CE Marathon Schedule Update - Legislative Changes Course

Our CE Marathon schedule had originally included a spot for our new 2009 Legislative Changes course on Thursday, July 30th, from 3:30pm - 4:30pm. The course was submitted for approval in June and we'd hoped to receive it in time for the CE Marathon.

Unfortunately, that's not going to happen. The course was not reviewed by the CE Advisory Council at their June 24th meeting. We were told, however, that is slated for review at the July 29th CE Advisory Council meeting.

For those of you who absolutely need the 1-hour of required Legislative Changes by the end of July, we are offering an alternative. We can mail you our TEXT-BASED 2007 Legislative Changes course (which has a different course # than the 2007 Legislative Changes SEMINAR we've been offering) and I will personally proctor/monitor the exam on Thursday, July 30th between 3:30pm and 4:30pm - which was the original time slot planned for the 2009 seminar.

Click here for more info.

-Linda

Montana Insurance Commissioner Warns Insurance Agents and Brokers About Scam Artists Posing as State Employees

Per news dated July 7, 2009 on the official state website for Montana, Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance, Monical Lindeen warns insurance agents and brokers about a scam. Other states that are actively investigating the scam include: Colorado, Nevada, Oklahoma, and California.

In part, the news states: "Lindeen’s office has received reports from multiple other states that individuals have been calling licensed insurance agencies and representing themselves as employees of the state Commissioners of Insurance. These individuals, pretending to be agency employees, have requested payment for a penalty fee. The same individuals also requested that the insurance agencies provide credit card and social security information over the telephone to make the penalty payment and to avoid cancellation of their license."

Click here to read the entire article.

State Auditor's Office Conducts Insurance Agency Audits

I recently met a very nice fellow named Brian who works as investigator for the State Auditor's Office.

Part of his job, in addition to investigating complaints and fraud, involves visiting insurance agencies across the state to conduct compliance audits. I was very happy to have passed my audit!

Here's the kind of things the Auditor's Office wants to know:

• Are your insurance producer and consultant licenses posted in your office?
• Do you have separate Trust and Operating bank accounts?
• What kind of duties and transactions are your unlicensed staff members conducting?
• Does anyone in your office have any questions or concerns that he can help you with?

My meeting took very little time and Brian answered all the questions I have. His goal, and that of the State Auditor's Office, is to assure that insurance transactions are processed smoothly and accurately.

If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach the State Auditor's Office/Department of Insurance at 800-332-6148 or http://sao.mt.gov/.

Adding Great Falls to our Schedule

We visited Great Falls earlier this month and were welcomed warmly by a number of insruance professionals: title producers, P&C producers, adjusters, and insurance company personnel.

Since then, we've been contacted by a number of people - both those who attended and those who were referred by our June participants.

Call or e-mail us if you'd be willing to attend CE seminars in Great Falls. It's looking like we'll be adding your town to the schedule in 2010. The more input we have from you, the better we'll be able to meet your needs and requirements.

Office Phone: (406) 542-1045 or (866) 949-1045

Click here to e-mail.