Submitting Text File Appointments

Information

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

Note: To cancel appointments, you must create a separate text file (see Instructions for Creating Text Files for Submitting Appointment Cancellations, 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 that your text file may be returned to you for correcting in the event the format does not follow the specifications detailed in the section 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 Appointments. 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 and Instructions for E-mail Submissions:
- In order for us to match your e-mail request with the signed letter and payment when received, please ensure the subject of your e-mail message reads as follows (replace Company Number with your own):
  Example: 14532 Appointments Check Number 2244332 1245.72
  Company Number Appointments Check Number Check Amount
- Please do not use any special characters such as #,$, @, (, ), and % in the subject line of your e-mail. If an email is sent with those characters in the subject line, the email will not be received by the department.
- Please print and attach the first page of your e-mail (Subject line must be shown) to your check for payment and mail along with your letter of authorization.

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 Appointments

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.
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 appointment must be on an individual line of its own, as shown in the example.

The format of your text file should be as follows:
A;	A012345;	01, 05 or 15;	;	123456789;	Y;	12345;	00;

A; - Action Code

A012345; - Alabama License Number

01, 05 or 15; - License Type (See Section Below)

; - Semi-colon

123456789; - Social Security Number

Y; - Resident or Non-Resident Y or N

12345; - Company Number

00; - Insurance Line Code (See Legend Below)

Explanation of Values and Codes
Action Code (1 character)	"A" means to appoint the producer. The A 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 Insurance Agent insurance license 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.
Resident (Y) / Non-Resident (N) (1 character)	The character Y (Yes) or N (No) identifies whether the producer is a resident of Alabama.
Company Number	Include your company number as assigned by the Department of Insurance.
Insurance Line Code (2 numeric digits)	Please select the proper code from the legend below.

Insurance Line Codes
01 - Life	14 - Dental Services
02 - Health (Accident or Sickness)	07 - Industrial (Debit) Fire
05 - Variable Life and Variable Annuity Products	03 - Credit
16 - Property	18 - Rental Vehicle
10 - Casualty	15 - Legal Services
19 - Personal Lines	17 - Motor Club
08 - Automobile
11 - Bail Bond

July 24, 2008