PROFESSIONAL INSURANCE AGENTS OF NEBRASKA & IOWA

You must successfully complete five CIC courses and pass five exams within five calendar years. To earn the designation, participants must score 70% or better on the two-hour, essay-style exam. In case you are only interested in the knowledge gained or the continuing ed (CE) credits earned at a CIC institute, you do not have to take the exam. It is only required for those seeking to earn the CIC designation.

The Seven CIC Institutes:

Agency Management In the CIC Agency Management course, you will learn how to apply the management theories, methods, and procedures necessary to operate a successful insurance agency. Leave the class prepared to implement strategies designed to increase agency profitability.

Commercial Casualty In the CIC Commercial Casualty course, you will gain a detailed understanding of the coverage, limitations, and exclusions of the Commercial General Liability (CGL) Policy, the Business Auto Policy (BAP), and the Workers’ Compensation and Employers’ Liability Insurance Policy (WC & EL Policy).

Commercial Multiline In the CIC Commercial Multiline course, learn how to identify Commercial Inland Marine, Crime, Cyber, and Employment Practices exposures. The course will also help you learn about the types of coverage available to address these exposures as you develop insurance programs for your clients.

Commercial Property In the CIC Commercial Property course, you will gain a detailed understanding of Commercial Property coverages and endorsements and learn how to maximize coverage and protect your property accounts.

*To help you provide the very best coverage information, this online course includes NEW COVID-19 content as it relates to insurance and risk management.

Personal Lines In this CIC Personal Lines course, you will focus on the Property and Casualty insurance industry, covering topics related to Personal Residential, Personal Auto, and Personal Umbrella or Excess Policies. Through exploring the intricacies of policy coverages, limitations, and exclusions, you will be able to identify risks and coverage gaps of personal lines clients, offer coverage solutions, and learn how to respond in the event of a loss.

Life & Health In the CIC Life and Health course, you will learn practical information related to Life and Annuity Policies, Business Life Concepts, Health Insurance, and Employee Benefits. Leave the class with information that you can put to use immediately.

Insurance Company Operations In the Insurance Company Operations course, you will learn strategic decision-making strategies for the purpose of satisfying regulatory requirements, meeting compliance standards, product development, underwriting, distributing and marketing, processing claims, and other vital company functions.

The Society of CIC has added the option of substituting any one part of the Certified Risk Manager (CRM) program for any one part of CIC. For example, someone who is very strong in commercial lines and averse to personal lines may want to take the Commercial Property, Commercial Casualty, Commercial Multi Line, and Agency Management CIC institutes, and instead of Personal Lines, take the CRM Principles of Risk Management course to complete their CIC designation.

The CIC program has been approved in all states that have mandatory continuing education. It makes CIC a great opportunity for you and your staff to meet CE requirements for your resident and non-resident licenses.

Click Here to see CE by State

The CIC designation is recommended for insurance industry professionals, including agency owners, producers, brokers, agents, adjusters, and insurance company personnel such as marketing professionals, underwriters, HR directors, or agency operations professionals. Insurance professionals who want to build or enhance their insurance career can benefit from the CIC designation, whether they have a few or many years of industry experience.

There are currently over 30,000 CIC designees nationwide.

1. Higher premiums due to higher level of knowledge

2. Higher account retention

3. Knowing the latest policy changes affecting your clients

4. Learning the latest sales and cross-selling techniques

5. More knowledgeable, professional staff

6. Decreased E&O risk

7. Affiliation with colleagues & associates

8. Optimum use of state-required class attendance

9. Meet staff CE needs for both resident & non-resident licenses

At least five years, beginning with the first class that you pass. The Society of CIC gives you to the end of the year in question, so it is actually a little over five years. For example, if you took Agency Management in October of 2018 and failed, then took Commercial Property in March of 2019 and passed, the Society would consider the beginning of your five years to be March of 2019. Therefore, your completion deadline would be December 31, 2024, which gives you five years and nine months from the date of your first pass.

No. There are no make-up tests in the CIC program. To retake an exam, you have to retake the class, and the fee is the same (i.e., there is no discount).

No. The Society of CIC only provides pass-fail information. However, you can get an exam review from the Society. Go to your PROfile page on The Alliance website to request an exam review. They will analyze your exam answers and send you a report critiquing your work with suggestions for improvement.

Yes. CE credit for classroom programs is based on attendance. As long as you are present for the entire course, you will earn Nebraska or Iowa CE credit, regardless of whether you even take the exam. Most other states seem to have similar policies, but if your resident license is in a different state, please review your state's CE law or call the PIA NE IA office at 402-392-1611 for help.

The official record is at the Society of CIC. To find out for sure you can check your PROfile page. If you still need help you can call the Alliance at 800-531-5197 or you can call the PIA NE IA office at 402-392-1611.

If you pass the class, and it is your fifth (final) part, you will get a packet from the Society about four weeks after your "pass" letter on your PROfile page informing you that you are now a CIC. Make sure to fill out the paperwork in the packet to receive your certificate and pin.

Once you have earned the CIC designation you can maintain it by attending annually one of the seven CIC institutes (no exam required) or a James K. Ruble Seminar (which also does not involve an exam). Updates are due by the end of a CIC's birth month every year. You can find out for sure when your next update is due by checking your PROfile page.

Note: Don't confuse your CIC update with your state CE requirement. CIC updates are annual.

As a dues-paid designee, you expect superior content for your updates—and all of James K. Ruble content is superior!

Ruble Graduate Seminars (named after James K. Ruble, a key person in the creation of the CIC program) are special two day course for updating CICs, CRMs, and CISRs. It's a way for to get more variety while satisfying annual update requirements without having to take the same institutes over and over again. Different topics are available at Ruble Graduate Seminars that are not covered at the regular institutes, or they may include a more advanced version of a topic that is covered at an institute.

**Only dues-paying designees will receive annual update credit!