Latest Independent Agencies Headlines

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

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...

Independent Insurance Agents of Mississippi Names New President

Jul 31 2008 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Mississippi elected Angelyn Treutel of Treutel Insurance Agency in Bay St. Louis president at their 110th Annual Convention in Destin, Florida. Treutel’s election follows an active...

Texas Independent Agents Group Names Young Governmental Affairs Manager

Jul 30 2008 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) has named Rebecca Young governmental affairs manager to help serve as a liaison between association members and legislators.With more than 15 years’ experience...

Jul 7 2008 // PeopleMcQueary Henry Bowles Troy LLP (MHBT) added Jim Anderson as senior vice president in the Dallas-based firm’s property/casualty group. Anderson will oversee the production and account management of...

Ross and Phillipp Honored by IBA West Young Brokers

Jul 2 2008 // The Insurance Brokers and Agents of the West (IBA West) Young Brokers and Agents presented two awards for young professionals in the insurance industry. The Anthony J. DiBuduo Award went to Derek Ross of C.M. Meiers of...

Utah Independent Insurance Agents Name Stringham Young Agent of the Year

Jun 30 2008 // Ryan Stringham of The Buckner Co. has been named Young Agent of the Year by the Utah Association of Independent Insurance Agents. Stringham started his career with The Buckner Co. in 2002. While working full time for the...

Kaufman Elected President of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas

Jun 23 2008 // Garry Kaufman, president of Galveston Insurance Associates, Galveston, Texas, was elected president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) for 2008-2009 during the 111th Annual Conference & Trade Show....

Muesse Named ACSR of the Year by Texas Independent Agents Group

Jun 18 2008 // Kimberly Muesse, a senior account manager with the Lockton Companies in Katy, Texas, won the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas Accredited Customer Service Representative of the Year award at the trade...

Morriss Wins Texas Independent Agents’ Drex Foreman Award

Jun 17 2008 // Texarkana life-long independent insurance agent Don Morriss, was named winner of the highest award given by the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) at the 111th Annual Conference & Trade Show.Morriss is...

Texas Agent Group’s Recruiting Manager to Help Members Find Staff

Jun 9 2008 // Colleen O’Sullivan has joined the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas as the organization’s first-ever recruiting manager. Sullivan’s duties will include assisting the IIAT’s Trusted Choice...

4 Texas Agencies Picked for Big ‘I’ Best Practices Study Group

Jun 3 2008 // Austin, Texas-based Combined Agents of America LLC (CAA) announced four of its member agencies, Bigham-Kliewer-Chapman-Watts, Bryan Insurance, Pierson & Fendley and Weatherby-Eisenrich, were selected to participated...

Encompass Adds New Products for Independent Agents in Minnesota

May 20 2008 // Minnesota insurance agents now can offer customers a new product that combines accident forgiveness and more discounts with rating tiers to help keep rates competitive, according to Northbrook, Ill.-based Encompass...

Insurer Executives Say More Can be Done to Attract New Talent

May 19 2008 // Young agents today face a number of challenges, including the soft market, a downturn in the economy, and learning the skills to become a successful agent. In the meantime, the insurance industry struggles to attract more...

Mass. Agents Take Aim at Progressive Online; Insurer Defends Site

May 6 2008 // Independent agents in Massachusetts have charged that Progressive Insurance, which began selling auto insurance online in the state May 1, is skirting state regulations and misleading consumers with its Web site quoting...

People

May 5 2008 // Charlotte, N.C.-based wholesale insurance broker AmWINS Group, Inc. has named James Drinkwater president of its AmWINS Brokerage division. Drinkwater will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the division.Prior...

Agents and the Recession: Agents Tend to Fare Better Than Their Customers

Apr 22 2008 // Main Street independent insurance agents could take a bigger hit than their larger counterparts as an economic recession lands on top of the soft market.The soft market coinciding with a bad economy is a real challenge for...

Apr 21 2008 // PeopleMichigan-based J.M. Wilson recently announced three new staff members, Danielle Crandell, Eric Maus and Jeanne Callan. Crandell was hired as a transportation underwriter. She will service commercial trucking accounts...

Agents’ Workload Goes Up as Economy, Compensation Move Down

Apr 21 2008 // Insurance Journal‘s Editor-in-Chief Andrea Wells was at the Big “I” Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., where she caught up with Robert Fulwider, an independent agent from Iowa who is chairman of...

White Papers and Blueprints: Agents Chart Their Own Regulatory Future

Apr 21 2008 // Insurance Journal‘s Editor-in-Chief Andrea Wells interviewed Robert Rusbuldt, CEO and president of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America (the Big “I”), at the Big “I”...

Top 100 Property Casualty Independent Agencies

Apr 21 2008 // About This Report: The soft market had its effect on this year’s Top 100. But despite challenging soft market conditions, 15 of the privately-owned agencies and brokerages on Insurance Journal‘s Top 100...