PROGRAMS AND OPERATIONS
Q: What does AgentSecure do?
A: AgentSecure is a technology enhanced wholesaler services provider that offers market access to national carriers and real-time comparative rating for both commercial and personal lines in 48 states. Please see our Home Page for a list of carriers and program highlights.
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Q: How long is the approval process?
A: The membership process normally takes 5 to 7 business days depending upon how long the background check takes - background check may be waived if you already have an appointment with one of our national carriers. We also require attendance in one of our online training classes which are held every Tuesday at 1:00 pm Central time. Agents are also required to submit a copy of their E&O declarations page (dec page), copies of your state licenses and a signed copy of the AgentSecure Producer Agreement.
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Q: Do I really need three years of experience to get an appointment?
A: Yes. Exceptions may be requested and we will evaluate those requests on a case-by-case basis.
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Q: Will I get sub-producer appointments with each carrier?
A: No. You will access our carriers via our website. However, if you have appointments with some of our carriers, we do have the ability to provide quotes under your contracts. We have a self-service tool for entering and maintaining your carrier profiles. Also, as you grow and obtain your own contracts we make the transition of your book to that new contract a painless process.
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Q: Who owns the business?
A: You own the business by way of contract with AgentSecure. The Producer Agreement you are asked to sign clearly spells this out.
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Q: Can I write both Personal and Commercial Lines policies?
A: Yes, but there are experience requirements that must be met. Usually both lines of business can be accessed if your agency has the required experience in both commercial and personal lines.
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Q: Can my agency write business through AgentSecure in all 50 states?
A: Yes, your agency can write business with AgentSecure in any state in which you hold a license.
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Q: How many users can my agency have on this account?
A: If you are a Market Access or a Retail Commissions customer you are allowed up to five logins. Under the Best of Both Worlds service, you are charged per user per month.
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Q: Is the AgentSecure website available 24 x 7?
A: Yes, unless we are performing routine maintenance, which normally is done after 9PM Central Time, or on the weekends. Alerts are sent out in advance to notify customers of an availability change.
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Q: What Program Options and Products do you have available?
A: AgentSecure has the following program options and products for your agency:
- Market Access ($50 per month for personal lines and $50 per month for commercial lines for first five users) - wholesale service with access to all of our carriers for commercial and personal lines.
- Best of Both Worlds ($50 per user per month for personal lines and $50 per user per month for commercial) - Quote under your existing contracts and utilize other AgentSecure carriers as well.
- Comparative Rater: there are no additional charges for adding new states or when AgentSecure adds new carriers. Please visit http://www.insurerater.com/ to sign-up and start quoting.
- Commercial lines - ($100) per user per month.
- Personal lines - ($100) per user per month.
- Both Personal and Commercial Lines - ($175) per user per month.
- Leads 2.0 ($75 per month) - generate quoted leads from your agency website, and other custom products by request. Please refer to our home page for a detailed description of these programs.
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Q: What classes of business do you write in my state?
A: We write various Retail, Service, Office, Wholesale, Contractor, Manufacturing, Institutional, and Professional classes in most states. There may be territorial or coastal restrictions and not all lines of business are available in all of our 48 states. Please refer to the “Can We Write It?” tab on the home page for more details by carrier, state and line of business.
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UNDERWRITING AND SALES
Q: Will you assign an underwriter to my agency?
A: All agencies are assigned to a “trainer-underwriter” for the first 30-60 days to make sure you understand how our web site works and to make sure you are submitting applications correctly. Once your agency has submitted 10-20 applications, you will be assigned to an underwriter. Keep in mind also that your agency will have access to all of our underwriters in the Sales Department. Top producing agencies are also assigned special status that elevates their requests in our work queues. In our Retail Commission Program, in addition to higher commission levels, more personalized underwriting and post-sales service is also added.
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Q: How many quotes should I expect to receive on each submission?
A: AgentSecure will provide an automated quote from all carriers on the platform that have an appetite for your risk. That normally means you will get three quotes on each submission. For tougher classes that require manual intervention by an underwriter, you may receive 1-2 quotes.
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Q: Who decides which carriers will be quoted?
A: Carrier appetite and underwriting guidelines determine whether or not your risk will be quoted. AgentSecure will provide a quote from each carrier that has an appetite for your risk. We do not decide which carriers to present.
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Q: If I have appointments with some or all of your carriers, can you provide quotes under my producer codes?
A: Yes. We can use your producer codes with most carriers on our platform. Please see "Best of Both Worlds" under Program Options for more details. At its core, the AgentSecure’s technology is a comparative rater. Our service is flexible enough to handle your needs when you are small with our Market Access program, as well as later on when your agency grows and just needs convenience and efficiencies of a comparative rater.
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Q: If I lost an appointment due to volume requirements, can you roll my book of business?
A: Yes. We have a simple process in place that requires minimal information from you or your customer. When you combine this service with our Retail Commission Program, a book of business you have today can easily earn 2-3 points more simply by switching to AgentSecure.
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Q: How does the sold policy get delivered to the insured (who handles the mail)?
A: Our carriers mail the policy directly to your insured in most cases. We try to take the hassle out of the back office details. We provide you (the producing agent) with an electronic copy of the policy as well.
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Q: How do I access a quote?
A: Your applications and quote results are stored on your personalized AgentSecure Dashboard. Log in to your AgentSecure account for details on your submissions. Email alerts are also sent to you when there has been activity on any account.
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Q: Am I required to send in a signed application?
A: Normally the online application is all that is required. With certain classes, lines of business, carriers may require an application or an addendum prior to binding a policy.
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PREMIUM PAYMENTS & COMMISSIONS
Q: Am I allowed to send AgentSecure a net check?
