UPDATE Fall River RMV to Stay “As Is” and WILL NOT Become a Registration Drop Off Center
UPDATE Fall River RMV to Stay “As Is” and WILL NOT Become a Registration Drop Off Center Based on feedback from the public and business partners, the RMV has announced that the Fall River Service Center will continue to operate as it currently does. Appointments for all transaction types will remain available, and it will…
Remote Driving School Instruction Extended
Remote Driving School Instruction Extended The MA RMV has issued an extension to allow Driving School Instruction and National Safety Council (NSC) Driver Retraining Classes to continue being delivered remotely through June 1, 2021. An online course completion will count as the in-person class requirement. The extension is effective immediately. Professional Driving Schools and the NSC…
RMV Extends Grace Period for Certain Expired Inspection Stickers
RMV Extends Grade Period for Certain Expired Inspection Stickers The MA RMV has announced a grace period extension for certain expired motor vehicle inspections due to the nationwide system outage of inspection services by its vendor, Applus Technologies, which is expected to continue potentially through April 17th. The RMV has advised law enforcement that compliance…
Red PAN Plates Can Now Be Reassigned
Red PAN Plates Can Now Be Reassigned Effective immediately, red Passenger Normal (PAN) plates can be reassigned by RMV Service Centers and Quincy Headquarters from one person to another. A letter from the current owner authorizing the reassignment of the plate must be presented. The letter must include a signature from the current plate holder.…
RMV Sent 3,500 Revocation Letters on 5/26 – Here’s What Customers Can Do
RMV Sent 3,500 Revocation Letters on 5/26 – Here’s What Customers Can Do Heads up! The RMV has cleared a large backlog of cases in which an insurer had canceled a customer’s insurance policy, but the RMV had not taken any action. This issue has now been resolved. On May 26th, the RMV sent approximately…
Road Tests in Lowell and Worcester
Road Tests in Lowell and Worcester Beginning March 1st, Class D and M road tests will be offered at the Lowell and Worcester RMV Service Centers. The road test hours will be Monday-Friday from 9am-4pm. These road test appointments are currently available for scheduling. Questions? The RMV has created a webpage for COVID-19 information. Please…
Vanity and Special Plates Available Online
Vanity and Special Plates Available Online Effective Monday, March 15th, vanity plates and special plates can be ordered through the RMV website. This transaction was temporarily removed last year due to COVID-19. When customers order these plates online, the plates, registration, and decal will be mailed to them from RMV Quincy Headquarters within 12 weeks. …
Answers to Your Questions about Reassigning PAN Plates
Answers to Your Questions about Reassigning PAN Plates After last week’s MassAgent story about the Registry now allowing red PAN plates to be transferred from one person to another, MAIA’s received questions from member agents asking about fees, who could transfer to whom, and more. MAIA Member Relations Advocate Kathy Cormier followed up with the…
RMV Revives License ID Cancellation Request Form
RMV Revives License/ID Cancellation Request Form The RMV’s former License Cancellation Request Form, which was retired for ATLAS Release 1, has been revived and is now called License/ID Cancellation Request Form (LIC116). Customers can use this form to cancel their MA license or ID after they move to another jurisdiction and obtain a license…
Revised Application for Disabled Parking Placard Plate
Revised Application for Disabled Parking Placard/Plate The RMV has removed information about walk-in service from the Application for Disabled Parking Placard/Plate (Form MAB100). Walk-in service was discontinued at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The new version of the form, dated “0121” at the bottom, is available online at: https://www.mass.gov/doc/application-for-disabled-parking/download. PLEASE NOTE: While accurate…
Revised Registration Drop Off Center Forms
Revised Registration Drop Off Center Forms The MA RMV has revised the Registration Drop Off Center forms for Individual Customers (REG123) and for Commercial Customers (REG127), as well as the Post Drop Off Information Sheet (REG126). All of these forms have a revision date of 0221 in the bottom right corner. The revised versions have…
Revised Registration-Related Forms
Revised Registration-Related Forms The RMV has revised six forms to indicate that a complete Registration and Title Application (RTA), including an insurance company stamp, must be submitted as part of the transaction. The revised forms are applications for special plates and vanity plates. Full titles and numbers of the revised forms are listed below: Application for an…
RMV Check Policy and Bulk Transactions
