News & Blogs

Posted on behalf of : Phuong Vu , Founding Marketing Lead │ Adapt │ NetVU Silver Partner Every morning, servicing teams across the industry start the same way: logging into carrier portal after carrier portal, hunting for endorsements, dec pages, and cancellation notices. It is easy to write off as just the job. But that hidden admin tax adds up fast, in wasted hours, missed notices, and growing E&O exposure. A single missed cancellation can carry $100,000 or more in exposure, and the burnout it creates quietly drives staff turnover. Before adding headcount, it is worth taking stock. How many hours a week does your team spend logging ...
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Each July brings a new leadership year for NetVU. On July 1, several important changes to our Executive Board officially took effect. These transitions give us an opportunity to recognize leaders who have given generously to our organization, welcome new perspectives and prepare for what comes next. Welcoming Bonnie Wood as Chairman I am pleased to welcome Bonnie Wood as the new Chairman of the NetVU Board of Directors . Bonnie has served on the Board since 2021 and brings extensive experience in insurance technology, product management and agency operations. Through her work with Brown & Brown Insurance, she has supported technology ...
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Accelerate, powered by NetVU 2026 brought together insurance agency leaders, technology partners, and operational decision-makers with a shared focus: how agencies can operate with greater speed, visibility, and confidence in a changing insurance environment. Across conversations at the event, one challenge stood out clearly. Insurance agencies are not being slowed down by one major operational issue. They are being slowed down by the smaller workflow gaps that appear every day across proposals, policy reviews, submission intake, onboarding, and follow-ups. The Small Gaps That Slow Execution These delays are often easy to ...
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At NetVU, we talk often about serving our members and supporting the people in our professional community. I appreciate that NetVU also encourages employees to carry that servant-minded approach into the communities where we live—and provides volunteer time off to help us do it. Recently, I had the opportunity to volunteer with CAP Agency by delivering meals to older adults and homebound residents in Shakopee, Minnesota. It was a simple way to spend part of my day, but it left a meaningful impression on me. Why I Chose Meals on Wheels I have always believed that older adults should be treated with care and respect, and I hate to think ...
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What do some of the highest-performing independent agencies have in common? According to a recent roundtable discussion with agency leaders, it isn't larger teams or more technology—it's a relentless focus on creating capacity. Throughout the conversation, one challenge surfaced repeatedly: too much of the workday is consumed by gathering information, chasing missing details, correcting errors, and entering the same data into multiple systems. Those small inefficiencies add up, leaving less time for the work that truly differentiates an independent agency. The panel agreed that doing more with less isn't about asking employees to work harder. It's about ...
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Honoring a Leader in Insurance Technology For Joyce Sigler, technology has never been just about systems, integrations, or automation. It has always been about people. That perspective is part of what made Joyce the recipient of the Insurance Technology Advocate Award in Memory of Wade S. Dunbar Jr. , presented during Accelerate 2026 in Las Vegas . The award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to advancing automation within the insurance industry and who have demonstrated leadership, collaboration, and a passion for helping industry partners succeed. Joyce, who serves as Vice President of Acquisitions & Technology, Agency ...
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Summer offers something that's hard to come by in insurance: a chance to pause before the pace picks up again. It's the ideal time to evaluate the operational processes that will either support—or slow down—your team during renewal season. One of the biggest opportunities? Agency Bill. Many agencies have modernized their front office but still rely on manual invoicing, emailed premium finance agreements, multiple payment systems, and time-consuming receipt posting behind the scenes. Those inefficiencies often become most visible when volume increases. If your team is spending more time on billing than serving clients, it may be worth ...
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New from NetVU: AMS360 Accounting Consulting with Janet Tuttle Accounting in an insurance agency comes with challenges that standard business bookkeeping does not always prepare you to handle. Reconciliations, premium transactions, general ledger coding, financial reporting, and month-end processes can quickly become complicated—especially when your team is also managing the day-to-day demands of serving clients. NetVU is excited to introduce AMS360 Accounting Consulting Services , providing agencies with personalized, practical assistance from longtime insurance accounting expert Janet Tuttle. Whether your agency is working through unexplained discrepancies, ...
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At the PIA NY/NJ Annual Convention in Atlantic City on June 8, industry leaders came together for a timely and highly relevant conversation about the technology issues shaping the future of independent insurance agencies. The joint AUGIE and PIA Technology Council Innovation Meeting brought together agents, carriers, MGAs, solution providers, and technology leaders to discuss some of the most pressing challenges facing agencies today, including artificial intelligence, workflow efficiency, cybersecurity, integration, data standards, and ID Federation. NetVU was proud to be well represented throughout the meeting, including by members of the NetVU ...
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Insurance agencies spend significant time focused on growth strategies, producer performance, retention, and carrier relationships. Yet , one operational area quietly impacts all of them every single day: payments. For many agencies, payment processes are still treated as a back-office function rather than a strategic part of the customer experience and agency infrastructure. But in reality, the way an agency invoices, collects, finances, reconciles, and reports payments directly shapes operational efficiency, client satisfaction, profitability, and scalability. Modern insurance customers expect the same level of convenience ...
