2025 MEGA Seminar (for CISR and CSRM Designees)

Errors and Omissions occur regularly and some of these lead to claims against agents, brokers, agencies, and companies. In this session, participants will examine the leading causes of error and omission claims, identify potential exposures, discuss ways to minimize them, and explain what to do if a claim is made against them.

Participants will discuss the importance of ethical behavior. They will examine the professional, legal, and ethical responsibilities in dealing with the day-to-day realities of the complex, ethical issues of the insurance industry. They will discuss the key to ethical decision making. They will examine the dysfunctions of an agency organization and discuss how to build a healthy organization.

The cannabis industry is gradually moving toward mainstream acceptance and will continue to have a significant impact on the insurance industry. With that trend comes a new marketplace, new regulations, and a vast number of insurance questions and issues. After a review of the history of cannabis in the U.S., participants will discuss the legal and regulatory issues with legalization. They will discuss the pros and cons for legalization and the challenges surrounding legalization. They will identify the insurance risks in the cannabis industry. They will discuss the insurance coverage considerations with products liability, D&O liability, general liability, commercial property, commercial auto, employment practices liability, cyber liability, personal injury/media liability, and more. They will examine the challenges for insurers in the cannabis industry.

In this 4-hour session, insurance professionals will learn who is covered as an insured under some of the most commonly written commercial insurance policies. They will learn which persons and entities are automatically covered by the insurance contract. They will examine the methods used to add coverage for others. They will discuss who is covered and who can be covered under Commercial Property, Business Auto, Workers Compensation, and Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies. They will review insurer proprietary endorsements that can be used to provide additional insured coverage under the CGL policy. They will explore the issue of primary and noncontributory coverage for additional insureds under both the CGL and Excess Liability policies.

Participants will explore the insurance needs of companies that do business overseas. They will discuss where, when, and how coverage follows the business overseas, as well as what businesses need to do when it doesn’t. They will examine international package policies, property wrap-ups, and other forms of international coverage.

Participants will gain a better understanding of the ins and outs of each type of life insurance policy and be better equipped in choosing the ideal plan to meet the needs of their family and/or business. They will examine the types of term and whole life insurance along with the advantages and disadvantages of each.

In this session insurance professionals will examine coverages in current ISO personal and commercial lines policies that could have a significant impact on their clients. They will take an in-depth look at how the ISO Personal Auto, Homeowners, Business Auto, Commercial General Liability, Building & Personal Property Coverage, Cyber, Employment Practices Liability, and Excess/Umbrella policies address complex and confusing exposures, such as: using a personal vehicle for business, furnished company car, who is an insured, watercraft, recreational vehicles, loss assessment, business websites, biometrics, tenant’s improvements and betterments, step-down auto liability limits, maintaining underlying limits, insurable interest, and representations/warranties, etc. They will discuss the exposures, whether or not the personal and/or commercial insurance policies provide adequate coverage, endorsements, and other methods that may be needed to tailor coverages to meet their client’s needs.

Participants examine commercial lines issues that can be troublesome for the insured. They will examine coverages and exclusions provided in the most current ISO Crime, Commercial Property, Businessowners, Commercial General Liability, and Commercial Umbrella forms. They will identify problems and issues with the National Flood Insurance Program.

Effective crisis management involves a coordinated approach to minimize damage, safeguard stakeholders, restore operations, and rebuild trust in the organization. It requires careful planning, swift decision-making, clear communication, and ongoing evaluation to achieve optimal outcomes during challenging times. The session will start with an overview of crisis management plans, including essential components, required tools, and necessary training. Following this, insurance professionals will assess the effectiveness of these plans. Evaluating crisis management efforts is crucial for optimization. In this 4-hour session, participants will learn to identify and address the missing features within the program. By tracking and measuring training effectiveness, stakeholder satisfaction, activation times for crisis teams, and social media sentiment analysis, organizations can assess their performance, identify key lessons learned, and implement necessary changes needed to enhance crisis management capabilities. Ultimately, successful crisis management depends on an organization’s ability to monitor and adapt its strategies in real-time.

