The IBANY advocacy program protects the playing field on which members achieve their wins and survive their fair losses. Just a few of the issues the advocacy team has worked on in the last decade:

• • Creation of excess lines stamping office in New York (ELANY)

• • Labor law reform

• • Excess linetax reform for multi-state policies

• • Captive insurance modernization

• • NYS officers' tax exemption for brokers

• • Relief from policy form restrictions in professional liability policies

• • Clarification of flex rating and anti-rebate regulations to legitimize fee-for-service contracts

• • Liberalization of defense-within-limits laws

• • Validation of claims-made policies

• • Exemption of purchasing groups and risk retention groups from regulation

• • Anti-trust protections for brokers in policy development and pricing

• • Defeat of presumptive liability for brokers and MGAs in insurer insolvencies

• • Wrap-ups for public sector construction projects

• • Workers' comp reforms (managed care, subrogation, 2nd injury fund, repeal of Dole vs. Dow, standards for reporting seasonal employees, medical guidelines)

• • Repeal of adverse regulatory opinions on "channeling" to allow separate evolution of hospitals' and physicians' professional liability policies

• • Approval of stop loss policies in hospital AIDS-related loss control programs

• • Exemption of critical illness and related stop loss policies from "dread disease" coverage prohibitions

• • Authorization of hole-in-one insurance

• • Approval of voluntary markets (both admitted and nonadmitted) as lawful markets of choice in lieu of the JUA

• • DMV data reporting standards for commercial fleets

• • Standards for attributing liability for underground storage tanks

• • Authorization of environmental liability exclusions

• • Definition of clean-up liability standards to facilitate placing coverage for remediators

• • Defense of brokers in NYC municipal agencies qualification process

• • E&O issues for brokers in lead liability claims

• • NYS "greenway" environmental liability standards for municipalities

• • National oil spill response center designation for New York

• • Free trade zone liberalization

• • Expansion of coverages that can be placed in nonadmitted market without prior declinations

• • Legalization of defense only policies

• • Defense of employment practices policies

• • Clarification of binding authorities rulings to protect brokers against presumptive liability in claims disputes

• • Authorization for nonadmitted carriers to maintain administrative offices in New York

• • Commercial deregulation

• • Limited approval of group and quasi-group P&C policies

• • Export of GAP policies

• • Y2K constructive cancellations

• • Brokers' right to offset fees against commissions

• • Disclosure of brokers' contingent compensation

• • "Professional" status of brokers for statute of limitations

• • Reform of licensing system

• • Reform of continuing education requirements

• • New broker license for life and financial planning professionals

• • Design of New York's captive domicile laws

• • Exemption of captives from fronting restrictions

• • Bank/insurer parity

• • Financial modernization