Submitting Electronic Appointment Cancellations

Information

In order to provide prompt and accurate processing of producer appointment cancellations, the Alabama Department of Insurance requires companies to submit their requests via ASCII text files.

Note: To submit appointments, you must create a separate text file (see Instructions for Creating Text Files for Submitting Appointments, revision date 1/1/2002).

To correctly create a text file, we recommend you use the Notepad application (that comes with the Microsoft Windows software) or any text editor. Do not create the text file using Microsoft Word, Excel, or other applications without producing the ASCII text file format*. The text file is "semi-colon delimited", which means a semi-colon symbol is used to separate each piece of data. Please be aware your text file may be returned to you for correcting in the event the format does not follow the specifications detailed in the section shown further down the page. All values are required data.

*If you need assistance or additional information regarding text files, please contact our technical support Help Desk at (334) 241-4113.

When saving the text file, please name the file Company Number AGTSR Cancellations. Be sure to replace Company Number with your correct company number as shown on your annual roster or invoice. To submit your text file to the Department of Insurance, you may attach it to an e-mail message and send it electronically to the e-mail address shown below (recommended) - or you may send your text file on a 3.5" floppy diskette via U.S. Mail. The diskette must be formatted for IBM-compatible computers. Our mailing addresses are as follows:

E-Mail

Agtsr@insurance.alabama.gov
Special Note for E-mail Submissions:
- When submitting text files via e-mail message, be sure to send your e-mail no less than 3 days prior to the deadline date specified on the cover letter of your roster to ensure we receive the file on or before the deadline.
- Please make sure the subject of your e-mail reads as follows (replace Company Number with your own as shown on your roster or invoice): Company Number - AGTSR Cancellations
- Please do not use any special characters such as #, $, @, (, ), and % in the subject line of your email. If an email is sent with those characters in the subject line, the email will not be received by the department.
- Please be sure to print a copy of the e-mail message for proof of submission. You may be asked to provide a copy of your e-mail message in the event there is any problem with your meeting the deadline date specified on the cover letter of your roster.
- You will receive an email confirmation once your cancellations have been processed. If you do not receive a response from the department within 5-10 business days, please contact Margot Whatley at 334-241-4108 or Margot.Whatley@insurance.alabama.gov

U. S. Mail (Diskettes)

Accounting Division
Alabama Department of Insurance
P O Box 303351
Montgomery, AL 36130-3351

Instructions for Creating Text Files for Submitting Producer Appointment Cancellations

The format of the text file should follow these guidelines exactly.

Please do not type a heading or other information in the text file. The file should contain only the actual data that we will import into our database, according to the format specified below.
A semi-colon (;) immediately follows each individual field. There are no spaces between the fields of data. Each line in the file should end with a semi-colon. Note that there are 2 semi-colons between the License Type value and the Social Security Number. Also note that there are 2 semi-colons between the Date of Cancellation and the Resident/Non-Resident code.
Insert a blank 3.5" floppy diskette (IBM formatted) into your computer's diskette drive.
In Microsoft Windows, click on the Start button; select Programs; Accessories; and start the Notepad application.
The Notepad application will present you with a blank screen ready to type. Begin typing your first line of data according to the format explained below. Remember, each cancellation must be on an individual line of its own, as shown in the example.

The format of your text file should be as follows:
C;	A012345;	01; 05; or 15;	;	123456789;	12345;	mmddyyyy;	;	Y;	L;	Y;


C; - Action Code
A012345; - Alabama License Number
01; 05; or 15; - License Type (See Section Below)
; - Semi-colon
123456789; - Social Security Number
12345; - Company Number
mmddyyyy; - Date of Cancellation
; - Semi-colon
Y; - Resident or Non-Resident Y or N
L; - Reason for Cancellation (See Legend Below)
Y; - Notification Y or N

Explanation of Values and Codes
Action Code (1 character)	"C" means to cancel the producer's appointment. The C is followed by a semi-colon symbol.
License Number (7 characters)	The license number assigned to the producer by the Department of Insurance. Must begin with the letter 'A' followed by 6 digits.
License Type (2 numeric digits)	A license type of 01 represents the Producer insurance license in our database records. A license type of 05 represents the Service Representative insurance license in our database records. A license type of 15 represents the Title Agent in our database records.
Semi-colon (;)	Please place one extra semi-colon (;) between the License Type and Social Security Number.
Social Security Number (9 numeric digits)	The producer's Social Security Number. Please do not type dashes to separate the numbers.
Company Number	Include your company number as assigned by the Department of Insurance. The number should appear on your roster cover letter.
Date of Cancellation (8 digits)	Please be sure to type a 4-digit year (2003).
Semi-colon (;)	Please place one extra semi-colon (;) between the Date of Cancellation and the Resident value.
Resident (Y) / Non-Resident (N) (1 character)	The character Y (Yes) or N (No) identifies whether the producer is a resident of Alabama.
Reason for Cancellation (1 character)	Please select the proper code from the legend below.
Producer Notification (1 character)	The character Y (Yes) or N (No) indicates whether the producer has been notified of the appointment cancellation.

Reason for Cancellation Codes
A - Producer Moved	M - Company Merged
D - Producer Deceased	T - Other Producer Misconduct
F - Producer Misrepresented Policy	P - Inadequate Production
I - Company Indebtedness	Q - Poor Policyholder Service
L - Voluntary (By Producer Request)	X - Appointed in Error

September 07, 2008