March RiskMeter Newsletter


RiskMeter Online eNewsletter
Members of TMPAA, NAPSLO, AAMGA, CIWA, FAIA	March 2007

In this issue

South Carolina Windpool Areas Expanded

Update: Florida Windspeed Mitigation

Update: Connecticut Coastline

Storm Surge Report Live in 11 States

Featured WebEx April: Tornado & Hail Reports

Featured WebEx May: Hurricane Reports

Manual Flood Determination Added to Report Selection Screen

Upcoming Events - Meet the CDS Team!

Online Training Schedule!

Test Drive ANY Risk Report for One Month Free!

Welcome to Our Newest Customers!

Request a Hardcopy of the Newsletter

Contacts

Questions or Comments?

Help a Friend or Colleague

Unsubscribe

Quick Links

South Carolina Windpool Areas Expanded
	The South Carolina Beach and Coastal areas were recently changed (effective March 30th) and approximately 166 square miles have been added to Zones 1 and 2. We have updated these areas on RiskMeter and we will continue to monitor the situation if we need to make any more changes. For more information, please contact Daniel Munson at 617.737.4444 or dmunson@cdsys.com

Update: Florida Windspeed Mitigation
	The RiskMeter Online recently updated its Windspeed Mitigation report to reflect the recent changes the state of Florida made to its Windspeed zones. This means users will now be able to apply credits using the latest Windborne Debris Regions, Windspeed Regions and High Velocity Hurricane Zones. Windspeed Mitigation Recommendation Report Currently, there is a lot going on in the state of Florida when it comes to Windspeed Mitigation. On Tuesday, March 6, 2007 a report with recommendations was submitted to the Governor and CFO of Florida, President of the Senate, Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives and Insurance Commissioner. To view the recommendations of this report, please click on the link below. http://www.windstormmitigationstudycommittee.org/im ages/WindstormMitigationStudyCommitteeReport.pdf If you are having a hard time opening this url, please copy and paste it into your browser. We are closely monitoring this situation and will pass along the latest information. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Daniel Munson at 617.737.4444 or dmunson@cdsys.com

Update: Connecticut Coastline
	The new Connecticut angle of impact measurement (AIM) shoreline is now live on the RiskMeter Online. This new coastline takes into account where the highest winds will occur along rivers, bays and inlets. After our last newsletter there was some confusion whether this new coastline affects residential, commercial or both types of properties. We apologize for any confusion and would like to clarify that the new CT shoreline is obligatory for residential properties only, however, for continuity purposes, carriers can use this for multiple lines. Insurers who use their own shorelines or the standard RiskMeter shoreline now must write new business or renew old policies based on these new definitions. This will inevitably impact Probable Maximum Loss and ultimately reinsurance costs. CDS is recommending running renewal business in batch to determine the revised distance to coast. For questions on the new coastline requirements or information on running your new and existing policies through our software in batch, please contact Jamie Munson at 860.854.6125 or jmunson@cdsys.com

Storm Surge Report Live in 11 States
	RiskMeter's Storm Surge report is now live in the following states: AL, FL, GA, LA, MA, MS, NC, NH, NY, SC and TX. This report identifies areas that are likely to be flooded during hurricanes. Our storm surge maps are based upon the well known and respected SLOSH (Sea, Lake, and Overland Surges from Hurricanes) storm surge model. This report will let you know if a property falls within an area likely to flood from a hurricane of a specific strength (category 1-5), as well as the estimated maximum storm surge height for each category of storm. How will this help users? RiskMeter's storm surge report is the perfect tool for insurers who are looking to gain a better understanding of their coastal flood exposure. Although flood maps approximate storm surge levels, the SLOSH storm surge maps are more detailed and provide a more realistic assessment of coastal flooding. Post Katrina insurers have a heightened sense of concern with respect to coastal flooding. Although technically storm surge is not covered under many homeowners' policies, this assumption is currently being challenged in court. Many insurers are now checking to see if a policy might be subject to flood claims, even if they aren't covered. Carriers who write excess flood, business interruption, BOP's, commercial property and coastal homeowners can all benefit from this report. In the next few weeks we will be adding more states. For more information, please contact Daniel Munson at 617.737.4444 or dmunson@cdsys.com Related Article – Isn’t Louisiana susceptible enough to disasters? According to Time Magazine, 18 months after Katrina, it turns out that some of the state’s coastal cypress forests, which help protect against storm surges by absorbing excess wind and water, are being clear-cut http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,159 7471,00.html

Featured WebEx April: Tornado & Hail Reports
	In 2006 Tornadoes and Hail storms were the main culprits when it came to property and casualty insurance losses. According to the NOAA, the peak Tornado season in the southern states is early spring, while in the northern states it’s the summer months. In order to help our users to get a better handle on their tornado and hail exposure before the season starts, we’re having a special one hour presentation on our hail and tornado reports. This presentation is taking place on Wednesday, April 25, 2007 at 2pm (EDT). To secure a spot at this event, please visit: https://cdsys.webex.com

