ALLEGANY CO-OP INSURANCE COMPANY. Agency Interface. Choice Connect User Guide

ALLEGANY CO-OP INSURANCE COMPANY Agency Interface Choice Connect User Guide

ALLEGANY CO-OP INSURANCE COMPANY Choice Connect User Guide Allegany Co-op Insurance Company 9 North Branch Road Cuba NY 14727 Phone 585-968-1000 Fax 585-968-1592 2

Table of Contents Chapter 1 Issue New Quote Landlord or Dwelling Fire p.4 Homeowners or Mobile Homeowners p. 12 Chapter 2 Edit/Upload Quote p. 22 Chapter 3 Agent Policy Copy p. 28 Chapter 4 Loss Reporting p. 32 Chapter 5 Claim Inquiry p. 34 Chapter 6 Policy Inquiry p. 36 Chapter 7 Endorsement Request p. 47 Chapter 8 Underwriting Manual p. 49 Chapter 9 Utilities p. 52 Chapter 10 Quit p. 57 Index p. 58 3

Chapter 1 Issue New Quote A llegany Co-op Insurance Company s agency interface, Choice Connect, allows agents to create quotes for Dwelling Fire, Landlord, Homeownerss, and Mobile Homeownerss policies. All other lines of business must be submitted to the Allegany Underwriting Department for quotation. CREATING A LANDLORD OR DWELLING FIRE QUOTE: Part I General Information: 1. Click Issue New Quote on the main Choice Connect screen. 2. A box will appear listing the types of policies that can be quoted in Choice Connect. Click the box next to DWG to quote either a Landlord or Dwelling Fire policy. The state and company options at the bottom of the screen will enter automatically based on your log-in profile. 4

3. Click Proceed. 4. A screen will appear where you can enter the applicant s general information. Press the Tab key on your keyboard to enter the policy term, which will default to the date of entry. 5. Press Tab again to enter the named insured box. 6. Select Yes so you can enter the insured s information. 5

7. Click the radio button for either Individual or Organization. a. Individual: Click the button Add Name. Enter the name(s), click the button Update Insured, then click the button Close Setup. b. Organization: Click the button Organization. Click OK to proceed, then type the name of the organization in the first line, and select the type of organization from the drop down menu. Click Update Insured, then Close Setup. 6

8. After closing this screen, the applicant s name should appear in the Name section of the General Screen. 9. Place your cursor on the white Mailing Address field, click, and enter the mailing address. 10. Click on the white City field. You will be prompted for a zip code. Enter the zip code, click Update, then Close. This will automatically fill in the city, state, zip code, area code and state location fields. 11. The most important section of this screen is the County. In order for a policy to rate, the county must be completed. Please note that the county selected must be the county of the insured location, which may be different from the mailing address county. 12. Enter a telephone number if the quote is going to be uploaded for issuance. 13. To list a loss payee, additional insured, or mortgagee on a quote, you must exit the quote and then reenter it. See Quit on page 7 and Part I: Edit Quote on page 19 for directions on how to exit and reenter a quote. Part II--Coverage Screen: 14. Click the Coverages button. 7

15. Click the box next to Check to Manually Set Program in the purple field at the bottom of the screen. 16. IMPORTANT: Select LLP for a landlord quote or DWG for a dwelling fire quote. 17. If you would like liability coverage, click the box next to Liability Coverage Applies to This Location at the top of the screen, and fill out the appropriate information in the gray box at the bottom of the screen. 8

18. Complete all of the remaining fields on the coverage screen. 19. Click Proceed. Part III Policy Options: 20. Click Policy Options for a list of endorsements and credits that may be added to a Landlord or Dwelling Fire quote. The form number, edition date, and description of each endorsement are listed. If you are not familiar with a particular endorsement, place your cursor over the form and right-click to read an explanation of the form. 21. To add one of the options to the quote, click the box to the left of the form number, enter information if necessary, and click Finish Endorsement. 22. To remove one of the options from the quote, click the endorsement under the list Endorsements Added to Policy, then click the Delete button. 23. When you are finished adding the options to the policy, click Proceed. Part IV Rate: 24. Click Rate. 9