RMV Check Policy and Bulk Transactions Effective July 1, 2021, RMV employees will be prohibited from completing, altering, or filling out a check for any customer. This policy applies to all RMV locations that accept checks. The RMV has created a memo detailing the policy for runners and dealerships that will be inserted into bundles…
REAL ID Enforcement Date Extended to May 2023
REAL ID Enforcement Date Extended to May 2023 Because of COVID-19, the Dept. of Homeland Security has extended the REAL ID full enforcement date from October 1, 2021, to May 3, 2023. As of May 3, 2023, every air traveler 18 years of age and older will need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or ID card, or…
Two RMV Reminders: Revocation Timeframe and Out-of-State Insurance
Two RMV Reminders: Revocation Timeframe and Out-of-State Insurance Seeing an increase in service calls, the RMV has asked us to remind agents of their policies on registration revocation and out-of-state insurance: 1) To avoid an insurance revocation action, customers must have proof of coverage with a policy effective date that PRECEDES the scheduled revocation date;…
RMV Tells Customers to Beware of REAL ID Text Scams
RMV Tells Customers to Beware of REAL ID Text Scams The MA RMV wants to remind customers that they never request personal information via text message. There has been a REAL ID text scam going around in several states, where customers receive unsolicited text messages about REAL IDs and updating their licenses. The messages come…
North Adams RMV Reservations Beginning February 16th
North Adams RMV Reservations Beginning February 16th The RMV Service Center in North Adams is currently open as a Registration Drop Off Center. Beginning Tuesday, February 16, it will also open for Class D and M License, Permit, and ID transactions for customers with reservations. Reservations are already available for scheduling. The hours will…
RMV’s Expired Inspection Sticker Reminder Campaign
RMV’s Expired Inspection Sticker Reminder Campaign The MA RMV has begun an email campaign to remind customers with an expired inspection sticker that it’s time to get their annual safety and emissions inspection. They will email all customers with active registrations, an expired sticker, and an email address on file in ATLAS. While driving without…
REAL ID Documentation Revised to Reflect New Enforcement Date
REAL ID Documentation Revised to Reflect New Enforcement Date The MA RMV has revised the REAL ID documentation and Mass.Gov/RMV website to reflect the new full enforcement date of May 3, 2023. The following REAL ID documents have been updated and are available online: Identification Documents Checklist (LIC115); Driver’s Manual; and REAL ID vs. Standard…
RMV COVID-19 Policies Being Rescinded on 5/29
RMV COVID-19 Policies Being Rescinded on 5/29 Governor Baker’s Executive Order establishing COVID-19 policies will be rescinded on May 29th. As a result, the following RMV policies will be changed: 1) The grace period for registration transfers after vehicle purchase will revert back to 7 days; 2) The in-car observation hours for junior operators will revert…
Senior Hours Extended Through March
Senior Hours Extended Through March Dedicated Wednesday appointment hours for customers 75 years of age or older have been extended through March. These appointments will be available to all customers 75 years of age or older. Beginning in February, senior hours will also be expanded to include ALL available service center transactions. They are…
Learner’s Permit Practice Exams Available on RMV Website
Learner’s Permit Practice Exams Available on RMV Website Class D Learner’s Permit exams are now available on mass.gov/RMV in the Exams section when a customer logs in to MyRMV. Users have 25 minutes to answer 25 random questions. This will help them know the type of questions to expect on the real exam, and…
Insuring RV’ers, Riders, Boaters and Their Toys
Insuring RV’ers, Riders, Boaters and Their Toys Massachusetts is on the rebound and ready for a great summer. And what’s more fun than hitting the roads and waterways in a motorized vessel? Sales of RVs, campers, trailers, boats, motorcycles, and e-bikes are at an all-time high, and their owners need insurance! Happily, MAIA members have…
You Need an E&O Policy Developed by Agents for Agents
You Need an E&O Policy Developed by Agents for Agents MAIA’s Number One Insurance Agency works with E&O carriers whose programs are developed and updated by and for agents, and we’re the state’s top seller of Agents’ E&O! When you purchase your E&O through Number One, you are also helping your Association, because Number One’s…
Lack of Offering Flood Can Lead to EO Claims and Broken Hearts
Lack of Offering Flood Can Lead to E&O Claims and Broken Hearts Failure to offer proper coverage is one of the top reasons for E&O claims. And that includes the failure to offer flood. Here’s a true scenario of a love triangle gone wrong: A Condo Association purchases a flood policy from an Agent. The…
RV Sales Are Booming & So Are Opportunities to Insure Them!
