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Friendly Reminder |
Alberta
general insurance agents are reminded they must have
all CE hours in place by October 31
in order to renew their license.
Call 1-800-404-2211 if you need hours.
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New
Book Exchange Forum |
You can now post
your CAIB and Fundamentals text books for sale on our
site! Taking one of these courses? Why not purchase
a used text and save money?
Come check out the savings
CLICK HERE |
Two
Free Chapters |
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Try out one of our ILS online video
CAIB Exam Preparation courses absolutely free! Sign-up and
experience 2 chapters of the same dynamic instruction that
students receive at the UBC or Saskatchewan CAIB immersion
courses, without leaving your home or office! See what
everyone is talking about!
CLICK HERE
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Industry Briefs |
| Trends in auto
accidents
The American Progressive Commercial Auto firm, part
of The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies, recently
reviewed claims data from automobile accidents that
occurred between September 2005 and August 2006 involving
commercial vehicles it insures. From this information,
the company was able to spot some trends in accidents.
The study looked at “light local” vehicles
with a gross vehicle weight rating of less than 16,000
pounds, including cars, pick-up trucks, vans and mini-vans.
As well, the study looked at vehicles weighing more
than 16,000 pounds, such as tractor trailers, dump trucks
and flatbeds.
The findings revealed that most crashes involving light
local vehicles happened on Fridays while the least number
of crashes occurred on Mondays and Tuesdays. However,
crashes involving heavier trucks occurred most often
on Thursdays and least often on Mondays and Fridays.
In the 12 month study, December 2005 had the highest
rate of accidents involving light local vehicles while
January 2006 had the least amount of accidents. The
likelihood of light local vehicles being involved in
an accident was 17 percent greater in December 2005
than in January 2006.
Not surprisingly, about 66 percent of all crashes involving
light local and heavier trucks happened during traditional
work hours, though most of the crashes involving heavier
trucks happened between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. and those
involving light local vehicles started one hour later
— 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Meanwhile, light local vehicles
were involved in most crashes between 12 p.m. and 6
p.m. while heavier trucks were involved in most of their
crashes between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
California’s provisions to graduated licensing
law results in lower crash rates among teens
A recent evaluation of California’s graduated
licensing requirements has found that there is a 23
percent overall reduction in the per-capita crash involvement
rate of 16-year-old-drivers. According to the study
by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, crashes
went down more in the high-risk situations specifically
addressed by graduated licensing - nighttime crash rates
went down 27 percent, and crash rates with teen passengers
decreased 38 percent.
California legislators were among the first in the
nation to enact graduated licensing, which took effect
in 1998. Currently, six Canadian provinces and territories
have some form of graduated licensing. Most graduated
licensing laws provide restrictions on young or new
drivers, including limiting the number of passengers,
requiring the driver to be supervised in the vehicle
and limiting driving to daytime hours only.
Now available: 40-year mortgages
With the prices of homes continuing to be in the hundreds
of thousands of dollars range, Genworth Financial Canada
is now offering insurance on 40-year mortgage terms.
The company says that a 40-year mortgage, as opposed
to traditional 20- or 25-year terms, reduces a borrower’s
monthly payment, enabling more people to afford a home
of their own while also increasing the options available
to them.
Genworth says that buyers could save nearly $200 per
month on a $200,000 loan at six percent interest compared
to a 25-year mortgage. However, critics warn of the
possibility of such extended mortgages leaving homeowners
in debt forever.
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A Video for Financial Advisors
Forty dynamic marketing ideas courtesy of Grant Hicks
and ILS Learning Corporation
Coming up with new, exciting and effective marketing techniques
for your business is not always easy. What are you doing?
What do you want to do? What is your competition doing? Who
is your target market? All of these questions take time, effort
and often money to determine.
Now, Grant Hicks, co-author of the best-selling “Guerrilla
Marketing for Financial Advisors” book has
created an online video course with the same name. With ILS
Learning Corporation, Hicks has made the most comprehensive
marketing program for professionals, containing more than
forty dynamic marketing ideas for Financial Advisors, life
insurance agents, wholesalers, stockbrokers and their assistants.