25. Click Proceed to continue. Part V Print Quote: 26. Click Print Quote. (If you have not rated the quote, the system will not allow you to print the quote.) a. If your agency is set up to use UniPrint, select UniPrint, then click OK. A screen will appear listing your local printers. Select the desired printer, then click Print or OK. b. If UniPrint was not necessary during the initial setup of Choice Connect at your agency, select the printer of your choice and click Print or OK. 27. If you have any questions or issues with printing, please contact the Allegany IT Department. 10

Part VI Quit: 28. When you are finished printing your quote, click Quit to exit. You will be prompted to indicate if you want to save the quote: 29. It is strongly recommended that you click Yes to save the quote. This will allow you to go back into the quote at a later time to review, change, or upload the quote. 30. Quotes are only valid for 90 days. Outdated quotes may be purged from Choice Connect by the Allegany IT Department. Part VII Underwriting Manual: Click Underwriting Manual on the main Issue Quote screen to open a copy of the applicable manual for the program being quoted. In order for the Underwriting Manual to appear, you must first complete the General Screen and then select the desired program (LLP or DWG) in the purple box. Part VIII Replacement Cost: Click Replacement Cost on the main Issue Quote screen to open an internet window to InsureBASE, an online cost estimator product designed specifically for Allegany. Allegany agents may use this product free of charge to determine an appropriate limit of insurance for a given risk. InsureBASE is quick and easy to use and protects properties from being underinsured. Users can retrieve a range report of ACV and Replacement Cost Values. InsureBASE uses a different log-in than Choice Connect. Please contact our office to set up an InsureBASE account, if you have not already. 11

CREATING A HOMEOWNERS OR MOBILE HOMEOWNERS QUOTE: Part I General Information: 1. Click Issue New Quote on the main Choice Connect screen. 2. A box will appear listing the types of policies that can be quoted within Choice Connect. The state and company options at the bottom of the screen will enter automatically based on your login profile. a. Click the box next to HO to quote an Alleycat, Standard Homeownerss, Non-Standard Homeownerss, Seasonal Homeownerss, Daycare Homeownerss or Condominium policy. b. Click the box next to MO to quote a Mobile Homeowners policy. 12

3. Click Proceed. 4. A screen will appear where you can enter the applicant s general information. Press the Tab key on your keyboard to enter the policy term, which will default to the date of entry. 5. Press Tab again. The Entering Individual Insureds box will appear. 6. Select Yes so you can enter the insured s information. 13

7. Click the radio button for either Individual or Organization. a. Individual: If you are entering an individual name (or names), click the button Add Name. Enter the name(s), click the button Update Insured, then click the button Close Setup. b. Organization: If you are entering an organization, click the button Organization. Click OK to proceed, then type the name of the organization in the first line, and select the type of organization from the drop down menu. Click Update Insured, then Close Setup. 14

8. After closing this screen, the applicant s name should appear in the Name section of the General Screen. 9. Place your cursor on the white Mailing Address field, click, and enter the mailing address. 10. Click on the white City field. You will be prompted for a zip code. Enter the zip code, click update, then close. This will automatically fill in the city, state, zip code, area code and state location fields. 11. The most important section of this screen is the County. In order for a policy to rate, the county must be completed. Please note that the county selected must be the county of the insured location, which may be different from the mailing address county. 12. Enter a telephone number if the quote is going to be uploaded for issuance. 13. To list a loss payee, additional insured, or mortgagee on a quote, you must exit the quote and then reenter it. See Quit on page 7 and Part I: Edit Quote on page 19 for directions on how to exit and reenter a quote. Part II Coverage Screen: 14. The Homeowners coverage screen and the Mobile Homeowners coverage screen are the same, except for the sections that are outlined in yellow (below) for illustrative purposes. Both screens include coverages and endorsements all on one screen. 15

