Non-Resident Short-Term Registration
Effective April 5, a new Non-Resident Short-Term Registration transaction will be available to issue short-term registrations to out-of-state residents purchasing a vehicle from a dealer in Massachusetts. These registrations will be valid for nine days from the transaction date and will allow the customer to take possession of the vehicle and drive it home. Customers will…
Updated Company Auto Insurance Filings – March 2023
MAIA periodically visits the Division of Insurance to collect the latest information about each company’s private passenger automobile insurance rules, rates, and forms filings. Recent changes and updates are presented here.
MAIA Welcomes Our New Members! – March 2023
We are excited to welcome the following agencies as new Full and Associate Members of MAIA! Full Members Al Ponte Insurance Agency BR Risk Group specialty Insurance C.Pina Insurance Agency DLB Insurance Fazza Insurance First Boston Insurance Agency FR Insurance & Benefits Group James W Hennigan Insurance Agency JB Insurance Agency KMS Warren Insurance Agency…
Seven New Learner’s Permit Exam Languages
Effective March 16, Class D and M Learner’s Permit Exams are available in seven new languages. These exams will be available through the Automated Testing Stations (ATS) in RMV Service Centers (appointment required) or online at Mass.Gov/RMV. Read the full update here.
2023 Annual Privacy Notice – Please Review!
At the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents and Number One Insurance Agency – our members’ and clients’ privacy is a top priority. Each year, we ask that you review our annual privacy statement. You can view the 2023 Annual Privacy Statement here. Questions? Concerns? Please contact Heather Kramer, Vice President and COO.
Meet with our Member Engagement Manager!
Do you know ALL of the membership benefits you have access to as a MAIA member? Do you have questions on a specific benefit or resource? Meet with Lori! Lori is our Member Engagement Manager and has visited members weekly to learn more about their agency and how we can help! Schedule your visit with…
Change to ID Requirements for Registration
Effective Friday, December 23rd, out-of-country driver’s licenses are no longer acceptable as a form of identification for customers applying for a motor vehicle or trailer registration. The only exception is driver’s licenses from Canada, which are still acceptable. Any transactions submitted on December 22nd or earlier will still be processed with out-of-country licenses as the…
TURO, UBER, LYFT, DOORDASH, GRUBHUB, and the Business Auto Policy?
March 22, 2023 Written By: Irene Morrill, CPCU, CIC, ARM, CRM, CRIS, MLIS, LIA, CPIW – Vice President of Technical Affairs, MAIA We have had multiple Tech Talks in the past regarding these business activities and the personal Massachusetts Auto Policy. These are business activities that are NOT designed to be covered under the Massachusetts…
Big ‘I’ Testifies Before Congress on NFIP Funding, Potential Reforms
IIABA (the Big “I”) testified at a hearing before the U.S. House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance entitled “How Do We Encourage Greater Flood Insurance in America?” Chris Heidrick, CPCU, ANFI, CFP®, owner and principal of Heidrick & Company Insurance and Risk Management Services in Sanibel, Florida, and former chair of the Big…
Get Involved! Ask Your Legislator to Co-Sponsor MAIA’S Priority Legislation!
Our priority legislation HD3359/SD650, “An Act relative to the compulsory automobile insurance limits,” has been filed by Representative Michael Finn (D-West Springfield) and Senator Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn). This bill would increase the compulsory bodily injury insurance limit for injury or death to one person from $20,000 to $50,000 and the limit for any one accident from $40,000 to…
CAR – Bulletin No. 1150 – Private Passenger Residual Market Modifications to Manual Rules Approved
On February 22, 2023, the Division of Insurance placed on file modifications to the Private Passenger Residual Market Automobile Insurance Manual effective May 1, 2023. Amendments to Rule 27 – Private Passenger Definition. Read the full update here.
CAR – Bulletin No. 1149 – Electronic MAIP Stamp
CAR is pleased to announce the implementation of an electronic stamp (E-Stamp) for use on registration and insurance certifications for MAIP policies. On March 1st, agents can log in to their MAIP account for complete instructions on how to use the electronic stamp. Read the full update here.
Have You Reached Out To Our Team and Not Heard Back?
