Latest Agencies Headlines

All the headlines from our Agencies Topic Page, ordered by recency.

The Potential of Artificial Intelligence

Jul 15 2019 // In a viral State Farm commercial, Oscar Nunez, playing the role of a friendly, helpful insurance agent, disparages any insurance company that utilizes artificial intelligence in support of customer service...

At NCOIL, Anti-Rebating Debate Ponders Fitbits and Free Turkeys

Jul 13 2019 // Is a free turkey a rebate? That was the question from Idaho Insurance Director Dean Cameron that stumped the experts.One of the more interesting debates of the National Council of Insurance Legislators’ summer...

New York-Based Broker NFP Buys Toronto’s McLean Hallmark Insurance Group

Jul 12 2019 // New York City-based insurance broker and consultant NFP announced it has acquired Canadian broker McLean Hallmark Insurance Group Ltd.Financial details of the transaction, which closed on July 2, were not disclosed. Based...

California Regulators Seek to Curb Misinformation About Earthquake Insurance

Jul 12 2019 // The recent earthquakes that pummeled neighborhoods in Ridgecrest and Trona in Southern California have led to reports that some insurers and agents may be declining to write earthquake policies in various areas of the...

Georgia Makes 49 Insurance Fraud Arrests in First Half of 2019

Jul 11 2019 // Agents from the Georgia Department of Insurance Fraud Investigations Division made 49 arrests in the first half of 2019 and are set to pass the total number of arrests from last year (60) in just the third calendar...

LP Risk Acquires Wholesale Insurance Broker, Houston Surplus Lines

Jul 10 2019 // Texas-based managing general agency and surplus lines broker, LP Risk, has acquired the assets and operations of Houston Surplus Lines, an independently owned wholesale insurance brokerage. Houston Surplus Lines team will...

Nationwide Offers Independent Agents a Commercial Insurance Digital Storefront

Jul 9 2019 // Giant insurer Nationwide is partnering with an insurtech in an effort to speed up its product underwriting for commercial lines property/casualty agents.The technology Nationwide is deploying was developed by Ohio-based...

ProWriters Adds New Companies, Features to Cyber Coverage Platform

Jul 9 2019 // ProWriters Insurance Services has added CFC Underwriting Ltd. and insurtech startup At-Bay writing on Hartford Steam Boiler paper to its Cyber IQ platform.ProWriters introduced its Cyber IQ platform comparative rating...

Consultant Sees Larger, Fewer P/C Insurance Agencies Going Forward

Jul 9 2019 // There will be fewer insurance agencies operating in the property/casualty insurance industry in the future and those that remain will be larger and more tech-savvy, says an insurance-focused executive at the consulting...

Brokerslink Bolsters Presence in Asia with Addition of 3 New Affiliates

Jul 8 2019 // Global broking business Brokerslink has bolstered its presence in Asia with the addition of three new affiliates in the region.South Korean LK Insurance Services, Malaysia-based State Insurance Services and John Foord in...

The Value to Insurance Agencies of Value-Added Services for Clients

Jul 8 2019 // Let’s face it, insurance is a commodity. The insurance consumer will not see any significant value difference between insurance companies and insurance agencies. Products, price and service are roughly the...

Agency Data Ownership Can Be Tricky in Age of Texting

Jul 3 2019 // In a column last year on messaging, I talked about the value of a secure means for agents to text prospects, policyholders and insurers and the number of messaging apps and companies offering messaging services. Apps such...

Kurtz Named Independent Insurance Agents of Texas’ Young Agent of the Year

Jul 3 2019 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) has named Wes Kurtz of Pathfinder/LL&D in Houston as its André P. Juneau ELITExan of the Year.This award is given annually to a young insurance professional in Texas...

Commentary: Surplus Lines Support Florida’s Vibrant Insurance Market

Jul 3 2019 // The Sunshine State is one of the top three consumers of surplus lines insurance in the country. As Florida focuses on attracting jobs and welcoming opportunity, the surplus lines insurance industry is helping the...

U.S. Risk Insurance Group Finalizes Sale to USI Insurance Services

Jul 2 2019 // Dallas, TX, July 2, 2019 – U.S. Risk Insurance Group (U.S. Risk), one of the nation’s largest property and casualty program and specialty brokerage firms, today announced the completion of its previously announced...

Motel 6 Settles Another Class Action Over Giving Guest Lists to Immigration Agents

Jul 1 2019 // Motel 6 has agreed to pay $10 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over claims the budget chain routinely provided guest lists from properties in Arizona to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, court...

Anxiety, Policy Limits Rising Ahead of California’s Sweeping Data Privacy Law

Jul 1 2019 // Robert L. Wallan’s clients are keeping him quite busy as they fret about the implementation next year of the nation’s most far-reaching data privacy law, which gives California consumers more control over their...

Agents (Still) Looking for Underwriting Sweet Spot: Channel Harvest

Jul 1 2019 // Whether technology is driving a “one size fits all” underwriting approach or carriers are narrowing their strike zone, this year’s independent agency survey from Channel Harvest reveals agents continue to...

How ‘You Have a Duty to Read Your Policy’ Language Can Wreck a Life

Jul 1 2019 // I have seen and heard seemingly an infinite number of agents, agents’ associations, and errors and omissions (E&O) attorneys advise that agents should have a low standard of care and rely on the insured having...

Insurance Agents Have Come to Embrace Insurtech. When Will Carriers?

Jul 1 2019 // There used to be a time when independent insurance agents were wary of what disruption insurtech might bring.They feared a future where all insurance transactions were done digitally — eliminating the need for the...