Insurance Journal Forums

Has anyone ever attended any of the programs offered by the Hartford School of Insurance?

They are fairly pricey but look like good intense programs. $3k for Commercial CSR 2 week school and $4k for Producer school.

I would be interested in hearing opinions of any agency principals that have sent their staff or and producers/csr's that have actually attended.

Are there any other similar programs out there? I know State Auto has a producer program but it's only for State Auto agents. I like the SCIC programs, but I think they are more generic and not as intenst and thorough as the Hartford type program.

I went to the Hartford school about 9 years ago when I was 6 months into my job. It's a good program when you're new to commercial insurance. It teaches you how to read and interpret policy coverages. I wouldnt say I bacame a "Commericial line specialist" instantly - as the designation it gives you might imply, it did help greatly on the underwriting side of business. Liberty Mutual and Travelers have similar programs, but they tend to be more specific to their own forms from what I've heard.

I just sent two of my new CSRs through this program. They both did the virtual calssroom (online) version and I think it is the bet one being offered by any company. It is very neutral and really gets into the coverages. Some of the other companies training tools are either too company specific, are not formated well, or the instructors are not that great. This is a big investment, so you would want to be sure that whoever is attending will take it seriously and actively participate. Overall rating: A. Would've been an A+, but while the designation is nice, I do agree that it 's a bit of a reach to say your a "specialist" after completing it.