Agent Licenses Double in N.D.

Officials said the telephone and the Internet have spurred an almost twofold increase in the number of insurance agents licensed to do business in North Dakota in the past decade.

State insurance department data show an increase from 25,856 in 2002 to 49,893 in 2011. That’s a ratio of about one insurance agent for every 15 North Dakota residents. But fewer than 6,000 of the agents are actually in the state.

The increase in licensed agents is due mainly to large companies marketing nationally via toll-free numbers and through the Internet, according to state regulators. People who answer the 1-800 calls and deal with online customers from North Dakota must be licensed in the state.