Homeowners Coverage Screen: Mobile Homeowners Coverage Screen: 16

15. The following message will appear when you start to enter information: 16. Select OK. If you would like to remove the ML-243, click ML-243 under the Endorsements Added to Policy list, click Delete, then click Yes to confirm the deletion. 17. Complete all information on the coverage screen, including: a. Form b. ACV/RC c. Owner Occupied d. Construction e. # of Families f. Protection Class g. Territory h. Seasonal Residence i. Year of Construction j. Program k. Coverage A (After entering a limit for Coverage A, the limits for Coverages B, C and D will be automatically fill in with default limits.) l. Liability m. Medpay (Medical Payments) n. Deductible 18. RENOVATION CREDITS a. Renovation credits apply only to Standard Homeownerss Program 1, 2 and 3. (Not applicable to Tenant Homeownerss, Alley Cat, Seasonal Homeownerss, Day Care Homeownerss, Non-Standard Program and the Condominium Program.) b. Renovated home credits do not apply if the home has received a New Home Discount. c. Renovation credits are as follows: 17

ROOF Renovations completed within the last 15 years ELECTRICAL Renovations completed within the last 30 years HEATING Renovations completed within the last 25 years PLUMBING Renovations completed within the last 35 years 3% Credit 3% Credit 3% Credit 3% Credit d. A Renovated Home Quesionnaire must be completed and sent to underwriting if the quote is uploaded for new business. The questionnaire can be found on Allegany s website (www.alleganycoop.com) under the agent Log In or by contacting your personal lines underwriter. 19. HOMEOWNERS OPTIONAL ENDORSEMENT LISTING: a. A list of optional endorsements is provided, along with the form number and edition date. If you are unfamiliar with a particular endorsement, place your cursor over the form and right-click to read an explanation of the form. b. To add an optional endorsement to the quote, click the box to the left of the form number, enter information if necessary, and click Finish Endorsement. c. To remove one of the options from the quote, click the endorsement under the list Endorsements Added to Policy, then click the Delete button. 18

d. To simplify the list of endorsements, you may click one of the radio buttons to the right of the endorsement list. This will limit the endorsement list to the type of endorsement specified. For example, in the illustration below, only the Credits are listed. 20. When you have finished entering coverage information, click Proceed. Part III Rate: 21. Click Rate. 22. Click Proceed to continue. 19

Part IV Print Quote: 23. Click Print Quote. (If you have not rated the quote, the system will not allow you to print the quote.) a. If your agency is set up to use UniPrint, select UniPrint, then click OK. A screen will appear listing your local printers. Select the desired printer, then click Print or OK. b. If UniPrint was not necessary during the initial setup of Choice Connect at your agency, select the printer of your choice and click Print or OK. 24. If you have any questions or issues with printing, please contact the Allegany IT Department. Part V Quit: 25. When you are finished printing your quote, click Quit to exit. You will be prompted to indicate if you want to save the quote: 26. It is strongly recommended that you click Yes to save the quote. This will allow you to go back into the quote at a later time to review, change and/or upload the quote. 27. Quotes are only valid for 90 days. Outdated quotes may be purged from Choice Connect by the Allegany IT Department. 20

Part VI Underwriting Manual: Click Underwriting Manual on the main Issue Quote screen to open a copy of the applicable manual for the program being quoted. In order for the Underwriting Manual to appear, you must first complete the General Screen. Part VII Replacement Cost: Click Replacement Cost on the main Issue Quote screen to open an internet window to InsureBASE, an online cost estimator product designed specifically for Allegany. Allegany agents may use this product free of charge to determine an appropriate limit of insurance for a given risk. InsureBASE is quick and easy to use and protects properties from being underinsured. Users can retrieve a range report of ACV and Replacement Cost Values. InsureBASE uses a different log-in than Choice Connect. Please contact our office to set up an InsureBASE account, if you have not already. 21

