today Toll Free, Primary # 1-866-441-8018 Alex Conger - UFAA Tech | | Click here to access the Oklahoma Membership app. |
Have you missed past issues of the Okla. Voice? If you missed past issues, you can access them and other article headlines on our Chapter 15 Home Page Link above.
Have you joined UFAA? We just can't make it much easier. Just mouse the Join UFAA logo to obtain the a membership application. Fill it out and 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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