The Kenneth J. Kalis Company, Client Focused IMSA Expertise

The Rise and Fall of IMSA (click)
A Short and Personal Memoir by Qualified Independent Assessor, Kenneth J. Kalis, CLU

Thanks for visiting.

Those of you looking for IMSA-related materials may still find them by clicking on the tabs above. I am leaving this material on the site for historical purposes, since IMSA has dissolved, and I have moved on to other things. These are:

1. Using professional writing skills to help companies improve communications, and compliance. See “Good Compliance Writing” below.

2. Building on 15 years experience as a Qualified Independent Assessor to work with life insurance companies to create a new certification process that will award a “Seal of Approval” to organizations committed to high ethical standards. Read more below.

Thanks again for your interest in the UPDATE and in the ongoing work. Let me know if you want more information or have any questions.

Ken Kalis
352-505-0705
kkalis@aol.com

Good Compliance Writing

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold
in pictures of silver. Prov 25:11

Business Writing by Professional Communicator

Get your business writing needs met quickly and reasonably by a skilled writer and communicator with many years' experience in business writing. Formerly the Corporate Quality Communications Director for the Prudential in Newark, NJ, Ken Kalis is an English major with degrees from Fordham and Rutgers. He currently writes a monthly Update for 200 regular corporate readers on compliance and ethical market conduct issues. Check out the material at www.kkalis.com. Then simply call Ken at 352-505-0705 or email at kkalis@aol.com to describe you needs and requirements. You will get prompt, confidential service at $40/hour. We are happy to provide free short samples on given projects and have years of expertise in producing:

Newsletters,
Proposals,
Press releases,
Announcements,
Conference programs,
Executive interviews,
Reports,
Customer outreach communications,
Minutes,
Communication plans,

Codes of Ethics

Mission Statements
Letters,
Advertising copy,

Marketing plans,
PowerPoint presentations,
Executive speeches,
Benchmarking studies,
Reports to the Board,
Web site content,
Business plans,
Budget presentations,
Business procedures,
Compliance manuals,
Surveys and finding reports,
Selling agreements,
Promotional brochures,
Job descriptions,
Employee handbooks.

You will like our "customer-friendly" approach and our commitment to meet your unique circumstances and needs. Be sure to visit our web site at www.kkalis.com to see our work and client list of over 50 corporate customers. We are responsive to your needs and objectives. No assignment is too large or too small. We look forward to hearing from you!

Ken Kalis

$Description: C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Local Settings\Temp\Rar$DI14.344\img005.jpg$ The Rise and Fall of IMSA

A Short and Personal Memoir by Qualified Independent Assessor, Kenneth J. Kalis, CLU

Part I, The Vision -- “It was the worst of times, it was the best of times,” his favorite author once said. Bob Googins put it like this:

There's little question that over the past 10 years, the image of the industry has drooped. IMSA offers an opportunity to improve that image, but not just cosmetically. We'll have a mechanism to reinforce a company's commitment to improve and an infrastructure to implement that improvement, rather than simply a pontifical declaration of good intentions.

The times were the last two decades of the 20^th century, where scandal over unethical practices hung over the life insurance industry ominously. The public’s view of the industry was worrisome:

In 1967, 79% of respondents to a survey said that the life insurance industry was "humane and understanding" in its dealings with the public; in 1994 only 45% gave that positive response.
Over roughly the same time period, the public's perception that life companies had high ethical market standards dropped from 50% to 24%.
From 1986 to 1994, agreement that life insurers were "honest in dealing with their customers" plummeted from 37% to 18%.
Only 45% of those having contact with an agent felt the agent had genuine concern for their needs, while 49% felt too much pressure from the agents, according to a 1994 study.

Used by permission, courtesy, Best’s Review

Not surprisingly, these factors interacted with other market conditions to make the sales process more difficult. As class action law suits multiplied, and companies paid out billions of dollars, the trust level in the life insurance industry took a further beating. MDRT reported that four out of five agents lost sales because of ethical market conduct issues.

Not surprisingly again, it was the loss of revenue and flat sales that worried industry leaders almost as much as the threat of regulatory action that moved them to act. A group of company CEO’s went to the American Council of Life Insurers for help to address the industry's declining image and well-publicized lawsuits over sales practices. (Read More. . . . . )

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IMSA Certification Process Will NOT be Supported by CEFLI

In a March 15, 2011 conference call for Qualified Independent Assessors, CEFLI’s President and CEO Donald J. Walters informed us that CEFLI will not longer be supporting the certification process, although it retains the rights to the intellectual property such as the IMSA process and Handbook. This means that IMSA member companies are free to use the old

IMSA process for self-assessments, but CEFLI will not recognize any certifications. New companies joining CEFLI will not have the opportunity of going through the historic process. CEFLI will continue to maintain the IMSA standards (although that was not explained).

