Education
Apr 6-7 CIC Commercial Property Institute
Hybrid - Live Webinar & In-Person Mesa
Apr 12 Breaking Up Is Hard to Do Live Ethics
(IIABAZ Member Agency Personnel Only)
Hybrid - Free Live Webinar & In-Person Phoenix
Apr 19 The Surplus Lines Marketplace
(Free for IIABAZ Members & Associates plus Surplus Lines Licensees)
Free Live Webinar
ABEN Online CE Courses
Click Here for the full schedule and registrations. New courses continuously added.
My Agency Campus
Click Here for online Personal and Commercial Lines training for new staff.
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Upcoming Events
ACT Tech Summit 2022
April 19-20, 2022 (Tuesday-Wednesday)
Virtual and Free - Agents, carriers & technology vendors talk about technology solutions that drive independent agency growth and efficiency. Details and Registration
Big I Legislative Conference
April 27-29, 2022 (Wednesday-Friday)
Renaissance Downtown, Washington, DC
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Governor Ducey Signs Bill Simplifying Arizona's Business Personal Property Tax Law
Yesterday, Governor Ducey signed House Bill 2822 Personal Property; Additional Depreciation into law that improves Arizona's tax code for businesses of all sizes.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Weninger, R-Chandler, sets the valuation factor at 2.5% for business personal property acquired in tax year 2022 and beyond in taxation classes 1, 2, and 6. These classes include commercial and industrial uses, agriculture, and non-profits.
Currently, the valuation ranged from 25% of the scheduled depreciated value in the first tax year of assessment to 89% in the fifth tax year of assessment.
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Recent Arizona Dram Shop Court Case Finds Statutes Preempts Common Law Negligence Claim
A dram shop rule (law or act) is civil liability statute that holds a dram shop (bars, restaurants, etc.) liable for the harmful acts of its intoxicated customers when the dram shop acts negligently in serving an intoxicated customer alcohol, and the customer then causes harm (usually to a third-party victim) as a result of his/her intoxication (i.e., drunk driving accidents).
Under Arizona's dram shop laws, a licensed alcohol vendor can be held liable for injuries or damages caused by an intoxicated person if the vendor sold that person alcohol and the person was:
- obviously intoxicated, or
- under the legal drinking age of 21 years old and the vendor knew that or did not request ID
The person had to consume the alcohol sold by the vendor, and the consumption was the proximate cause of the injury, death or property damage.
The IIABAZ will be hosting a Free 1 Hour Member Benefit Live Webinar in May on Arizona’s Dram Shop and Host Liability Laws presented by Ms. GilBride diving into this complex topic. Watch for details and registrations coming your way soon.
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Don't Wait for Wildfires to Start, Prepare and Be Aware
Each year, nine out of ten wildfires across the country are started by people. In 2021, 71% of Arizona’s fires were human-caused. Preparedness is key for wildfire prevention.
Due to increasing temperatures, a continuous and fine fuel bed in areas, and lack of winter precipitation, the 2022 fire outlook indicates high fire activity. Last year, 1,760 wildfires burned 524,428 acres on state, federal, and tribal lands. In 2020, 2,519 fires burned 978,520 acres on all land jurisdictions.
Wildfire Prevention Tips:
- Ensure campfires are out cold. Drown, stir, and repeat
- Make sure vehicles and tires are properly maintained before getting on the road
- Never pull a vehicle off the road into tall grasses
- Target shooting and fireworks are prohibited on State Trust Land
- Check the weather! Have a water source and shovel nearby if doing any outdoor activity involving fire. On windy days, avoid burning or using tools that may spark
- Create defensible space around your property. Remove dead or dying vegetation, keep the lawn watered and mowed, remove leaf litter from rooftops, remove flammable material away from your property
It is important people prepare now and not wait until it is too late. Sign up for emergency alerts and have a “Go Bag” ready with essential items, like prescription medication, snacks and water, money and credit cards, and flash drives that contain copies of important documents. People should also familiarize themselves with Ready, Set, Go, and in the event of an emergency, listen to instructions given by law enforcement and first responders.
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Risk Rating 2.0 Hits April 1 Renewals
The National Flood Insurance Program's Risk Rating 2.0 went into effect on October 2021 for new policies. It now starts April 1, 2022 for renewals. Many homeowners may see significantly increased premiums with their renewal.
Reminder - For these policies to renew, agents may need to take action by logging in to the WYO company’s system and provide additional information regarding the NFIP policy. Among other things, this additional information could include construction type (masonry/frame), square footage of the structure, the replacement cost of the structure and/or the floor of the unit if it’s a condo. Failure to provide this information could result in a failure to renew and lapses of policies.
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The 2022 Agency Universe Study Needs Your Participation
The Big I is currently fielding the 2022 AGENCY UNIVERSE STUDY which provides critical information for the Independent Agency System, for IIABA, and for insurance carriers. In the current environment with many issues facing the insurance industry, your input is more important than ever.
The Study is very broad in scope, addressing issues such as agency revenues, carrier relationships, carrier representation, diversity, social media, Insuretech, and perpetuation challenges. In 2022, some key objectives of the study will be to benchmark significant changes in the independent agency system over time, provide insight into new/emerging issues and to gauge the overall impact of COVID-19 on the IA system over the past two years. Results will be reported in IA Magazine and many other industry publications.
As a token of our appreciation, once you complete the survey you will be entered in our drawing for participation prizes - a $1,000 grand prize, two $500 second prizes, four $250 third prizes, and five $100 prizes. We will also send a summary of results to agents who complete the survey.
We recognize that you are very busy, and this survey requires a sizable time investment. This critical research is only conducted every two years and is the seminal research on the state of the independent agency system. Your input is crucial, so we hope that you will take the time to complete the survey as soon as possible.
Your responses are completely confidential. If you have any questions or concerns pertaining to the survey, please click here.
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Thank You to Arizona Big I's Industry Partners
Advocate
Liberty Mutual & Safeco Insurance
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Benefactors
AFS/IBEX, a division of MetaBank
BBSI - Barrett Business Services, Inc.
CopperPoint Insurance Companies
Homeowners of America Insurance Co.
Insurors Indemnity Companies
Insurance Agency Network
SECURA Insurance Companies
Travelers
UFG Insurance
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Supporters
Burns & Wilcox
EMC Insurance
Old Republic Surety
Progressive
Friends
Auto-Owners Insurance
B2Z Insurance
Builders
JM Wilson
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Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of Arizona, Inc.
333 East Flower Street, Phoenix, AZ 85012
Phone # (602) 956-1851 . Toll # (800) 627-3356
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