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41 » VISIT US ONLINE @ DSNEWS.COM FRESH PERSPECTIVES IN THE HAZARD CLAIMS INDUSTRY by Mark Lehner and Connie Baringer e difference between what most consider a traditional workforce and the 21st Century workforce seems vast at times. With different expectations of employers as well as work place values, it can be a challenge to attract and retain employees who span the generational gap. at being said, the mortgage banking industry is now seeing a shift of the mortgage professionals taking on leadership roles and defining the industry today. With a large portion of the leaders in the industry facing retirement, it is imperative for organizations to look to the younger generations to become effective leaders. ere are so many variations in management style and corporate values in these generations that it is often difficult to manage the recruitment and training of the new leaders. For example, Millennials, or Generation Y, are interested in so much more than compensation and benefits. ey require work-life balance and work toward a collective goal without craving a leadership role. With such a different definition of success, Millennials require more from corporations than salary and title; they require a workplace culture change, mentorship, and continuing education which prove to be near- impossible for some long-standing institutions. It is fair to say that within the default servicing industry, the necessary paths are not usually black and white. ere is an emphasis on education—one of the Millennials most coveted corporate benefits—from specialty insurance service providers, simply because of the unique nature of these companies and what they do. As an example, someone who may not have much experience identifying damages may not understand why one set of photos of roof damage may be claimable because of wind damage, but another set may not be due to wear and tear. It's up to service providers to educate the client so they have a better understanding of what we do and why we make the decisions we make. DIMONT, as the leading provider of specialty insurance services, is in a unique position to provide such a benefit. e emerging leaders in the industry are so accustomed to utilizing technology in every aspect of their lives; there is an emphasis to provide more transparency and deliver accurate information faster. At DIMONT, we have collaborated with our partners at OrangeGrid to develop an interactive portal that pulls data from our current operations platform and places it in a portal which is easily customized by the user. e initial release, scheduled for the end of Q2, will enable the user to obtain real-time updates and track trends from their inventory in a very easy to read, user-friendly environment. Because it is modeled from familiar user-interface aesthetics, the system is meant to appeal to all generations utilizing the program, but is expected to be most appreciated by Generations X and Y, who make up the bulk of the employees who will use the system and are more familiar with modern technology. Over the last few years, there has been a drive in the industry to become more process and economically efficient as the housing markets stabilize. ere seems to be a desire to make a "splash" move that can be anything from a significant change in culture to a reduction in costs, especially with emerging execs. One of the ways DIMONT has positioned itself to help address this is by offering services in addition to hazard claims, which we can package into a single pricing model. Examples include Mortgage Insurance claims, Auto claims or FHA Part A and B claim filing; these are but a few of the services that we are able to provide our current client base. We also offer administrative services, such as obtaining and downloading/uploading documents to systems or creating and sending borrower notification letters to name a couple of items. By offering these services, we are trying to give our clients the opportunity of flexibility to move FTEs to greater areas of need and the ability to reduce costs. With the issue of an aging workforce, the mortgage insurance industry must become aware of the generational differences evolving in the workplace and provide effective solutions to address this evolution. Having a similarly age diverse workplace and strong solutions offerings helps specialty insurance servicers bridge the aging gap within their organizations. Mark Lehner, Director of Client Relations: Mark is responsible for the overall management of the Client Relations function, creating strategic plans to manage and proactively develop the ongoing relationships with existing clients to ensure delivery. Mark is proactive, with excellent customer service skills, and the ability to resolve customer issues as needed. Connie Baringer, Sr. Talent Acquisition Manager: e strongest focus of Connie's work lies with interactive recruiting, candidate experience, client development through both national and regional based strategies. Connie specializes in sourcing and recruitment research, business development, behavioral selection, human resources. She is responsible for developing and implementing on-boarding, training and development, performance management, employee retention, benefits management and employee relations policies and strategies. SPONSORED STORY "With the issue of an aging workforce, the mortgage insurance industry must become aware of the generational differences evolving in the workplace and provide effective solutions to address this evolution."

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