Participants will advance their knowledge regarding the purpose and structure of professional liability coverage and policies, as well as, gain an increased technical understanding of exposures and coverages pertinent to both traditional professionals and non-traditional classes of business.

This session will explore the various nuances within contract policy language that affect both property and liability policies.

Many insurance professionals are familiar with workers’ compensation insurance since it is a mandated requirement for employers in the U.S. When it comes to protections for those whose employment is not subject to state WC laws, the solutions, benefits, and methods for securing coverage are not as widely known. After attending this 4-hour session, insurance professionals will better understand the Defense Base Act (DBA). They will be able to explain what it is, what it does, who needs this unique coverage, and the claims adjudication process. They will examine the eligibility requirements, the benefits under DBA, key points of DBA administration, and remuneration. They will discuss coverage issues, such as: zone of danger, reasonable recreation doctrine, war hazards, and terrorist attacks. They will gain a basic understanding of the steps required to successfully file a DBA claim.

Participants will learn how court cases are disposed of in the United States from the insurance and risk management professional’s perspective. After an overview of the legal system as it relates to the insurance business, they will learn where to look to find basic information and how to identify legal issues that might arise. They will gain an understanding of how the declaratory judgment action and preliminary injunction intersect with insurance coverage and insurance business cases. They will conclude with a discussion to the trial and the alternatives to it.

During this four-hour session, insurance professionals will gain insights into program agreements relevant to large casualty insurance agencies and companies. Participants will develop a clearer understanding of what program agreements entail and their purpose. The discussion will cover the intended audience for program agreements, from the perspectives of the insured, insurer, and agent/broker. Key components, typical characteristics, and applicable lines of coverage—such as workers' compensation, general liability, and auto liability—will be examined. Additionally, attendees will examine key elements to check in program agreement, explore the types of collateral utilized, and get a better understanding of the collateral process and its significance in program agreements. The session will also identify policy traps that can impact losses in a program agreement. Furthermore, participants will learn the distinction between a statute of limitation and a statute of repose, along with their implications for the payment of insurance claims.

Commercial property insurance policies are fraught with a “minefield” of exclusions, limits, and conditions. Participants will identify some of the areas that could be most concerning to their insureds, especially after a loss has occurred, and examine ways to solve them. They will discuss significant issues regarding ordinance or law, additional covered property, additional building property, debris removal, pollutant clean up, rebuilding expenses following a disaster, property valuations, and loss settlements.

There are certain things every insurance producer should understand before writing commercial liability coverage for a client. What does bodily injury mean and does it include claims for emotional injury? What does the duty to defend in a CGL policy really mean and how does it work? What is the difference between subrogation and contribution, and how do our policies address waiver of subrogation? What are the possible coverage triggers under occurrence form policies, and how are costs allocated when multiple policy periods respond to a loss? How do claims made and claims made and reported policies work?

Insurance professionals will better understand the techniques, trends, and tools used in the workers compensation industry. They will examine how workers compensation insurance was developed and review the basic components of the current NCCI Workers Compensation policy. They will better understand underwriting – NCCI Classification Inspection Program and Experience Rating Modification Factor. They will discuss claims handling and dispute resolution. They will examine issues related to the use of independent contractors. They will discuss WC trends in legislative and legal trends, such as marijuana and its impact on the WC system. They will examine medical trends and workplace safety trends. They will discuss how natural disasters, such as COVID-19, impact the WC industry. They will discuss artificial intelligence and its impact on data collection and claims handling. They will learn about NCCI online tools that will help them better understand workers compensation.

In this session, agents will examine how to structure an insurance and risk management program for a large, complex, organization. They will learn ways to transfer risk with self-insurance, insurance, large/low deductible, self-insured retention, contractual risk transfer, and more. They will discuss ways to provide coverage for workers compensation, auto liability, general liability, marine liability, pollution liability, property, cargo, and international exposures.

