Latest Agencies Headlines

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

West Insurance Employment: California Job Market to Stay Soft

Apr 17 2012 // The phrase “Go west young man,” may not apply so well to the insurance industry in the nation’s most populous state.An examination of Bureau of Labor Statistics and Economic Development Department data...

East Insurance Employment: Hiring Is ‘Slightly Elevated’ in 2012

Apr 16 2012 // The insurance employment market in the East and Northeast regions — as in most other parts of the country — can be summed up the following way: hiring is “slightly elevated” compared to last year, but there...

Young Agents Survey

Apr 16 2012 // There’s a change happening in the insurance industry — a big change. Young independent insurance agents are leading a revolution.It’s a revolution of means more than ends. Young agents tend to agree with...

Business Moves – South Central

Apr 16 2012 // Louisiana Agency Partners, The Kirksey AgencyLouisiana Agency Partners (LAP) announced that The Kirksey Agency in West Monroe, La., has become the 12th member agency of the Louisiana-based network of independent insurance...

A Marriage of Modernity and Tradition

Apr 16 2012 // A milestone in the modernization of the London insurance market was reached on March 5, when the electronic processing of endorsements using ACORD data messages was extended to all classes of business.The endorsements...

Business Moves – East

Apr 16 2012 // BB&T Corp., Crump GroupBB&T Corp., a major regional bank and insurance broker based in Winston-Salem, N.C., completed its previously announced acquisition of insurance businesses from Crump Group, a Roseland,...

Business Moves – Midwest

Apr 16 2012 // Great American Insurance GroupCincinnati, Ohio-based Great American Insurance Group’s environmental division opened a regional office in New York City. The expansion complements the environmental division’s...

Oklahoma Agent Sentenced

Apr 16 2012 // A formerly licensed insurance agent in Oklahoma, Matthew Hammer, has been sentenced for fraud. Hammer pled guilty to one felony count of Obtaining Property by False Pretense and was sentenced to a three-year deferred...

Georgia Agents Form New Venture, PentaRisk

Apr 16 2012 // A man and a boy who suffered brain damage due to government negligence and the parents of a slain police informant will be compensated through three bills signed by Gov. Rick Scott. One would require Lee County’s...

This Is Not Your Father’s Industry

Apr 16 2012 // This industry is changing fast. Quite a number of agency owners and carrier executives will realize this fact too late. This reality is not necessarily a sad fact because great success stories will arise from these...

Why Agents and Customers Choose Higher Prices

Apr 16 2012 // Insurance customers are price-sensitive shoppers, and they have become more so given the financial pressures of the struggling economy.Many observers fear that standard coverage is becoming commoditized to the point where...

160-Year Old Hanover Retaking Its Place as P/C Industry Leader

Apr 16 2012 // Eight out of 160 years of history may not seem like a big deal but for Hanover Insurance Group, founded in 1852, the last eight years have seen a series of big deals.Eight years ago in 2004, the $2.4 billion heavily...

Agents Urge Caution on Changes to Missouri Work Comp Insurer

Apr 16 2012 // Some insurance agents are urging caution as Missouri lawmakers consider changes to a state-created workers’ compensation firm that has been criticized by the state auditor for taking advantage of a federal tax...

Digital Divide: Young Agents Versus ‘Old’ Agency Principals

Apr 16 2012 // Young producers are essential to the survival of the independent agency system. They are enthusiastic and motivated, and if you can put up with their “young versus old” histrionics, a lot of fun to work...

Replacement Costs Battle on the Road to Somewhere

Apr 13 2012 // Steve Young was somewhat upbeat when he was asked what he thought about the outcome of a long-brewing legal battle between three insurance associations and the California Department of Insurance.That upbeat attitude is...

Cap on Subsidy of Crop Insurance Premiums Would Save $1 Billion: GAO

Apr 13 2012 // A cap on crop insurance premium subsidies could save the federal government up to $1 billion a year, according to a government report.If a limit of $40,000 had been applied to individual farmers’ crop insurance...

Northern United Agents Alliance in N.H. Adds New Member

Apr 13 2012 // The Northern United Agents Alliance (NUAA), an independent agency partnership based in New Hampshire, added Barton Insurance Agency as a new member. Founded in 1954, Barton Insurance Agency has been offering insurance...

N.J.-based Broker McIntyre Group Announces Promotion

Apr 12 2012 // The McIntyre Group, a Cherry Hill, N.J.-based insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting firm, promoted Brian Hall to vice president. Brian Hall Hall joined The McIntyre Group in 2006 as a marketing executive...

Special Agent Agency Management System Now Available Nationally

Apr 12 2012 // Special Agent, the insurance agency management system, is now available in all 50 states, and the company has also launched a new website. Special Agent had previously only been offered to independent insurance agencies in...

Survey: Why Agents and Customers Choose Higher-Priced Insurers

Apr 12 2012 // Insurance customers are price-sensitive shoppers, and they have become more so given the financial pressures of the struggling economy.Many observers fear that standard coverage is becoming commoditized to the point where...