A: No. Most policies are direct billed to the insured. All checks should be sent to the carrier. AgentSecure will pay your agency after the carrier makes it's payment to AgentSecure.
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Q: When will I receive my commissions on sold policies?
A: AgentSecure is typically paid 30-45 days after the effective date of the policy. This is true in most instances regardless of when or how your customer made their premium payment to the carrier. AgentSecure cuts checks on a weekly basis and your agency will be paid once each month if your agency is due commissions from AgentSecure. We apply cash from most carriers via an electronic commission statement download the same day that the statement is received. AgentSecure normally makes payments to its producers about two weeks after it receives payment from the carriers and has applied the cash.
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Q: Can I use my current premium finance company?
A: No, outside premium financing is prohibited. Most of our policies are “direct bill” but if premium financing is needed, AgentSecure will provide the contract to your office. Why not allow other Premium Finance Companies into the mix? We have found over the past few years that when a policy is financed there are always billing problems.
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Q: Does AgentSecure charge brokerage fees or do you allow my agency to charge fee?
A: AgentSecure has never charged brokerage fees on the policies it sells. Certain states allow agencies to charge a brokerage fee. The AgentSecure Producer Agreement states that if your agency decides to independently charge a brokerage fee, your agency will abide by all state insurance laws and will provide the required disclosure and will obtain the needed customer authorization, signatures and acknowledgement regarding fees charged.
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Q: When will I get paid commissions?
A: If you have opted in for ACH Direct Deposits, you will receive a deposit once per month. If you have not opted for Direct Deposit, commissions are processed and checks are issued once per quarter.
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Q: When I upgrade from Market Access to Retail Commissions, will my renewal commissions for existing policies sold increase?
A: No. Renewal commission rates for previously sold policies will continue at the rate active at the time the policy was sold.
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CARRIER LOGOS AND ADVERTISING
Q: Once appointed, can my agency use the AgentSecure logo or the logos of the carriers that AgentSecure represents?
A: Carrier logos may not be used without the express and written consent from each carrier. The AgentSecure logo may be used with our written permission. You must email our office with your marketing plan and receive approval from an authorized representative of AgentSecure.
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CAPTIVE AGENT QUESTIONS
Q. Who is the Agent of Record on the policies written through the AgentSecure program?
A. AgentSecure is the Agent of Record on all policies written under the Market Access program. The Agent of Record will show on all Declarations Pages as "InsureZone.com of Texas, Inc." InsureZone is the parent company of AgentSecure.
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Q. Will my agency name appear on any Declarations Page or Billing Documents?
A. No. All documents will have the name InsureZone (our parent company) on them.
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Q. Will AgentSecure report my name or relationship to my captive carrier?
A. No. All memberships and policies are private and proprietary to AgentSecure.
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Q. Can I access AgentSecure's website from the computer at my captive office?
A. Yes. You can access AgentSecure from any computer that has a web browser (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox) and has connectivity to the internet. Many agents purchase a separate computer and internet service to make sure there are no conflicts of interest with their captive carrier contracts.
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Q. Does the state insurance department in my state know of my relationship with AgentSecure?
A. It depends on the state. In the majority of the nation, no documentation is provided to the state departments of insurance. The only known exception is Washington State; we are required to disclose the relationship there.
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Q. Will I have access to all carriers AgentSecure has a relationship with or only a few?
A. As a member of AgentSecure, you have access to all carriers on our platform, unless they are a comparative rating only carrier. In that instance you will need to have a direct contract with that carrier in order to receive quotes via AgentSecure. In addition, not all carriers write insurance in each state. You will need to refer to the “Can We Write It?” tab for more details.
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Q. Will I have access to all product lines AgentSecure sells or only a few?
A. Yes. Agents have full access to product lines on a state-by-state level. Note that carrier appetites and availability vary by state. You are required to have three years of experience in the commercial lines in order to write commercial policies with AgentSecure.
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Q. Who owns the book of business?
A. Your agency retains full ownership of the book of business.
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Q. Can I roll my book of business to AgentSecure at any time and vice versa?
A. Absolutely. We have staff specialists to aid you and your agency in rolling a book of business to AgentSecure. Agents are also free to roll their book of business away from AgentSecure as well, as the agent owns and controls the book entirely.
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Q. How will I get quotes on business proposed to AgentSecure's carriers?
A. All quoting is handled online through the AgentSecure Dashboard. Quotes are returned from our Comparative Rater from all available carriers in 2-7 minutes. The cost of the Comparative Rater is included with monthly membership fees.
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Q. Will I need a separate Premium Trust Account?
A. It's up to the individual agent. AgentSecure does not require one. AgentSecure will not sweep accounts for insured's premiums. All premiums will be mailed by the agency directly to the carrier with the policy number noted on the check.
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Q. Does AgentSecure require evidence of E&O Insurance?
A. Absolutely. Even though we are the Agent of Record, we require all of our producing agents to carry their own E&O Insurance with a limit of at least $1,000,000. AgentSecure relies upon your E&O as a first line of defense in the event of an error that is the direct result of your agency’s action or inaction.
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Q. Will the E&O Insurance I carry for my captive relationship suffice for AgentSecure?
A. Possibly. Since agents are free to purchase E&O through any broker their captive carrier approves of, your E&O Insurance may work for your relationship with AgentSecure. Check your declarations or contact your E&O carrier to see if it covers outside insurance activities or only insurance activity approved by the captive carrier. Many E&O policies will cover outside insurance relationships but have a different deductible for activity outside of the captive relationship.
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TECHNICAL SUPPORT QUESTIONS
Q: What web browsers are supported by AgentSecure?
A: We are compatible with IE on Windows XP and 7, Firefox on Windows XP, 7 and Mac, Safari on Mac.
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