Dealing with Errors and Omissions coverage and placement, along with an examination of the status of the insurance industry and the overall economy, will be the featured topics at the 2004 NAPSLO Mid-Year Educational Workshop.

The Mid-Year is scheduled for February 5-8 at the Camelback Inn in Scottsdale, Ariz. The Opening Reception is set for Thursday, February 5 and programs will take place on Friday and Saturday mornings. The meeting closes with a reception on Saturday night.

Despite the best intentions of employees, errors can, and do occur in the insurance industry. Understanding why those mistakes happen, finding ways to prevent those errors from happening , and limiting their damage is an important priority for the industry.

To help members with this issue, two programs on E&O are scheduled for the Mid-Year Workshop.

In The E&O Challenge, Part I: Loss Prevention & Claims, a panel representing surplus lines companies and lawyers will examine typical E&O claims in the industry, review why those E&O claims come about, how to handle the errors and claims, and also discuss potential solutions to prevent future E&O errors and claims.

In The E&O Challenge, Part II: The Wholesaler As A Consumer, representatives of surplus lines brokers and underwriters will examine the current cost and ability to get Errors & Omissions coverage, and what members can do to lower their E&O coverage costs as well as how they can increase their ability to get coverage in the future.

Industry experts have pointed to 2004 as the potential end of the hard market for the insurance industry. As the U.S. economy shows some signs of recovering and prices for some coverage have started to slip, the market may be beginning to turn.

In A Global Examination of the Hard Market, Andy DiLoreto of Benfield; Myron Picoult of Lazard; and Jack Snyder of American Reinsurance, will review the insurance industry to discuss the current status and also the movement towards a more global economy for the insurance industry.

Following the program on the hard market, in Are Happy Days Here Again? An Economist’s View, Don Reynolds, appointed Chairman of the Texas Pension Review Board by Governor George W. Bush , will review current economic conditions and what impact they may have on the industry.

Mr. Reynolds, through his research company, 21st Century Forecasting, focuses on global economic, demographic and technology trends. He taught at the university level for more than 10 years and developed the nation’s first graduate business course on the 21st Century.