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BULLETIN
N a t i o n a l As s o c i a t i o n o f P u b l i c I n s u r a n c e Ad j u s t e r s
PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
Karl L. Denison,
CPPA, GoodmanGable-Gould Co./
Adjusters International
Did you know that over the past
year NAPIA presented programs
that qualified for 33 continuing
education (CE) credits in 17
states? No other national or
regional organization offered as
many credits for public adjusters,
nor were their courses approved
by as many state departments of
insurance.
Another example of NAPIA leading
the way with public adjuster education is the Florida 5-Hour Law &
Ethics Update course to be presented during the January 15-17,
2015 Mid-Year Meeting at Loews
Portofino Hotel in Orlando, Florida.
As of this past October, Florida
licensed adjusters whose CE
compliance period concluded at
month’s end or later are required
to complete a 5-Hour Law & Ethics
Update course in each two-year
license compliance period. The
content of this course is highly regulated and specifically described
by Florida’s Department of Financial Services. NAPIA will be one
of the first to present this course
exclusively for public insurance
adjusters. In addition to meeting
the needs of Florida PA licensees,
the program has been submitted
to 17 more states for approval.
As of this writing the course has
been approved for 5 CE credits in
Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Georgia,
Massachusetts, North Carolina,
Pennsylvania, Tennessee,
Texas, Utah and Virginia.
Looking ahead to 2015 there will
be more opportunities for NAPIA
members and other public insurance adjusters to meet continuing
education requirements for licensing in their various states.
In addition to the upcoming MidYear Meeting, up to 6 CE credits
will be awarded for attending
FPCC West on March 26 in Marina
del Rey, California. As many as 7
CE credits are planned for the June
10-13, 2015 Annual Meeting in
Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Attendees of the October 19-21,
2015 First Party Claims Conference in Warwick, Rhode Island
can earn up to 15 CE credits. The
final education program to be held
next year is the December 10-12,
2015 Mid-Year Meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona.
I encourage you to add these
association sponsored events to
your calendar. Keep in mind that
the education sessions at NAPIA
conferences and seminars are
tailored to the public insurance
adjusting profession. They offer
a learning experience that can’t
be matched by online courses or
generic seminars that often include
subjects unrelated to what you
do. The contacts made and the
networking that occurs at our
events is also very valuable.
I hope to see you next month at
the NAPIA Mid-Year Meeting
where we can all benefit from
another first-rate education
program.
Fall 2014
ALL AGREE – FPCC 2014 WAS
A BIG SUCCESS!
“Wonderful program!,” “Great
attendance/networking,” “Very
well run conference,” and “A lot
of instruction in a small amount
of time,” were just a few of the
favorable comments submitted
by attendees surveyed after the
October 20-22, 2014 First Party
Claims Conference at the Crowne
Plaza Hotel in Warwick, Rhode
Island.
FPCC Keynote Speaker Senator
Alfonse D’Amato (c) is flanked by
NAPIA President Karl Denison (l)
and NAPIA’s NAIC Liaison Greg
Serio (r)
Judging from a first timer’s observation, “This was my first year and
I found all sessions informative –
learned much and great networking opportunity,” as well as another
from a past attendee, “Better
than last year – great speakers,”
the conference is providing the
instruction, continuing education
(CE) credits and networking for
first party property insurance
claims professionals it was established to do.
Continued on page 2
FPCC from page 1
The conference schedule was
streamlined this year by providing
education during two breakfasts
and a luncheon. This resulted in
shorter days with the same amount
of CE credits. The difference was
noted as one attendee said “Glad
classes are done by 3:00 pm.”
Conference sponsors and exhibitors benefited from the well
positioned conference layout that
prompted attendees to pause by
displays between classes and
during receptions.
Looking ahead, the FPCC Planning Committee asked attendees
for their thoughts on the location
(Warwick/Providence, RI), hotel
(Crowne Plaza), time of year
(October) and overall schedule.
Over 91% said they were happy
with the location; greater than
98% were satisfied with the hotel;
more than 90% liked having the
conference in October, and all
were pleased with the schedule.
FUTURE MEETINGS
SITES & DATES
Mid-Year Meeting
Loews Portofino Hotel at
Universal
Orlando, FL
January 15-17, 2015
FPCC West
Marina del Rey Hotel
Marina del Rey, CA
March 26, 2015
Annual Meeting
The Broadmoor
Colorado Springs, CO
June 10-13, 2015
First Party Claims
Conference
Crowne Plaza Hotel
Warwick, RI
October 19-21, 2015
Mid-Year Meeting
Westin Kierland Resort & Spa
Scottsdale, AZ
December 10-12, 2015
Annual Meeting
Montage
Laguna Beach, CA
June 15-18, 2016
Mid-Year Meeting
The Breakers
Palm Beach, FL
December 8-10, 2016
SERIO CALLS FOR EXPANSION OF CIVIL AUTHORITY
INSURANCE COVERAGES
Tony D’Amico leads FPCC course
on business income & expense
Plans are now underway for FPCC
2015. Speakers, sponsors and
exhibitors are encouraged to sign
up early to take advantage of
choice topics, sponsorships and
exhibit space. For details about
the October 19-21, 2015 conference contact FPCC at 703-4332520 or [email protected].
