News

October 16th, 2023

For as long as I can remember the world has been giving recognition for seemingly big accomplishments. I have never merited an honor like this, probably a carryover from my merely passable grades in school. (I would not get in trouble at home for a “C” but anything lower did have consequences!) 

Everywhere you turn there are awards given out to top performers and innovators: Baseball has it’s Cy Young and MVP awards, college football has the Heisman Trophy, hockey has the Hart Trophy, all for athletes that have risen to the top of their sport. In entertainment, we have Emmy awards, Academy Awards, Grammy awards, and Tony awards just to name a few. The performers who receive these recognitions are rightly awarded for the contributions they make to their craft.

Recently, Nobel Prize recipients were announced. Unlike sports or culture awards, Nobel Prize winners are not typically household names. This prompted me to do a little digging into some of the prize winners. When I did, I learned about the 2023 Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammedi who, according to the Nobel Foundation, “was given the award for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all”.  As described by the Foundation, “Narges Mohammadi is a woman, a human rights advocate, and a freedom fighter. Her brave struggle for freedom of expression and the right of independence has come with tremendous personal costs.

Altogether, the regime in Iran has arrested her 13 times, convicted her five times, and sentenced her to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes. Narges Mohammadi is still in prison.” Like many others who have come before her, I pray that the legacy of Narges’ work and sacrifice will result in the greatest benefit to all humankind.

To my knowledge, there aren’t any awards in our industry that recognize the above and beyond work that benefits our customers and policyholders, although, I frequently hear about Tuscano employees who stay late to get a customer’s problem solved or turn around an emergency quote on a Friday afternoon or intervene when the carrier is not taking appropriate action. It could be a big account or a small piece for one of your big customers. Our prize is knowing that you make Tuscano your broker of choice for all those reasons plus our fast service and solid markets.

Right now, Habitational business is the hottest topic in the market. Whether it is a non-standard homeowner or a large apartment complex – everything property-driven is more difficult to place than it was last year. When renewal pricing goes up, policyholders want to know if they are paying a fair price. In this situation, I encourage you to call our underwriters. They can tell you how we can help, and which markets we would approach. When possible, they’ll give an indication over the phone that may put things in perspective.

Homeowners can be tricky as most renewal increases come in below what our markets can offer. But if you are looking at a non-renewal or have commercial habitational accounts, we are seeing a lot of success. There is so much disruption in this market right now that while we can’t do everything, we have done a lot and helped solve some big problems. 

No participation trophies are being handed out here!! As always, I’d love to hear how we’re treating you. Please call or drop me a line to let me know!

Rob

robtuscano@tuscano.com