Roofing shakes case goes to settlement
	Reinsurance outlook remains negative
	Setting sales goals
	Suit challenges transfer of policies
	Fremont top city for strong building codes
	Highlands cuts 120 jobs
	Hurricane Floyd cleanup continues in North Carolina
	New York Agents offer Web Advice
	Simple steps help you control your day
	Short Takes
	Good resources
	Tackling high turnover saves money

Roofing shakes case goes to settlement
The California Superior Court has approved a proposed $105 million settlement for the class action suit to compensate plaintiffs who claim their roofs were damaged by the installation of Cemwood roofing shakes. The agreement in the case of Richison, et al. v. Weyerhaeuser Company, Ltd. will settle claims arising from roofing shakes manufactured by American Cemwood Corportation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of MacMillan Bloedel, which is now part of the Weyerhaueser Company.
The settlement creates a fund to pay those who claim damages from the installation of the shakes in 39 states, specifically excluding those with property in the state of Colorado. Weyhaeuser and its subsidiaries continue to deny any wrongdoing or liability from installation of the shakes that are composed of two parts cement and one part wood fiber, and are formed to look like a cedar shake, slate or tile roofing product. The shakes were manufactured and marketed under a variety of brand names.
Plaintiffs have until May 5, 2000 to exclude themselves from the proposed settlement. The firm of Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein LLP in San Francisco has established a toll-free number for information regarding the settlement: 1-800-708-3266.

Reinsurance outlook remains negative
Standard and Poor’s predicted that the outlook for the reinsurnace industry for 2000 will remain negative because of the cumulative problems of price reductions, contract extensions and under-reserving. The ratings agency predicted that earnings will remain at depressed levels for at least two years.
That prediction comes despite projected price increases across most lines for the first time in five years. Extremely competitive pricing in the U.S. market will cause reinsurers to post the worst underwriting results since 1992, when the nation’s most costly catastrophe, Hurricane Andrew, created $15 billion in insured losses.
The ratings agency expects insured property losses to exceed $15 billion in 1999 – a relatively favorable figure. Standard and Poor’s attributes the bleak outlook to soft pricing and excess capacity in the reinsurance market.

Suit challenges transfer of policies
The world’s largest publicly-traded insurer, American International Group, Inc., has filed suit to demand that it receive coverage for pollution and asbestos exposure even though the company that sold the original coverage, CIGNA Corp., is now owned by INA (the Insurance Company of North America) .
At issue is the transfer of the costly policies in a complicated company structure created by INA’s merger with CIGNA. INA is a wholly-owned unit of Bermuda-based insurer ACE Ltd.
In the suit, AIG charges that the INA policies were transferred to another unit of CIGNA in an alleged attempt to absolve INA of responsibility for paying claims under those policies. California law requires that an insurer have the policyholder’s permission to make such a transfer. According to the suit filed in San Francisco, the transfer of policies was also designed to give INA a higher credit rating.
Policies were transferred to the Century Indemnity Company which received a finite pool of $4.5 billion from CIGNA to pay the INA claims according to a Reuters report. The plaintiffs allege that CIGNA has grossly underestimated the costs of these insurance policies. The suit, which alleges no harm and seeks no damages, demands that INA to remain liable for the transferred policies.

Fremont top city for strong building codes
Officials in Fremont, Cal. have reason to be proud. The Insurance Services Office pronounced their city as number one in the country for enforcement of building codes. The ISO’s Building Code Effectiveness Grading evaluates the abilities of municipalities for the insurance industry.
The rating program assesses how well commercial and residential structures will survive during hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters. Fremont scored a 95.3 out of a possible 100 in the rating, making it the best of more than 3600 municipalities the ISO evaluated in 44 states.

Highlands cuts 120 jobs
News that Highlands Insurance Group Inc. would restructure the company and cut 120 jobs caused shares to edge up when the announcement was made at the end of the year. The property and casualty insurer plans to reduce its work force by 12 percent and trim vendor costs to realize an annualized savings of $4.4 million.
While no offices will be closed, the company expects to streamline operations and consolidate work. The restructuring should be completed by mid-2000.

Hurricane Floyd cleanup continues in North Carolina
The North Carolina Department of Insurance estimates that Hurricane Floyd wrecked $850 million in damage when it pounded the state in September. The storm damaged an estimated 30,000 homes, totally wiping ouit more than 4,000.
The National Flood Program has issued approximately 81,000 policies for homes in the state representing more than $10 billion in coverage. Unfortunately, more than two-thirds of those homes damaged by Floyd did not have flood insurance.

