Latest Agencies Headlines

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

What It Takes for a New Insurance Agent to Succeed

Jun 19 2020 // Developing young talent to become successful young agents is not easy.Chris Burand, president of Burand & Associates, an insurance agency consulting firm, estimates that the new producer failure rate is as high as 70%...

Nitsche Named Chair of Independent Insurance Agents of Texas’ Board

Jun 19 2020 // Robert Nitsche, CEO of the Giddings, Texas-based independent insurance agency The Nitsche Group, has been appointed chair of the board of directors for the 2020-2021 year by the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas...

California Appoints Curriculum and Insurance Guarantee Board Members

Jun 18 2020 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced the newest members of the California Department of Insurance’s Curriculum Board and the California Insurance Guarantee Association’s Board of...

Specialty Insurance Broker Towerstone Adds Blanquez in San Antonio

Jun 18 2020 // Towerstone, a Dallas-based specialty insurance broker and IMA Financial Group company, has added Thomas Blanquez to its energy practice and expanded its geographic footprint to San Antonio.Blanquez is a 21-year veteran of...

AXA XL Taps Clarke from WTW, Generali’s Warke for UK Broker Management Team

Jun 17 2020 // AXA XL announced two additions to its UK broker management team: Michael Clarke has been appointed Regional Broker Distribution leader while Robyn Warke has been named Broker Distribution leader.As Regional Broker...

The Liberty Company Insurance Brokers Adds Ausec in California

Jun 17 2020 // The Liberty Company Insurance Brokers has added Jamie Ausec to the Irvine, Calif. Ausec specializes in employee benefits. She started her career in insurance 16 years ago and has worked at ADP, Alliant, and most recently...

Texas Returning to Normal Temporary Agent License Process on Aug. 15

Jun 16 2020 // The Texas Department of Insurance will return to normal processing for temporary agent licenses beginning on Aug. 15.Anyone with a temporary license issued August 15 or earlier will have until Nov. 13 to get a regular...

N.Y. AG Urges Apple, Google to Protect Consumers Using Contact Tracing Apps

Jun 16 2020 // New York Attorney General Letitia James has urged Apple, maker of the iPhone, and Google, developer of the Android operating system, to take steps to protect consumer information and privacy as New Yorkers and Americans...

Smith Elected President of Independent Insurance Association of Georgia

Jun 16 2020 // The Independent Insurance Association of Georgia (IIAG) has elected Ash L. Smith as president.Smith is an executive vice president of Blanchard & Calhoun Insurance Agency in Augusta, Ga., working in the risk management...

Reassuring Customers Part of Job for Minnesota Agent in Aftermath of Riots

Jun 15 2020 // Dan Gutlovics did a lot of virtual hand holding during the first days of the violent protests in Minneapolis and St. Paul following the death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police on May 25.Gutlovics,...

The Professional Insurance Agents of New Jersey Elects Five to Board of Directors

Jun 15 2020 // The Professional Insurance Agents of New Jersey (PIANJ) elected five independent insurance agents from around the state to its board of directors at the association’s annual business meeting.The following individuals...

Companies Press Insurance Brokers for Workarounds to Rising D&O Costs

Jun 15 2020 // When Elon Musk said in April he was dropping the insurance policy that protects Tesla Inc.’s board from shareholder lawsuits, it got Skip McBride’s attention.To McBride, who used to manage law firm Bracewell...

How Construction Companies Can Make the Most of Technology Advancements

Jun 15 2020 // As one of the oldest industries, construction has been notoriously slow to adopt technological advancements and embrace the digital age. However, in the last decade, many innovative technologies have gained traction in the...

Producer Recruiting and Retention Is the Same Issue for Agencies

Jun 15 2020 // Why? This is the entire question for agencies when it comes to producer recruiting. Well, maybe not. Here are the elongated versions of questions I field on this issue. Why is it so hard to find sales candidates? Why...

How COVID-19 Will Change Insurance Sales

Jun 15 2020 // An agent who is a client of mine asked me, “Do you really think any business owner is truly happy with their agent or insurance company today?” Good question. Having to tell the public over and over and over,...

What’s New Today in Producer Compensation?

Jun 15 2020 // What makes a good and motivating producer compensation model does not need to be rocket science. The key is to pay what the agency can afford to pay and for what the firm is providing the producers. Lastly, the plan needs...

Searchlight Capital Partners Completes Acquisition of UK Broker Global Risk Partners

Jun 12 2020 // Global Risk Partners Ltd., the London-based independent insurance intermediary, announced that global private investment firm Searchlight Capital Partners has completed its acquisition of a majority stake in the group,...

For Entertainment Insurance Specialists, Coronavirus Intermission Is Looking Long

Jun 12 2020 // The entertainment industry is prepping for its return to work after a near total shutdown from COVID-19.For the entertainment industry and the insurance brokers serving this sector, what that return to work will look is...

Cannabis Broker Spotlight: Worldwide’s Ives Sees Cannabis Time in Dog Years

Jun 11 2020 // Editor’s note: This part of a series of profiles on cannabis brokers, in which Insurance Journal explores why and how these folks got into the business, the ups and downs of insuring cannabis, as well as a few tips...

Do Auto Insureds Prefer Insurer Websites Over Agents? J.D. Power Thinks So.

Jun 11 2020 // Remember all the talk that digital transformation would disrupt the auto insurance industry? Well, it’s real, according to the consultants at J.D. Power.The firm says its 2020 U.S. Auto Insurance Study proves that...