Getting your Agency Ready for AI

Getting your Agency Ready for AI

In this episode of Alliance Insights, Noelle Codispoti of the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance is joined by Ron Hocutt of Angela Adams Consulting for a practical discussion on what AI readiness really looks like for today’s insurance agencies. Ron reframes the conversation away from “Which AI platform should we buy?” and toward the far more important questions of how we best use technology, how we ensure data quality, and how we encourage operational discipline. The episode breaks down the differences between generative AI and agentic AI, clarifying how each can support agency workflows without replacing licensed professionals or transferring legal responsibility. Ron explains why current AI tools remain limited in scope, why liability always stays with the agent or agency, and why fears of full automation often overlook regulatory and legal realities. Listeners are guided through real world applications—such as workflow coordination, policy analysis, client communication, and renewal preparation—while learning why inconsistent workflows and poor data can undermine any AI initiative. The discussion also highlights the competitive risks agencies face if they fail to prepare, emphasizing that efficiency gains, not job replacement, will define winners and losers. Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

Alliance Insights: Insuring Contractors The Additional Insured Basics You Need to Know-Part 2

Alliance faculty member and nationally recognized coverage expert Cathy Trischan returns with Part II of Insuring Contractors: The Additional Insured Basics You Need to Know. Building on the history covered in Part I, this discussion focuses on how today’s ISO additional insured endorsements operate in real-world contracts. Cathy explains the intent and limitations of commonly used forms—such as CG 2010, CG 2033, and CG 2038—and why understanding their wording is critical to effective risk transfer. The episode highlights the impact of privity of contract and key court decisions that narrowed automatic additional insured coverage, creating uncertainty across jurisdictions. Cathy also breaks down the often-misunderstood divide between ongoing operations and completed operations coverage, explaining when separate endorsements are required and why completed ops remains a persistent challenge. Throughout the episode, she emphasizes the importance of scrutinizing carrier proprietary forms, identifying hidden restrictions, exclusions, and contract-based triggers that can undermine coverage. The takeaway is clear: navigating additional insured requirements today requires careful endorsement selection, contract awareness, and a practical understanding of how coverage language plays out after a loss. Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

Insuring Contractors: The Additional Insured Basics You Need to Know - Part 1

This episode of Alliance Insights features Alliance faculty member and nationally recognized coverage expert, Cathy Trischan, covering Part I of Insuring Contractors: The Additional Insured Basics You Need to Know. Listen in as she unpacks why additional insured requirements remain one of the most complex—and misunderstood—areas of contractor risk. From the evolution of ISO endorsement forms to real-world court decisions that reshaped coverage intent, Cathy explains how language like “arising out of,” “ongoing operations,” and “completed operations” can dramatically change who is protected and when. The episode explores why requests for older endorsements persist, how primary and non contributory demands complicate placement, and what today’s agents and risk professionals must understand to navigate contracts with confidence. This discussion lays the foundation for smarter coverage analysis—where knowing the history of additional insured endorsements is critical to managing today’s risk. Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

Environmental Strategist Podcast - EFA Essentials: What Every Insurance Professional Must Know

Topics Covered: * What Environmental Financial Assurance (EFA) is and why it exists * The regulatory origins of EFA, including Superfund and CERCLA * How contracts and environmental indemnifications can create hidden self‑insurance * Why insurance is often the most efficient tool for meeting EFA requirements * Common industries impacted by EFA: construction, real estate, mergers and acquisitions, and environmental services * Real‑world examples of contracts requesting the wrong environmental coverage * Differences between insurance, bonds, letters of credit, escrow, and self‑funding * How EFA strategies protect balance sheets, cash flow, and reputation * The risks of discovering inadequate coverage only after a claim occurs * Why Environmental Strategists focus on education, alignment, and structured EFA planning   Resources from Environmental Risk Managers, Inc.  [https://www.riskeducation.org/environmental-strategist-podcast-efa-essentials-what-every-insurance-professional-must-know/#Resources] Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance [https://www.riskeducation.org] provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.

Best Practices for Utilizing Ai in Insurance

* Why AI adoption in insurance has shifted from “experimental” to operational * Robin Spaulding’s career journey and perspective from claims to leadership * How Roots uses agentic AI to automate underwriting, claims, and policy servicing * Key workflows primed for AI: * Claims indexing and first notice of loss * Claim summaries and document classification * Policy and submission review for complex commercial policies * The hidden cost of manual work in claims and underwriting * Balancing straight‑through processing with “human in the loop” decision‑making * Improving job satisfaction by removing repetitive administrative tasks * How better data flow between claims and underwriting improves outcomes * Why empathy and human judgment remain critical in claims handling * What insurance professionals should focus on to prepare for an AI‑enabled future Focusing exclusively on risk management and insurance professional development, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance [https://www.riskeducation.org] provides a practical advantage at every career stage, positioning our participants and their clients for confidence and success.