Latest Agencies Headlines
All the headlines from our Agencies Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Applied Systems Acquires IVANS P/C Business
May 1 2013 // Insurance software vendor Applied Systems said it has completed its acquisition of the property/casualty business of IVANS, which has been providing products for insurance data exchange and integration between insurance...
Sandy Lesson for Business Owners: Read Policy, Keep Track of Notice Provisions
Apr 28 2013 // It’s been six months since Superstorm Sandy made its landfall on the coast of New Jersey and became one of the costliest storms ever recorded in the U.S. Many businesses in the region are still recovering from the...
Oklahoma Agents Group Pleased with Progress of State Legislation
Apr 26 2013 // Oklahoma’s independent insurance agent association says measures of interest to the group are moving so quickly in the state Legislature this year it is cancelling an annual event furing which member speak with...
Agents Group Puts Out Call to Help West, Texas
Apr 25 2013 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Texas is calling for contributions to a fund created to help in the rebuilding of West, Texas, the site of the deadly explosion at a fertilizer facility on April 17. Tommy Muska, mayor...
Big ‘I’ Honors Illinois Agent for Work on Crop Insurance
Apr 25 2013 // An Illinois agent has received an award from the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America (IIABA or Big ‘I’) for his work on behalf of crop insurance agents. Brian McSherry of Illinois is the 2012...
Remember E&O When Buying or Selling an Agency: Pearsall
Apr 25 2013 // While the industry seemed to see a spike in mergers and acquisitions activity in 2012 due to some tax implications, many are projecting that 2013 will see some healthy buying and selling, too. While there are many issues...
RIMS Wraps Up In Los Angeles, CRO Pay on Rise
Apr 24 2013 // It appears the chief risk faced by those in charge of risk programs are sky high taxes. According to a survey by the Risk and Insurance Management Society, which wrapped up a four-day conference in Los Angeles with an...
Hilb Group Buys Virginia-Based Brokerage Engle, Paxson & Hawthorne
Apr 24 2013 // The Hilb Group announced last week the acquisition of Engle, Paxson & Hawthorne Insurance Services (EPH) of Leesburg, Va. The transaction was effective April 1, 2013. Founded over a century ago, EPH serves residents...
What Young Agents Say About Their Career Choice
Apr 23 2013 // The road to becoming a successful independent insurance agent is not always easy. The economy and often volatile property/casualty insurance market cycle are just two of the potholes agents must maneuver. Young agents in...
Most Carriers Offer Agents Training Opportunities for Online Sales: Survey
Apr 23 2013 // A two-thirds majority of independent insurance agents say their carriers are providing them with training and consulting on how to use their agency websites to increase sales. This is one of the findings in a new survey of...
IIABCal Long-Time Member Michael Remembered
Apr 23 2013 // The Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of California is reporting that long-time IIABCal member Lisa Michael died on April 18 from cancer. Michael, who was 43, was a principal at Tom Michael Insurance in Turlock,...
MarketScout, Ironshore Launch E&O Program for CIC Insurance Agencies
Apr 22 2013 // MarketScout has developed a new errors & omissions facility designed specifically for Certified Insurance Counselors (CIC) to be offered through its relationship with Ironshore Inc., a global specialty insurance...
Towers Watson Expands Crisis Management Brokerage Lineup
Apr 22 2013 // Global professional services company Towers Watson has augmented its crisis management brokerage and consultancy operation with the appointment of three senior specialist insurance brokers. Mark Steddon, based in London,...
Oklahoma Man Pleads Guilty to Pocketing Agent Commissions
Apr 22 2013 // ABixby, Okla., man has pleaded guilty to taking commissions earned by insurance agents working for his firm, according to the Oklahoma Insurance Department. The OID said Christopher Bland, with Business Consulants of South...
7 Ways for Independent Agents to Recover Lost Policies
Apr 22 2013 // Independent agents have a nearly endless supply of suspects to solicit. They encompass almost every consumer and business in the state(s) in which you’re licensed. Of course, some make better prospects than others,...
W.R. Berkley Corp. Divests, Connecticut Bank Acquires InsurBanc
Apr 22 2013 // InsurBanc, a federal savings bank founded by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America and W.R. Berkley Corp. a dozen years ago, has joined Connecticut Community Bank N.A., based in Westport, Conn. In the...
Merger & Acquisition Activity Off to a Quiet Start
Apr 22 2013 // After a record-setting year-end, 2013 started off with a whisper. First quarter merger and acquisition activity slowed to 37 announced transactions between January and March, down from 67 the prior year. Buyers were busy...
E&O Insights: Directors & Officers Liability Is Not Your Normal Insurance Product
Apr 22 2013 // If you asked 100 insurance professionals on the agency side what one line of business “scares” them the most, it’s likely that directors and officers (D&O) liability would be at the top of the list....
Planning for Uncertainty
Apr 22 2013 // The traditional business plan includes short-term and long-term goals, and projections. But how do you plan when you can’t guess what will happen? Some things are shifting faster than you can keep up with, while...
10-Point Checklist for DO Renewals in a Hard Market
Apr 22 2013 // No one, least of all the insured, likes a price increase. But with the D&O market firming across the board – as confirmed by the Towers Watson “2012 Directors and Officers Liability Survey” released in...
