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Acronyms and initialisms are used so often they have just become an accepted part of our everyday lives; we rarely ever even think about what they stand for.  Defined by Wikipedia as “abbreviations formed from the initial components in a phrase or name,” some acronyms form words – such as NATO (The North Atlantic Treaty Organization) or LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation), while others are just individual letters – such as FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) or CPA (Certified Public Accountant).

It should come as no surprise the insurance industry uses its fair share of acronyms.  In fact, Yutz Merkle Insurance Agency uses acronyms in both our advertising and our general day-to-day work.  As a relatively new “employee” in the insurance world, I often find myself confused by some of these more industry-specific acronyms.  I especially get confused with all the agent designations.  My confusion made me wonder if anyone else feels the same way when they see “CIC” or “CPCU” after an agent’s name.  So, I decided to spend a little time researching a few of these designations and acronyms.  I thought I would share what I learned with you:

CIC: Certified Insurance Counselor

CPCU: Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter

AIS:  Associate in Insurance Services

CRM:  Certified Risk Manager

LUTCF: Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow

AIC: Associate in Claims

AIS: Associate in Insurance Services

CISR: Associate in Insurance Services

FYI, I may need a little R&R after all that research! YMI not surprised!

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