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DES MOINES, Iowa, July 31 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time, the
nation's crop producers can obtain crop insurance quotes directly
off the Internet using WebQuote, the first fully accessible online
crop insurance premium quoting service. WebQuote is offered by IGF
Insurance Company (IGF).
WebQuote allows crop insurance agents, producers, lenders, farm
managers and others to quickly obtain premium quotes for numerous
crop insurance coverage options and compare the type of protection
each provides. WebQuote users are guided through a step-by-step
process that lets them select the insurance plans they are
considering for crops in their local area or anywhere in the United
States.
``We developed WebQuote in response to the changing needs of our
agents and the producers we insure. The Internet allows us to
improve our customer service capabilities by providing a premium
quoting service that is more accessible and saves time,'' said Tom
Gowdy, president of IGF.
``In developing WebQuote, we wanted to create an online product
that not only strengthens the relationship between producers and
independent crop insurance agents, but also increases producers'
ability to assemble the best overall risk management program.
WebQuote is a new tool that crop insurance agents and producers can
use to build better risk management protection programs,'' Gowdy
said.
The new online quoting system is capable of providing premium
quotes, at multiple coverage levels, on an individual unit basis.
With WebQuote, online users can specify the plans and programs they
want to compare. WebQuote also allows the user to print and save
quotes to a confidential file for future reference.
``One of the biggest advantages WebQuote offers is convenience.
No longer do crop insurance agents have to download large files of
data into their office computers just to be able to do premium
quotes,'' Gowdy said. ``WebQuote is available 24 hours a day, seven
days a week, so all anyone needs is access to the Internet. Our
agents and insureds are wanting more services to be delivered via
the Internet, and WebQuote is one way we're responding to their
requests.''
WebQuote supports all standard crops and plans, including
yield-based plans like Actual Production History (APH) and
revenue-based plans like Crop Revenue Coverage (CRC) and Revenue
Assurance (RA). The ability to quote a specific crop and plan is
based on the availability of rates, factors and prices as filed by
the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC). The first filing for
the 2001 reinsurance year was April 30, 2000. This filing includes,
but is not limited to, the California raisin and sugar beet crops
and the Florida fresh market sweet corn crop. Support for adding
hail coverage to a quote will be available in spring 2001, as rates
are approved for each state.
WebQuote can be accessed by logging onto IGF's Web site at
www.igfinsurance.com and clicking on the WebQuote link.
IGF Insurance Company is the fifth-largest crop insurance company
in the United States and is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. IGF
Insurance Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Symons
International Group, Inc., a company specializing in crop and
non-standard automobile insurance. IGF offers a wide range of
agricultural risk management products and services for producers and
agribusinesses including crop insurance, price risk management,
agronomics and precision farming services.
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