Service and Security

Collectors Insurance Agency helps members with their insurance, bonding and licensing needs

Collectors Insurance Agency, a wholly owned subsidiary of ACA International, has a long history serving the collection industry. Without question, the collection industry is currently in the middle of one of its most challenging eras. Those looking in from the outside might wonder how CIA and its member clients keep things moving in the right direction. The answer is thenrelationship with each other.

CIA's representatives consistently provide excellent service, products and information to the ACA members with whom they work. In turn, CIA's member clients provide support with thencontinued participation and willingness to take the steps necessary to protect their future.

This relationship is a continual and reciprocal exchange. Following is a look at the CIA team and an overview of some of the challenges they tackle on ACA members' behalf every day.

CIA has 14 staff members with a combined experience of 109 years providing commercial insurance, surety bonds and licensing services to the members of ACA International.

CIA's Insurance Unit

CIA's Insurance Unit consists of George Ceaser, CISR, Insurance Unit manager; Alex Wagner, CISR, senior client service representative; Jennifer Cleveland, senior client service representative; Travis Coles, client service representative; Kristen Ries, senior client service representative; and Denise Weis, insurance administrative assistant.

CIA is a nationally licensed insurance agency with direct carrier appointments. Insurance representatives provide quotations, take care of mid-year changes, issue proof of your coverage, and review members' coverage needs and their client's insurance requirements.

When members call thenrepresentative, they can expect to receive valuable information and guidance.

There is another and somewhat rare aspect to CIA's responsibilities. Within audited guidelines, CIA has the authority to underwrite, quote and bind members' coverage. Those falling outside of CIA's authority may include applicants with a high loss ratio or limited industry experience. These applicants are submitted to the carrier for approval.

CIA has this authority because the carrier relies on its industry expertise to adequately review a member's coverage needs, claims and procedures.

CIA represents members through direct communications with the insurance carriers securing a "meeting of the minds" that proves to be very important in the event of a claim. It is, however, the candid conversations with insured members that enable CIA to insure such a complex industry.

CIA's Bond Unit

CIA's Bond Unit consists of Lisa Eubanks, Bond Unit manager, and Stephanie Lauseng, bond service representative.

The Bond Unit manages the accurate issuance of more than 10,000 bonds every year. The surety bond program is CIA's largest when measured by participants. The bonds are automatically renewed well in advance of their due date, and new bonds are processed as quickly as possible.

Most members don't know about their extraordinary efforts negotiating bond language and terms on thenbehalf with the various states, and securing the consensus of the surety provider.

It is routine for CIA's Bond Unit to welcome members back that had moved their bond business only to miss the excellent service.

CIA's Bond Unit has authority to place members' bonds on behalf of the surety up to a $250,000 total bond limit per agency. Bond representatives work direcdy with the carrier and maintain a solid relationship with thenunderwriters. They involve CIA's broker, as needed, to access the marketplace.

CIA's Licensing Unit

CIA's Licensing Unit consists of Angela Butera, Licensing Unit manager; Jeff Schoenberg, licensing representative; and Megan Rinsem, licensing administrative assistant.

Working hand-in-hand with the Bond Unit, ACA's Compliance Department and ACAs State Government Affairs team, the Licensing Unit is supported at every level as team members administer their member clients' licensing needs. It is always rewarding when those who have used the service for their initial licenses enroll in the renewal service as well.

One of the keys to their success is their relationships with the state licensing authorities as they carefully track the progress of licenses.

Most recently, ACAs Licensing Unit provided the National Mortgage Licensing System with feedback, having used their system for several clients. ACA, NMLS and the Conference of Bank Supervisors used this information to put on an online training seminar for ACA members

CIA Administration

Rounding out the CIA team are three staff members who work with all three units in different capacities.

Janis St. Martin, vice president, manages CIA's vendor relationships and serves as program manager. Issues that have the potential to impact an entire program come to her to handle or review.

She also assists individual members with concerns, and coordinates CIA's role in common goals shared by other departments at ACA.

Dereck Tessmer, sales manager, advises members of all that is available through CIA He understands the value CIA adds to ACA membership and helps members understand how CIA's products and services can help them.

Kristina Warmka, department administrator, manages CIA's accounting and IT needs. She also maintains CIA's national licenses, tracks continuing education requirements and assists all three areas by tracking data and maintaining records, cm

SERVICE

Help CIA Help You

CIA staff members were asked, "If you could share just one thing with the members, what would it be?" Following are their responses.

"The importance of compliance on a member's bonds. Every change in their agency matters, no matter how little it may seem. Even a suite number change can affect several licenses and bonds, so accuracy is really important."

-Stephanie Lauseng, bond service representative

"Consider the value of great, ethical service. Your time is priceless. We save you time."

-Lisa Eubanks, Bond Unit manager

"The members I work with are genuinely concerned with the number of claims to hit this industry and they want to know how to prevent them. I really appreciate their willingness to work with us on these issues."

-Alex Wagner, senior client service representative

"Consider the true cost of insurance when shopping their coverage. It isn't only premiums, it's also uncovered claims and the number of times they pay their deductible. If they haven't had help reviewing their procedures for corrective measures, they'll continue to pay deductibles."

-Dereck Tessmer, sales manager

"Dedication to customer service excellence is our number-one priority. We need to hear from members if we fall short."

-Angela Butera, Licensing Unit manager

"Please help by answering every question on your Errors & Omissions application. On average, we have to go back to 50 percent of our insureds, gathering additional information. Reducing that number would save us so much time."

-George Cea ser, Insurance Unit manager

"Some changes or new policies they want can't always happen immediately. While we definitely work our fastest on things members need, we appreciate having ample time to process changes or underwrite a new policy."

-Kristen Bies, senior client service representative

Janis St. Martin is associate editor of Collector.