MHI's Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Specialty Division Branch Offices will once again host free continuing education classes for our agents. Click here for CE classes in San Antonio, or here for classes in Houston and Dallas. Contact your MHI marketing representative for more information.

Please join us in welcoming Ken Jordan as the new Marketing Representative for MHI's Dallas Branch Office. Ken has extensive insurance experience, most recently as a successful producer in a retail agency environment. He will replace Cynthia Pompa who has left MHI to pursue other opportunities. Ken is anxious to meet everyone and will be out and about introducing himself and getting to know our Dallas area agents in the coming weeks. Ken can be reached at 214-545-6107 (office), 469-744-5614 (cell), or by e-mail at KenJ@mhi-tx.com. Welcome aboard, Ken!

MHI spotlights the achievement of one of our own: Denise Romero has been appointed to the 2010/2011 ACSR Advisory Council. Congratulations, Denise! We appreciate your hard work and dedication.

Due to an overwhelming number of requests from our retail agents, MHI will cease mailing out multiple copies of policies and will immediately begin mailing a single copy of each policy to our agents still receiving paper policies. Better yet, why not go green and opt for paperless, electronic receipt of all your policies and endorsements? Contact your MHI marketing representative or branch manager for details and information.

MHI now has an "A" rated carrier available to write wreckers operating on a for-hire basis in Houston, along with Harris and surrounding counties. Contact the knowledgeable and experienced team of underwriters in MHI's Transportation Division for help with tow-truck and other auto-related risks.

MHI has the market you need for placing those hard-to-write water and air sports risks, such as Water Parks, Watercraft Rental (including jet skis), and Parasailing operations. In addition, they will consider Hang Gliding, Paragliding, and Ultralight Flight Schools, Kite and Snow Kite Boarding, and Scuba Diving schools and stores. Even Banana Boats are eligible! Contact your MHI underwriter today for applications and information.

MHI has a new market available for your immediate use. Rated A8 by AM Best, our new market will consider many classes of business including artisan and industrial contractors, commercial general contractors and home builders. Contact your MHI underwriter or marketing representative for more information.

Good news for agents quoting artisan contractors online! You will now receive your policy number and have the ability to create certificates of insurance immediately when you submit your application to bind. NO MORE WAITING for the binder confirmation to get your policy number, and you can immediately create your certificates of insurance online. MHI is working hard to make it easier for you to transact business. Contact your underwriter or marketing representative today with any questions.

McClelland and Hine wants to help reduce your overhead! Did you know that as a Web Viewer agent, you can obtain your MHI policies and endorsements online?

Remember mail handling in the “good ol’ days”? It consisted of paying someone to drive to the post office, pick up the mail, drive back from the post office, open the mail, stamp it, sort it, scan it, route it, deliver it, etc., etc…

What if instead, you:

1) received an e-mail notification that your insured’s policy or endorsement is ready;
2) clicked on a link in that e-mail; then a couple of clicks and a few moments later you were viewing those documents on your computer screen with options to download, print, save, or e-mail the pdf file at your convenience and discretion.

MHI can also offer e-mail notification in batches. Policy and endorsement retrieval e-mails are queued throughout the day and then transmitted to your office in bulk at night. This can help reduce e-mail traffic during the busiest times of your work-day. Contact your MHI branch manager or marketing representative for more information or to sign up for this free service.

MHI has a new market available that will write for-hire trucking accounts with fleet size from 10-250 units. No limitation on radius. Send your submissions to: TRANSPORTATION@MHI-TX.COM

Great news from MHI's Specialty Division:

• Garage division can now offer quotes on new car dealerships through a standard market.
• Workers Comp division is offering 10% commission on all new work comp business written with Travelers or Texas Builders.
• Transportation division can offer highly competitive standard market quotes for contractors business auto.
• Umbrella division can offer standard market quotes with minimum premium as low as $505.

Don't delay; call today! Your MHI underwriters and marketing representatives are waiting to hear from you.

MHI's COMMERCIAL UMBRELLA quote module is available for your use from the E-Quote Menu page of our website. Low minimum premiums, "A-8" rated carrier, minimal data entry on your part, and 24/7 website access make this hard to beat! Log on and try it out today. Contact Dave Jones or Amicia Hine in our Specialty Division with any questions or comments. Don't have access to E-Quote? Your MHI marketing representative will be glad to help out.

Effective 1/1/2010, National Interstate will offer a "pay it forward-endorsement down payment" enhancement to their online commercial auto product. No more worries about endorsement premiums causing a policy to run out of equity! Payments will be requested upon processing of additional premium endorsements, with amount of payment mirroring the original down payment. Also, all fees will be collected in full with each endorsement down payment. National Interstate is focused on making their web products better and easier to use. Check our website often for information regarding these changes, or contact Amicia Hine, 210-293-6240, amicia@mhi-tx.com.

MHI has access to multiple standard markets that can quote BOP and multi-line package policies for a variety of risks that you probably see every day, such as:

• Auto Repair and Auto Detailing Shops (contact your Transportation underwriter)
• Beauty/Barber Shops
• Churches including Parsonages
• Fine Dining and Family Style Restaurants

Don't hesitate to contact your MHI underwriter or marketing representative with any questions you may have.

Is there any hotter topic these days than information security and protection of privacy, particularly as respects computer networks and stored data? Are your commercial clients covered for third party claims arising from security breaches? Let MHI help you close this important gap in their insurance program by providing a quote for Information Security & Privacy Liability and Electronic Media Liability coverages. Available options include limits to $20Mil, optional first party coverage for data protection and network business interruption losses. Contact your MHI underwriter or marketing representative today for more details.

MHI announces higher commissions and reduced minimum premiums on Workers Comp accounts quoted online. Check out our E-quote Workers Comp Module (click here), contact Ruth or Amicia in our Workers Comp Division, or talk to your MHI marketing representative for more details.

MHI is saddled up and ready to handle your Cowboy Church accounts! You heard right. MHI has a program that can be tailored to provide coverage for the broad array of exposures that is unique to Cowboy (Country) churches. Available coverages include: property covg for all buildings including the riding arena, bleachers, lights, and barns; inland marine covg for owned tractors, trailers or portable BBQ pits; and GL covg for special events like parades or rodeos. Contact Pershing Berthelot, pershing@mhi-tx.com, 800-333-2017/ext 104, for information on this program and for referral to an MHI underwriter.

Unable to obtain the full cargo limits required by your clients on their primary auto or cargo policies? It's MHI to the rescue! We'll help you save that important account. Our markets can provide the excess limits needed by your insureds to satisfy load values or contract requirements. Contact your transportation underwriter or marketing representative today for more details.

DID YOU KNOW...that you have a direct toll-free connection to your favorite underwriter? Just dial 1-866-203-3099 and enter the underwriter's extension. Don't know the extension number? Click here to access our contact page and select the appropriate branch or specialty division to see a current list of personnel, complete with extension numbers and e-mail addresses.

Access Agency, Policy and Finance Information On-Line 24/7
Check Out MHI's ExtraNet!
No Voice Mail, No Fax, No Delay!
Renewal list option provides a listing of all your in-force business!

If your agency has access to the agency accounting section, you have the ability to view and/or print the following information:

• Agency Statements
• Policy Invoice - (search capabilities by policy number or effective date)
• Overdue Policy Report
• Policy Renewal List