Company Background

Introduction

Total Insurance Services has been in business for over 40 years.  It is lead by a three partner management team that collectively has over 60 years of experience in the insurance industry.  The organizational structure is client focused, with service teams set up with Account Executive leadership, Account Management servicing and technical assistants.  There are dedicated individuals who focus on claims servicing, certificate procurement and accounting and finance. 

Leading the management team at Total Insurance Services is Eric Jaffee, President of Total Insurance Services.  Eric has extensive experience in all types of client operations, especially real estate.  His extensive experience in real estate risks has earned him industry recognition for developing innovative program designs.  In addition, he serves on numerous insurance company executive councils advising carriers on providing unique coverage specifically tailored to the real estate industry.

Company Overview

There are over 70 professionals at Total that comprise the service and support teams – with educational backgrounds that include CPA’s, MBA’s, and ARM’s, to name a few.  We have a 25 year combined average number of years of experience for our professionals.   Total is an all lines insurance agency (commercial lines, group and individual benefits, personal lines and financial planning) with professionals experienced in corporate risk management, property portfolio insurance design, underwriting, claims management, loss control and alternative risk financing.

Total Insurance Services is ranked amongst the Top 20 Insurance Brokers in the Chicagoland area as reported in Crain’s Chicago Business for 2006.

We represent numerous carriers that have met a high level of expectations to include:

§  A.M. Best financial rating of A VII or better

§  Clams servicing and management

§  Loss Control resources

§  Effectiveness of backroom operations (i.e. policy processing, endorsement requests)

We have a distinguished relationship with many of the carriers that meet the aforementioned qualifications, specifically:

§  An Elite Agency for Travelers Insurance Company – an honor bestowed upon only the top 4% of their agents nationwide

§  Hanover Insurance Company 2007 President’s Club Agency of the Year

§  Zurich Insurance Company Medallion Level Agency

In considering insurance programs, we urge balance: Evaluate not only the premium, but also the financial integrity of the Insurance Company (or other financial service provider), the length of its commitments, and its ability to integrate into the client’s environment.

As independent agents, we are able to navigate the marketplace to find the best coverage for the client’s specific needs at the right price. Total Insurance Services sets the highest standards of excellence in all areas and are committed to the establishment of a firm relationship of mutual trust and service with the client.

For over 40 years, our agency has provided risk management products and services to businesses and individuals alike.  With a focus on solving our clients’ problems, we offer a unique approach.  Our goal is to communicate the benefits of an insurance program rather than the features of an insurance policy.  In considering such insurance programs, we urge our clients to evaluate not only the premium, but also the Agency and the Insurance Companies it represents.

Risk Management refers to the evaluation of exposures to various risks and the management of such risks by:

§  Transferring them to a third party

§  Absorbing them, or

§  Avoiding them altogether

Since we operate in a rapidly changing environment, managing risk is a process not an event.  The process requires not only expertise, but also attentiveness.  In fulfilling our commitment to Risk Management, we:

§  Evaluate all exposures

§  Separate exposures into insurable and uninsurable

§  Determine the effectiveness of utilizing insurance on insurable exposures and reducing (or avoiding) uninsurable exposures 

§  Analyze the financial strength of Insurance carriers

§  Work with management and ownership to implement decisions

The following are included in the qualities we look for in an insurance company.

Ø  Professionalism

§  Financial Integrity

§  Commitment

§  Ease of doing business (Underwriting through Claims)

§  A nationwide and worldwide claim handling network

§  A system to minimize claim handling expenses through means including

§  Expertise in and the pursuit of subrogation

Identifying the opportunity to develop an improved property and casualty insurance solution begins with inventorying the exposures to risk for our clients. This process consists of:

• Reviewing contracts (leases, etc.)
• Reviewing historical loss information
• Evaluating existing insurance policies
• Meeting with the clients risk management team

Combined, this information tells a story about the history of the client’s exposure to risk and identifies current and proposed directives for future exposures.  The findings from this first stage of the evaluation process will be the foundation for the types of insurance solutions that would be viable for the client, in terms of supporting operational and financial objectives.

Our approach is to provide our clients with a 365 day stewardship process that begins 3 months prior to the inception of the program and goes continuously during the course of the partnership.  At the beginning of the relationship we engage in what we call the inventory stage, a stage in which we are learning everything we can about our client order to represent them in the most favorable light to the insurance market.

Once we have entered into the new policy period, we develop with our client special service instructions that support the risk management objectives.  We identify specific task/objectives, the person on the team responsible and the delivery date for the item.  The overall goal is to establish a service delivery plan that is outcome based and that meets specific financial and operational goals. The special service instructions are monitored that they are meeting the objectives on a quarterly basis. We have provided a template with this response of the types of items that can be considered in the service plan.