Agent Compensation
INSURANCE AGENT COMPENSATION
We sell our insurance products and services through appointed independent insurance agencies and agents ("Agent" or "Agents"). Because Agents also generally represent several of our competitors, our primary marketing strategy is to:
- Develop close relationships with each Agent by (i)soliciting their feedback on products and services, (ii) advising them concerning company developments, and (iii) investing significant time with them professionally and socially; and
- Develop with each Agent, and then carefully monitor, annual goals regarding (i) types and mix of risks placed with us, (ii) amounts of premium or numbers of policies placed with us, (iii) customer service levels, and (iv) profitability of business placed with us.
We pay Insurance Agents commissions and other consideration for business placed with us (and we do not authorize our Agents to receive other monies for our insurance). We seek to compensate our Agents fairly and in a way consistent with market practices.
Our insurance Agent compensation programs may include one or more of the following depending on the Agent’s overall business relationship with us:
- Commission Payments. We pay commission based on a percentage of the premium the policyholder pays. The amount of commission varies depending on policy type, state location of risk, and other factors.
- Additional Commission Payments. We may pay additional and varying percentages of premium for attainment of certain goals we set with the Agent, including:
- Profitability, which we determine by comparing losses and expenses to premium;
- Volume, which is the amount of premium written with us;
- Growth and Retention, which we measure by comparing premium volume or number of policies for overall or specific types of policies; or
- Annual Plan Performance, which we measure according to performance standards determined by us and the Agent.
In certain cases, an Agent may put additional commissions at risk and become obligated to pay us amounts if certain goals are not met.
- Expense Reimbursement. We may reimburse certain marketing and other expenses incurred for placing business with us.
- Entertainment and Other Things of Value. We may entertain or provide other things of value, including travel and gratuities, to Agents who we believe provide exceptional value to our policyholders and shareholders.
- Business Production Incentive Programs. We may provide Agents or their employees opportunities to receive additional compensation (cash or contest prizes) for certain activities or tasks, such as placing specific types of policies with us or inputting data through one of our technology systems.
- Loss Control Agreements. We may pay Agents a flat fee or a percentage of commission for safety and loss control surveys, inspections, accident or claim investigations.
- Agent Stock Purchase Plan. Certain of our Agents participate in a stock purchase plan that allows those Agents to purchase common stock in InsurancesHQ, Inc. at a 10% discount to market and requires those agents to hold the stock for at least one year before they can transfer it.
As supporters of the independent insurance agency distribution system, we may provide Agents from time-to-time with tools and programs designed to preserve and strengthen the independent agency distribution system, including assistance with producer recruitment and/or training, loans, or loan guarantees. These tools and programs, which may be experimental, are provided to assist our Agents in the perpetuation of robust independent insurance agencies and are not conditioned on the imposition of extraordinary current or future production conditions.
We also distribute our insurance products to a limited extent through select insurance brokers which we compensate with some of the same compensation tools we use for Agents. If you have engaged a broker to place insurance with us, please ask the broker if any of the above described compensation arrangements are in effect with us.