On the other hand, companies are free to engage QIA's on an independent basis to help them go through the assessment process and/or to have the QIA certify them outside the CEFLI aegis. This was my understanding during the 20 minute conference call, but afterwards Don called me to ask if I had any questions and he confirmed this understanding. This new stance also removes me and indeed all QIA's from being in competition with CEFLI should we put together an alternative certification process such as the Compliance Performance Arch or FedRed, which I have been championing. He did not have an answer to my question of "What if a company who is not an IMSA member wants to use the assessment process? Will there be a charge?" I think this is most unlikely, but I like to make sure I get all the nuances!

In short, there will be no formal role for the QIA's in CEFLI unless we decide to pay for one of the levels of membership which begin at $5,000 and go up from there. If we were to join at one of the higher levels (not the $5,000) we may be invited to speak at CEFLI events, and CEFLI will steer compliance work our way when opportunities arise that match our skill sets. Don did say that CEFLI will retain our credentials and be willing to serve as references for us should we so desire.

I plan to continue plugging an industry certification process and am generating some interest from other industry professionals who would like to see and industry standard that could serve as a diagnostic measuring stick for the industry. This is especially exciting to me to be able to focus on developing a tool that will provide the industry with a means of checking where they stand in regard to ethical standards by developing a widely accepted process based on industry standards and values that could lead to a meaningful certification process. I am already working with several people in the industry on this but see a real need to expand the work group to include people from companies who are interested in guiding the development process and working to come up with a rigorous and credible assessment and/or certification process. Please call me at 352-505-0705 to share your thoughts and ideas. --- Ken Kalis

Ken Kalis
Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. Hebrews 6:14

352-505-0705
352-215-9124

December 10, 2010 Update on IMSA/CEFLI Certification

In a phone conversation Thursday, December 8, 2010, Don Walters (currently Senior Vice President and General Counsel and Secretary for IMSA and spokesman for the new CEFLI organization) confirmed his earlier communication that CEFLI will continue to support the current IMSA standards and certification process.

In what was a quite frank discussion, we discussed the certification process in some detail. I asked if the new organization is truly committed to the process or if it was really a part of the IMSA baggage the new CEFLI organization wanted to leave behind. His answer was that the member companies definitely found value in the process and wanted it maintained. When I followed up this question with another, namely if the process will be updated and kept current, Don replied that he will be listening closely to the members' input and doing all he can to support their needs and recommendations.

When I told him that I was currently uncertain how to conduct conversations with companies up for recertification in 2011, he encouraged me to continue those conversations and encourage those companies who find the process of value to continue with it. While there are some proposed changes to the current business model regarding the Qualified Independent Assessors, these will not begin to be discussed by the new CEFLI Board of Directors until late February or March.

I am now continuing conversations with member companies whose recertification is scheduled for 2011. Please look for my fuller article "The Choice to Certify" in our December UPdate (set to be released on December 31, 2010). If you have any questions please call me at 352-505-0705.

Posted September 20, 2010

LIke many of you, I was surprised by the news that IMSA is planning sweeping organizational changes. I am not sure what all the ramifications will be, but I want to assure the clients of the Kenneth J Kalis Company and the readers of this web site that we are doing our best to carry on all current work and commitments, including assessments. We will, of course, follow this developing situation with interest and keep you posted on impacts that may be important to you. Our commitment to ethical market conduct and integrity in the life insurance industry continues to be strong, and we are here to support you in any way we can. If you have any questions, please give me a call at 352-505-0705. Below is a very well written blog piece from Cailie Currin, a colleague and QIA as well as an attorney and president of Curriin Compliance.

Will IMSA become LIFEC?

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Cailie Currin

As a Qualified Independent Assessor for IMSA, I was very interested in the article by Ron Panko in the September 2010 issue of Best's Review with the lead in: "Dwindling IMSA membership and an optional way to renew certification lessens demand for independent assessors."

Today I received a courtesy call from IMSA, which was much appreciated, in advance of a [press release] announcing the proposed development of a new association: The Life Insurers' Forum for Ethics and Compliance (LIFEC). According to the press release, quoting Don Walters: "Today, virtually all companies have significant compliance teams, and are meeting regulatory requirements, but there is still a need for leadership on the constantly evolving issues of ethics and compliance." The release seems to declare mission accomplished for IMSA and therefore the need for a new entity to go forward.

As a result, the IMSA Board of Directors has recommended establishing LIFEC. A vote of IMSA members will take place and the press release indicates the results will be announced at the annual meeting on October 19, 2010. The release concludes with the statement that: "IMSA will continue to add value for its members through webinars, Summit Meetings and other compliance solution activities in 2010.

It appears that being certified is no longer going to be a requirement for membership in IMSA and that membership is likely to be open to companies who elect to join. Certification is expected to remain an option and the standards will be maintained, according to the call I received, but certification will not be mandatory. The release indicates that LIFEC will be focused on meeting the needs of compliance professionals. It will be interesting to see if LIFEC can carve out a role for itself among the compliance organizations already in existence.