Latest Agencies Headlines

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

Taylor, Wrobel Join Southwest Risk in Dallas

Jan 15 2015 // Insurance broker Southwest Risk LP has added Ryan Taylor and Wade Wrobel in Dallas as brokers with a focus on transportation, energy and hospitality. Taylor is a native of the DFW Metroplex. Most recently, he served as...

ACE Launches Middle Market Insurance Solution for Continental Europe

Jan 15 2015 // ACE Group has launched ACE Middle Market Solutions, an enhanced proposition for brokers and clients, designed to help continue building its position in the middle market segment in key Continental Europe insurance...

Boston Insurance Brokerage Promotes Dickson to VP

Jan 14 2015 // Carl Dickson Boston Insurance Brokerage Inc. has promoted Carl Dickson to the position of vice president of the Property/Casualty & Environmental Division. Dickson served as assistant vice president at the firm for...

Ex-Kansas Insurance Agent Gets Prison Sentence for Client, Company Theft

Jan 14 2015 // Prosecutors say a former insurance agent in Kansas has been sentenced to 42 months in prison for stealing from his clients. The U.S. attorney’s office said that 43-year-old Jason Matthew Pennington of Wichita pleaded...

Michigan Orders Unlicensed Agent, Fictitious Insurer to Stop Selling Insurance

Jan 13 2015 // The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) has ordered Ray Coleman, Midwest Insurance Group and RPM Insurance Group (RPM) to cease and desist from selling, soliciting or negotiating insurance...

Texas Bill Would Protect P/C Agent Ownership of Expiration Rights

Jan 13 2015 // A bill filed in the Texas Legislature for the 2015 session would clarify that insurance agents in the state have exclusive ownership of the expiration rights to property/casualty insurance policies they sell and place. HB...

Kaufman Financial Acquires Canadian MGA Avec Insurance Managers

Jan 13 2015 // Burns & Wilcox Canada, a subsidiary of Kaufman Financial Group, announced it has acquired Avec Insurance Managers, a Toronto-based managing general agent with expertise in marine, inland marine and other specialty...

‘One-Day’ Policy Sales Lead to Agent License Suspensions in Michigan

Jan 13 2015 // The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) announced it has suspended the licenses of father and son insurance agents Ali Ali and Adnan Ali-Aljadri and their insurance agencies AAS and ASA for...

Mercury in California Ordered to Pay $27.5M for Unapproved Broker Fees

Jan 12 2015 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones ordered Mercury Insurance to pay a fine of $27.5 million because Mercury auto insurance consumers were allegedly charged unapproved broker fees. Mercury did not obtain...

Proposed XL Acquisition of Catlin Gets Review From Rating Agencies

Jan 12 2015 // A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s have weighed in with their comments about XL Group’s announced agreement to acquire Catlin Group Ltd. for $4.1 billion in cash and stock. A.M. Best placed the financial...

Florida’s Citizens Dealing with ‘Takeout Fatigue’

Jan 12 2015 // Faced with a rising number of consumer complaints, Florida’s state-backed property insurer has announced a series of changes to its takeout program. The news comes as the insurer said it is highly unlikely to need...

2015 Insurance Industry Meetings & Conventions Directory

Jan 12 2015 // Welcome to Insurance Journal‘s 2015 Insurance Industry Meetings and Conventions Directory. The information in this directory is taken from a larger database containing additional information on these and other...

When It Comes to Mobile for Independent Agents It’s the App that Counts

Jan 12 2015 // Have agents reached a tipping point when it comes to making their services accessible with a smartphone? Some believe the independent agent still has time to adapt. Others argue that those who wait will be run over by...

ACE to Buy Fireman’s Fund Personal Lines; Famous Brand Fading Away

Jan 12 2015 // On Dec. 18, Allianz Group announced that it would sell the U.S. personal lines business of its Fireman’s Fund unit to ACE for $365 million by means of renewal rights arrangement. The merger of the personal lines...

Labor Woes for a Rebounding Construction Market

Jan 12 2015 // With construction activity picking up steam all across the nation, insurers are expressing concern over how the construction sector will meet the growing demand for qualified labor. Insurers are concerned not only with the...

Insurance Policies – Too Clever by Half

Jan 12 2015 // I recently bought one of the new airline travel insurance policies. I’m on planes all the time visiting agencies and speaking across the country, so this new product appealed greatly to me. Many of my flights suffer...

Independent Agents See Carriers’ Online Sales As Major Threat: Accenture Survey

Jan 11 2015 // Independent insurance agents’ strengths in customer service and risk management could be challenged by changing consumer behaviors, new technologies and the evolving competitive landscape, according to a new report...

The Walker Group Rebrands to AmWINS Brokerage of New York

Jan 9 2015 // Effective Jan. 1, 2015, The Walker Group, an AmWINS Group company, has changed its name to AmWINS Brokerage of New York to expand AmWINS Group’s brand in New York state. Located in Syracuse and Amherst, New York, The...

Professional Underwriting Group Launches Admitted Insurance Agents E&O Program

Jan 9 2015 // Professional Underwriting Group, Inc. is now offering an admitted program for insurance agent’s errors and omission insurance to qualifying insurance agents in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida,...

Senate Passes TRIA; Bill Goes to President Obama’s Desk

Jan 8 2015 // Today the U.S. Senate followed the House and voted overwhelmingly to reauthorize the federal terrorism reinsurance program that had been allowed to lapse. The vote was 93-4 in favor. On Wednesday, the House of...