New Orleans Convention Proves Successful

Over the past two years there has been a lot of discussion about having the 2007 NAPSLO Annual Convention in New Orleans but as Co-Chair of the Convention Committee and now President, I am very glad, and relieved, to report that the convention went very well.

More than 3,300 people registered for the convention and the meeting went off without any problems.  In addition to the traditional networking that takes place during the convention, attendees were also treated to two very topical programs. 

The special Thursday morning program featuring top industry leaders discussing current topics and the impact on the industry was very insightful, as was the talk on Friday morning by political consultants Mary Matalin and James Carville regarding the 2008 presidential campaign.

In addition, nearly 100 NAPSLO attendees helped with the special Habitat for Humanity project, building houses at the Musicians Village area. The Habitat organization and the homeowners working on their houses were very appreciative of our volunteer work.

Planning is already underway for the 2008 Annual Convention in San Diego and the Association will continue to keep an eye on convention sites to ensure that the city and sites are ready for NAPSLO.

While our next convention is quite a ways off, registration for the 2008 Mid-Year Educational Workshop, February 20-23 at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess will start in mid-November and we will try out online registration for the meeting.

We made an initial foray into online registration for Committee Day and believe it worked well.  One thing we noted is that some members do not open e-mails from NAPSLO. While we all get numerous emails each day and at times the last thing we want is another e-mail, not opening e-mails from NAPSLO runs the risk of not being aware of registration for meetings and other important news.   To that end, we try to limit our e-mails to members so you will know if it is from NAPSLO it is important.

Whether through e-mails, the newsletter or the Web site, keeping members up to date about the industry and Association is very important and also one of the major objectives for NAPSLO. One of the biggest issues we are working on is to keep members up to date on potential changes on the regulation and legislation that impacts how we operate.

As most people are aware, Congress is currently considering legislation that could streamline and improve the efficiency of the marketplace. It was one of the major topics covered during the panel discussion at the convention. The House has passed the Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act of 2007 and we are hopeful that the Senate will soon hold hearings and vote on the bill.

Passage of this bill could have a big influence on our industry and mark an important milestone in our industry’s history. Over the years there have been several milestones that have changed the industry. In the mid-1990s it was the first publication of the A.M. Best Annual Review of the Surplus Lines Industry, which showed our industry was just as solvent as the overall property & casualty industry. That initial study, and annual reports since then, have done a lot to remove questions about our industry and show that the surplus lines industry is a stable, solvent market.

While we may no longer get questions regarding our financial solvency, today there are questions regarding the value of the wholesaler in a transaction, especially in light of the investigations by the previous New York Attorney General.

To counter any negative impression, the Association is looking at the need to institute a major public relations and advertising campaign to explain our important role in the insurance transaction. The Communications & Technology Committee will be looking at the issue at Committee Day and also work with a number of our members to consider ways to change perceptions.

Committee Day will be an important meeting and I want to thank all those volunteers who will participate and will keep all of our members informed on this, and other issues.