Behind the Scenes with Berkley Equine & Cattle

Berkley Equine & Cattle Home Office – Alpharetta, GA

Mike Anello: Senior Vice President, Underwriting Manager

Frank Aubrey: Assistant Vice President and Mortality Manager

1)    Where are you originally from?

Mike: Clinton, New Jersey

Frank: Lexington, Kentucky

2)     What is your equine experience/background?

Mike: I’m your typical business graduate, from Rutgers University, that fell into insurance. When I first started in 1983, there were no insurance companies writing equine insurance with agents. Equine Insurance was offered by several large Program Managers. In 1986 I went to work for a Company that started writing equine insurance through various agents that specialized in equine insurance.

Frank: I worked on a few different thoroughbred horse farms during the summertime while I was in high school and college. The most prominent was a stable called Three Chimneys. When I was there, I worked with yearlings. I was in charge of taking the horses down to the walker, washing them, basically getting them prepped for the presales and for the big sales in September. Other than that, my grandfather was the first Loyd’s appointed claims adjuster in the US and my father was also a claims adjuster for about 40 years. Mainly, I’ve been going to the tracks since I was a kid.

3)    How long have you been writing with BPS?

Mike: Pam Lataille and I started with BPS in 2003 to develop the Berkley Equine & Cattle Program.

Frank: I started here in 2006 as an underwriter.

4)    What part do you enjoy most about your job?

Frank: Personally, it’s the people you get to work with on a daily basis. The best part is building the relationships and seeing people like the folks at HorseWorks grow. I really enjoy being a part of that process.

Mike: I agree with Frank. We are here to solve issues and problems you as agents have and
at the same time to be able to run a profitable business for the long term. Program profitability is important because it also keeps the market healthy. The longevity of the Berkley program is very important.

5)    What do you admire about HorseWorks? What makes us good at what we do?

Frank: The biggest part is that you are very thorough. It is very rare that I ever have to come back with a question. Ninety-nine percent of the time we are in agreement with each other, we have the same thought process and that’s what makes doing business with you very easy. Also, it makes it a very profitable business because you guys do a great job of upfront underwriting and know your clients very well. In this business it is very important to have those relationships with you clients. You guys know them, you see them at the horse shows week in and week out and know what they are doing. You know that they are all good and quality horse people. When there is a problem it is easy to discuss and if we need to take action, we are always in agreement with that. Again, it is just very easy to do business with you.

Mike: Along those lines with what Frank said, you guys work with us on solving problems. I
believe the worse thing to do is to write a risk and then have a problem later. HorseWorks really
helps the client out by giving them the best advice possible. Your staff is compromised of professional individuals that not only know the industry but don’t just want to write everything for the sake of writing. You are really there to help and support the client to write the coverage this is right for them, which I think is really important. One of the things that sets you apart from a lot of
agencies is the social media and your ability to connect not just with older clients but also with younger clients.

6)    What’s the most helpful advice you could offer to our clients?

Mike: To understand the immediate reporting requirement in their coverage . If something is wrong with the horse, report it right away to the company because you can never go wrong reporting something.
Don’t be afraid that reporting a claim is a negative. The biggest thing is that it has to be
reported to prevent problems. Also, the importance for the client to really work and listen to the agent and listen to the advice they are giving them on something they may not have thought of before.

Frank: I would say to disclose as much information as you possibly can upfront that way the company knows, no matter who you are doing business with.