Receive 12 CE credits towards your Accident
and Sickness, Life and CFP mandatory licensing requirements
by taking “Guerrilla Marketing for Financial
Advisors.”
For further details on this exciting course you cannot afford
to miss, please check out our
financial advisors page.
Not much time left to win your way aboard!
  Don’t
forget that until December 15, 2006, the
more online courses you take with ILS Learning Corporation,
the more chances you have to win your way onto the inaugural
Advantage Performance Series (at Sea) Caribbean cruise.
The more courses you take, the better your chances of winning.
The lucky winner and a guest will join ILS Learning Corporation
and other students on a seven day Caribbean cruise. Departing
from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the Princess Caribbean cruise
ship will make stops in St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Princess
Cays.
The best part: receive up to 12 CE credit hours
onboard towards your Life, A&S, General Insurance,
Adjuster, Technical or Professional/Management mandatory licensing
requirements while sailing through the Caribbean!
Don’t forget to enter often. Good luck!
For
more information on the Advantage Performance Series (at Sea)
Caribbean Cruise presented by ILS Learning Corporation,
Click Here.
Keep an eye on those “Rug Rats”
by
Todd Hochban
There are many
activities children will take part in that adults would not.
Jumping on a trampoline may be one of those activities. Instructing
safe operating procedures and posting rules near the trampoline
are prudent safeguards. They may be insufficient safeguards
when children are involved.
In Poirier v. Cholette, a British Columbia court
found the owners of a trampoline responsible for the plaintiff’s
injuries. The defendant was aware that children do not always
follow instruction and may not read or understand posted rules.
The court ruled that the lack of parental supervision lead
to inevitable “rough-housing” causing the injuries
to the plaintiff.
New Commercial Lines Course Package Now Available
with ILS Learning Corporation!
You’ve asked for it and ILS has delivered!
ILS is now offering a 4-course Commercial Lines Package for
brokers across Canada. Presented by Todd Hochban, a
dynamic insurance educator for over 20 years, these online
video CGL courses are as interactive as sitting in an actual
classroom, with the added benefits of being able to review
the information as often as you like, whenever you’d like,
and at a fraction of the cost of attending an actual ‘live’
session.
Todd Hochban reviews the new changes in the Commercial General
Liability policy and highlights the areas that are most important
for brokers. Workbooks and exercises are included to
help reinforce the new information for you. The CGL
package includes the following 4 courses:
| PART 1 – Canadian Legal
Basics |
| PART 2 – Coverage A
– Insuring Agreements |
| PART 3 – Coverage A
– Exclusions |
| PART 4 – Coverage B,
C & D - Who is an Insured, Amount of Insurance, Common
Exclusions, CGL Conditions and Miscellaneous Liability
Coverages |
* CGL package will provide 8 CE credits towards your General
Insurance and Adjusters mandatory licensing requirements
Included in the CGL course package is the Business Interruption
course (Profits Form) at no extra cost!
Please contact us if you are part of our Broker Network
or Corporate eLearning Centres for HUGE savings!
For non-group members, the CGL video course package can be
purchased for $175, or $50 per course.
Halloween Insurance?
 Halloween
is approaching which means that thousands of ghosts, goblins
and witches will soon be canvassing Canadian neighbourhoods
in search of sugar-laden treats.
But what about the vampires? These vampires are the litigious
creatures that are looking to cash in by fighting against
a host of issues from the apparent obesity epidemic to cavity-causing
candy.
In order to stave off legal attacks from the vampires, the
U.S.’ Center for Consumer Freedom has offered a “Halloween
Trick-Or-Treat Liability and Indemnification Agreement.”
While the agreement is designed for Americans, Canadians
may find it amusing or useful for their own October 31 actions.
By signing the agreement, Trick-or-Treaters agree not to
sue on the basis of:
- Failure to warn of potential for overeating because candy
tastes too good and is provided at no cost;
- Failure to provide nutritional information or adequate
educational information on exercise options;
- Failure to state that candy corn is not really corn;
- Failure to warn the lactose intolerant away from milk
duds;
- Failure to offer “healthier options,” “organic
choices,” or “lame treats no kid wants”;
and
- Failure to provide information about other venues offering
alternative, “healthier” Halloween goodies.
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