Latest Agencies Headlines

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

Citizens’ Takeout Program Undergoing Changes; Says Assessments Unlikely

Dec 11 2014 // Faced with a rising number of consumer complaints, Florida’s state-backed property insurer has announced a series of changes to its takeout program. The news comes as the insurer said it is highly unlikely to need...

Brokerslink Appoints Gooch to Drive Business Development

Dec 10 2014 // Independent insurance broker network Brokerslink has appointed Corey Gooch as its first director of business development.As part of the executive team, he will help drive Brokerslink’s growth by working with its...

INSURICA Acquired Oklahoma, California Agencies in Q3 2014

Dec 9 2014 // Oklahoma City-based INSURICA Insurance Management Network announced it acquired an agency in Oklahoma and one in California during the third quarter of 2014.In Oklahoma, INSURICA added James & Associates, located in...

How and When to Shop for Agency E&O Coverage

Dec 9 2014 // While many insurance agencies stick with their agency E&O carrier for years, those that do shop around tend to do so when premiums are rising and, according to a recent Insurance Journal survey, more agencies are...

Integro Acquires Canadian Broker Finning Insurance Services

Dec 9 2014 // International insurance brokerage and risk management firm Integro announced it has acquired the assets of Finning Insurance Services (FIS), an insurance brokerage business, from Finning International Inc.Financial details...

InsureZone Agency Network Enters Florida, Offering Markets

Dec 5 2014 // Fort Worth, Texas-based InsureZone, a national brokerage and agency network, has launched operations in Florida.The new operation, Florida InsureZone Direct (IZD), is targeting small-to-midsized insurance agencies,...

Nicolopoulos Named to Lead N.H. Association of Insurance Agents

Dec 4 2014 // Christopher Nicolopoulos The New Hampshire Association of Insurance Agents (NHAIA) announced Christopher Nicolopoulos has been named president and chief executive officer of the organization effective Dec. 1. Nicolopoulos...

Hub International Acquires Canada-Based MGA Partners

Dec 4 2014 // Hub International Limited, a global insurance brokerage, announced that its subsidiary Hub Financial Inc. has acquired the shares of MGA Partners Inc., an Ontario Canada-based managing general agency. Terms of the...

World’s Top 15 Commercial Lines Brokers Write 43% of Business: Finaccord

Dec 1 2014 // The world’s top 15 insurance brokers write more than 43 percent of the commercial lines property/casualty business globally, according to a new ranking by London research firm Finaccord.The same report says that the...

Agency Groups Give Independent Insurance Agents ‘Big Agency’ Edge

Dec 1 2014 // Some believe the independent insurance agent may soon be on the endangered species list.Tighter margins and pressure from insurance carriers to meet increasingly higher production demands are putting the squeeze on every...

What to Ask Before Joining an Agency Group

Dec 1 2014 // Premium Aggregation How is contingency revenue shared? How is contingency/profit sharing managed to protect individual agents? Will the network, cluster or aggregator provide you with a personalized aggregation model using...

Agency E&O Culture

Dec 1 2014 // Now more than ever agents are stepping up to the plate to protect their business. The experts agree that today agencies are more aware and proactive about reducing errors and omissions (E&O) risk.“Agents have...

Program Market a Target for Expansion, Good & Bad

Dec 1 2014 // The program insurance business market enjoyed its third consecutive year of growth in 2013 and appears on track to continue its expansion.However, while program business is attracting new interest, some participants are...

E&O Insights: Where Is Your Agency in the ‘E&O Marathon?’

Dec 1 2014 // There are similarities between deciding to run a marathon and managing your agency’s errors and omissions (E&O) exposure. Very few people, if any, can wake up one day, decide to run a marathon and then, without...

8 Easy to Fix Problems Facing Insurance Agents

Dec 1 2014 // Carl MaerzHaving met with my fair share of insurance agents I’m generally impressed with the level of professionalism they display. There are a few characteristics I’ve come across, however, that seem to creep...

Kansas Agents See Increased Demand for Earthquake Insurance

Dec 1 2014 // Kansas insurance agencies say they’ve been flooded with queries about earthquake coverage after a 4.8 magnitude temblor struck near Conway Springs on Nov. 12.“We have been getting calls all day,” said...

Removing Barriers to More Private Flood Insurance

Dec 1 2014 // A House Financial Services subcommittee recently held hearing to focus attention on legislation sponsored by two Florida representatives who want to encourage more flood insurance sales by private insurers as an...

Texas Windstorm Insurer Launches Depopulation Portal

Dec 1 2014 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) has initiated a process whereby interested insurance companies may access information on TWIA insured properties in an effort to move policies to private insurers.The...

Texas Agent Group Acquires LevelFirst, Forms IIAT Services MGA

Dec 1 2014 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) announced it is continuing its tradition of providing insurance markets for small independent agencies with the acquisition of Dallas-based managing general agency...

Pickens to Head Insurance Board for West Virginia’s State Agencies

Nov 30 2014 // The West Virginia Board of Risk and Insurance Management is getting a new executive director. The board announced last week that Mary Jane Pickens will succeed Chuck Jones, who is retiring effective Jan. 1. Jones has been...