Latest Small Business Headlines

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

Dovetail Insurance Offering NetComp to Small Businesses in Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas

Oct 11 2013 // Dovetail Insurance announced it is now offering its NetComp workers’ compensation insurance to small businesses in Arkansas, Iowa and Kansas. The product is available through independent agents. Dovetail’s...

AIG Sued by Small Businesses Over Workers’ Compensation Reporting

Oct 10 2013 // Class action lawsuits in federal courts on both coasts have been initiated on behalf of small businesses in California, New York and New Jersey against American International Group (AIG) over workers’ compensation...

Obamacare’s Small Business Health Markets Delayed a Month

Sep 26 2013 // Small businesses won’t be able to enroll in new online health insurance marketplaces until Nov. 1 in most U.S. states, the latest delay for the Obama administration’s signature health-care law.Small businesses...

For Small Companies in New York, Health Care Law Raises Questions

Sep 16 2013 // Restaurant owners Colleen and Tim Holmes were considering opening a third business in a growing upstate New York suburb but decided against it. One factor was the risk from expanding their staff beyond 50 full-time...

Mississippi to Create Small Business Health Insurance Exchange

Sep 9 2013 // Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney plans to move ahead with a health insurance exchange for small businesses after federal officials approved regulations to allow the move.The Department of Health and Human...

Knowing Their Business

Sep 9 2013 // Understanding the exposures of commercial clientele is not only important in reducing an agency’s errors and omissions risk; it’s important to the agency’s and carrier’s bottom line, too.Small...

Agents Who Understand Customers’ Businesses Boost Commercial Insurers: J.D. Power

Sep 3 2013 // Small commercial lines insurance customers most value having an insurance agent or broker who completely understands their individual business and helps them assess and manage their risk. The highest-ranked small business...

Businesses Seek Cure for Health Care Cost Surge

Aug 16 2013 // A year ago, Teresa Hartnett was on the verge of expanding her small business. The company had hit $1 million in sales, and requests from clients were flowing in. She planned to transition from nearly 30 freelancers to a...

Family Insurance in Jeopardy at Small Companies

Aug 9 2013 // One casualty of the new health care law may be paid coverage for families of people who work for small businesses.Insurance companies have already warned small business customers that premiums could rise 20 percent or more...

Travelers’ Small Business Risk Education Program Launched in Chicago

Jul 18 2013 // The Travelers Companies Inc. announced the launch of the Small Business Risk Education (SBRE) program in Chicago to help women and minority small business owners learn about risk management, develop safety risk management...

Bill Ensures Paid Family Leave For California Workers

May 21 2013 // California businesses would be prohibited from firing or retaliating against employees who take advantage of the state’s paid family leave program under a job-protection bill moving through the Legislature.The...

Utah to Be First to Use Dual-Model Health Exchange

May 13 2013 // The federal government has approved Utah to become the first state to have a dual-model health insurance exchange in which the state and the federal government divide responsibilities.The plan allows Utah to continue to...

Hartford Steam Boiler Launches Cyber Attack Protection for Small Businesses

Apr 29 2013 // The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Co. (HSB), part of Munich Re, has launched HSB CyberOne, a new cyber risk insurance coverage for small businesses. The new product expands HSB’s suite of products...

FirstComp Launches BOP Policy in Nebraska, Tennessee, More States to Come

Apr 26 2013 // FirstComp, a division of Markel Service, Inc., has launched a new small business owner policy, FirstComp EssentialBOP, for FirstComp-appointed independent agents writing business in Nebraska and Tennessee. Availability in...

Iowa Senate Panel OKs Small Business Health Coverage Tax Incentive

Apr 5 2013 // An Iowa Senate panel approved a bill that would give a new income tax break to small businesses if they cover part of their employees’ health insurance.The measure passed a Senate Ways and Means subcommittee with...

Arkansas House Panel OKs Small Business Financing Bill

Mar 22 2013 // An Arkansas House committee has advanced a proposal to establish a new economic development program in the state aimed at driving private investment to small businesses.The House Economic Development Committee unanimously...

Arkansas House Panel Considers Small Business Tax Credit Bill

Mar 21 2013 // Arkansas lawmakers are considering a proposal to create a new tax credit to spur private investment of small businesses.A bipartisan proposal that would allow the Arkansas Economic Commission to issue tax credits in order...

Small Biz Owners Were Hit Hard By Sandy Outages, The Hartford Finds

Mar 21 2013 // Among small business owners in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut who were impacted by Superstorm Sandy, some 71 percent of them experienced power outage after Sandy, which led to temporary disruptions in business...

ACE Launches Portal for Placing U.S. Small Business International Policies

Mar 21 2013 // ACE Commercial Risk Services, the U.S.-based small business insurance division of the ACE Group, has introduced a portal for U.S. brokers working with small- to-mid-sized U.S.-based companies doing business overseas. The...

Snapshot: Who Are America’s Small Business Entrepreneurs?

Mar 11 2013 // About one-third of America’s entrepreneurs are women, many are between the ages of 30 and 49, and 60 percent spent more than six months working on their business idea before forming their entity.More than four out of...