Latest Agencies Headlines

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

Credit Raters Triggered Financial Crisis, Says Senate Report

Apr 14 2011 // Moody’s Corp. and Standard and Poor’s triggered the worst financial crisis in decades when they were forced to downgrade the inflated ratings they slapped on complex mortgage-backed securities, a U.S....

Markel UK Launches Markel Direct for Low Premium Accounts

Apr 14 2011 // Markel UK, the retail division of specialist insurer Markel International, has launched Markel Direct, an online service targeting low-premium clients, many of which share the characteristics of personal lines business and...

Towers Watson Names Comis, Albert to Reinsurance Brokerage Team

Apr 12 2011 // Towers Watson has named Darrell Comis, senior vice president, and David J. Albert, vice president, in its Reinsurance Brokerage business. Comis, based in the company’s Stamford, Conn. offices, will be responsible for...

California Insurance Agent Pleads Guilty for Grand Theft

Apr 11 2011 // The California Department of Insurance announced that insurance broker Christopher Luna has pleaded guilty at the West Covina, Calif., Courthouse to two felony counts of Grand Theft. Luna was ordered to serve three years...

RHSB Appoints Hughston as CEO, Names New Board Members

Apr 11 2011 // Dallas-based insurance brokerage firm Roach Howard Smith & Barton (RHSB) has appointed Tom A. Hughston as its new chief executive officer.Hughston, previously the company’s executive vice president, is an...

Texas’ February Enforcements Bring Nearly $1M in Fines, Restitution

Apr 8 2011 // Enforcement actions taken by Texas Insurance Commissioner Mike Geeslin that became final during February 2011 resulted in fines and restitution totaling $920,170. The Texas Department of Insurance announced that the...

PointeNorth Acquires 2 Georgia Agencies

Apr 8 2011 // Atlanta-based PointeNorth Insurance Group has acquired two Georgia agencies.PointeNorth acquired Hodges & Associates, an employee-benefit provider in metro Atlanta. The Marietta-based agency’s BondsPlus...

Preparing For The Hurdles Ahead

Apr 8 2011 // Think of what happened in the neighborhood travel agency the first time an online travel Web site started doing business. Did those first agents, looking at the flickering image on their computer screens, realize what this...

Long Island Agent Accused of Stealing Premiums

Apr 7 2011 // A Long Island insurance agent is being accused of stealing almost $8,000 in premiums. Police say complaints by several clients led to the arrest of Robert P. Manigaulte, of Medford, for collecting homeowners’...

Allstate Looking to Open 50 New Agencies in Florida

Apr 7 2011 // Allstate Insurance says it wants to open nearly 50 new agency offices in Florida. About half of those openings will be in north Florida, the company said.“North Florida has shown incredible growth for our...

Survey Shows Agents Concerned on Perpetuation; Few Take Action

Apr 6 2011 // The majority of agents and brokers today worry about how to perpetuate their firm to future owners, yet few agency owners report having a perpetuation plan in place.New findings in the forthcoming survey “2011 Survey...

Reinsurance Rates Rising, But Few Agree Where, How Much

Apr 6 2011 // Reinsurance rates may be edging higher only now, but the companies’ shares could still surge amid investor hopes that disasters, including Japan’s earthquake, will result in much higher rates in the...

Reinsurance Rates Are Rising, but Few Agree Where

Apr 6 2011 // Reinsurance rates may be edging higher only now, but the companies’ shares could still surge amid investor hopes that disasters, including Japan’s earthquake, will result in much higher rates in the...

Financial Consultant Bjelobaba Analyzes Changing UK Regulations

Apr 6 2011 // The UK’s Conservative government announced, even before it was elected, that it planned to reform the country’s financial regulatory system – for banks, investment providers and the insurance industry.On...

Feds Probe Illinois Public Agencies’ Workers’ Compensation Payouts

Apr 5 2011 // Two federal prosecutors are investigating possible workers’ compensation abuses at Illinois government agencies after disclosures of millions of dollars in payouts and questionable practices by arbitrators.The...

MMA to Write Commercial Lines via Broker Network Trading Room

Apr 5 2011 // As of April 1st members of Broker Network (BN) will be able to trade with commercial insurer MMA Insurance plc via BN’s Network Trading Room.MMA plc is a wholly owned subsidiary of French multi-national insurer, MMA...

All in the Family

Apr 4 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...

Franchisor Benefits from Unrest in Captive Insurance World

Apr 4 2011 // Ray Spears, Jeff Wilson, and Charles Donaldson in 2007 established GlobalGreen Insurance Agency as the brand name for the franchise network of independent agencies developed and operated by St. Louis, Mo.-based Equity One...

A Balancing Act

Apr 4 2011 // When it comes to health insurance reform, it seems that where you’re coming from makes all the difference.Illinois Insurance Director Michael McRaith, President Obama’s pick to head the Federal Insurance Office...

People

Apr 4 2011 // Ohio-based Westfield Insurance promoted Joseph C. Kohmann to group finance leader (CFO) and treasurer. He replaces Robert Krisowaty, who retires with more than 10 years of service.In July 2010 Kohmann assumed the position...