SIU Today Winter 2021 - 25

NICB Update
By Steve Beltz
United in Facing the Challenges of
Today, Tomorrow, and the Future
IASIU and NICB Working Hand-in-Hand
to Combat Insurance Fraud
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) has a long history
with the International Association of Special Investigation
Units (IASIU). But how did these organizations develop and
come to intersect so many years ago? And how are we moving
forward together in our joint efforts to fight insurance crime?
To look ahead, we need to take a brief look back.
NICB was formed in 1992 from a merger between the National
Automobile Theft Bureau (NATB) and the Insurance Crime
Prevention Institute (ICPI), both of which were not-forprofit
organizations. The NATB, which managed vehicle theft
investigations and developed vehicle theft databases for use
by the insurance industry, dates to the early 20th century. The
ICPI investigated insurance fraud for approximately 20 years
before joining with the NATB to form the present National
Insurance Crime Bureau. This merger combined over 100 years
of expertise to combat insurance crime. But although we had
a lot of resources at our disposal, NICB knew it couldn't fight
fraud and crime alone. We needed strong partnerships with
IASIU, SIUs, and law enforcement to get the job done.
Going back about 37 years ago, to combat the ever-growing
problem of insurance fraud, SIU's were being established.
In the 1980s, a small handful of investigators from different
companies met informally to discuss how best to collaborate
and learn from each other's fraud efforts. In 1984, the National
Association of Special Units (NASIU) was born out of this
meet-up. The first meeting was held at the Conference Center
in St. Louis, Mo. The organizers were sweating the details,
needing 50 people to attend to break even on costs. One hundred
five people showed up-a great start to an organization that
took off significantly as the years progressed. It wasn't until
1986 when Canada investigators joined NASIU, that the name
was officially changed to International Association of Special
Investigation Units.
The 1990s saw IASIU kicking into high gear. The first
Investigator of the Year award 1988 and was given to Steve
Runfola of USAA. In 1995, the first Lifetime Membership
awards were handed out to Robert J. (Bob) Smith (Metropolitan
Property/Casualty); William J. (Bill) Lundy (American Family);
and Donald (Don) Nettle (USAA Insurance). In 1996, NICB's
Marcy Schuld was elected as vice president to the board of
IASIU. In 1997, the IASIU website was introduced. Then in
1998, the SIU Awareness magazine received awards. Dues at
that time were $10 per year.
During one of the earlier NASIU (IASIU) seminars, the
president of NATB and the president of ICPI both spoke at
the IASIU conference. Besides investigating insurance fraud,
we were all connected in our passion for training the SIU and
law enforcement community to recognize and investigate
insurance fraud. NICB leaders, special agents, and analysts
continued to support IASIU through the years by speaking and
instructing at almost every seminar to date.
Later, the NASIU (IASIU) board voted to add " advisor "
positions to the board. Tom Welsh, then vice president of
training (later named to Learning and Development) was the
first NICB employee to serve in the advisory role. Two advisors
later, it was my turn to have a seat at the table. Currently, there
are three advisor positions, with Matt Smith representing
the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud and an international
position presently held by Per Norstrom, Larmtjänst.
Throughout the history of IASIU, NICB has been involved
with IASIU training needs and certifications. We helped IASIU
develop the Certified Insurance Fraud Analyst, Certified
Insurance Fraud Investigator, and Certified Insurance Fraud
Representative certifications. NICB also provides training to
help obtain the certifications.
At the recent IASIU seminar, NICB President and CEO David
Glawe talked about our relationship with IASIU, saying,
" Both entities share the members of the SIU community and
responsibility for training those members. " He also talked
about the future support with new or improved resources
provided by our core pillars of Intelligence, Analytics &
Operations; Education and Crime Prevention; and Strategy,
Policy, and Advocacy.
NICB's well-established Learning and Development program is
the cornerstone of our Education and Crime Prevention pillar.
As we lean into advanced technical solutions to better predict
evolving risks and threats, we will continue to serve as the
training Center of Excellence for insurance crime prevention,
detection, and investigation-providing world-class training
for agents, analysts, law enforcement, and prosecutors at all
stages of their careers. Both IASIU and NICB will need to
WINTER 2021 | SIU TODAY 25
SIU Today Winter 2021

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