Also visit www.firstpartyclaims.com.
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Former New York Superintendent
of Insurance Greg Serio called on
insurers to greatly expand the
civil authority coverage provided
for in commercial insurance
policies. Superintendent Serio
made his comments during a
presentation on the topic of civil
authority insurance coverages at
the 2014 First Party Claims Conference held in Warwick, RI.
Civil authority insurance is that
Continued on page 3
OFFICERS
PRESIDENT
Karl L. Denison, CPPA
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT
R. Scott deLuise, SPPA
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT
Diane Swerling, SPPA
THIRD VICE PRESIDENT
Jeff Gould, CPA
FOURTH VICE PRESIDENT
Damon Faunce
TREASURER
Greg Raab
SECRETARY
Jeff O’Connor, SPPA
DIRECTORS
Ray Altieri, Jr., CPPA
Matthew Blumkin
Kim Cary, CPPA
Pat Cuccaro
Art Jansen, SPPA
Robert Joslin, CPPA
Jodie Papa
Ron Reitz, SPPA
Anita Taff
Judith Vickers, SPPA
Ed Williamson
David Young, SPPA
COUNSEL
Brian Goodman, Esq.
One South Street, Suite 2600
Baltimore, MD 21202
P 410- 752-6030
F 410- 539-1269
[email protected]
www.kramonandgraham.com
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
David Barrack
21165 Whitfield Place, #105
Potomac Falls, VA 20165
P 703-433-9217
F 703-433-0369
[email protected]
www.napia.com
STAFF
Richelle Kelly
Director of Membership & Events
Enid Palazzolo
Director of Accounting Services
MANAGEMENT FIRM
Barrack Association Management
Potomac Falls, VA
COVERAGES from page 2
NEW & PENDING MEMBERS
component of a commercial insurance policy, usually within
business interruption coverage,
that protects businesses that
have been disrupted by an order
or action of a government agency.
“Whereas civil authority was
once a limited coverage pertinent in cases of individual
losses, it has taken on a far
greater import as emergency
orders, wide scale evacuations,
and more proactive and preventive emergency management
have become the norm during
times of disasters,” Serio said.
“Coverages are sorely lagging
behind the changing times, and
their impacts upon the nation’s
businesses. “If the industry is
unwilling to take on this obligation
to policyholders and insurance
consumers, then I would expect
insurance regulators and state
legislators to take up the mantle.”
NAPIA welcomes the following
new and pending Public Adjuster
member firms as well as new
Affiliate member individuals:
Serio also advocated to his
listeners that they become more
proactively engaged with governmental agencies, including emergency managers, to make certain
that government orders issued
before, during or after disasters
like hurricanes, earthquakes and
tornadoes, or terrorist events, reflect the terms and provisions of
civil authority insurance contracts
to assure that businesses will be
covered for losses incurred as a
result of those orders. “Oftentimes,” Serio said, “the orders are
missing critical pieces of information that render civil authority
policies useless.”
NEW PUBLIC ADJUSTING FIRMS
Claim Shield Public Adjusters
Ft. Worth, TX
(R) Roy Young
(IC) John Long
Gavnat and Associates
Burnsville, MN
(R) Jim Pierce
Mid-West Public Adjusting, LLC
Columbia, MO
(R) Eric Baker
(IC) Cindy Greene
(IC) William Cox
Miller Public Adjusters, LLC
Appleton, WI
(R) David Miller
(R) Russell Thomas
PENDING PUBLIC ADJUSTING FIRMS
Crown Adjusting LLC
Oakland, CA
(R) Robert Crown
D.B. Solomon Public Adjusters
Fair Oaks, CA
(R) Daniel Solomon
(IC) Steven Solomon
G.F. Gallo & Associates
Cranston, RI
(R) Gary Gallo
Maine Public Adjusting, LLC
Hamden, ME
(R) Roland Francis
NEW AFFILIATE MEMBERS
NAPIA TO PRESENT 2014
PERSON OF THE YEAR AWARD
AT MID-YEAR MEETING
Gregory V. Serio, a partner in the
New York City-based consulting
firm Park Strategies, LLC, has
been named NAPIA’s 2014
Person of the Year.
Robert Green, Esq.
Robert D. Green & Associates
Houston, TX
Clinton Scott, Esq.
Gilbert Russell McWherter Scott
& Bobbitt PLC
Jackson, TN
DONATE TO NAPIA
CHARITABLE FUNDS
Named after William Goodman,
the first president and founding
father of NAPIA, the Will Goodman Foundation was created to
serve as a resource for education
and training of public insurance
adjusters.
The Paul Cordish Memorial
Foundation was established in
memory of NAPIA Executive
Director and Counsel Paul L.
Cordish, Esq. Each year the
Foundation funds an award for
students at the University of
Maryland School of Law who
successfully compete in a writing
competition on a topic focusing
on public insurance adjusting.
