Latest Agencies Headlines

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

Insurance Agent Rowland Gets Kentucky GOP Nomination

Jan 9 2012 // Tompkinsville independent insurance agent Bart Rowland will be the Republican nominee for a Kentucky House seat left vacant when former Rep. James Comer was elected state agriculture commissioner.Rowland was nominated last...

Oklahoma’s Commissioner Doak Had a Full Plate in 2011

Jan 9 2012 // In his first year as insurance commissioner of Oklahoma, John Doak was a busy man.Doak and the agency he leads had their hands full implementing reforms in the workers’ compensation system, dealing with a host of...

Trends for 2012

Jan 9 2012 // In order to be proactive, one needs to understand and exploit current and future trends. So what will 2012 be like for insurance agents and brokers? The following is a list of major industry trends that need to be factored...

2012 Brings Operational Changes for TWIA

Jan 9 2012 // The New Year is ushering in changes to the operation of the insurer of last resort for wind and hail along the Texas coast.Many of the operational changes will affect insurance agents who handle Texas Windstorm Insurance...

A Disciplined Approach to Underwriting

Jan 9 2012 // Now that 2011 is in the record books, various insurance company presidents soon will be disclosing and discussing their company’s year-end results. While the exact words may be different, don’t be surprised if...

Déjà Vu

Jan 9 2012 // If you are an insurance agent or broker counting on the economy to perform considerably better in 2012 than it did in 2011, well, don’t. Economists say that the economy is showing slight improvement, and employment...

If an Agency Were a Person

Jan 9 2012 // Most agencies are managed from the perspective of the shareholders and executives. But what would an agency want if it were a shareholder?1. Good health. The foundation of agency health is the balance sheet. The most...

People

Jan 9 2012 // Verne Cadwell has been named vice president of the crop hail division at Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Co. located in Grinnell, Iowa.Cadwell’s promotion follows a 12-year career at Grinnell Mutual, where he has served...

Allstate Revises Agent Compensation Plan

Jan 9 2012 // Allstate’s captive agents have been spared part of a planned cut in their commissions as the insurer has revised its compensation strategy.The Illinois-based insurer confirmed that it would cut its base commission to...

N.J. Court Rules in Favor of Allstate in Agency Franchise Lawsuits

Jan 7 2012 // Allstate announced on Friday that the Superior Court of New Jersey has entered judgment in favor of Allstate New Jersey Insurance Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Allstate Insurance Company, and dismissed all claims...

N.J.-based Bollinger Acquires Argent Professional Insurance Agency

Jan 6 2012 // Short Hills, N.J.-based insurance broker Bollinger acquired Argent Professional Insurance Agency in Warren, N.J.Bollinger said the acquisition would help bolster its professional liability insurance brokerage business....

North Dakota Insurance Agent Sent to Jail

Jan 6 2012 // A Grand Forks, N.D., insurance agent who stole thousands of dollars from clients and forged checks in her fiance’s name has been ordered to spend eight months in jail and pay back more than...

Momentous Insurance Brokerage Launches Equine Specialty Practice

Jan 6 2012 // Momentous Insurance Brokerage has formed an equine specialty practice to provide insurance coverage for horse-related businesses and private horse owners.The equine practice launched at the start of the year and will offer...

West Virginia to Study Ways to Reduce $50M in Deer Collisions

Jan 6 2012 // Every year in West Virginia, motorists and insurance companies pay more than $50 million to fix damage caused when vehicles collide with deer.State wildlife and highway officials hope to reduce that total by finding out...

Oklahoma Commissioner Disappointed in Denial of MLR Waiver Request

Jan 5 2012 // Oklahoma’s top insurance regulator believes the medical insurance market is headed for “disruption” as a result of the medical loss ratio component of federal health insurance reformAfter Oklahoma’s...

Insurance Veterans’ Forecasts for 2012

Jan 5 2012 // Now that the year 2011 is behind us, let’s take a look at what might be ahead.Insurance Journal spoke with leading industry professionals and asked them what they are expecting this year. If their forecasts are any...

Western Insurance Agents Roundtable Discussion Highlights

Jan 5 2012 // Rancho Cordova, Calif.-based WIAA Education & Research Foundation, a nonprofit corporation focused on advancing knowledge of insurance industry professionals, hosted a recent roundtable discussion on the industry and...

Western Insurance Agents Roundtable: In Uncertain Economy, Change Is Certain

Jan 5 2012 // The economy, the promised-land of a hard insurance market and the need to master technologies dominated discussion at the first annual Insurance Industry Roundtable in Irvine, Calif.The daylong event was attended by 23...

Marsh Completes Acquisition of Alexander Forbes’ Brokerage Business

Jan 5 2012 // Marsh, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies announced that it has completed its previously agreed acquisition of the brokerage business of South Africa’s Alexander Forbes.Marsh said the...

N.Y.-based Sterling & Sterling Appoints Insurance Brokerage President

Jan 4 2012 // Woodbury, N.Y.-based Sterling & Sterling appointed industry veteran Leslie Nylund as president of the insurance brokerage. Nylund will be responsible for the firm’s operations, including sales, employee...