Recent years have seen notable changes in farming due to urban expansion, which restricts land for crop production. As a result, farms are increasingly reliant on diverse income sources and non-farm revenue. In session, Participants will explore insurance related challenges and solutions when city and farm collide. Discussions will cover zoning laws, building codes, ordinance or law coverage, and the distinctions between residential and commercial property zoning. Participants will explore how zoning and building codes affect insurance coverage, valuation, and limit considerations. They will also assess how farm partitioning, livestock, and boundary requirements influence liability insurance. The session will also examine loss exposures and coverage related to personal injury, including privacy invasion or trespass issues. Utilizing the latest ISO Farm policies, AAIS Forms, ISO Business Auto Coverage Form, and ISO Personal Auto Policy, attendees will assess coverage options under each.

Participants will discuss the importance of ethical behavior. They will examine the professional, legal, and ethical responsibilities in dealing with the day-to-day realities of the complex, ethical issues of the insurance industry. They will discuss the key to ethical decision making.

Participants will identify the procedural mistakes that give rise to E&O claims in insurance offices today and discuss the potential liability of each and loss control procedures. They will examine the methods that may be used to address these mistakes.

This 4-hour course is tailored for insurance professionals working with small to medium-sized contractors, special trade contractors, and sub-contractors, but are not contracting specialists. It covers contracting relationships, including contract parties, legal components, and relevant licensing and state regulations. Participants will explore various exposures such as commercial property, business auto, commercial general liability, and workers' compensation faced by various contracting sectors. Utilizing the ISO’s most current Commercial Property, Business Auto, and Commercial General Liability insurance policies, they will assess how these policies respond to the unique exposures of the contracting sector. Additionally, the course will cover NCCI's Workers Compensation Policy, surety bonds, and controlled insurance programs (OCIPs and CCIPs). Participants will learn how to manage these issues effectively and improve their understanding of contracting-related risks.

Using a question and answer format, agents will discuss how the Personal Auto and Homeowners Policies provide or exclude coverage. Participants will discuss how the PAP provides or excludes coverage for exposures, such as: students away from school, persons living together without the benefits of marriage, personal vehicles purchased through a company owned by the insured, motorized vehicles, rental cars, and vehicles used for livery and/or delivery. They will look at how the Homeowners Policy provides or excludes coverage for identity theft, business in the home, homes put in the name of a trust, and more.

The trend toward mainstreaming and legitimizing marijuana is here and will continue to have a significant impact on the insurance industry. With that trend comes new regulations and a huge number of insurance questions and issues. Even today, there seems to be misunderstanding about the differences between hemp and cannabis. After a brief review of the history of cannabis in the U.S., participants will discuss the legal and regulatory issues. They will learn how the 2018 Farm Bill changed the landscape and what it effectively did. Using current ISO forms, they will examine insurance coverage considerations with farm, general liability, commercial property, as well as endorsements. They will discuss other associated issues and challenges with insuring hemp and cannabis risks including banking problems, transportation, medical marijuana and workers compensation, product liability, D&O, crime, E&O and medical professional, employment practices liability, and cyber.

Errors and omissions can lead to claims against insurance professionals. Certificates and binders often cause frustration and confusion, contributing to E&O claims. This four-hour session will cover three main topics affecting daily operations. Participants will analyze the causes of E&O claims and learn strategies for prevention. Real-life examples will be used to identify potential exposures and discuss appropriate responses if claim is made. The session will also address challenges arising from certificate of Insurance and binders, learn their importance, purpose and effective use to protect clients from unexpected and unintended exposures. Common errors in issuing Certificates and binders will be discussed, along with strategies to avoid them. Finally, the impact of insurance fraud on the U.S. economy and consumers will be examined, including specific cases involving insurance professionals and their consequences.

We live in an age of disasters. Disasters are not inevitable. In this course, Learn the list of actions in crisis management plan that will be taken before, during, and after a catastrophic event that preserves lives, safeguards property, and reduces the loss of resources essential to the organization’s recovery. Insurance and risk management professionals will identify the 3 essential elements in a comprehensive emergency management program – crisis management, business continuity, and disaster recovery. You will learn the types of hazards, perils, and risks your organization could face, how to respond, who will take action, what the plan should cover, what tools are needed to implement the plan, what training is needed to prepare and how to review and assess the effect.

