NASBP recently congratulated Andrew L. Eickholt, AFSB, Surety Bond Underwriter with Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, in Indianapolis, IN, for his achievement in receiving the Associate in Fidelity and Surety Bonding (AFSB) Distinguished Graduate Award of which NASBP is a cosponsor.

The Award is given by the American Institute for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (AICPCU) and the Insurance Institute of America (IIA) jointly known as the Institutes, that provides insurance education and training for property-casualty insurance and risk management including the AFSB curriculum.

Of the more than 12,000 people who earned an AICPCU/IIA designation last year, Eickholt is one of the more than 30 being recognized for exceptional academic achievement. Eickholt obtained the highest cumulative grade average on the AFSB degree’s exams. He will receive a plaque and a monetary award from the cosponsors of the award, NASBP and The Surety & Fidelity Association of America.

To earn the AFSB designation the following courses must be completed: AFSB 151 and 152 or AFSB 151 and 153.

AFSB 151—Principles of Suretyship: Types of Bonds, Bond Production/Underwriting, Credit Investigation, Bond Ratemaking, Reinsurance, Claim Process, and Ethics

AFSB 152—Contract Surety: Contract Bond Law, Bid Process, Underwriting, Contractors’ Financial Statements, Trend Analysis/Forecasting, and Contract Surety Claims

AFSB 153—Commercial Surety and Crime Insurance: License and Permit Bonds, Public Official Bonds, Court Bonds, Miscellaneous Surety Bonds, Commercial Crime Insurance, and Financial Institution Bonds

CPCU 530—The Legal Environment of Insurance

CPCU 540—Finance for Risk Management and Insurance Professionals

AFSB exams consist of 85 objective questions, and examinees have two hours to complete each exam. See individual CPCU courses for their specific exam information.

NASBP is proud to recognize Eickholt’s outstanding achievement and to support the Institutes’ important educational programs. NASBP’s support of the Program has continued over more than two decades.

Click here for more information about NASBP’s involvement with the Institutes.

The AICPCU/IIA established the National Honors Program over forty years ago to recognize the outstanding academic achievement of students in the designation programs and General Insurance (INS) certificate program.

The Institutes News

Completion of the free, online ethics course is now required for all associate designation programs.

Donna Popow, Sr. Director of Knowledge Resources for The Institutes says, “Ethical behavior is crucial to preserving not only the trust on which insurance transactions are based, but also the public’s trust in the insurance industry as a whole. The ethics requirement is a valuable component of the CPCU designation; therefore, The Institutes are now requiring the study of ethics for all Institutes designations.”

As of 2011, The Institutes has made completion of the free, online “Ethical Guidelines for Insurance Professionals” course a requirement of all associate designation programs. “Ethical Guidelines for Insurance Professionals” is an online learning module that is designed for insurance practitioners and that outlines an ethical framework through insurance-based case studies to teach the student practical applications. This step-by-step guide to ethical decision-making is designed to help practitioners at various levels of experience. It is an interactive module that can be completed usually in a few hours and can be used to satisfy continuing education requirements for license renewal.

For more information about the Ethics program, click here or contact Customer Service at customerservice@cpcuiia.org.