IIAA Prez Says Sept 11 Showed Ins Industry Importance

The president of an independent agents group told his membership yesterday that the Sept. 11 terrorist attack has underscored the insurance industry's importance to the nation, William F. Hofmann III, outgoing president of the Independent Insurance Agents of America, made his observations during the opening general session of the Alexandria, Va.-based group's annual convention here. Mr. Hofmann praised those who had made the trip to the convention despite the grief, anger and anxiety many feel in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the nation. Their determination to attend, he said, "speaks to a quality that is uniquely American; a confidence and stubbornness that defies hardship. It speaks to a rebirth of spirit and a genuine sense of purpose. It speaks to a courage that only free people can ever truly know."