Contributions made to either fund
in the name of a loved one or
colleague will be acknowledged
with a letter to the deceased’s
family. Donations are tax deductible and are restricted for use as
noted above. Checks are payable
to the Will Goodman Foundation
or the Paul Cordish Memorial
Foundation and can be mailed to:
NAPIA
21165 Whitfield Place, #105
Potomac Falls, VA 20165
To make a donation by credit
card, contact NAPIA at 703433-9217 or [email protected].
SIGN UP FOR YOUR SPPA
DESIGNATION!
Do you have your SPPA? The
Senior Professional Public
Adjuster (SPPA) designation
program can provide the specific
technical knowledge you need for
effective claims handling, leading
to beneficial results for you and
your clients.
For details about the public adjuster
certification program log on to
www.TheInstitutes.org/SPPA.
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COUNSEL’S CORNER
Brian S.
Goodman, Esq.
As we head into 2015, I am
pleased to report that NAPIA
continues to gain acceptance and
recognition as the leading voice
in the public adjusting profession
throughout the country. In November, NAPIA Past President
Ron Papa made a presentation
to the newly formed Catastrophe
Response Committee of the NAIC,
a committee established in large
part due to the outstanding efforts
of our NAIC Liaison Greg Serio.
The presentation focused on the
pervasive problem of the Unauthorized Practice of Public
Adjusting (UPPA). With the formation of this committee as well
as the growing body of legal
authority, we see that this is an
issue that is now being recognized and acted upon in many states.
Page 4
But we have to do more. We
have to be ever vigilant in
addressing this problem and
bringing it to the attention of the
insurance departments and state
attorney general offices. As they
say at airports these days “if you
see something, say something.”
This is an adage that applies to
us as we witness both individuals
and companies engaging in public
adjusting without a license.
many states have now enacted
additional regulations on public
adjuster contracts and conduct.
It is vitally important that all NAPIA
members be aware of these controls in a particular state, especially
if you are handling a loss in a state
in which you do not regularly practice. We want to be sure that
our members adhere to various
state by state regulations as we
protect the insured.
On another note, please remember that this is the time of year
when legislatures are preparing
to convene. NAPIA has efforts
pending in a number of states;
however, if you learn of a legislative issue impacting the public
adjusting profession in your state,
please let us know as soon as
possible. Do not assume that all
will simply work out if we do not
at least have the opportunity to
consider a particular issue.
As I will detail in my presentation
at the upcoming Mid-Year Meeting,
Goodman speaks on ethics at FPCC
Page 5
NAPIA MID-YEAR MEETING
COMPLIES WITH NEW
FLORIDA 5-HOUR CE
REQUIREMENT
The NAPIA Mid-Year Meeting
takes place January 15-17, 2015
at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel
Universal Orlando in Orlando,
Florida. The education at this
year’s winter convention is designed to help public adjusters
comply with the new Florida fivehour law and ethics continuing
education requirement now in
effect. The two morning sessions
provide insurance law updates,
ethics and industry trends.
Applications have also been filed
with 17 other state DOIs for similar
credit. Course instructors are Bob
Freemon, Esq., Freemon & Miller,
P.A. and Jim Greer, CPCU, AE21.
The Mid-Year Meeting opens
with the welcome reception at
6:30 pm on Thursday, January
15 and concludes at noon on
Saturday, January 17. The 2014
NAPIA Person of the Year Award
will be presented at Friday’s
reception. This year’s recipient is
NAPIA’s liaison to the NAIC, Greg
Serio of Park Strategies, LLC.
Meeting registration includes all
education sessions, NAPIA
business meeting (for members
only), breakfasts, breaks and
receptions. The non-member
registration includes education
sessions, breakfasts and breaks.
Registered guests and children
are welcome to attend the
evening receptions as well as a
separate breakfast on Friday
morning. FAPIA, GAPIA and
TAPIA members may register at
the NAPIA member rate and
attend all functions.
Located at Universal Orlando®
Resort, Loews Portofino Bay
Hotel re-creates the charm of the
seaside village of Portofino, Italy.
Hotel guests enjoy exceptional
dining, spa and health club, and
other hotel benefits. It’s just a
short walk to shopping, entertainment and further dining options at
Universal CityWalk. Resort guests
can also take advantage of early
admission and express lines at
the theme parks.
Visit www.napia.com for more
details. Keep in mind the deadline for early registration fees and
group room rates is December
22, 2015.
THANK YOU TO OUR MID-YEAR
SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS!
Continental Machinery, Inc.
Frankel & Company
Merlin Law Group, P.A.
NAPIA ERRORS & OMISSIONS
LIABILITY INSURANCE PLAN
CAN SAVE YOU MONEY!
This exclusive program, available
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For more information and to
receive an application, contact
Frank Costa, CIC, CRM at:
Frenkel & Company
601 Plaza 3, 6th Floor
Harborside Financial Center
Jersey City NJ, 07311
Phone: (201) 356-0075
Loews Portofino Bay Universal Orlando is modeled after Portofino, Italy (above)
Page 6
PARTICIPANTS AT FPCC 2014 “ENGAGE – LEARN – NETWORK”
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