ACC conforms with industry-leading disclosure models for agent and broker compensation and is committed to your satisfaction

AGENCY CLIENTS

Acc typically acts as an agent for most clients. When acting as an agent, we are typically compensated by commissions paid by the insurance companies out of total premiums paid. Fees paid to us by agency clients must be paid as agreed to in a written agreement. Agent fees are typically for additional services beyond placement of an insurance policy.

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BROKER CLIENTS

Brokerage accounts in our system are typically ones where our overall compensation has been negotiated in a written agreement. If we are acting as a broker, we are receiving an agreed amount of compensation either directly from the client or from commissions on placements. Sometimes the contract and law permits compensation from the client and commissions on placements to be paid, although broker fees typically replace commissions on placements and may include fees for agreed services.

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CONTINGENCY

Our contingency income has historically been less than 1% of premiums paid to insurers.

For our broker clients, we have agreed that we will not accept any contingent compensation or any other thing of material value from an insurance company based on placements of our broker client’s insurance with that insurance company.

Contingency income varies by insurer, based on any number of factors, and is typically “contingent” on results over a defined period of time with that insurer. Typical factors are amount of premiums, year over year premium growth, and profitability of the entire book of insurance placed during that time. Contingency income is designed to reward agents who produce profitable business for the insurer. It also encourages agents and their clients to provide the insurer with accurate underwriting data. Ultimately, the clients should receive more attractive bids if their business is profitable to insurers. A recent study shows that contingent income leads to efficiencies benefiting the insurance company, the insurance agent and the consumer. A variety of circumstances (anything from the result of better underwriting and loss control services by one agent to sheer luck on where hurricanes landed) often cause variances in the amount of contingent income agents receive from an insurer. Accordingly, contingent income attributable to a particular policy can usually only be “guesstimated.”

Our contingency income has historically been less than 1% of premiums paid to insurers.

Other income may arise from a number of sources – insurance companies, premium finance companies and interest. Insurance companies may offer other incentives to their agents in the form of entertainment, trips or other items. Premium finance companies typically compensate us in some manner for premiums financed, either by paying us for administrative services or by buying finance contracts from us. We may earn interest paid by financial institutions on premiums paid by you prior to our payment of these premiums to the insurance companies. We may also earn interest if we finance your premiums directly.

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WHOLESALE CLIENTS

If ACC is acting as an agent for other licensed agents, we are likely acting as a wholesaler. As a wholesaler, we typically receive commissions on premiums paid.

Wholesalers are a vital part of the insurance marketplace and offer specialized products not typically found in normal retail markets. Wholesaler income usually comes to us in one of two forms. If we are running a program of insurance for an insurance company that is offered to other agents, we, and the placing agent, receive commissions on the premiums. If we are used to access the excess and surplus lines market, we receive commissions on those premiums. In both cases, we could receive commissions at both the retail and wholesale levels, although our wholesale entities are separate enterprises and are not dependent upon support from our retail offices.



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The Risk and Insurance Management Society RIMS and Advisen, Ltd. announce the release of the Broker Services and Remuneration Study as part of the 2008 RIMS Benchmark Survey TM book.

The study-based on data gathered in February from 1,519 participants-has found that insurance buyers are driving brokers to change their service offerings and the way brokers are compensated.The Broker Services and Remuneration Study is the first comprehensive study of the relationship between commercial insurance buyers and brokers since the industry tumult of 2004-2005. Benefiting from the dynamics of a doggedly soft market in which brokers have shifted the basis of competition to offerings of new services and aggressive pricing models, insurance buyers are demanding a wider array of service options. For the industry 's largest programs, buyers are spending the majority of their broker money on fees instead of commissions, the study reports.