Latest Agencies Headlines

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

People

Aug 4 2008 // Colemont Insurance Brokers promoted Matt Carpenter to assistant vice president in the company’s Chicago office.Carpenter joined Colemont in 2002, specializing in brokering casualty lines. His expertise has since...

Reducing the Risk in Florida Surplus Lines

Aug 4 2008 // Like trapeze artists performing without a net, surplus lines specialists operate without the backing of the state guaranty fund, which picks up the pieces for insureds if their admitted insurer goes belly-up.But some think...

What Retail Agents Need to Know to Access Florida Surplus Lines

Aug 4 2008 // Gary Pullen, executive director, and the staff of the Florida Surplus Line Service Office supplied answers to 10 + 1 questions posed by Insurance Journal.1. Can a Florida licensed retail or producing agent also be licensed...

Alabama Insurance Agent Parker Wins Republican Runoff

Aug 4 2008 // Huntsville insurance agent Wayne Parker won the Republican nomination for an open U.S. House seat in Alabama.In the 5th District in north Alabama, Parker received 79 percent to 21 percent for Huntsville lawyer Cheryl...

Insurers, Agents Urge Coastal Wind Policy from Texas to Maine

Aug 4 2008 // Travelers, Nationwide Mutual and two leading national insurance producer organizations are supporting a plan they say will make private windstorm insurance more affordable and available in coastal areas.Federal legislation...

Challenges and Strategies for the 21st Century Independent Agency

Aug 4 2008 // The letter from the Palatine Insurance Co. to the independent insurance agency, written in the dawn of a new century began: “The insurance business is experiencing perilous and unprecedented challenges …”...

People

Aug 4 2008 // Jacksonville, Florida-based insurer The Main Street America Group named Joe Meholic president of its Richmond, Virginia region.In his new role as regional president, Meholic will be accountable for the direction,...

The Spitzer Error

Aug 4 2008 // Liberty Mutual downplayed its recent victory when the New York Supreme Court declared that contingent commission agreements are not illegal.“Contingent commission agreements between brokers and insurers are not...

Insurance Agents, Travelers, Nationwide Urge Coastal Wind Policy

Aug 4 2008 // Travelers, Nationwide Mutual and two leading national insurance producer organizations are supporting a plan they say will make private windstorm insurance more affordable and available in coastal areas.Federal legislation...

Study: Buyer Satisfaction Better When Local Agent Plays a Role

Aug 4 2008 // Buyers who purchase their auto insurance policies through local agents give higher average satisfaction scores compared with those who purchase policies from call center representatives or via Internet channels, a new...

People

Aug 4 2008 // Richard “Dick” Reynolds, former chairman and executive director of the Texas Workers’ Compensation Commission, was presented the Raymond Mauk Leadership Award at the Insurance Council of Texas’ 16th...

Challenges and Strategies for the 21st Century Independent Agency

Aug 4 2008 // The letter from the Palatine Insurance Co. to the independent insurance agency, written in the dawn of a new century began: “The insurance business is experiencing perilous and unprecedented challenges …”...

Insurance Agents, Travelers, Nationwide Urge Coastal Wind Policy

Aug 4 2008 // Travelers, Nationwide Mutual and two leading national insurance producer organizations are supporting a plan they say will make private windstorm insurance more affordable and available in coastal areas.Federal legislation...

People

Aug 4 2008 // Aon Re Global named Jan-Oliver Thofern CEO and chairman of its German subsidiary, Aon Ruck.Thofern was previously a member of the company’s executive committee. He succeeds Holger Gaserow, who plans to retire at the...

Broker Liability

Aug 4 2008 // Author’s note: This month’s column will examine the liability of a broker for an alleged failure to advise the insured about the adequacy of insurance coverage. The next column in the Sept. 1, 2008, issue will...

What Agencies Can Expect Accessing Bank Capital in the Current Credit Crunch

Aug 4 2008 // Every morning, stories of financial sector gloom and doom fill the airwaves. A slowing economy has affected the ability of individuals and businesses to pay their bills. The term “credit crunch” has become a...

Agents Weigh Independence, Commissions, Markets When Choosing Agency Networks

Aug 4 2008 // Maintaining their independence while gaining access to resources and markets are what independent agents consider when deciding whether to join an insurance agency network and which one to join.The soft market is also an...

A Philosophy – and Practice – of Sharing

Aug 4 2008 // Top 100 Agency ProfileRanking: No. 8 Insurance Office of AmericaHeadquarters: Longwood, Fla. Year Founded: 1988 Additional Locations: 22 branch offices 2007 Total P/C Premium Volume: $662.5 million 2007 Other Than P/C...

CNinsure Affiliates Receive High Rankings

Aug 1 2008 // China’s independent insurance agency and brokerage group CNinsure Inc. announced that “twelve of its affiliated insurance intermediary companies, including eight insurance agencies, one insurance brokerage and...

The Case for Risk Management and Insurance Education

Aug 1 2008 // If you’re like most insurance firms, your workforce is aging. Or, as a friend of mine recently put it, “There’s a lot of gray hair in the room.” Not that there’s anything wrong with that, mind...