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Insurance agencies and brokerages are under increasing pressure to grow while maintaining the level of responsiveness and service clients expect. But for many teams, growth also means more manual work: more quote proposals, more certificate requests, more policy reviews, and more operational coordination across systems. That creates a challenge many agencies know well. As workflow volume increases, operational capacity becomes harder to scale. This is where AI is beginning to create practical value for agencies. Rather than replacing existing systems, AI is increasingly being layered into platforms, like AMS360, to help reduce repetitive manual ...
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For Angelica Reitman, insurance has always been more than a career path. It has been a place to build, solve, improve, and advocate for the people and technology shaping the industry. Angelica is part of the Arrowhead Programs group, where she runs the MGA systems program. Her team, formerly with One80 Intermediaries before its acquisition by Brown & Brown, now supports the systems and technology that help MGAs operate more effectively. A proud New Yorker, Angelica grew up in Queens, went to Fordham University in the Bronx, lived in Manhattan, and now calls Long Island home. She says growing up in New York helped shape her tenacity, passion, and perspective. ...
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When Sarah Dinwiddie first learned she had been named NetVU’s 2026 Volunteer of the Year, her reaction was simple: shock. “I just never expected that what I was doing was getting recognized by other people,” she shared. “It made me feel better about what I’ve been doing — that other people see the work that I’ve been putting in.” Sarah, Director of Operations at Charles M. Moore Insurance Agency in Bowling Green, Kentucky, received the Volunteer Service Award in memory of James M. Gibson during Accelerate this past April in Las Vegas. The award recognizes a NetVU member who embodies the dedication, service, and commitment it takes to represent NetVU’s ...
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NetVU’s 2026 Annual Meeting of Members brought our community together to reflect on a year of meaningful progress, celebrate the volunteers and leaders who make NetVU strong, and look ahead to an exciting future for our members, partners, and the industry we serve. From the opening welcome to the closing remarks, one message came through clearly: NetVU is growing, evolving, and delivering more value than ever because of the people who continue to show up, share their expertise, and invest in one another. A Year of Strong Momentum Chairman Shyla Lankford opened the meeting by highlighting NetVU’s continued focus on education, collaboration, ...
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With Ivans Download™, policy data flows from carriers into your management system . For many agencies, that’s where the story stops, but there’s more available to you. Agents who dig a little deeper into how Ivans Download and Ivans Exchange™ work together discover something powerful: Exchange gives you the tools to make Download work harder. In Exchange, you can resend a single policy , claim or eDoc in seconds; pull a personalized connections report to see every download you’re eligible for and approve Bookroll requests , all in one place. If you stepped away years ago, it’s worth another look! It’s More Than a Data Feed — It’s a Three-Part System ...
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We want to share an update regarding the upcoming BenefitPoint release schedule. There are a number of targeted fixes and changes that will be delayed with 26R2, which was originally scheduled for June 12. QuickSight is not affected by this change and will continue to roll out as planned on June 12. As a result, the June 12 release will be delivered as a QuickSight Service Pack . The July release, scheduled for July 10, will include the remaining enhancements and changes and will be released as BenefitPoint 26R2 . The release notes have been updated with a note indicating this deployment change. Please refer to the BenefitPoint QuickSight Release Notes ...
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Board Member Spotlight: George Robertson Lifelong Learner, Industry Advocate, and Community Builder At NetVU, our board members bring decades of experience, insight, and leadership to help shape the future of the insurance industry. One of those leaders is George Robertson of Rockingham Insurance, whose passion for education, technology, and community continues to make a meaningful impact across the industry. Growing up in Eden, North Carolina, George’s connection to insurance started early. His father founded the family agency in 1952, and George officially took over in 1994 after spending years around the business. “I was probably in middle school ...
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How AFCO Direct’s NetVU scholarships help strengthen the future of the industry At AFCO Direct, supporting agency success goes beyond providing financial solutions; it means investing in the people who drive the insurance industry forward. Conferences like Accelerate play an important role in building relationships between agencies and clients, peers and partners, mentors and those just beginning their career. We believe supporting those moments of connection is part of how we give back to the industry. This year, we were proud to sponsor two scholarships to help insurance professionals attend Accelerate – investing in people who are committed ...
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More than 1,800 independent insurance professionals, Vertafore leaders, partners, exhibitors, and industry innovators gathered at the iconic Fontainebleau Las Vegas for one of the most energized and engaging Accelerate conferences in recent memory. And the message from attendees was clear: Accelerate isn’t just a conference. It’s where the independent agency community comes together to learn, connect, and prepare for what’s next. By the numbers (and the vibe) Attendee feedback consistently highlighted five major themes: Education remains the #1 value driver — with deep dives, hands-on learning, product training, and AI-focused sessions receiving ...
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Independent insurance agencies are under constant pressure to do more with less. Between rising labor costs, increased service demands, and evolving carrier requirements, agency leaders are continually looking for ways to improve efficiency without sacrificing service quality. One solution that has gained significant traction across the industry is the use of Virtual Assistants (VAs). A Smarter Approach to Staffing Traditionally, when agencies experience growth or increased workload, the default solution is to hire additional in-house staff. While effective, this approach comes with added overhead like salary, benefits, training, office space, and ...
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