Distinguished Programs is a leader in the design, management and wholesale distribution of niche property/casualty insurance programs for the commercial and residential real estate industry. Programs are designed to meet the needs of a number of real estate classes, including:

• Small urban multi-family homes

• Community associations

• Condominiums and co-ops

• Homeowners associations

• Office buildings

• Apartment buildings

• Senior housing

• Affordable housing

• Strip malls

• Timeshares

Products are distributed through a nationwide network of 2,200 retail agents and brokers. Licensed in 50 states and actively writing in 48, Distinguished Programs has offices in New York, Colorado, California, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

The company’s industry focus is real estate and its roots go back more than 50 years. In 1987, the organization pioneered the country’s first Real Estate Umbrella Liability Purchasing Group. This new purchasing power gave real estate owners and managers access to the higher limits they were seeking at considerably less premium cost. The original purchasing group is still in operation today and is one of the largest in the country.

According to Carla Vel, Distinguished Programs’ president and chief operating officer, “Our goal is to give agents/brokers a competitive advantage in writing real estate business. We support our agents/brokers’ efforts to write and retain business in five ways:”

Products With an Edge—Deep knowledge of the challenges real estate clients face combined with sophisticated market analytics, pricing, and underwriting tools enable Distinguished to deliver products that have the right coverages, are cost competitive, and are sustainable over time. One example of a highly tailored product is the company’s D&O policy for homeowners associations. The majority of Community Association D&O claims result in “defense only” payments and most D&O policies have an insured retention of anywhere between $1,000 to $5,000 and even higher. The Distinguished D&O policy provides first dollar defense, sparing budget-driven community associations from having to pay out $1000 to $5000 of unbudgeted dollars.

Consistent, “A” Rated Carriers—In addition to financial strength, Distinguished Programs’ insurers know real estate and have strong track records for writing this business in both good times and challenging ones.

Ease of Doing Business—Processes and custom-built technology are all geared to reduce broker workload and facilitate fast response. For example: Distinguished works with broker’s applications and will pre-fill information. Quick Quote Service provides fast indications on pricing with a minimum of paperwork. Automatic renewals are available on some programs.

Highly Experienced Staff—Brokers work with a knowledgeable account team that knows their territory and has the experience and authority to make decisions. The team approach helps ensure accessibility and speeds response time.

Staying a Step Ahead—Distinguished Programs has product managers with a primary responsibility to monitor trends within the real estate industry so that the company stays a step ahead in identifying emerging opportunities. As lifestyles, demographics and housing needs change, niches and products evolve.

According to Carla Vel, another one of Distinguished Programs’ advantages is its data. “We’ve built a proprietary database, and on every submission that comes in, we collect very specific information having to do with the characteristics of the risk. Coupled with loss information, this allows us to slice and dice information, finding patterns in the data that help us to understand what the risk looks like. When we sit down with an insurance company to negotiate something or to create something new, being able to present a detailed analysis along with projections gives us a real advantage.”

Distinguished Programs’ professionalism and success have earned the company two nationally recognized awards. Inc. Magazine named Distinguished Programs one of the 5,000 fastest growing private companies in America. The company has also received the Target Markets Program Administrators “Best Practices Designation.” Agents can learn more about Distinguished Programs by calling Jim Tesoriero or Helen English at (888) 355-4626 or by visiting www.distinguished.com.