Latest Agencies Headlines

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

2 Third-Generation Independent Agencies Merge in Massachusetts

May 10 2013 // Ross Insurance Agency, a third-generation independent agency based in Holyoke, Mass., recently purchased another third-generation Holyoke agency, the Nathan N. Feldman Insurance Agency Inc. Founded in 1925, Ross Insurance...

Missouri Bill Could Require Data Breach Notification by State Agencies

May 9 2013 // State agencies could be required to notify Missourians if personal data such as concealed gun permits and credit card numbers are accessed by someone who is not authorized to have that information. The proposal comes from...

FTC: Online Background Check Firms May Be Violating Fair Credit Law

May 9 2013 // Federal regulators this week warned several companies that the quick, easy background checks they are providing online might violate the Fair Credit Reporting Act.The Federal Trade Commission sent warning letters to 10...

Identifying and Mitigating Agent E&O Exposures in the High-Net Worth Segment

May 9 2013 // As the Internet continues to take hold over the independent insurance agent’s market share, the value-added services a broker can provide to their clients are more important than ever, especially in the high-net...

CBIZ Acquires Minnesota’s Associated Insurance Agents

May 7 2013 // CBIZ Inc. announced it acquired Associated Insurance Agents (AIA), of Minneapolis, Minn., effective May 1, 2013.Established in 1982, AIA is an insurance brokerage agency specializing in property and casualty insurance,...

Rockwood Decreases Agent E&O Rates in Massachusetts, California, Texas

May 7 2013 // Rockwood Programs has implemented underwriting guideline changes to its P&C Agents E&O program. The modifications will result in a rate decrease in the states of California, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Texas. The...

Florida Lawmakers OK Clearinghouse for Citizens Business; Agents Face Changes

May 6 2013 // Florida lawmakers approved legislation that seeks to slow the growth of the state-backed property insurer by diverting new policies into the private market while largely retaining the status quo for the insurer’s...

RIMS Conference in LA Risks No Loss of Subject Matter

May 6 2013 // Renewal of the Terrorism and Risk Insurance Act was a much talked about topic at the annual Risk and Insurance Management Society conference, a four-day event in Los Angeles, Calif. in late April that included panels...

Time to Press Again for Terrorism Risk Insurance Act Reauthorization

May 6 2013 // Congress faces a packed agenda this year. Deficit reduction, immigration reform and gun control will dominate the agenda. But another issue must be added to the docket — reauthorization of the Terrorism Risk Insurance...

Most Carriers Provide Training on Selling Online: Survey

May 6 2013 // A two-thirds majority of independent insurance agents say their carriers are providing them with training and consulting on how to use their agency websites to increase sales, a new survey reveals.The annual survey of...

Jimcor’s Mastowski on the Market and the Future of MGAs

May 6 2013 // The incoming president of the American Association of Managing General Agents (AAMGA) is no newcomer to insurance. He has some 40 years of experience under his belt.Frank Mastowsi founded his family-run managing general...

USG Adds Olson as Producer/Broker in Minnesota

May 3 2013 // USG Insurance Services Inc., a national wholesaler and MGA, has expanded operations in its New Brighton, Minn., office with the addition of Jeff Olson as a producer/broker. Olson began his career in the insurance industry...

Texas Agent Association Annual Conference Set for June 26 – 28

May 3 2013 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) and its Trusted Choice agencies, insurance representatives and other insurance professionals from across the state will gather at the Omni Dallas Hotel, June 26-28, for...

Homeowners not the Only Line of Coverage Affected by Texas Weather

May 2 2013 // It’s well known that Texas has some of the highest homeowners premiums in the nation — in large part due to the state’s vulnerability to violent weather. It may be less known that Texas has some of the...

Zurich Expands Community Banking Products to Zurich Agency Services Agents

May 2 2013 // Zurich is now working with Zurich Agency Services, Inc., to expand its community banks offering additional agents and brokers. As part of this effort, Zurich worked with ZAS, formerly Universal Underwriters Insurance...

Keystone Insurers Group to Expand into Illinois

May 2 2013 // Property and casualty insurance franchisor, Keystone Insurers Group, announced it will begin adding partner agencies in Illinois during the fourth quarter of 2013. Illinois will become the ninth state represented in the...

Applied Systems Acquires IVANS P/C Business

May 1 2013 // Insurance software vendor Applied Systems said it has completed its acquisition of the property/casualty business of IVANS, which has been providing products for insurance data exchange and integration between insurance...

Sandy Lesson for Business Owners: Read Policy, Keep Track of Notice Provisions

Apr 28 2013 // It’s been six months since Superstorm Sandy made its landfall on the coast of New Jersey and became one of the costliest storms ever recorded in the U.S.Many businesses in the region are still recovering from the...

Oklahoma Agents Group Pleased with Progress of State Legislation

Apr 26 2013 // Oklahoma’s independent insurance agent association says measures of interest to the group are moving so quickly in the state Legislature this year it is cancelling an annual event furing which member speak with...

Agents Group Puts Out Call to Help West, Texas

Apr 25 2013 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Texas is calling for contributions to a fund created to help in the rebuilding of West, Texas, the site of the deadly explosion at a fertilizer facility on April 17.Tommy Muska, mayor of...