Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-30
INSURANCE
COOPERATION SEEN
Companies and Agents Dis
play Desire to Solve
Mutual Problems.
BIZ RoLLIN M. CLARK.

Meeting simultaneously but nearly
5000 miles apart. the two great insure
ance agents associations-the National
Association of Life Underwriters and
the National Association of Insurance.
Agents-have Just concluded what may
perhaps prove to be their most import
ant conventions in years.
The Life Underwriters organization,
with q membership of approximately
10000 producers who are responsible
for the bulk of the country's life insur-
ance sales, met in Pittsburgh, while the
other group. representing more than
$4,000 leading fire and casualty agents,
held its sessions at Los Angeles.
Era Of Cooperation.
Although the problems of the two
types OF agents are distinctly unrelated,
there was ample evidence in the ad~
dresses and discussions at both meet.
ings that an era of unprecedented co.
operation between all types OF msur-
ance- companies and their agents y
ahead.
In the life insurance field the ques~
ton Of lapsaticn-the surrender of poll
icies now in force-haS become OF OUT
standing Importance and more than
one speaker at the Pittsburgh gathering
offered suggestions for cutting down the
admittedly high lapse ratio experienced
this year. The underwriters were told
that they themselves had part TO play
in keeping business on the books and
should not rely entirely upon the CONF
panies to carry on such conservation
work. Through cooperative effort q
companies and agents 1t Is expected
that much business now being Surrerl>
dered may be kept In force.
The Los Angeles convention OF nre
and casualty agents was marked by
- ND f0r.
mony between the agents and COM
panies whose interests are complemental.
Wilfred Kurth, president of the Home
Insurance Co., told the agents that
there is no single problem which can.
not be solved, no difficulty which cannot
be overcome, not an irritation that cam
not be allayed" through the Joint Con-
ferences Committees which have been
set up by company executives ana the
agents association.
Mr.. Kurth pointed out that in the
last decade there has been an in1@
portant change in the attitude Of many
company officials toward some OF the
aims of the agents. He cited agency
qualification laws as one example, stat
ing that enlightened company opinion
has undergone q pronounced cnange
in regard to such laws
"Sidelines."
A proposal that the so-called side
hnes"-forms of coverage sold in ad.
dition to fire insurance-be combined
with fire insurance in one policy, SO
as to give property owners complete
protection against number OF HAZARDS
in one policy, was advanced by Mr..
Kurth. He would have fire, windstorfn,
earthquake, water damage, burglary ana
liability insurance made available 70
the public through the pay OF single
premium. Through this means, he pc
iieves, the cost to the insured can be
reduced and at the same time more
insurance in the aggregate can be sold.
Mr.. Kurth declared that the issuance
of such policies would be authorized as
soon as agents and companies united
to convince legislatures that 1t should
be done" A combination contract as
described would not be permitted under
existing State legislation
Co@operatson between companies ana
agents also was the keynote of an adj
dress at Los Angeles by Charles y.
Livingston, insurance commissioner OF
Michigan. who was recently elected
president of the National Convention
Of Insurance Commissioners. He urged
that the public interest be paramount
in the deliberations of the two groups.
Copyright. 1881