Chapter 2 Edit/Upload Quote T his chapter will explain how to edit or upload quotes for Landlord, Dwelling Fire, Homeowners, or Mobile Homeowners policies. Part I Edit Quote: 1. Click Edit/Upload Quote on the main Choice Connect screen. 2. A box will appear listing the policies that have been quoted for your agency in Choice Connect. To select a quote, click on the quote, then click proceed. An alternative is to type the quote number in the box labeled Select Account#, then click Proceed. 3. The general information screen has a different format than the original quoting screen, but the information entered is still the same. 4. To list a mortgagee, loss payee or additional insured on the quote, click the box highlighted below: 22

5. Click the Add button and select the Type and Entity of the additional interest being added: 6. Fill in the name, address, city, state and zip code. Enter the loan number or e-mail address, if applicable. 7. BILLING A MORTGAGEE: After filling in a mortgagee name and address, a red box will appear: Click to Bill This Mortgagee (see below). Check this box only if the policy is intended to be mortgagee-billed. It is not necessary to upload a down payment with an application if the policy is mortgagee-billed. Our system will bill the mortgagee to secure the full premium of the policy. 8. ADDITIONAL INSUREDS: Click the drop-down menu for Interest and select the appropriate entity. 23

9. LOSS PAYEES: Describe the secured property in the Other Property Secured box. 10. When you are finished adding additional interests, click Proceed. Part II Print Application: 11. Before you may upload a quote, you must rate the quote, then click Print Application. 12. The application shown on the screen is the equivalent to the ACORD application for the particular line of business being issued. Complete all fields. The system does not recognize 0 (zeroes) or blank entries. 24

13. Click Next Page to advance to the next screen. Complete all fields. 14. Click Proceed. 15. Click Print Application. The printed application must be signed by the agent, the insured, and kept on file. 16. Click Quit. Part III Upload: 17. Click Upload to send a quote to Allegany for issuance. In order for this feature to work, the quote must be rated and the application must be printed and signed by the agent and insured. 18. The four questions on the Upload screen must be completed. 25

19. QUESTION 4: Have you received premium from insured (minimum down payment)? a. If the new business is mortgagee-billed, there is no need to make a down payment, so the answer to question #4 will be No. As long as the Click to Bill Mortgagee button was checked under the mortgagee screen, we will send an invoice to the mortgagee (see Billing a Mortgagee on page 23). b. If you answer Yes to question #4, a magenta box will appear (see below). 20. INSTALLMENT OPTIONS: Select one of the following installment options: a. Annual Payment Plan: Full payment is due on the inception date of the policy. b. 4-Payment Plan: Installment 1, due on the inception date of the policy, is equal to 40% of the total premium, plus the fire fee, plus a $5 installment fee. Installments 2-4 are equal to 20% of the premium plus a $5 installment fee. The installments are due 2, 4 and 6 months after the inception date of the policy. c. 6- Payment Plan: Installment 1, due on the inception date of the policy, is equal to 25% of the total premium, plus the fire fee, plus a $5 installment fee. Installments 2-6 are equal to 15% of the total premium plus a $5 installment fee. The installments are due 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 months after the inception date of the policy. 26

21. DOWN PAYMENT RECEIVED: Enter the payment received from the insured. 22. CHECK (REFERENCE) #: Enter a check number, if desired, for record-keeping purposes. This field is not mandatory. 23. PAYING BY CREDIT CARD? If you select Yes, the system will prompt you for credit card information. We accept Visa, Mastercard and Discover. 24. After completing the necessary information, click UPLOAD and the new business will be sent to your underwriter. 25. UPLOADED PAYMENTS: a. Withdrawals: Uploaded payments will be withdrawn from your account 3 business days after the payment is uploaded. For example, if payment is uploaded on Monday, the payment will be withdrawn from your account on Friday. b. Delays: If an underwriter has to wait more than three business days after a policy is uploaded to issue the policy because of missing underwriting information, the uploaded payment will be withdrawn from your account the day that the policy is issued. c. Policies Pending Cancellation: Payments may not be uploaded on policies that are pending cancellation. If you would like to make a payment on a policy that is pending cancellation, please contact the Allegany Underwriting Department for assistance. d. Bounced Checks: If an insured writes a check to an agency, the agency uploads the payment, and the check bounces, Allegany will ask the agent: Can the bank run the check through once more to see if the monies are in the account now? i. If the monies are in the account, the policy will remain active. ii. If the monies are not in the account, Allegany will reverse the EFT, thereby returning the agency s money. A notice of cancellation for non-payment of premium would then be sent to the insured. e. Questions: If you have any questions or concerns regarding uploaded payments, please contact our office. 27

