All the headlines from our Agencies Topic Page, ordered by recency.
May 20 2009 // A New Hampshire state employee has been sentenced to two years in federal prison and pay back more than $164,000 to clients she defrauded in her previous job as an insurance agent. Raye Ellen Douville of Bedford, who had...
May 19 2009 // The current economic environment has produced several influences that in combination are negatively affecting, or at least stressing, property casualty insurance carriers in unique ways, according to one experienced...
May 19 2009 // American Collectors Insurance, a provider of specialty insurance for collector vehicles and collectibles, has expanded to offer collector-vehicle insurance coverage in Alaska.The coverage applies to a range of collector...
May 19 2009 // Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has acquired Nourse Insurance Brokers Inc. in Walnut Creek, Calif. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.Founded in 1935, Nourse Insurance Brokers Inc. is a retail insurance broker...
May 19 2009 // North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Adam Hamm has revoked the license of Rex Graves, a Jamestown insurance agent who the insurance department says engaged in deceitful and dishonest practices involving his insurance...
May 18 2009 // Zurich Financial Services Group appointed Francis Bouchard head of the Climate Office. Bouchard will succeed Mike Kerner, who was appointed CEO of Global Corporate in North America.Bouchard will work to institutionalize...
May 18 2009 // Does a bad economy increase crime? Analysts have debated that question for years, according to Mike McKee, senior special agent for the National Insurance Crime Bureau. While it’s too soon for statistics to confirm...
May 18 2009 // Lobbyists for property/casualty insurance agents have elevated health care reform to the top of their political agenda.P/C agents have addressed health insurance legislation in the past but the issue has taken on new...
May 18 2009 // Managing general agents have a positive attitude about the soft market and recession, figuring what went down must come up again, according to Curtis Anderson, incoming president of the Association of Managing General...
May 18 2009 // W. R. Berkley Corp. appointed Richard M. Baio to the newly created office of vice president – treasurer. He will manage the investment accounting and tax departments, global currency, banking relationships and all...
May 18 2009 // Not all deregulation measures are good; some are a mixed blessing. Consider HB 1171 that passed the Florida House and Senate and was sent to Gov. Charlie Crist, a regular critic of the industry who was reportedly hesitant...
May 18 2009 // The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers (the Big “I”) has awarded Alex Soto with the Woodworth Memorial Award, the highest honor the association bestows on one of its members.Soto is president and CEO...
May 18 2009 // Use your agency management system to the max. Measure your productivity. Communicate consistently and effectively with your staff, customers and carriers. And above all, don’t get cheap when it comes to the...
May 18 2009 // To start off, what exactly is a workers’ compensation group trust? Per the New York State Insurance Department Web site, it is:[A] group of employers who perform related activities in an industry who agree to be...
May 18 2009 // Money is the lifeblood of any business. But when it comes to running insurance agencies, money isn’t the main thing that principals look for when they do business with a certain carrier.Claims handling, it turns out,...
May 18 2009 // What do agents want from their insurance carriers? Surprisingly, compensation is not No. 1 on the list. Rather, independent insurance agents would rather have a good relationship with a carrier that is responsive. One...
May 18 2009 // In today’s environment, the value of personal relationships, soar. Nobody fosters these better than insurance agents.You don’t need to get too deep into conversation these days to find out people are afraid....
May 18 2009 // Bob Rusbuldt, president and CEO of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (Big “I”), sat down with Insurance Journal‘s Andrew Simpson at the association’s recent legislative...
May 18 2009 // Health care reform hasn’t completely overwhelmed federal regulation as a concern in Washington, at least for insurance agents. They believe that given all of the current financial turmoil, some type of financial...
May 18 2009 // Property/casualty agencies can learn something valuable from successful car dealers. And no, it has nothing to do with waxing and buffing. It’s something even shinier, the wisdom to experiment. Dominant dealers are...