NASBP Virtual Seminars continue to cover the most current issues facing surety professionals every day. NASBP Virtual Seminars had over 400 people participating in the most recent seminars that covered sustainable/green construction, the LEED process; Integrated Project Delivery design liability insurance and risk management; and the credit crunch.

Coming up on Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, NASBP has scheduled the Virtual Seminar, titled “Understanding and Underwriting Court Bonds: Current Requirements and Opportunities.” An agent, Dedi Belis, and an underwriter, Christopher Gagnon, will discuss court bonds in today’s environment including the types of court bonds now being required and the underwriting guidelines for them. Participants will learn how providing court bonds can help increase agency revenue and build a larger client base.

Dale A. (Dedi) Belis is the Surety Manager for Seitlin Insurance & Advisory Services in South Florida with more than 20 years experience in the South Florida surety market. She specializes in contract surety, as well as large commercial surety accounts with international exposure. Ms. Belis is deputy chair of the NASBP Professional Development Committee and teaches commercial surety at the NASBP William J. Angell Surety School. She serves on the NASBP Commercial Surety Committee and is also a member of the Florida Surety Association, Associated Builders and Contractors and the Construction Association of South Florida.

Christopher Gagnon is Commercial Underwriting Manager with International Fidelity Insurance Company in Florida. He serves as an officer with the Florida Surety Association and participates to educate and inform the members about bond form issues and contract considerations. Mr. Gagnon has written bonds in all 50 states and has extensive experience with judicial and fiduciary bonds. When he was The Hartford he managed their commercial surety portfolio in Florida and authored a court bond guide for agents and underwriters.

Mark your calendars for these Virtual Seminars scheduled over the next few months:

The following will be held at 2 p.m. ET on the dates indicated.

• March 8, Court Bonds presented by Dedi Belis of Seitlin Insurance & Advisory Services and Christopher Gagnon of International Fidelity Insurance Company
• March 22, Individual Surety Bonds on Federal Construction Contracts presented by Robert E. Little, Jr. of Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhill & Furman PC.
• April 12, Sales presented by Jon Dick of Jon Dick Consulting
• April 26, Commercial Surety Bankruptcy presented by George J. Bachrach of Wright, Constable & Skeen, LLP
• May 24, 2010 ACORD Certificate of Insurance Changes presented by Donald Appleby of Willis of Colorado and Darrin Weber of IMA of Texas, Inc.
• June 7, Bid Proposal Errors presented by Steven Reed of Smith, Curry & Hancock LLP

To download the audio recordings of past Virtual Seminars, click here. Recently NASBP held a Virtual Seminar on February 22 with Dr. Scott MacDonald who presented, “What about this Credit Crunch: Reality or a Difference of Opinion?” S. Scott MacDonald, Ph.D., an adjunct professor at the Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business, president and CEO of the SW Graduate School of Banking Foundation and director of the Assemblies for Bank Directors, discussed the nature of this most recent credit crunch and added perspective to the availability of credit going forward. MacDonald examined what it means to define a credit recovery by looking at lending standards under current market conditions. MacDonald is a sought-after strategic planning visionary and consultant to the financial-services industry and is published in many professional academic journals.

Registration for each Virtual Seminar is $69.00 per site. For more information about the Virtual Seminars and to register for upcoming programs, click here.

Anyone with questions, comments, and suggestions about the NASBP Virtual Seminars should contact Cathrine Nelson at cnelson@nasbp.org or 202-464-1171.