Serving public entities large and small

Glatfelter acquisition broadens range of public entity services

By Phil Zinkewicz

When Glatfelter Insurance Group acquired Professional Underwriters at the end of last year, it created the largest public entity program manager in the United States. One result of this union was the formation of a new division within Glatfelter Insurance Group: Glatfelter Public Practice (GPP).

John Solari, CPCU, ARM-P, executive vice president and chief underwriting officer of GPP, says, “Prior to the acquisition, Professional Underwriters provided programs for medium and large public entities and municipalities, and Glatfelter was successful in the smaller account arena. Now, we can do it all.”

Glatfelter Public Practice provides proprietary property and liability insurance programs to select niches within the public entity sector. Independent agents and brokers have access to GPP programs just as they do with Glatfelter’s longstanding VFIS products for emergency service organizations.

Paul Fuller, CPCU, president of Glatfelter’s Wholesale/Specialty Program Operations, says, “We are disciplined public entity specialists, not generalists.” That statement is underscored by Professional Underwriters’ specialized programs for schools and larger public entities. Fuller notes, “Brokers can now access the country’s leading programs for emergency service organizations, water-related authorities, schools, special districts, and municipalities from one program manager. This structure enhances relationship building and allows brokers a wide array of meaningful insurance solutions for their public sector clients.”

According to Solari, the corporate objective is to be the “premier provider of insurance and risk control services for select public entities in the United States.” He adds, “We are very excited about our expanded program lineup. We believe that brokers and agents will benefit from the public entity expertise and program strengths available from GPP.”

Solari emphasizes that GPP underwriters specialize in the respective school, municipal and water segments. This allows for a high level of expertise. “Our underwriters are knowledgeable about targeted public entity accounts, governmental immunities, and unique exposures, as well as the brokers, agents and competitors within their territories.

“GPP’s risk control team, augmented by independent and carrier risk control representatives, provides loss prevention, loss reduction, and risk improvement consultative services specifically designed to meet the needs of public entity accounts,” Solari explains. “Last but not least, claims service is provided by either Glatfelter Claims Management, Inc., or by carrier public entity claim specialists. So, whether it is underwriting, risk control or claims, our brokers, agents, and customers have the benefit of working with true public entity specialists.”

The range of GPP programs is indeed impressive. They include Textbook, an insurance program designed specifically to meet the needs of public and private schools, K-12, junior and community colleges. “The Textbook program is the most comprehensive insurance program for public and private schools available in the United States,” says Solari. In addition, he points out that brokers and agents need not be school experts. “Our extensive experience and knowledge of the school industry benefits brokers and agents who may not be involved in school business on a regular basis.”

The firm’s PRIME Program (“Public Risk Insurance Made Easy”) offers highly customized coverage for the municipal sector, including cities, towns, townships, boroughs, and villages, ideally with a population of 25,000 or less. Various other special purpose entities, such as park or recreation commissions, may also qualify. The underwriting and marketing approach is characterized by the delivery of a tailored yet broad product portfolio.

“Few providers service this customer segment with such a fully integrated approach,” Solari notes. “We really want to make it easy for brokers and agents to do business with us in our PRIME program by providing an exceptional range of property and casualty coverage.”

Glatfelter’s Rural Special Districts Insurance Services (RSDIS) is one of the largest insurance programs in the United States for water, sewer, irrigation, and conservation districts, encompassing more than 4,000 accounts in 40 states. It provides a wide array of property and liability coverages, including management liability, pollution, failure to supply, water testing errors and omissions, and expansive property enhancements.

“We keep abreast of the litigation that has hit the water industry in terms of contamination and pollution,” Fuller says. “We utilize this experience to develop sophisticated loss control initiatives, including in-house risk analysis, consulting services, technical reference bulletins, and other resources.”

The Community Works Program, designed specifically to meet the needs of larger and more complex municipalities and utility authorities, complements the PRIME and RSDIS programs. The program features flexible coverages, extensive property capacity, and broad eligibility. Solari explains, “Community Works fits around the PRIME and RSDIS programs as far as eligibility is concerned.”

Another GPP program, SafetyFIRST, offers a broad range of coverages for independent school bus contractors. “SafetyFIRST,” Solari explains, “is designed for larger independent school bus contractors in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.”

Glatfelter Insurance Group is also the group manager for the New York State Insurance Fund Workers Compensation Safety Group 491 (schools) and 497 (Public Entities). The strengths of the two programs, Solari emphasizes, include proven dividend histories and competitive pricing. They are underwritten by a certified workers compensation professional. “With the dedication of our staff and the oversight of the respective executive committees for the safety groups, we have successfully managed the profitability and stability of both programs for over 30 years,” Solari says.

The assimilation of Professional Underwriters into Glatfelter Insurance Group allows brokers to leverage more of their local public entity relationships with a single program manager. According to Fuller, horizontal integration provides a means to compete in this increasingly dynamic sector.

He points out that independent agents and brokers are welcome to approach GPP with municipal or public entity risks, whether or not they are experienced in this line of business. “We have the public entity expertise to assist brokers and agents win public entity business,” he notes.

For more information:
Glatfelter Insurance Group
Web site: www.glatfelters.com