2013 | Vol. 1

www.TheInstitutes.org

Welcome! In each issue of The Edge, we bring you current information about learning solutions that will help you sharpen your technical knowledge and hone your skills so you can deliver measurable business results.

The Institutes are particularly excited about our new course releases and new program pages. After you read this newsletter, please visit our website for complete information on all of this and more.

Sincerely, Peter l. Miller, CPCU, President and Chief Executive officer

The Edge

Please update your email and login information at www.TheInstitutes.org.

Highlights in This Issue

■■ New and revised courses

■■ New program pages

■■ Property Technical Certification® program

■■ CE Navigator coming soon!

■■ In the Spotlight: Craig Andrews

Coming Events

Join The Institutes at these coming events:

■■ National Flood Conference, May 6–8

■■ Inland Marine Underwriters Association Annual Meeting, May 19–22

■■ PRIMA Annual Conference, June 2–5

■■ National Association of Independent Insurance Adjusters Annual Conference, June 17–20

■■ SITE Annual Conference, June 22–26

■■ CPCU Society Annual Meeting for Insurance Professionals, October 26–29

Study Tips “ Start with what you know. You don’t have to take the courses in numerical order. I recommend scheduling the exams as soon as you start studying. Give yourself a deadline.”

—Kevin Ruiz

“ Read the text and focus on the educational objectives. Highlight any problem areas. once done with the course guide, start the practice exams and take them until you are comfortable.”

—David Skeate

New Program PagesThe Institutes have begun the introduction of new designation and program pages on our website to provide you with a more customer-focused and user-friendly experience.

our redesign, starting with the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU®) designation program page, will include the introduction of the following new features to The Institutes’ website:

■■ Ratings and reviews capability■■ Estimated and suggested course and program completion timeframes ■■ Enhanced, streamlined purchasing, including product images ■■ Maximized social connection through The Institutes Community

Visit www.TheInstitutes.org/CPCU to view the new CPCU program pages. New pages for our other programs will be coming soon.

News to Sharpen Your Knowledge and Hone Your Skills

Share your study tips at: publicrelations@TheInstitutes.org

The Institutes Acquire Property Technical Certification® Program From Crawford & CompanyThe Institutes have acquired the Property Technical Certification (PTC) program from Crawford & Company. The PTC program provides a performance-based industry standard for claim adjusters to demonstrate technical and ethical competence, with a focus on accurately estimating property losses.

The PTC program consists of three different levels of knowledge, including:

■■ PTC I—Core Property Program

■■ PTC II—Exterior loss Adjusting

■■ PTC III—Interior loss Adjusting (still in development)

PTC I and PTC II are currently being transitioned to The Institutes’ online learning platform and will be available in May 2013. Prior to May, Crawford & Company will continue to host the PTC courses. Each course will be filed separately for CE credits.

Visit www.TheInstitutes.org/PTC for more information.

CE Navigator Coming Soon!CEU.com, a business unit of The Institutes, is launching an efficient, one stop CE solution coming soon. The CE Navigator will enable licensed insurance professionals to increase productivity, save time, identify courses in multiple states, complete compliance training requirements, and reduce the risk of compliance fines.

Visit www.CEU.com for more information.

News From the Insurance Research Council In March 2013, the Insurance Research Council (IRC) released a report titled Insurance Fraud: A Public View, 2013 Edition. This report updates previous IRC studies surveying the public about the acceptability and perceived frequency of various types of insurance fraud, with special emphasis on auto insurance fraud. It also examines attitudes toward a variety of tools that insurers and law enforcement use to fight insurance fraud, including claim handling techniques and the consequences of fraudulent behavior, and the public’s willingness to perform fraud-fighting efforts. The study finds lower tolerance of fraud than in past studies and broad support for measures designed to reduce fraud.

Visit www.insurance-research.org for more information and to purchase this report.

The EdgeBottom-Line Benefits of the New AIC 40—Personal and Commercial Auto Coverages

■■ Reduce costs associated with coverage disputes by applying in-depth knowledge of common auto policies

■■ Build customer satisfaction with an understanding of various auto insurance coverages and approaches

Visit www.TheInstitutes.org/AIC to learn more.

