The liability exposures of any business have expanded significantly over the years. In addition to the risks accompanying any other business venture, insurance agents face an additional risk. Agents can be sued as a result of their work as an insurance agent. This professional liability exposure is often called professional liability or E&O.

This course explains how documentation can be used to control agents’ errors and omissions (E&O) claims. The course explains the nature of the E&O risk, the fundamentals and characteristics of effective documentation, and the importance of backing documentation with standard operating procedures (SOPs). The course also presents examples of specific types of documentation, including file documentation, confirmation and cover letters, checklists and phone logs. 

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

• recognize why it is important to control E&O claims and how important the role of documentation is in controlling E&O claims
• recognize what should be documented and distinguish among various forms of documentation
  
• identify the types of documentation likely to be admissible in a court of law
  
• recognize the importance of SOPs for documentation and identify ways of creating SOPs
  
• identify the various types of agency files and recognize types of information each file should contain
  
• identify the reasons why checklists can be an E&O defense tool when used appropriately