Condo Media - February 2013 - 13

by Robert A. Travis, CIRMS

C A I
N e w s

The Community
Association Specialist
Insurance and Risk Management
or decades now, whenever community association board members and their fellow
community association volunteer leaders have looked for the most
qualified community association managers to entrust their association and
its valuable assets with, they have often
looked for managers that hold the
prestigious Professional Community
Association Manager (PCAM) designation or other manager designations
awarded by Community Associations
Institute (CAI). Over the past few
years, CAI has recognized the importance of creating designations to identify the community association
expertise of other professionals that
service community associations, their
volunteer leaders and community
managers in highly specialized disciplines.
In the insurance and risk management field, CAI understood the importance of identifying and recognizing
the most qualified individuals that can
partner with community associations
when they developed the Community
Insurance and Risk Management
Specialist (CIRMS).

Qualifications of Designees
The first item of importance to community association leaders and managers the CIRMS designation
identifies is the experience of the
designee. Aside from having to provide several references from both
community associations and community association industry professionals,
the CIRMS designee must have five
years experience as a practitioner in
the community association insurance
industry. In addition to the above, the
CIRMS designee must also satisfy one
of the following:

• Have the current responsibility as
an insurance practitioner for at least
25 community association insurance
programs.
• Demonstrate significant involvement in the provision of insurance
and risk management services to
community associations.
Knowledge of their practice is another
one of the attributes the CIRMS designation exhibits to community association leaders of those with this
designation. Those that have the
CIRMS designation are active in CAI
and similar organizations as national faculty members, speakers and authors on

both a national and local basis, members
of national and local committees and
boards, and attendees of educational
opportunities themselves to broaden
their knowledge of community associations, insurance and risk management.
For a complete listing of professionals
who have earned the CIRMS designation and more information about the
designation visit www.caionline.org. CM
Robert A. Travis, CIRMS, is the
national marketing director for
Community Association Underwriters
(CAU) in Newtown, Pa. He is a member of CAI’s National Faculty and
Distinguished Speakers Bureau.

CAI-NE SILVER PARTNER PROFILE

Swerling Milton Winnick
Public Insurance Adjusters, Inc.
Swerling Milton Winnick is the largest and most experienced public insurance
adjusting firm in New England. An in-house staff of claim professionals
counsel policyholders in the preparation, negotiation and adjustment of
damages to their property and also develop and process business interruption
claims. SMW offers a keen knowledge of property insurance policy terms and
conditions, a thorough intimacy with the details of building construction and
a vast experience with the way insurers process claims. In addition, we employ
personnel who concentrate exclusively on personal property claims.
The three principals of SMW are actively involved in each claim, ensuring that
client communications are ongoing and that claims are processed aggressively
and timely. SMW serves its client base with skill and professionalism, attested to
not only by letters of commendation, but also by the respect and admiration of
insurance company attorneys and claims personnel.
Contact: Paul Winnick, ext. 115
Wellesley Hills, MA 02481
Phone: (781) 416-1000
www.swerling.com

CONDO MEDIA • FEBRUARY 2013

http://www.caionline.org http://www.swerling.com http://www.swerling.com

Condo Media - February 2013

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