Iowa Commissioner to Deliver Keynote Address for AAIS Conf.

Iowa Commissioner Therese Vaughan, outgoing president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), will deliver the keynote address at the 2003 American Association of Insurance Services (AAIS) Annual Conference, April 6-8 in Monterey, Calif.

To register for the conference, go to www.AAISonline.com. Registrations received before Jan. 31 get a discount.

At the AAIS conference, Vaughan will address regulatory challenges facing the industry, and the public reaction to insurer actions in the hardening market.

Also, the AAIS conference will feature Nicholas Pace, the lead researcher on civil jury verdicts for the RAND Corp.’s Institute for Civil Justice, as its luncheon speaker on the second day of the conference.

Other conference business sessions will include:

*”Restoring Profitability in Homeowners”: Consultant Rick Dorman will discuss how to segment the homeowners market to achieve better operating results. He will be followed by a panel of “Best in Class” homeowners writers and roundtable discussions.

*”Things to Keep You Up at Night . . . “: Attorney Randy Maniloff will discuss emerging exposures that could profoundly impact a book of business.

*” . . .Things to Get You Up in the Morning”: Columnist Chris Amrhein will speak on new opportunities to expand service and increase premium.

*”How to Develop a Niche Product”: Bryan Tilden, a frequent speaker for the CPCU Society, will explain the process for analyzing coverage needs for a market niche, selecting and modifying policy forms to meet those needs, and filing the finished product.

*”Your Data Vital Signs”: Actuaries Rob Walling and Russ Fisher will describe data-based performance indicators, often called “metrics,” that companies can monitor to determine if they are making progress toward their strategic objectives.

*Breakout sessions on “Writing Specialty Property Coverage in a Hard Market” and “Prospects for Agricultural Insurance.” These in-depth sessions will run concurrently with the “Data Vital Signs” session and will feature AAIS staff members plus company specialists in commercial property and agricultural insurance.

In addition to the two-day business program, the AAIS conference features a golf outing, a whale watch excursion, a spouse/guest walking tour of Carmel, and a closing event at the Chateau Julien Wine Estate.