RV Sales Are Booming & So Are Opportunities to Insure Them! RV, trailer, and motorhome sales have shot up in the past year, as people are eager to travel but don’t necessarily want to fly or stay in a hotel. You can insure their home on wheels with a standard policy that covers Personal Property…
Your Client May THINK Their HO Policy Covers Their Home Business, But…
Your Client May THINK Their HO Policy Covers Their Home Business, But… Small businesses are in survival mode due to COVID. Many business owners have shifted their operations to home. Unemployed workers have started small businesses to help pay the bills. What these home-based entrepreneurs may not know is that the typical homeowners’ policy doesn’t…
Now is the Time to Discuss Flood Insurance with Your Clients! These Marketing Tools Can Help
Now is the Time to Discuss Flood Insurance with Your Clients! These Marketing Tools Can Help Everyone in MA has flood risk exposures, especially now, with hurricane season upon us! Heavy rains, high winds, swelling tides, storm surges… it’s all coming! Even inland, flash floods happen when saturated soil can’t absorb rainwater fast enough, or…
Hospitality Product News! Package Policy & Pay As You Pour
Hospitality Product News! Package Policy & Pay As You Pour MAIA’s Number One Agency would love to talk to you about some great new options from Hospitality Mutual! Their new multiline Package Policy combines Commercial Property, General Liability, and Liquor Liability into a single policy. And the new Pay As You Pour Program helps clients…
What Are Agents Saying About Our Flood Concierge Program?
What Are Agents Saying About Our Flood Concierge Program? By now, you’ve probably heard of the Flood Concierge Program from MAIA’s Number One Insurance Agency. In short, our experienced team services your flood clients on your behalf, and you get 60% of our commission. But what do the MA insurance agents who use Flood Concierge…
Could Your Agency Protection Use Some Backup?
Could Your Agency Protection Use Some Backup? COVID-19 has brought an increase in discrimination and wrongful termination claims, cyber breaches, and liability claims, and agencies are not immune. Has your coverage kept pace with how you operate today? Are you adequately protected, not just with Agents’ E&O, but with Cyber and EPLI? Agency BOP? Commercial…
RLI Personal Umbrella: No Personal Auto? No Problem.
RLI Personal Umbrella: No Personal Auto? No Problem. Do you have clients who do not own a personal vehicle, but would like the coverage of an umbrella over their property? With most carriers, that’s a no-go. Not with RLI! Your clients can get RLI coverage as long as they carry underlying coverage, if and…
Flood Insurance Got You Baffled? Let Us Help You Move in the Right Direction!!
Flood Insurance Got You Baffled? Let Us Help You Move in the Right Direction!! The constant changes surrounding flood insurance create a challenge for many agents, with some even choosing to not promote and service this market. Take a new approach, with the support you need, by working with the Flood Concierge Team at MAIA’s Number…
It’s Happy Hour! Break Out the Liquor Liability Insurance!
It’s Happy Hour! Break Out the Liquor Liability Insurance! Massachusetts restaurant and bar owners are shouting “Hallelujah!” as the state lifts more COVID restrictions, and they require Liquor Liability coverage for re-opening. You can provide the protection they need through Number One Insurance Agency’s Hospitality Program! In addition to monoline Liquor Liability, we offer Hospitality’s…
Spring Your Clients from the WC Pool and Earn Higher Commissions!
Spring Your Clients from the WC Pool and Earn Higher Commissions! Spring is here and outdoor activity is revving up! Take advantage of our limited-time higher commissions AND do your clients a favor by placing their Workers’ Comp coverage in the voluntary market! (Payroll is required if any policies are ineligible.) Here are just some…
Say YES to New Revenue with Lawyers’ Professional Liability!
Say YES to New Revenue with Lawyers’ Professional Liability! Are you writing Lawyers’ Professional Liability Insurance (LPLI) policies? If not, you could be missing out on a winning market for your agency, and a cross-selling opportunity. MAIA’s Number One Insurance Agency has already helped our brokers write 10 new LPLI policies in 2021! We can…
Your Client Needs an Umbrella! Sell Them One That Fits
Your Client Needs an Umbrella! Sell Them One That Fits As insurance agents and New Englanders, we know how quickly a sunny day can turn into Nor’easter. Make sure your insureds are prepared for unexpected “storms” with an umbrella solution that fits their needs. Through MAIA’s Number One Insurance Agency, you can offer excellent…
Important Steps Agents Can Take to Avoid Registry Delays
Important Steps Agents Can Take to Avoid Registry Delays Content Html: Heading As we’ve written before, we hear your frustrations with the RMV, and are actively advocating on our members behalf. While not all of the current Registry issues (such as understaffing) have a quick and easy fix, one factor that we can control right…
CDL Medical Certificates Extension
CDL Medical Certificates Extension The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has issued an additional waiver for CDL Medical Certificates (DOT Medical Cards). Certificates that expire between March 1, 2021 and August 30, 2021 will expire on August 31, 2021. The RMV has updated customer records in ATLAS. Affected customers will receive an email informing…