Members of NAIFA’s New York chapter (NAIFA-NY) held a virtual meeting with officials from the state Department of Financial Services (DFS). State President Gary Cappon, CLU, LUTCF, RICP, FSCP, CLTC, provided introductions and a brief rundown of NAIFA’s advocacy work and support for the agent and advisor community and the consumers they serve. He also discussed challenges with financial product availability in the state. President-Elect Vinny Dallo, ChFC, CLU, CLTC, LUTCF, and Vice President of Advocacy Paul Sciacca presented “A Day in the Life of a Financial Professional,” highlighting how NAIFA members serve families and businesses in the state.

NAIFA is proud to announce that Robert A. Miller, M.S., M.A., Partner at Miller-Pomerantz Insurance and Financial Services in New York City, is the recipient of NAIFA’s Terry Headley Lifetime Defender Award.

Miller, a loyal member since 1983, was NAIFA’s national President for the 2011-2012 term. He had previously served as President of the NAIFA-New York state chapter and NAIFA-New York City. He was elected to the NAIFA Board of Trustees in 2005 and has served as trustee liaison to the CEO Outreach Program, the Young Advisor Team, and the Corporate Partnerships Program. He also served as chair of the NAIFA Governance Committee and was a member of the NAIFA Finance Committee.

NAIFA Senior Vice President for Government Relations Diane Boyle appeared with other industry thought leaders on the National & Federal Insurance Perspective Panel at the Life Insurance Council of New York (LICONY) Annual Meeting and Planning Conference in Albany. She discussed with other panelists the top issues facing the insurance and financial services industry, the promotion of diversity and inclusion in the insurance sector, issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and NAIFA’s work with the American Council of Life Insurance (ACLI) to remove unnecessary barriers to recruiting new insurance professionals.

John F. Finston from law firm McDermott Will & Emery was recently announced as the new Head of the Insurance Division at the New York State Department of Financial Services. John succeeds My Chi To at DFS. John is a former general counsel and deputy insurance commissioner for the State of California. 

Cybersecurity Continues as a Top Priority

Several of our NAIFA-New York members that took time from their busy schedules to meet with Anthony from Senator Gillibrand's office earlier this week to provide important input on legislation pending consideration before the U.S. Senate.

NAIFA-New York member David Perrotto and President-elect Vinny Dallo met with Congressman Joe Morelle on August 24th. Mr. Morelle was gracious with his time and receptive to their message, with both representing different aspects of the financial service profession. The Congressman supports SECURE 2.0. He is fairly certain the Senate will not call this bill to the floor prior to the midterm elections, but hopeful it will be voted on (and passed) prior to December 31, 2022.

Due to State court decisions relating to the early-2022 redistricting process, New York was forced to split its primary season between an election for statewide office and Assembly (conducted in June), and an election for State Senate and U.S. House of Representatives (held on August 23). It quickly became clear that of all the forecasts made about the second primary, the most accurate was the prediction that there would be low voter turnout across the State. Other than that, incumbency seemed to rule the night.

NAIFA is sad to announce that Peter C. Browne, former NAIFA National Treasurer and Past President of NAIFA-NY, has passed away. Peter was a loyal NAIFA member since 1965. During his career spanning nearly six decades, he achieved phenomenal success as an advisor and agency manager, much of it with Price, Raffel & Browne, a firm he co-founded.

In 2012, Nicholas Limongelli went into the family business and joined Northeast Financial Network. Now the Director of Insurance Brokerage, Limongelli helps his clients find the right disability insurance coverage and serves as a resource for other financial advisors who sell disability insurance.