Latest Agencies Headlines

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

3 Ways Auto Insurers Should Adapt to Drivers’ Changing Road Habits

Nov 7 2016 // For a historically slow-moving industry, changes are occurring at a rapid rate in today’s auto insurance world. Drivers’ road habits are shifting and auto insurers should adapt to the changing behavior behind...

Berkshire’s Workers’ Compensation Product Carries Risks of Innovation

Nov 4 2016 // David Miller is a stickler for safety at the Goodwill stores he runs in central California. So when Applied Underwriters offered his nonprofit a deal on insurance for workplace accidents if he could minimize injuries, he...

How Independent Agents Are Feeling About Growth, Technology and Disruption

Nov 3 2016 // Property/casualty independent insurance agents are more optimistic this year than they were in 2015. Nearly half (49 percent) of agencies responding to an industry survey say they are “very optimistic” about...

Lloyd’s Innovation Awards Go to Aon, Beazley, Cromar, Hiscox, Tokio Marine Kiln

Nov 3 2016 // Lloyd’s of London recently announced the winners of its 2016 Innovation Awards. Beazley, Cromar, Hiscox and Tokio Marine Kiln each picked up awards for innovative products or new ways of working. Aon won most...

PIA Management Services Expands to Include Vermont Association

Nov 3 2016 // PIA Management Services Inc., the umbrella corporation that manages the Glenmont, New York, based Professional Insurance Agents (PIA) associations, has reached an agreement with PIA National to assume management of the PIA...

Schinnerer Expands Builders Risk Program

Nov 1 2016 // Victor O. Schinnerer & Company, an underwriting manager, has expanded its Builders Risk program to now include coverage for commercial construction and commercial and residential remodeling. Brokers can now quote and...

Indio, Tech Startup for Commercial Insurance Brokers, Raises $2 Million

Nov 1 2016 // Indio, a commercial insurance platform for brokers that aims to do what Sabre did for travel agents or Schwab did for wealth managers, said it has secured $2 million in seed financing. Venture capital firms NEA, Compound,...

McCalister Joins All Risks Ltd. in Dallas

Oct 31 2016 // The independent wholesale insurance brokerage firm, All Risks Ltd., has added Bryan McCalister as a broker in the firm’s Dallas office. McCalister will focus on casualty brokerage opportunities throughout Texas,...

Experienced Underwriter Mark Hart Joins Breckenridge Insurance Services as Senior Vice President

Oct 31 2016 // Atlanta, GA, October 31, 2016 — Mark Hart has joined the wholesale brokerage firm Breckenridge Insurance Services as a senior vice president within its Elevation Authorities contract binding division. Hart brings twenty...

Auto Insurance Customer Satisfaction Highest When Agents File Claims

Oct 31 2016 // Eight of 10 customers who purchased their auto insurance policy through a local agent still call their agent first to report or seek advice regarding a claim and customers whose agents file their claim are happier with...

BrickStreet Mutual, Motorists Mutual Pursue Joint Venture

Oct 28 2016 // BrickStreet Mutual Insurance and Motorists Mutual Insurance Co. announced they have begun to formalize an affiliation agreement between the two companies. If approved by state regulators and closed as anticipated in July...

Baldwin Named 2016 Distinguished Partner by Michigan Professional Insurance Agents

Oct 27 2016 // Cathy Baldwin, director of Marketing and Communication at wholesale insurance broker J.M. Wilson, has been named 2016 Distinguished Partner of the Year by the Michigan Association of Professional Insurance Agents (MI...

IIABNY Elects Zogby as National Director

Oct 24 2016 // Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York (IIABNY), a Dewitt, New York based organization representing independent insurance agents and brokers, has elected Stephen Zogby as national director. In this role,...

Texas Fines Zenefits $550K for Using Unlicensed Brokers

Oct 24 2016 // Texas insurance regulators have fined human resources software startup, Zenefits, $550,000 for its past use of unlicensed health insurance brokers. The Texas Department of Insurance said YourPeople Inc., known as Zenefits,...

Insurance Agent, Industry Leader Bolton Remembered as Friend and Mentor

Oct 24 2016 // William Bolton, head of a large national brokerage, leader of a regional brokers group and chairman of Assurex Global, died on Oct. 5 at age 77 following a long battle with squamous cell carcinoma and a bilateral lung...

Spotlight: How Analyzing Workers’ Comp Claims Helps Both Clients and Their Brokers

Oct 24 2016 // Data analytics on claims (specifically workers’ compensation claims) adds clarity for the client when identifying underlying issues they need to focus their loss control efforts on. This article outlines the main...

M&A Review: Deal Activity Continues Strong Pace

Oct 24 2016 // Deal count for the third quarter (Q3) of 2016 was down relative to the record-breaking Q3 of 2015, but was still the second-most active Q3 in the past 10 years. There were 90 announced transactions in Q3 2016 compared to...

Dangers in Data Collection: How Much Is Too Much?

Oct 24 2016 // How to Help Insureds Manage Customer Privacy Risk Insurance carriers and agents have come to learn that increased data can lead to greater risk for insureds, and they are increasingly advising businesses to disclose data...

Want to Know More About Agency E&O? Participate Now.

Oct 21 2016 // Insurance Journal is asking for participation in its 2016 Agency Errors & Omissions Survey. This survey report will share key insights on today’s Agency E&O market. Participate now to learn more about the...

Grinnell Mutual Leads 2nd Funding Round for Insurance Social Media Start Up

Oct 21 2016 // Serious Social Media, developer of the automated social media marketing service, InsuranceSocial.Media, and a 2016 graduate of the Global Insurance Accelerator (GIA) program, announced it has secured a second round of...