Featured WebEx May: Hurricane Reports
	With the start of the 2007 hurricane season rapidly approaching, now is the time for insurers to start thinking about their hurricane exposure. Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing if this season will be as active as 2005 or as inactive as 2006. The only thing insurers can do is to understand and minimize their risk exposure. On Wednesday, May 16, 2007 Daniel Munson, VP of Sales & Marketing will lead a live, online demonstration of our hurricane related reports. This is a great way to learn about the methodology behind these reports and see first hand how the RiskMeter Online can improve users’ underwriting profits and performance. The reports covered during this presentation will be: Storm Surge Flood Elevation Policy Exposure Module State Windpool Eligibility Distance to Coast Distance to Intracoastal Flood Zone Determinations FL Windspeed Mitigation Report To secure a spot at this upcoming event, please go to: https://cdsys.webex.com

Manual Flood Determination Added to Report Selection Screen
	The manual flood determination option has been added to the report selection screen. This was done so users wouldn't have to run a flood report, then ask for a manual flood determination on the address in question. Please contact your account executive at 617.737.4444 if there are any other features you would like the RiskMeter Online to add.

Upcoming Events - Meet the CDS Team!
	CDS will be attending or exhibiting at the following upcoming conferences. Whether you're a customer or prospect, we'd love to meet with you onsite at these exceptional events! Feel free to stop by our booth or if you wish to schedule an appointment, please contact Dan Munson at 617.737.4444 (dmunson@cdsys.com) or Bradley Sherwin at 617.737.4444 (bsherwin@cdsys.com) Inland Marine Underwriting Association Annual Meeting April 14 - 17, 2007 Charleston, SC AAIS Annual Conference April 22 - 24, 2007 Charleston, SC Target Markets Mid-Year Meeting May 7 - 9, 2007 Atlanta, GA AAMGA Annual Meeting May 20 - 24, 2007 Paradise Island, Bahamas IIAT Annual Convention June 12 - 13, 2007 * Austin, TX Western States Surplus Lines Conference June 19 - 23, 2007 Scottsdale, AZ FAIA Annual Convention June 21 - 23, 2007 Kissimmee, FL Insurance Leadership Forum October 6 - 10, 2007 White Sulphur Springs, WV AAMGA Mid-Year Meeting November 14 - 18, 2007 Naples, FL

Test Drive ANY Risk Report for One Month Free!
	Would you like the opportunity to evaluate any one of our risk reports without obligation? Now you can! For a limited time you will be able to test-drive any RiskMeter Online report for FREE! Take advantage of this exceptional opportunity to see how a particular risk report can benefit your organization. To add a FREE, one-month risk report to your account, please call 617.737.4444.

Welcome to Our Newest Customers!
	Carriers American Security Insurance Company (Assurant Specialty Property) Beazley Commercial Property Commerce West Insurance General Casualty Homeowners of America Insurance Company Praetorian Financial Group MGAs KBK Insurance Risk International Services PBOA, Inc. (A Risk Services Company) Agents & Brokers Aegis Wholesale Atlantic Charter Insurance Beach Insurance Agency Benefit Insurance Services Breeds Hill Insurance Campbell & Associates Carswell Insurance Agency Center Point Reality Trust CRC Insurance Services (Chicago, IL) CRC Insurance Services (Santa Ana, CA) Frank L Siau Agency Insurance Savers of South Carolina Island Insurance Agency Lorenzen Insurance Northeast Agencies Sam Schirmer Insurance Agency Shriji Insurance Agency SKCG Group, Inc. Statewide Insurance Group

Request a Hardcopy of the Newsletter
	Having a hard time managing your inbox? You can now receive the RiskMeter eNewsletter via regular mail. To get the latest issue of the RiskMeter newsletter delivered to your office (when it becomes available), please email Paul Ptashnick at: pptashnick@cdsys.com

Contacts
	Angela Sciola, Support, Training and Customer Service Tel: 617.737.4444 Email: asciola@cdsys.com Dan Munson, VP of Marketing & Sales Tel: 617.737.4444 Email: dmunson@cdsys.com Jamie Munson, Director of Consulting Services Tel: 860.854.6125 Email: jmunson@cdsys.com Bradley Sherwin, Sales Manager Tel: 617.737.4444 Email: bsherwin@cdsys.com Dave Poitras, Account Executive Tel: 617.737.4444 Email: dpoitras@cdsys.com Brian Moore, Account Executive Tel: 617.737.4444 Email: bmoore@cdsys.com

Questions or Comments?
	If you would like more information on any of the topics discussed in this newsletter, please contact Dan Munson, VP of Marketing & Sales at: 617.737.4444 or dmunson@cdsys.com

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