Archive for the ‘General’ Category

Monday is Memorial Day in the U.S. Like many others, our office will close at 1pm Friday and remain closed until Tuesday morning.

For too many, unfortunately, the focus is on the three-day weekend – the unofficial start of the summer holiday season – and activities like boating, picnics and barbecues.

While we enjoy all of these, we never want to lose sight of the reason for Memorial Day:

It is the day to remember those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.

So, sometime this weekend, if at all possible please do one or more of the following:

• Place a flag on the grave of a fallen hero.
• Attend a Memorial Day parade.
• Sit with family and friends and talk about the sacrifices made for us.
• Watch a show on one or more of the many tragic battles needed for our freedom.
• Read an article about a single soldier/airman/marine/guardsman who made the ultimate sacrifice.
• Just stop for a moment and think about how different things would be without the sacrifices made.

Our world and our country are far from perfect. Our leaders make numerous mistakes. But without the lives given in service and defense of our country over the last 237 years, we – and the world – would be so much poorer in so many ways. This one weekend at least let’s try to keep that top of mind.

Arlington National Cemetery photo courtesy of Flikr user The U.S. Army

At least 6 killed, dozens hurt and over 100 homes damaged in Granbury tornadoes

Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds said at a press conference this morning that all six people who died were adults, although he did not release their names or other details.

He said 37 others were known to be injured, and around 110 homes damaged or destroyed. Sheriff Deeds said the death count could rise as seven people remain unaccounted for and nearby rural areas had not been searched thoroughly. But he did not expect anyone else to be found in the rubble.

At iMGA we are honored to be able to help restore people’s belongings after severe weather events. But every spring we are reminded that:

• Nature is an awesome, powerful and unpredictable force, and
• Some losses simply cannot be replaced.

We are proud to provide insurance for thousands of Texas homeowners and we work every day to live up to the trust placed in us by our agents and customers, but we often wish we could do even more. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Granbury, and all the others who have been and will be affected by severe weather.

Some video from Granbury:

Insurance agents provide valuable services for their clients.It is important that they stay financially healthy to be able to continue to provide those services.

On many transactions the commission paid by the carrier provides adequate resources for the agency. On others, though, a reasonable Agency Fee is both necessary and appropriate, as the Texas Insurance Code has made clear since 2005:

§ 4005.003. FEES. (a) A general property and casualty agent may charge a client a fee to reimburse the agent for costs the agent incurred in obtaining a motor vehicle record or photograph of property described under Section 4005.002. The fee may not exceed the actual costs to the agent.

(b) For services provided to a client, a general property and casualty agent may charge a reasonable fee, including a fee for: (1) special delivery or postal charges; (2) printing or reproduction costs; (3) electronic mail costs; (4) telephone transmission costs; and (5) similar costs that the agent incurs on behalf of the client.

(c) A general property and casualty agent may charge a client a fee under this section only if, before the agent incurs an expense for the client, the agent: (1) notifies the client of the agent’s fee; and (2) obtains the client’s written consent for each fee to be charged.

At iMGA we’re constantly looking for ways to make life easier for agents. One of the ways we do that is by fully supporting Agency Fee collection and compliance in our Dwelling, Homeowners, MobileHome, Renters and Vacant programs.

If you enter the amount of an Agency Fee when submitting a policy, we’ll:

• Disclose the fee on the application and on the declarations page,
• Include the fee in the calculated down payment amount,
• Calculate, collect and remit the surplus lines tax and stamping fee on the agency fee, and
• Collect the Agency Fee and include it in your next monthly commission payment.

Any future renewals will also include the agency fee, including its repeated disclosure on the declarations page.

Simply have the insured sign the iMGA application with disclosure wording (or your own fee disclosure form) for your records and you’ll be in full compliance.

Wishing all our agents, friends and partners a very sweet day on this St. Valentine’s Day.

What’s your favorite treat?

We’re growing and are looking for a motivated, bright student to join us as Systems Development Intern.

If you know someone who might fit the bill and enjoy working with our great team, please refer the to our careers page at http://imga.biz/careers.