Business Moves – West
InsureZone, MSI
Fort Worth, Texas-based InsureZone announced it has acquired Denver-based MSI Group, with agencies in 20 states. The purchase adds 63 agencies to InsureZone’s network/cluster program.
MSI Group provides agency members with access to major carriers for personal lines and commercial lines of business, as well as life and health lines, and investments if desired, according to information posted on its website.
The InsureZone Direct model will be expanded to other states by adding zone managers that have ownership rights in defined geographic areas.
SIAA
Hampton, N.H.-based Strategic Insurance Agency Alliance added three members in the West in August. SIAA added 30 total for the month.
Of the signed members, 18 are new to the independent agency system, many of them former captive agents. SIAA helped create 299 new agencies in 2011 from a total of 412 newly signed members; 194 have been created so far in 2012.
August’s new West members include:
Northwestern Insurance Group of Bend, Ore.; Bonnie Risse Insurance Agency of Fountain Valley, Calif.; andPacker Insurance Services of Rancho Mirage, Calif.
SIAA also announced master agency partner BGI Agency Network has signed its 50th member agency.
BGI signed Matt Armstrong Insurance Agency of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
BGI Agency Network has been a partner Master Agency of SIAA since 2000. With territory covering Washington, northern Oregon, and northern Idaho, they are one of the largest independent agency groups in the Pacific Northwest.
Since its inception in 1995, SIAA has signed over 4,200 new members. SIAA members reported more than $780 million in new premium growth in 2011.
Leavitt
The Leavitt Group is combining the capabilities of six of their top California agencies along with their Las Vegas, Salt Lake and Atlanta offices. The agencies will re-brand collectively as the Leavitt Group.
The California agencies include Jenkins Insurance Services, Pridemark-Everest Insurance Services, Valley Insurance Service, Leavitt Benefits Insurance Services of Southern California, Leavitt Insurance Services of L.A., and Leavitt Insurance Agency of San Diego. Other participating agencies include Leavitt Group of Atlanta in Georgia, Leavitt Group Insurance Advisors in Utah, along with Leavitt Insurance Agency and Leavitt Group Benefits Services in Nevada.
The Leavitt Group provides insurance, risk management, and employee benefits solutions to their clients. The Leavitt Group has 115 offices across the nation.
Coastal Risk Underwriters
Coastal Risk Underwriter, a member company of Insight Catastrophe Group, has launched a preferred homeowners program for properties in Alaska. The program, underwritten by Occidental Fire & Casualty Co. of North Carolina, provides coverage in the following boroughs: Anchorage, Fairbanks North Star, Kenai Peninsula and Matanuska Susitna.
The Alaska Preferred Homeowners program provides coverage for a broad spectrum of residential properties. Policy limits for homes range from $110,000 to $1 million. Earthquake coverage is also available in most areas. Appointed agents and brokers also have access to CRU’s agent portal.
This program marks the sixth homeowners product CRU has launched with Occidental and its affiliate Wilshire Insurance Co. Products are also available in N.Y., La., S.C., Va. and Ala. CRU plans to increase its reach by expanding into several additional states during the next 12 months.
CRU is a program manager providing specialty personal and commercial property and casualty insurance products on an admitted and surplus lines basis.
General Star Management Co.
General Star Management Co. has made its admitted professional liability coverage for real estate agents available in California. Underwritten by General Star’s Professional E&O Division, the new offering is provided by General Star National Insurance Co.
General Star also upgraded the admitted policy with new coverage features designed especially for a real estate agent’s area of practice. Applicants eligible for the “EASY” program can access the new admitted product via a web-based application option. The traditional submission process remains available.
As part of the announcement, General Star also increased EASY Program eligibility from $100,000 in gross revenue to $200,000.
The protection offers over a dozen enhancements at no additional cost.
Marsh U.S. Consumer is the exclusive program administrator for General Star’s real estate agents and brokers and real estate appraisers programs.