Have you ever lost a voicemail message? Does your email sometimes go to a ‘black hole’? Ours too! We want you to know that we are ALWAYS here for you and our team is eager to assist you! If you contact us and do not hear back within 24 hours, please reach out again! Be sure to CC [email protected] or…
Out-of-State Registrations and Titles with a Massachusetts Address
Effective immediately, the RMV will require additional documentation for OOS registrations and/or OOS titles that contain a Massachusetts address. These transactions can only be processed in RMV Service Centers. The Title Division will review and determine whether the documentation provided is sufficient to register or title the vehicle in Massachusetts. Read the full update here.…
Crash Data System Replacement
Effective February 21, the Crash Data System, including the online Crash Report Request Transaction, has been replaced with a new system. Customers can once again request crash reports online after this was temporarily unavailable during the switchover to the new system. The replacement system will optimize the acceptance, maintenance, and accessibility of Massachusetts crash reports. Read the…
REVISED! Vanity Plate Application
Business entities cannot request vanity plates through the Online Service Center. Therefore, the Request for Vanity Plates will continue as was previously announced. However, it has been revised, and effective February 21, it can ONLY be used by business entities. View the Revised Vanity Plate Application here. Read the full update here. Questions? Contact Kathy Cormier at 508-634-7353 or…
Progressive / Geico
*This question was answered based on current rules, regulations & statutes in effect as of January 2023. Question Quick question. We offer Progressive at our agency. Something that both Progressive and Geico offer that all of our other carriers don’t is they allow you to write all the cars from a household on one policy.…
How important is an application question?
February 22, 2023 Written By: Irene Morrill, CPCU, CIC, ARM, CRM, CRIS, MLIS, LIA, CPIW – Vice President of Technical Affairs, MAIA I receive many insurance emails daily from various business, insurance, and legal organizations and publications. The other day, I read an article about “the importance of underwriting questions in cyber apps.” And then,…
myRMV Homepage Changes
Effective Thursday, February 16, the myRMV homepage will be redesigned, and the layout will be more streamlined. The box for each section will have up to three links. If the section has more than three transactions, a “More” option will display at the end; this will take the customer to a full list of transactions for…
Adding Additional Insurance to HO Policy
*This question was answered based on current rules, regulations & statutes in effect as of August 2022. Question I have an insured that is going to install a generator for their house in Scituate, and the only place to put it is next to their neighbor’s generator on their neighbor’s property. The neighbors are okay…
Vanity Plate Application
Effective February 21, vanity plates can only be requested through the Online Service Center on Mass.Gov/RMV. The paper (mail-in) Request for Vanity Plates (document REG104) will be discontinued and removed from the website and Print on Demand. Please recycle/destroy any printed copies you have on that date. Read more. Questions? Contact Kathy Cormier at 508-634-7353 or via email at [email protected].
System Replacement Coming
The Crash Data System, including the online Crash Reports Portal, is being replaced over the next few weeks. The replacement system will optimize the acceptance, maintenance, and accessibility of Massachusetts crash reports for an overall improved customer service experience. During the migration process, the RMV is temporarily pausing the processing and accessing of crash reports and the online…
Business Auto and DOC
*This question was answered based on current rules, regulations & statutes in effect as of January 2023. Question Does a business auto policy have to have doc coverage if employees driving company vehicles are also listed as drivers on their spouse’s personal auto policies? Answer Irene Morrill: A DOC is an optional endorsement that a…
Five Star Renewals
Last week we had TWO agencies receive their Five Star renewal award presented by our very own President & CEO, Nick Fyntrilakis, and Agency Consultant, Erin Schaff. Matt Phaneuf, President of Bell & Hudson Insurance Agency, and his team were awarded their Five Star Renewal last week in Belchertown, MA! The Lapointe Insurance team was…
Massachusetts Legislative Update
We are pleased to report that the 2023-24 Legislative Session has kicked off with the swearing-in of all 200 State Representatives and Senators, including 26 new Legislators and a new Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and State Auditor. Last Friday marked the legislature’s bill filing deadline, with over six thousand bills filed for the session.…
Emailing the FID Department
Effectively immediately, all FID correspondence should be emailed to the FID direct email box. Please do not fax or send emails to personal email addresses. The FID email is [email protected] – This email box is monitored and will result in a quicker response. Read more here. Questions? Contact Kathy Cormier at 508-634-7353 or via email at [email protected].
Renting a Vehicle Out of Country
*This question was answered based on current rules, regulations & statutes in effect in December 2022. Question I have a customer going on vacation outside of the U.S. and Canada. He wants to know if his auto coverage is extended from his Mass. Policy, I believe it is not. I want to tell him to…
7D Medical Forms Completed by Physician Assistants
Effective immediately, physical exams for school pupil transport (7D) license applicants can be conducted by physician assistants in addition to physicians and nurse practitioners. The Medical Form for a School Pupil (7D) Driver Certificate or a School Bus Driver Certificate (VSC109) has been revised to indicate that it can be completed by physician assistants. The revised application has a date…
Commercial Policy and Personal Trailer
*This question was answered based on current rules, regulations & statutes in effect in December 2022. Question I have an insured with a Mass Commercial auto policy in a corporation name. The insured also owns a camping trailer in his personal name. Will the Commercial auto pick up the liability of the camper when pulled…
A Year of New Heights for InsurPac!