Chapter 3 Agent Policy Copy T his chapter will discuss how to download electronic copies of policy declarations and invoices. This feature is especially useful for agencies that have a paperless management system. Part I Main Screen: 1. Click Agent Policy Copy on the main Choice Connect screen. 2. You have two options to select from: Pre-Defined Date Range or User Defined Date Range. Keep in mind that the information displayed is not real time; there is a day s lapse in time. Part II Pre-Defined Date Range: The Pre-Defined Date Range is a great option for agencies that scan and attach all paperwork they receive from Allegany. Using this feature of Choice Connect can eliminate the scanning process. 1. Click the drop-down menu under Pre-Defined Date Range and click on one of the options: Yesterday, Past Week, Past 2 Weeks, or Past Month. 28

2. Click view. A list will appear of all the documents that Allegany printed for your agency during the given time frame. You can download these documents and attach them in your agency management system. 3. Please note that the system defaults to Download and Print. (See illustration above in which all Download and Print boxes are checked.) If you simply desire to download a file, but not print it, you will need to: a. Uncheck each box in the Print column. b. Select Download Selected Policies. A message will appear (see below): 29

c. Select Yes. After the files have finished downloading, you will receive a confirmation screen. d. To access the downloaded files: i. Open Computer or My Computer. ii. Select (C:) drive. iii. Locate folder named alleganydownload which contains the downloaded files in PDF format. e. Choice Connect keeps a record of what steps have been taken in the Agent Policy Copy section. A key for each user will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. This way each user will know if a policy has been downloaded, printed or both. Part III User-Defined Date Range: The User-Defined Date Range tool allows users to narrow their search or search a longer range than is available under the Pre-Defined Date Range. 1. Enter the date range you are looking for. 2. Click View. 3. A list of documents will appear with the same provisions described above for the Pre-Defined Date Range. Part IV Frequently Asked Questions: 1. Will Allegany stop sending our agency paper copies of declarations? No. At this time our system does not distinguish between agencies based on paper preferences. 30

2. Can agents download more than just images from Choice Connect? Allegany can only offer the download of image files. We are currently working on downloading into agency management system at this time. We will keep you posted on this progress. 31

Chapter 4 Loss Reporting T his chapter will explain the quick and easy process of reporting a claim using Choice Connect. Losses may be reported for any line of business, personal or commercial. Claims may still be reported by calling in, faxing or e-mailing a Property Loss Notice, if preferred. A copy of a Property Loss Notice form is available under the agent log in at www.alleganycoop.com. Part I Loss Reporting: 1. Click Loss Reporting on the main Choice Connect screen. 2. Enter the Company, Policy Type, and Policy Number. 3. Click the Find Policy box to the right. 4. The insured s name and address will pre-fill along with the policy term. 32

5. Select the type of loss you are reporting: Property or Liability. 6. Click Proceed to continue. Click Abort to delete what you have done. 7. After completion you will have the option to upload the loss to the Claims Department at Allegany. If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact the Allegany Claims Department. Part II Month End Closeout: The only time Choice Connect will not allow you to report a loss is during the Month End Closeout (see screen below). If you would like to report a claim during Month End Closeout, you may call, fax or e-mail a Loss Notice to the Allegany Claims Department. 33

