MONTVALE, N.J. - There are new umpires in the old car hobby, and their rule is outside of a baseball diamond.

At its Jan. 19 4th annual All-Auto-Appraisal-Industry Conference in Scottsdale, Ariz., the International Automotive Appraisers Association trained and certified its first group of members to act as mediators in disputes between car owners and insurance companies. The mediators will work under the Auto Mediators Association, a subdivision of the IAAA.

During the conference, the IAAA also unveiled its new Uniform Standards of Auto Appraisals (USAAP) guidelines and launched its new AutoMediators.com Web site before IAAA members from the United States and Canada.

Learn more about the conference at www.all-auto-appraisal-industry-conference.com, or about the IAAA at www.Auto-Appraisers.com. Interested parties may also call Tony Monopoli at 201-391-3251.