Latest Agencies Headlines

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

Arthur J. Gallagher Acquires Capital Bauer Insurance in Albany, N.Y.

Jan 4 2012 // Itasca, Ill.-headquartered insurance brokerage giant Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. acquired Capital Bauer Insurance Agency in Albany, N.Y.The companies did not disclose terms of the transaction. Founded in 1957, Capital...

Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation Harnesses New Technology to Reach Independent Agents

Jan 4 2012 // Walnut Creek, CA, 12/08/11 – The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) will make use of the new technologies available through the Virtual Insurance Marketplace to bring the organization’s...

How Mississippi Insurance Agent Came to Own Prized LSU Pigskin

Jan 3 2012 // Larry Benefield didn’t attend Louisiana State University. He has been to only one football game there in his life, a matchup against Kentucky in the 1980s or 1990s.But the Gulfport, Mississippi resident owns one of...

‘Flood House’ Gives Close-Up of Water Damage

Jan 3 2012 // Diane Hopp says she doesn’t have a green thumb, so if her neighbors were around, they might be surprised to see her spraying a garden hose — particularly in December inside the living room of a newly renovated...

JLT Subsidiary Acquires Irish Broker FBD Insurance

Dec 30 2011 // JLT Insurance Brokers (Ireland) Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc, has acquired FBD Insurance Brokers Ltd, which is based in Ireland, from FBD Holdings plc.The bulletin also noted that...

How One Independent Agent Tried to Off the GEICO Gecko

Dec 29 2011 // Editor’s Note: This article is from Insurance Journal’s annual Satire Issue, originally published on Aug. 15, 2011. The article is fictional and is meant to be humorous. Enjoy!Obsession is more than some Calvin...

Allstate Revises Agent Compensation Plan

Dec 27 2011 // 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...

Privacy Claims Against Iowa Insurance Agent Over Hidden Cameras Proceed

Dec 27 2011 // A video camera hidden in a workplace bathroom doesn’t have to produce any images for someone to believe their privacy was violated, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled last Friday.The court’s decision allows two women...

Property Risk Insurance Specialist

Dec 21 2011 // The Property Risk Insurance Specialist (PRIS) program was developed by Insurance Partners Academy and is contributed to by the Insurance Journal Academy of Insurance. PRIS allows agents, brokers, underwriters, risk...

Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Doak Has Had a Full Plate in 2011

Dec 19 2011 // In his first year as insurance commissioner of Oklahoma, John Doak has been a busy man.Doak and the agency he leads have had their hands full implementing reforms in the workers’ compensation system, dealing with a...

FastrackCE Offers New Program For Significant Co-Branding Possibilities

Dec 19 2011 // Chino, CA – The launch of a new Partner Program was announced today by FastrackCE, a leader in the insurance continuing education (CE) industry. The program provides an opportunity for insurance companies,...

Louisiana Asks for Reconsideration of Medical Loss Ratio Waiver Denial

Dec 16 2011 // Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon is requesting the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reconsider its denial of the medical loss ratio (MLR) waiver that the state requested earlier this...

Fact or Fiction? Insurance Tidbits of Known and Little-Known Information

Dec 16 2011 // Have you ever wondered how modern-day fire departments began? Or why agents buy E&O coverage? What about when the first business owners policy launched? These are just a few questions that Insurance Journal and Claims...

Agency Pro-tection

Dec 16 2011 // Agency owners have a lot to protect. Of course, first and foremost they must protect their clients.But they must also protect their book of business. They must protect their relationships. They must protect their...

Who’s Worth What in the Agency System: Time to Evaluate Frozen Salaries

Dec 16 2011 // Any business owner knows that a great employee is worth a lot. That holds true for independent insurance agencies when it comes to great producers and the employees that support them.Agencies need good producers, says Al...

People

Dec 16 2011 // Liberty Mutual consolidated its specialty construction operations and appointed James Conroy senior vice president and chief underwriting officer for construction, Liberty Mutual commercial markets.Previously, Conroy was...

All in the Family

Dec 16 2011 // Bryan Hanes grew up in the family business listening to stories about life in a small town. He heard his grandfather and then father sharing cheerful conversations with local towns folk about personal relationships, local...

Industry’s First Virtual Insurance Tradeshow Live Again In February 2012

Dec 15 2011 // Fairfield, CA, 12/15/11 – The 2012 Virtual Insurance Marketplace is the second offering from Direct Connection Advertising & Marketing, LLC, an agency specializing in insurance marketing services. The 2012 VIM...

Four New Hampshire Agencies Form Regional Alliance

Dec 13 2011 // Four insurance agencies in New Hampshire announced the formation of a new partnership called Northern United Agents Alliance (NUAA). The agencies said the move will help combine their resources to meet the needs of a...

Chubb Creates Online System for Private Companies and Nonprofits

Dec 13 2011 // The Chubb Group of Insurance Companies has developed an online system to make it easier for producers to procure professional liability and management liability insurance for private companies and nonprofit...