Chapter 5 Claim Inquiry T he Claim Inquiry feature allows users to check on the status of a claim for any line of business. Users can see if a claim is open or closed, what the loss reserves are, if payment has been made, and much more. 1. Click Claim Inquiry on the main Choice Connect screen. 2. Claim Number: a. If you know the claim number, enter it and click Proceed. b. If you do not know the claim number: i. Click the box next to Check if you want to search for Claim. 34

ii. Click the radio button next to Insured Name, Claim #, or Policy #. iii. Type the Insured Name, Claim #, or Policy # in the white Search String field. iv. After you have located the claim, click on the claim, then click Proceed. (You may click on any part of the claim the claim number, agent number, policy number, etc. in order to proceed.) 3. The Main Claims System Screen will appear (see below). This screen lists all necessary claim information. If you need more information, please contact the Allegany Claims Department and they will be happy to answer any questions you may have. 35

Chapter 6 Policy Inquiry T he Policy Inquiry feature allows users to review general policy information, accounting, policy files, and submit payment. Policy Inquiry also allows users to create quotes for existing Homeowners, Mobile Homeowners, Landlord, or Dwelling Fire policies (HO, MO, DWG). Part I Policy Inquiry: 1. Click Policy Inquiry on the main Choice Connect screen to view your entire book, including both cancelled and active policies. 2. Policy Number: a. If you know the policy number, enter it and click Proceed. 36

b. If you do not know the policy number, click the Click Here to Search by Name button. Enter the name, and policy type, if known, and click Find Policy. Once the policy is located, click on the policy, then click Proceed. 3. The Live Policy Information screen lists basic policy information, including: installment plan, non-pay history, current policy premium, balance due, mortgagee, loss payee, and additional insured information. Part II Accounting 1. Click the Accounting button to view the history of the payments made, and any premium increases or decreases to the policy. 37

2. Click the drop-down arrow and select the desired year. 3. Click View Accounting. 4. DATES: Transactions are organized by the date they are processed. For example, if a policy renews in January 2011, the renewal will most likely have been processed in 2010, so the renewal charge would be under the 2010 screen. The payment for the renewal might not be received until 2011 though, which means the payment would show up under the 2011 screen. 5. CODES: a. Charges Screen: NB-New Business RE-Renewal CA-Cancellation 38

EN-Endorsement and/or Reinstatement JE-Journal Entry SC-Installment Fee SN-Notice of Cancellation Fee SF-State Fee b. Payments Screen: NP-Normal Payment SC-Installment Fee SN-Notice of Cancellation Fee SF-State Fee JE-Journal Entry NF-Non-Sufficient Fee 6. UPLOADED PAYMENTS: The Pending Upload Payments section of the accounting screen shows payments that you uploaded, but that have not been swept from your account yet. When the payment is withdrawn from your account, it will be listed under Payments with the reference: AGENT EFT. See page 27 for more information regarding uploaded payments. 7. BILLING STATUS: This is a summary of the charges and payments for a policy. 8. Feel free to contact the Allegany Accounts Receivable Department with any questions. Part II Create Quote: 1. Click Create Quote to create quotes for existing Homeowners, Mobile Homeowners, Landlord, or Dwelling Fire policies (HO, MO, DWG). This is a useful tool if an insured wants to know the cost of a coverage change. 2. A message will appear asking if you wish to transfer a policy into the quote system. Click Yes. 39

3. Click on Coverages or Policy Options and make the desired changes to the quote. 4. Click Rate. 5. Click Print if desired. 6. Click Quit when you are finished. 7. ENDORSING A POLICY: If the insured would like to change the actual policy, please submit an endorsement request (instructions on page 47). Changes made in the quote system under Policy Inquiry>Create Quote will not affect the existing policy. 8. REVISITING QUOTES: a. If you have created a quote for an existing policy and you would like to revisit the quote, click Edit/Upload Quote on the main Choice Connect screen, select the quote, then click Proceed. b. If you try to revisit the quote by entering the policy number under Policy Inquiry, you will receive the following message: 40