New York Agents offer Web Advice
The Independent Insurance Agents Association of New York, Inc. (IIAANY) recognizes the role of electronic commerce in the insurance industry but urges consumers to be cautious.
In a recent analysis of web insurance sites, the IIAANY found that there was no savings in time between getting comparable insurance quotes over the web or through an independent agent. Furthermore, the web sites often asked for information about insurance coverage that might not be necessary.
The IIAANY has launched a campaign to make web shoppers more savvy and avoid the fly-by-night operations that use deceptive appearances to gain credit information. Among the guidelines the IIAANY offers for online shoppers:

	Be aware of the types of insurance products and coverage available in the state.
	Know the types and limits of coverage you want to purchase.
	Make sure the carrier providing the quote is licensed to practice in your state.
	Make sure the price quote and coverage from an insurer on the Internet are the same as those received by mail, fax or phone.
	Make sure the web site is secure and that its privacy and security policy is posted on the site.
	Be wary of any company whose web site does not provide a phone number and lists only a post office box instead of a street address.
	Remember than an independent agent can provide information to address any of these issues.

Simple steps help you control your day
Replace your to-do list with a daily planner. That way you’ll have to schedule what you want to accomplish and prioritize instead of just listing tasks. Also, break large projects into small segments that you can manage within a specific time period.
Follow an unconventional schedule. Go to lunch at 1:30 instead of noon. Get gas during lunch instead of after work. You’ll have better luck at avoiding the lines and crowds that way.
Group meetings into one block. Meetings can chop up a perfectly good day, so try to have them all in the morning or the afternoon. Also, if you are arranging a meeting with extremely busy people, try to meet first thing in the morning before they start running behind.
Organize your workspace. Minutes turn into hours of wasted time when people search for directories, hole punchers, certain types of envelopes or other items that they use regularly. Investing some time in putting everything you need in a designated place will save you hours over the course of a year.
Don’t reinvent the wheel. Create a series of checklists for tasks that you do periodically such as purchasing procedures, approving printed materials or drafting particular types of memos. That way you’ll help yourself remember the vital tasks.

Short Takes
Workplace violence
We hear about the big stories. Unfortunately, workplace violence is growing and consultants say small businesses may be particularly susceptible. Small businesses are unlikely to conduct background checks but they can take steps to protect themselves according to John Byrnes of the Center for Aggression Management.
His advice? Watch. Be aware, and identify at the earliest stage any behavior that could turn ugly. Make clear what behavior is acceptable, developing written standards of what behavior will not be tolerated. Owners should be just as aware of the dangers of frayed tempers as they are of frayed electrical wires or wobbly ladders.
Promote press coverage
It’s not easy getting good stories in the press, but when your company does, you should expand the effect by making certain your employees and clients get the message. Enlarge the article and frame it where others can see it or make smaller copies to put in a binder to take on sales calls.
Relating to reporters
Never use the phrase "No comment" to a reporter even if you have nothing to say. It looks like you are deliberately being evasive. If you can’t answer a question explain why or say you’ll get the information and call the reporter back. Also, be sure you return a reporter’s call immediately, even if it’s only to say that you’ll have to make some inquiries to get the necessary information. Let the reporter know you are willing to cooperate.

Good resources
Tackling clutter
Debbie Williams, the creater of OrganizedU™, says there is no one way to be organized and no need to be more organized than necessary. She gives some worthwhile tips for tackling paper clutter and managing time on her website: www.organizedtime.com
Violence video
"Call to Action" is a production by Peerless Video that helps managers identify and address incidents that could grow into workplace violence. The video is also a training tool for organizations wanting to address the issue with employees. The video reinforces the notion that workplace violence is not a random act, and its prevention is a team effort. For more information, call Peerless Video at 1-800-470-TAPE.

Tackling high turnover saves money
In an economy where jobs are chasing workers, firms need to take extra steps to minimize the costly turnover. Following are some approaches that will help you hold on to valued employees.
Hire for attitude, train for skill. Almost every employee has to be trained to the particular tasks at a company, so make certain your new worker is willing and eager to learn. When employees quit after a short tenure, the reason most often cited is "it wasn’t a good fit."
Give new hires attention and training. Integrating workers quickly through a comprehensive employee training program helps them become a vital part of the operation quickly.
Do general training first; job-specific training later. Many employers make the mistake of throwing a new hire into specific tasks of a position without ensuring that they understand the industry, the goals of the firm and how their job relates to the overall picture. Successful employees feel part of the big picture.
Provide growth opportunities. Just because a worker is ideal for a particular position does not mean that person won’t want to move up. One of the main reasons workers leave is to follow better opportunities somewhere else.
Let employees help solve problems. That approach gives them a sense of ownership—that they are part of the company and not just occupying a seat at a desk.