o Professional Underwriters, a public entity specialty based in Exton, Pa.

In a recent press statement, TMPAA said that while the designation was awarded to each program administrator earlier this year, the firms were publicly recognized at the annual meeting in October.

“One core element of the TMPAA mission is to promote excellence for this most elite segment of insurance intermediaries who are Program Administrators [and] MGAs,” said Art Seifert, TMPAA president.

“The three agencies receiving the designation at this year's Summit exemplify the standard we are setting for program business,” said Mr. Seifert, who is also president of The Lighthouse Companies, an Annandale, Va.-based program administrator.

David Jordan, senior vice president of AIG Programs, said, “The Best Practice Designation raises the bar for the program business segment of the industry.”

The agencies were awarded the TMPAA Best Practice Designation after completing an evaluation process developed by the Target Markets board of directors, in consultation with the Association's 35 carrier partners.

TMPAA's Best Practice evaluation process begins with the completion of a survey asking for basic information about the applicant's programs (such as total premiums and classes of business) and the experience of management, producers and underwriters. A $2,500 fee is required to be paid at the time the application survey is submitted.

Only the program business functions of agencies applying for this designation are evaluated, TMPAA states.

To proceed with the evaluation process, members choosing to pursue the Best Practice Designation must sign a confidentiality/evaluation waiver, which protects the member applicant and the evaluating entity.

Once an on-site evaluation is completed, the evaluating entity presents its recommendation to a TMPAA Best Practices committee for review.

Agencies that are awarded the designation are provided with the TMPAA Best Practice logo seal, for inclusion on their Web sites.

Richard Mattei, chief executive officer of The Mattei Companies, said, “The evaluation process was a confirmation that our company has taken the right steps to develop an efficient, well-run program operation.”

Jeremy Hitzig, who heads Distinguished Programs, said the evaluation by TMPAA provided the opportunity “to re-evaluate our operation and look for additional efficiencies.”

TMPAA's sixth Annual Summit was held in October in Tempe, Ariz.

Program Specialists and MGAs interested in learning more about the TMPAA Best Practice Designation or the Association can find more information at www.targetmkts.com or 877-347-5700.