Click the Edit/Upload button on the main Choice Connect screen to access the quote and alter it or delete it. 9. Please direct any questions regarding Create Quote to the Allegany Underwriting Department. Part III View File: 1. Click View File to view declarations and invoices that have printed for a particular policy. 2. A printer option will appear. If you wish to view files, but not print them, select Adobe PDF. If you would like to print files, select one of the following options: a. If your agency is set up to use UniPrint, select UniPrint, then click OK. A screen will appear listing your local printers. Select the desired printer, then click Print or OK. a. If UniPrint was not necessary during the initial setup of Choice Connect at your agency, select the printer of your choice and click Print or OK. 41

3. You will be able to view and print declarations and invoices, as illustrated above. Part IV Submit Payment: 1. The tool Submit Payment is available for agents who have signed up for Agent EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer). If you do not have Agent EFT, but would like to sign up for it, please contact our office and we would be happy to send you the Electronic Funds Transfer Authorization Form. A week after the form is completed and sent to Allegany, you will be able to start uploading payments. 2. Click the Submit Payment button under the Policy Inquiry screen. 42

3. Enter a check number, if desired, for record-keeping purposes. This field is not mandatory. 4. Enter the amount you would like to upload in the Amount box. 5. Hit the Tab key on your keyboard. 6. Click the UPLOAD button. 7. A message will appear asking, Are you sure you want to upload the above payment? a. Select Yes if the payments details are correct. Payment will be withdrawn from your account 3 business days after you click Upload. b. Select No if you would like to cancel the upload process. 43

8. RECEIPT: Click Receipt to print a receipt for the transaction. NOTE: It is possible to print a receipt without uploading a payment. Be sure to click Upload and complete the transaction before you print a receipt. See 10. INCOMPLETE UPLOADS below. 9. TRANSACTION REPORT: Click Transaction Report to verify if a transaction is complete. See illustration below: 10. INCOMPLETE UPLOADS: a. If you click Quit before clicking Upload, you will receive the message below: b. An incomplete upload will show up under the Accounting screen. (To access the Accounting screen, click Policy Inquiry on the main Choice Connect screen, select policy, then click Accounting. ) The illustration below shows that the Date Uploaded on the Pending Upload Payments section of the Accounting screen is blank. See page 45 for instructions on how to delete an incomplete upload. 44

11. DELETING AN INCOMPLETE UPLOAD: a. Click Policy Inquiry on the main Choice Connect Screen and select the appropriate policy. b. Click Submit Payment. c. Hit the Tab key on your keyboard and the Amount Due and Policy Inception information that you entered will display. d. Click Delete. 45

e. The system will ask if you are sure you want to delete the transaction. Click Yes to delete the incomplete transaction from Choice Connect. Click No to exit the incomplete transaction. 12. QUIT: Click QUIT to exit the program. 13. See page 27 for additional information about uploaded payments. 46

Chapter 7 Endorsement Request T his chapter explains how to upload premium or non-premium bearing endorsement requests for any line of business. 1. Click Endorsement Request on the main Choice Connect screen. 2. Click the drop down arrow and select the policy type. 3. Enter the policy number. 47

4. Enter the effective date of the endorsement. 5. Enter a full description of the endorsement that you are requesting. a. Once you are finished, click Submit and the endorsement request will be sent to the underwriting Department immediately. b. If you are not ready to submit an endorsement request, but would like to save your changes, click Exit Continue Later. c. If you would like to delete an unfinished endorsement request, click Delete. 6. After an endorsement is submitted, a screen will appear offering you the option to print a copy of the endorsement request. Click Yes or No. 7. A screen will appear confirming that the endorsement request has been submitted. Questions regarding endorsement requests may be directed to the Allegany Underwriting Department. 48

Chapter 8 Underwriting Manual C hoice Connect provides access to the underwriting manuals for the lines of business that can be quoted in Choice Connect: Landlord, Dwelling Fire, Homeowners and Mobile Homeowners. Part I Underwriting Manuals in Choice Connect: 1. Click Underwriting Manual on the main Choice Connect screen. 2. Click the box next to the desired underwriting manual and a PDF file of the manual will open. 49