With the help of your contribution to InsurPac, Massachusetts ranked 4th in total donations for the year 2022. The total contributions for Massachusetts were $65,155! Of this amount, $7,700 came from our Young Agents – ranking them 6th among all contributing states and achieving their InsurPac goal for 2022! InsurPac finished with $1,269,794.59 in receipts. That total…
CAR Language Adopted – Big Win for MAIA Members!
Governor Baker signed the FY23 budget. We are happy to report that MAIA’s language relative to the Commonwealth Automobile Reinsurers was included in the enacted budget. This language ensures appropriate agent representation on the CAR Governing Committee by removing the requirement that two seats be reserved exclusively for ERPs. For years these seats sat vacant due…
New Board Members!
We are incredibly pleased to introduce the newest members of the MAIA Board. These new members were sworn in at our 2022 Annual Meeting in Boston at our annual Big Event! (From left to right) Bill Burbine, Fred C. Church Insurance; Ted Gibson, MLIS, Deland, Gibson Insurance Associates, Inc.; Tricia Sabulis CISR, CIC, AAI-M, A.P…
New Year, New Chair!
Lisa Hirbour, CPCU, CIC, MAIA’s New Chair for 2023, presented Ben Cavallo, CIC, AAI, CISR (MAIA’s 2022 Chair), with the Chair Award at our 2022 Annual Meeting. We are very thankful to both of you for your past, present, and future contributions! Congratulations! “I am looking forward to further progress on the initiatives and projects we…
Tech Talk: I’m Protected by the Homestead Act – I Don’t NEED Liability Insurance…
Tech Talk: I’m Protected by the Homestead Act – I Don’t NEED Liability Insurance… By Irene L. Morrill, CPCU, CIC, ARM, CRM, CRIS, MLIS, LIA, CPIW VP Technical Affairs, MAIA That is one of the most FOOLISH statements that I have ever heard, and it is SO UNTRUE! Don’t get me wrong. I think protecting…
Tech Talk: Your client wants to know! A taste of the upcoming October convention …
Tech Talk: Your client wants to know! A taste of the upcoming October convention … By Irene Morrill, CPCU, CIC, ARM, CRM, CRIS, MLIS, CPIW, LIA VP Technical Affairs, MAIA MAIA’s annual convention …the BIG EVENT … is just a few short weeks away. So, to whet your appetite and to entice you to attend,…
TECH TALK: ANOTHER INTERESTING HOMEOWNER INSURANCE QUESTION
Tech Talk: Another Interesting Homeowner Insurance Question Irene Morrill CPCU, CIC, ARM, CRM, CRIS, MLIS, LIA, CPIW VP Technical Affairs, MAIA One of your member benefits is getting your questions answered by MAIA staff. My “specialty” is insurance-related questions. One agent emailed me …. Is it building or content? Is it a chicken or a…
IIAHC/NAIFA Annual Legislative Breakfast
State Senators John Velis and Jake Oliveira, State Representatives Mike Finn and Aaron Saunders, and other legislative staff with members of the Independent Insurance Agents of Hampden County, MAIA President, and CEO Nick Fyntrilakis, and MAIA Lobbyists Dennis Murphy and Anthony Abdelahad, at the IIAHC/NAIFA Annual Legislative Breakfast in Springfield.
I’m renting an auto on vacation out of the country…does my MAP and PUP cover me?
January 18, 2023 Written By: Irene Morrill, CPCU, CIC, ARM, CRM, CRIS, MLIS, LIA, CPIW – Vice President of Technical Affairs, MAIA I’ve had two emails in the last few weeks about car rentals out of the country, so big vacation weeks are coming up. Let’s take a look at what coverage there might or…
Individual Transports Vehicle to Florida and Coverage
*This question was answered based on current rules, regulations & statutes in effect in December 2022. Question We have an insured that will be driving other people’s autos to Florida for a fee, trying to figure out if he needs some kind of insurance. He does not have a business name or EIN#. Answer Irene…
Updated Forms
The following forms have been updated to reflect the changes regarding foreign license holders receiving a MA registration: +Attached is the revised version of the RTA. Fields D4, D6, and D8 were changed to allow information on licenses, IDs, SSNs, passports, and consular IDs. +Attached is the revised version of the RTA Instruction Guide. Questions? Contact…