“ The AIC program provides great detail as to how the insurance claims industry operates as a whole. The perspective AIC provides is from a broad knowledge base, not just how my employer handles claims. The combination of property and casualty claim knowledge provides a great start to a career in claims or enhancement to an ongoing claims career.”

—William D. McCullough, MBA, CPCU, CLU, ChFC, AIC, AIM, AIS

CEU.comOnline CE from CEU.com, a business unit of The Institutes

Spend more time building your business and earning money and less time away from the office. With the addition of CEU.com to The Institutes’ family of professional development products and services, you can earn CE credits quickly and easily from the convenience of your home or office. CEU.com offers more than seventy online CE courses to meet the needs of insurance agents, brokers, and adjusters.

Visit CEU.com now. Get courses. Get credits. Get back to business.

News to Sharpen Your Knowledge and Hone Your Skills

In the Spotlight

Craig Andrews, CPCU, ARM, AU-SBusiness Insurance Product Development OfficerState Auto Insurance Companies, Columbus, oH

www.TheInstitutes.org

New and Revised Courses

In response to evolving industry trends, The Institutes have released new and revised course content. These updates will ensure that program participants retain their competitive edge.

Revisions were made to the following courses:

■■ AIC 37—Managing Bodily Injury Claims

■■ AIC 39—Auto Claim Practices

■■ API 28—Personal Insurance: Underwriting and Marketing Practices

■■ API 29—Personal Insurance: Portfolio Management and Issues

■■ ARe 144—Reinsurance Principles and Practices

■■ CPCU 540—Finance and Accounting for Insurance Professionals

■■ CPCU 555—Personal Risk Management and Property-Casualty Insurance

In addition to the course revisions, we created a new course in the Associate in Claims (AIC) Auto track. The new course, AIC 40—Personal and Commercial Auto Coverages, addresses the following topics:

■■ Auto insurance basics

■■ The personal auto policy

■■ Business auto, motor carrier, and garage coverage forms

Study materials for the new and revised courses are available for purchase now, with exams beginning in the July-September 2013 testing window. Exams on the previous version of study materials will be available until December 15, 2013.

Visit www.TheInstitutes.org for more information.

Craig Andrews (Centered in back) with his colleagues.

Craig Andrews and ten of his colleagues were among the first to earn the Associate in Commercial Underwriting—Strategic Techniques (AU-S) designation. In addition to his role at State Auto, Craig is the 2012–2013 president of the Underwriting Executives Council (UEC). The UEC sponsors Awards for Academic Excellence for the AIS, API, and AU designations as well as the Distinguished Graduate Award for the AU-S designation.

How has the AU 67—Strategic Underwriting Techniques course benefited your organization?

one of our corporate goals at State Auto is to increase our average premium per policy in commercial lines. In order to do that, we believe we have to do a better job underwriting larger accounts. At this time in our company’s progression, three of the assignments in AU 67 were very helpful in sharpening the tools necessary to underwrite the larger accounts.

Eleven associates in our home office, myself included, passed the AU 67 exam in the first testing window. We all found the program to be relevant to our jobs. As a result, we’ve added AU 67 as a continuing professional development expectation for State Auto underwriters who aspire to underwriting management positions.

How has the AU 67 course helped you better perform your job?

This course gave me a more in-depth perspective in my role as business insurance product development officer. It set forth an organized approach to product development that I had never seen before.

What motivated you to take the AU 67 course?

AU 67 is unique, as I know of no other course specifically dedicated to commercial lines underwriting. In this business, knowledge becomes stale very quickly. That’s why I believe professional development must be a continuous process.

Save the Date!CPCU Society Annual Meeting for Insurance Professionals

October 26-29Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel

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2013 | Vol. 1

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Malvern, PA 19355-3433

The Edge News to Sharpen Your Knowledge and Hone Your Skills

Highlights in This Issue— See Details Inside

■■ New and revised courses

■■ New program pages

■■ Property Technical Certification® program

■■ CE Navigator coming soon!

■■ In the Spotlight: Craig Andrews

The CPCU Society is an affiliate of The Institutes.