Part II Complete Allegany Agent s Manual: 1. To access a complete copy of the Allegany Agent s Manual, go to www.alleganycoop.com. 2. Click Login : 3. Enter your user name and password. If you do not know your username or password, contact the Allegany IT Department. 4. Click on the link for the Allegany Agent s Manual. 5. Click on the blue Bookmark icon in the left margin. 50

6. Click on the desired line of business to view the underwriting manual. 7. Questions regarding underwriting manuals may be directed to the Allegany Underwriting Department. 51

Chapter 9 Utilities T he Utilities feature of Choice Connect allows agents to access account withdrawal information, agency reports, and URB forms. Part I Utilities: 1. Click Utilities on the main Choice Connect screen. 2. The following options will appear: 52

Part II AW (Automatic Withdrawal) Payment Register: 1. Click on the radio button next to AW Payment Register for a report of all policies for which Allegany has withdrawn an uploaded payment from your account. 2. You will be prompted to select Sort on Policy or Sort on AW Date : a. Sort on Policy: Click the radio button next to Sort on Policy and enter a policy number. b. Sort on AW Date: Click the radio button next to Sort on AW Date to see a list of the withdrawals made from your account, arranged by date, with the most recent withdrawal being at the top of the list. 3. If you would like to print the report, click Print Register, enter the date range of the desired report, and select a printer. If you are printing from UniPrint, please select that option. Part III AW (Automatic Withdrawal) Pending Payment Listing: 1. Click the radio button next to AW Pending Payment Listing for a report of the policies that you have uploaded payment for, but that have not had payment withdrawn from your account yet. (This report cannot be sorted by date or policy number.) 2. Select a printer. If you are printing from UniPrint, please select that option. 3. If a policy is pending payment, the report will display that policy number. If there are no pending policies, a blank report will print out. 53

Part IV Agency Reports: 1. Click the radio button next to Agency Reports 2. Enter your password. (A default password is given to your agency when Allegany performs the initial Choice Connect training. See page 55 for instructions on how to change your password.) 3. Click PROCEED. 4. Select a printer. If you are printing from UniPrint, please select that option. 5. A screen will appear with the following options: 54

a. Commission Statement(s): i. Click Commission Statement(s). ii. A box will appear on the right-hand side of the screen. Select 001 Allegany for the company. Complete the remaining fields, then click View Report. iii. Print report, if desired, then click Quit. iv. Commission Statements are emailed to your office at the beginning of each month, usually around the 9 th or 10 th day. You will continue to receive these e- mails, even when you access the reports in Choice Connect. b. Agent History By Line: This report contains information on New Business, Renewals, Cancellations, Earned Premium and Incurred Losses for your agency. The report is based on month-end figures from the prior month. The report may be printed, if desired. c. Outstanding Loss Reserve: This report lists open and closed claims for the current year. The report may be printed, if desired. d. Change Agent Reports Password: To change the password used to enter Agent Reports, contact the Allegany IT Department. This password is separate from the password used to log in to Choice Connect. e. Exit: Click Exit to close the Agency Reports section. f. Questions regarding Agency Reports may be directed to the Allegany IT Department. Part V Forms List: 1. Click the radio button next to Forms List to access the forms for a particular line of business. 55

2. A complete offering of forms for all lines of business may be found under the agent log in at www.alleganycoop.com. 3. Questions regarding forms may be directed to the Allegany Underwriting Department. 56

Chapter 10 Quit T he Quit button on the main screen of Choice Connect will terminate your session in Choice Connect as well as your terminal server session. You may log into the system as many times as you wish. If you have any questions or concerns regarding Choice Connect, please feel free to contact the Allegany IT Department. We would be happy to answer your questions and visit your agency to conduct additional training, if desired. 57

Index Bounced Checks p. 27 Commissions p. 55 Passwords pp. 50, 54, 55 UniPrint p. 10 58