Agents will examine some of the endorsements that can severely restrict coverage under the Commercial General Liability (CGL) Policy. They will review several ISO endorsements and see examples of non-standard endorsements often used by insurers. In each case, they will discuss the effect that the endorsement has on the coverage that would otherwise have been afforded by the CGL Policy.

Effective crisis management involves a coordinated approach to minimize damage, safeguard stakeholders, restore operations, and rebuild trust in the organization. It requires careful planning, swift decision-making, clear communication, and ongoing evaluation to achieve optimal outcomes during challenging times. The session will start with an overview of crisis management plans, including essential components, required tools, and necessary training. Following this, insurance professionals will assess the effectiveness of these plans. Evaluating crisis management efforts is crucial for optimization. In this 4-hour session, participants will learn to identify and address the missing features within the program. By tracking and measuring training effectiveness, stakeholder satisfaction, activation times for crisis teams, and social media sentiment analysis, organizations can assess their performance, identify key lessons learned, and implement necessary changes needed to enhance crisis management capabilities. Ultimately, successful crisis management depends on an organization’s ability to monitor and adapt its strategies in real-time.

There are risks to operating any non-profit organization, and those risks can differ in important ways from other businesses or organizations. In this session, insurance professionals will be given an overview of religious and non-profit organizations that includes their liabilities, unique exposures, and the impact of current issues to better understand the nature of the risk. They will discuss issues that make non-profits difficult to insure, as well as the challenges with obtaining and maintaining insurance. They will discuss the importance of risk management and steps in the risk management process – identification, transfer, and implementation. They will examine general risk exposures and the types of insurance available for non-profits, focusing on churches and schools – premises liability/general liability, sexual misconduct, building usage, professional liability, educators’ liability, employment practices liability, media liability, cyber liability, and special events.

Participants will gain an understanding of the need for retirement planning. They will learn how qualified plans can best provide the most cost-efficient method of accumulating retirement dollars. They will analyze various types of retirement funding mechanisms, including 401(k) plans, Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA), Roth IRA, Simplified Employee Pension plans (SEP), Savings Incentive Match Plans for Employees (SIMPLE), and Annuities. They will discuss ways to bring the retirement plan together.

Commercial Casualty insurance provides critical coverage for the insured that can be modified further by endorsement. Participants will discuss some dos and don’ts when determining how best to endorse coverage to meet their client’s needs. They will examine Commercial General Liability, Business Automobile, and Workers Compensation endorsements and discuss how they can amend policy provisions, add coverage, or restrict coverage.

Using various claim situations, insurance professionals will identify some common coverage issues that create problems. They will discuss issues related to setting building limits, coinsurance, valuation, business auto symbols, drive other car coverage, damage to property, liquor liability, and loading and unloading. They will review the appropriate policy and endorsements and determine whether coverage is provided and how best to address any gaps in coverage.

In this session, agents will identify construction exposures that could have a significant impact on their client’s business. They will discuss faulty workmanship, general contractors, subcontractors, defective work, insurance requirements common in construction contracts and why they are important, and exclusions. Using construction court cases, they will examine the exposures, coverage issues, gaps, and pitfalls with traditional property and casualty insurance policies and explore possible insurance solutions to these unique risks.

Participants will learn how the Personal Automobile Policy relates to rental cars, use of company cars for personal use, and use of personal autos for business purposes. They will understand the unendorsed Personal Automobile Policy coverage limitations on electronic equipment, custom accessories, and vehicle valuation, and know how to address them. They will review exposures from catastrophic events and the loss issues that result. They will examine identity theft exposure and how the Homeowners Policy can be endorsed to provide protection. They will learn the proper way to insure condominiums, including adequate insurance limits, coverage, and protection from loss assessments.

Agents will discuss how to insure building projects using Builders Risk Coverage forms. They will identify some of the pitfalls to using Commercial Property policies to cover construction and renovation projects. They will review key features to look for in a Builders Risk Policy and discuss how to examine important conditions and exclusions related to coverage. They will learn how to use the Installation Floater to meet the needs of trade contractors involved in building projects.