HAPPY New Year! In the grand tradition of new beginnings and clean slates, naturally I'm going to start off the new year by returning to a former subject: my article from last October about Business Auto Symbol 1. It seems my argument that Symbol 1 (“any auto”) means exactly what it says has created a bit of controversy among regular practitioners of the insurance arts, including more than a couple of industry experts.

If you recall from that article, a student had questioned whether using Symbol 1 for liability in a BAP would create automatic coverage for any number of vehicles newly acquired during the policy year, even if such vehicles had never been reported to the carrier. Without repeating all of the detail in that article about forms language, my response to the question was a simple “yes.” My basis for such a short, sweet answer was what I consider to be a perfect example of clear policy language-the BAP form definition for Symbol 1: “any auto.”

Alas, dear friends, even a new year cannot alter the fact that nothing in our business is accepted as being so clear-cut. “Oh, no,” some said, “it's not that simple.” These are the type of folks who might respond to a cheerful “good morning” by launching detailed inquiries as to just what such a greeting means. “What do you mean by good? Why not say great? And once the sun is up, isn't “mid-morning” a more accurate phrase?” I always want to ask such folks who they think really shot John F. Kennedy, but I'm afraid they'd miss the joke.