Latest Agencies Headlines
All the headlines from our Agencies Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Kurtz Named Independent Insurance Agents of Texas’ Young Agent of the Year
Jul 3 2019 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) has named Wes Kurtz of Pathfinder/LL&D in Houston as its André P. Juneau ELITExan of the Year. This award is given annually to a young insurance professional in Texas...
Commentary: Surplus Lines Support Florida’s Vibrant Insurance Market
Jul 3 2019 // The Sunshine State is one of the top three consumers of surplus lines insurance in the country. As Florida focuses on attracting jobs and welcoming opportunity, the surplus lines insurance industry is helping the...
U.S. Risk Insurance Group Finalizes Sale to USI Insurance Services
Jul 2 2019 // Dallas, TX, July 2, 2019 – U.S. Risk Insurance Group (U.S. Risk), one of the nation’s largest property and casualty program and specialty brokerage firms, today announced the completion of its previously announced...
Motel 6 Settles Another Class Action Over Giving Guest Lists to Immigration Agents
Jul 1 2019 // Motel 6 has agreed to pay $10 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over claims the budget chain routinely provided guest lists from properties in Arizona to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, court...
Anxiety, Policy Limits Rising Ahead of California’s Sweeping Data Privacy Law
Jul 1 2019 // Robert L. Wallan’s clients are keeping him quite busy as they fret about the implementation next year of the nation’s most far-reaching data privacy law, which gives California consumers more control over their...
Agents (Still) Looking for Underwriting Sweet Spot: Channel Harvest
Jul 1 2019 // Whether technology is driving a “one size fits all” underwriting approach or carriers are narrowing their strike zone, this year’s independent agency survey from Channel Harvest reveals agents continue to...
How ‘You Have a Duty to Read Your Policy’ Language Can Wreck a Life
Jul 1 2019 // I have seen and heard seemingly an infinite number of agents, agents’ associations, and errors and omissions (E&O) attorneys advise that agents should have a low standard of care and rely on the insured having...
Insurance Agents Have Come to Embrace Insurtech. When Will Carriers?
Jul 1 2019 // There used to be a time when independent insurance agents were wary of what disruption insurtech might bring. They feared a future where all insurance transactions were done digitally — eliminating the need for the...
Customer Experience Starts With Marketing Communications
Jul 1 2019 // In my last column, we discussed agents’ critical task of delivering the best possible customer experience to differentiate themselves from competitors. To do that, agents need to closely examine every task they...
Resolving Claim Disputes: Step 1…The RTFP Doctrine
Jul 1 2019 // If you have been following this 12-part series, welcome to the home stretch. In the first six articles, we’ve examined why claims are denied and how to avoid or prevent such denials, concluding with an introduction...
People
Jul 1 2019 // National American International Group said Kathleen Zortman will join the company as president and CEO of Private Client Group, General Insurance. In this new role, Zortman will lead AIG’s global high net worth...
Ray Elected Chair of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas
Jun 28 2019 // Mark Ray of Borden Insurance Agency in Corpus Christi has been elected to serve as chair of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) for 2019-20. Additionally, Gaylon Brown of TexCap Insurance in Dallas as was...
XS Brokers Hires Delmonico-Long, Hall to Florida Business Development Team
Jun 28 2019 // XS Brokers (XSB), an independent insurance underwriting and wholesale brokerage group, has hired Michelle Delmonico-Longo as Business Development manager and David Hall as senior vice president, Business Development for...
BondExchange Upgrades Surety Bond Platform to Include Self-Service
Jun 27 2019 // BondExchange has upgraded its surety bond platform to give agents their own branded portal to directly distribute bonds to their clients. The original platform launched in 2016 and now serves over 25,000 agents across the...
Supreme Court Scales Back Doctrine Giving Deference to Regulatory Agencies
Jun 27 2019 // The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday constrained the power of federal agencies, scaling back a legal doctrine that calls for judges to give agencies deference to interpret their own rules but declining to eliminate it as...
What Passed, What Didn’t: New Florida Laws Taking Effect July 1
Jun 27 2019 // The Florida Legislature looked at and passed many pieces of legislation in the 2019 session that will impact the insurance industry. The following are summaries of what passed — and what didn’t. What Passed HB 7065...
Georgia Court: Insurer Can’t Deny Coverage Despite Misinformation on Application
Jun 27 2019 // An insurer that extended its workers’ compensation coverage for 90 days after discovering the employer had violated the terms of its policy could not then deny coverage for a claim on the grounds that those terms had...
Former Washington Agent Pleads Guilty to Writing Fake Auto Policies
Jun 26 2019 // Lilibeth Brulotte, a former Washington insurance agent, pleaded guilty in Pierce County Superior Court to third-degree theft in connection with writing fake auto insurance policies. Brulotte’s sentence was deferred...
Former Ohio Insurance Agent and Investment Adviser Gets 5 Years for Fraud Scheme
Jun 26 2019 // Former Dayton, Ohio-area insurance agent and investment adviser has been sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of insurance fraud and conducting a “Ponzi” scheme targeting elderly...
BHSI Names QBE’s Walker as UK Head of Customer and Broker Engagement
Jun 26 2019 // Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) announced it has expanded its team in the UK with the appointment of Mark Walker as head of Customer and Broker Engagement. “I’m extremely pleased to have Mark...
