Welcome, Mallory Follett

Mallory Follett of Owls Head has joined Allen Insurance and Financial as a scanning technician based in the company's Camden office. 

A 2009 graduate of Rockland District High School, she is enrolled in the company's in-house education program as the first step toward obtaining her property & casualty insurance license. She plans a career in insurance.

Follett says she enjoys the challenge of working in the insurance industry. She adds: "I am proud to be part of such a well known team of experts here in Midcoast Maine."

Outside of work, she enjoys  music, reading, cooking, knitting, being outdoors and spending time with family and friends.

Weekly Market Summary

Equity markets were mixed last week, as correlations among the various indices we track fell. The S&P 500, for example, gained just 0.09 percent, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq gained more than 1 percent.

The Federal Reserve (the Fed) announced last week that it plans to keep benchmark fed funds rates at current levels at least through late 2014. Read more now.

Richard Crossman Honored by Certified Risk Managers International

Richard P. Crossman of Allen Insurance and Financial was recently honored by Certified Risk Managers International for leadership and professionalism in the field of risk management.

Crossman was recognized for 10 consecutive years of active affiliation with CRM International. The CRM designation requires an annual continuing education update in order to maintain the designation.

Crossman was one of the first in Maine to obtain this designation. In the insurance business since 1979, Crossman has worked with a number of Maine's leading businesses in a variety of industries. With Allen Insurance and Financial since 2008, he helped create the company's Marine and Energy Division, focused on bringing insurance and risk management services to those industry segments.

"Having and applying up-to-date technical knowledge is what distinguishes the most successful risk management practitioners," said Michael Pierce, president of Allen Insurance and Financial. "Dedication to advanced knowledge and professional development like Dick's is one of the hallmarks of our staff."

In addition to the CRM designation, Crossman is a Certified Insurance Counselor, another designation requiring continuing education in the insurance field.

He is a native of Vinalhaven and a graduate of the University of Maine in Orono. He lives in Camden. Read his bio on this website (new window).

Cindy Norton Retiring After a 47-Year Career

On a Thursday in the spring of 1964, Cindy Norton graduated from Rockland District High School. The following Tuesday she started working for a local insurance agency for $1 an hour. At the end of 2011, after 47 years on the job, Cindy is retiring.

In the early days, it was typewriters, carbon paper and hand-penciled ledgers. Today, Allen Insurance and Financial runs a paperless office system, with three computer screens on everyone's desk. Keeping up with technology has been just one part of the job, Cindy says.

"If you change with the times, you don't have to give it much thought," she says. "It's kept me young. I always said I wasn't going to let the young ones get too far ahead of me."

The single most important constant over the years is the relationships – the ones she's built with co-workers and with the insurance clients with whom she works.

"It's easy to say Cindy is an institution, and that's a true compliment," says Gilbert Fifield, the company president. "She's been a great help to many of us here at Allen Insurance and Financial as well as to some of the area's most successful businesses."

Now that she's 65, it's time to give up her desk job and trade an office to-do list for one she makes with her husband. That's likely to involve reading, walking, 'floating on Pitcher Pond,' and maybe some traveling. And there are always the things at home that are long-delayed because she had to go to the office every day.

Cindy, who is the company's Rockland office manager and a customer service representative, doesn't like goodbyes. She prefers "see you later." And when Cindy says "you can call me if you need me," she means it.

Pierce to Succeed Fifield as President at Allen Insurance and Financial

Effective Jan. 1, 2012, Allen Insurance and Financial will have a new company president and treasurer.

Following unanimous approval last month by the company board of directors, J. Michael Pierce, JD, CFP®, will replace Gilbert T. Fifield, CIC, who served as company president and treasurer for eight years, since 2003. Fifield, who joined the company in 1986, will stay with the company and retain his post as chairman of the company's board of directors. He will continue to serve his business insurance clients.

Pierce, a member of the company's executive team, was formerly chief operating officer of Allen Financial, the company's financial advisory and employee benefits division. He will retain those responsibilities. Pierce joined the company in 1998.

Allen Insurance and Financial is an independent, employee-owned insurance agency and financial services company employing 70 people in offices in Camden, Rockland and in Southwest Harbor, where the company operates as L.S. Robinson Co.

Other administrative changes at Allen Insurance and Financial effective Jan. 1 include:

• The appointment of Michael Dufour as executive vice president and company secretary. He was formerly a company vice president, joining the company in 2002 and will continue to oversee the company's business and personal insurance divisions. Sara K. Montgomery is the company's other executive vice president.
• The appointment of Scott Carlson as personal insurance supervisor, reporting to Dufour. Carlson, who joined the company in 2011, will be based in the Rockland office.

Award of Excellence for Joella Rossignol

For the second consecutive year, Joella Rossignol, a personal insurance specialist at Allen Insurance and Financial has been honored with the Award of Excellence for her superior underwriting skills and long-term commitment to Safeco® Insurance, member of Liberty Mutual Group.

In 2011, this award was given to only two personal insurance specialists in Maine.

"Joella understands, with extraordinary attention to detail, both the needs of her clients and the needs of the insurance company she is working with," said Joanne Van Vactor, senior personal insurance underwriter at Safeco. "This award is a recognition of extraordinary skills."

Joella Rossignol, personal insurance specialist, Allen Insurance and Financial and
Stephanie Davis, right, territory manager for Safeco Insurance.

The Award of Excellence celebrates those individuals with superior underwriting skills who have developed a solid underwriting partnership with Safeco and have qualified for membership in

Safeco’s H.K. Dent Society, the company’s elite agency recognition program. Agents who earn this prestigious designation will have the ability to make selected underwriting decisions, attend an awards ceremony and receive a recognition gift.

Rossignol joined Allen Insurance and Financial in 1999. A native of Island Falls, she grew up in Belfast and now lives in Monroe. She is a Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC), a designation showing commitment to continuing education in her field.

About Safeco
In business since 1923 and based in Seattle, Washington, Safeco sells insurance to drivers and homeowners through a network of independent agents and brokers in eight regions throughout the United States.

Safeco is part of Liberty Mutual Agency Markets, a business unit of Liberty Mutual Group, consisting of property and casualty and specialty insurance carriers that distribute their products and services primarily through independent agents and brokers.

Important News About Medicare Part B Premiums

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced that Medicare Part B premiums in 2012 will be lower than previously projected and the Part B deductible will decrease by $22. While the Medicare Trustees predicted monthly premiums would be $106.60, premiums will instead be $99.90.

Earlier this year, HHS announced that average Medicare Advantage premiums would decrease by four percent and premiums paid for Medicare’s prescription drug plans would remain virtually unchanged.

Read the rest of this article on the HHS.gov website.

If you have questions about this news or about Medicare, call Michael Bracher at 800-439-4311 or email mbracher@allenfg.com.