Latest Agencies Headlines

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

Moody’s Changes Debt Ratings of Insurance Brokers & Service Cos.

Feb 8 2012 // Moody’s Investors Service has changed various debt ratings of insurance brokers and service companies based on the application of its loss given default (LGD) framework to guide notching decisions for...

California Independent Contractor Law May Be Liability for Agents, Brokers

Feb 7 2012 // A new California labor law designed to punish employers for misclassifying workers has broad legal language that can possibly impact insurance agents and brokers who knowingly advise clients on employee classifications to...

Willis UK N2 Broker Network Adds 10 New Members

Feb 7 2012 // Willis Group Holdings announced that ten new members have joined its network, Willis N2 – an alliance with local, independent insurance brokers in the UK. The ten new members, which take the total Willis N²...

West Agencies Help SIAA Grow By 47 in January

Feb 7 2012 // Several agencies from the western region joined Strategic Insurance Agency Alliance in January, pushing its number added to 47 for the month. Of January’s signed members, 33 are liberated “captive agents”...

Long-time California Lobbyist Looks to 2012 Legislation Affecting Insurance

Feb 6 2012 // John Norwood is one of California’s best known legislative advocates for the insurance and financial services sectors. Norwood, principal of Norwood & Associates, has garnered recognition for his political work...

Louisiana Senator Co-Sponsors Bill to Protect Agent Health Commissions

Feb 6 2012 // Two U.S. senators have filed a bill to clarify that agent compensation should be excluded from the federal health reform Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) requirement for the individual and small group markets. Sen. Mary L....

Newton Joins AmWINS Brokerage of Texas in Houston

Feb 6 2012 // Daniel Newton has joined AmWINS Brokerage of Texas as an assistant vice president and a marketing manager in the company’s Houston office. Newton formerly was territory manager – commercial lines with America First...

Agents Raid 2 Florida CVS Stores in Prescription Drug Abuse Probe

Feb 6 2012 // Agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration raided two CVS pharmacies in Florida as part of an effort to curb the abuse of prescription painkillers and other potentially addictive substances. The action on...

People

Feb 6 2012 // Centennial, Colo.-based Colorado Casualty has named Lucas J. Bills as president and chief executive officer of the commercial lines company, which operates in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Bills...

E&O Insights: Use Caution When Moving a Customer From a Claims-Made to an Occurrence Form

Feb 6 2012 // From time to time, an account is moved from one form of insurance to another. The scenario could involve moving from a claims-made form to an occurrence form, or vice versa. Other scenarios could involve moving from a...

Five Startup Businesses Agents Should Watch

Feb 6 2012 // It hasn’t been the best of times for America’s Main Street businesses. Often facing overwhelming competition from big box stores, many small businesses face an uphill battle from the outset and more than a few...

People

Feb 6 2012 // Confie Seguros, an insurance agency group focused on Hispanic consumers, has named Joseph Waked as chief executive officer. John Addeo , former CEO and co-founder of the business, will remain with the company as executive...

Public Entity Insurance Isn’t Road Salt Or Fill Dirt

Feb 6 2012 // What to Consider When Evaluating Public Entity Insurance Programs During the winter I was traveling in the snowy Northeast calling on agents. Between appointments, I passed a local hardware store that prominently displayed...

Out-of-Trust C.M. Meiers Brokerage in California Fetches $1.375 Million at Auction

Feb 3 2012 // Woodland Hills, Calif.-based C.M. Meiers Co. Inc. was auctioned on Friday at a U.S. bankruptcy court near Los Angeles, with three competing bidders pushing the sales price to $1.375 million for the troubled...

TDECU Insurance Acquires 2 More Texas Independent Agencies

Feb 3 2012 // TDECU Insurance Agency LLC announced it has acquired two independent insurance agencies: Assurance Insurance Agency Inc. (Assurance) based in Bellville, Texas, and Burridge Insurance Agency Inc. (Burridge) based in...

Family of Slain Border From Arizona Agent Files $25M Claim

Feb 3 2012 // The family of a slain U.S. Border Patrol agent filed a $25 million wrongful death claim against the federal government on Wednesday. The 65-page document that’s a precursor to a lawsuit was filed in Phoenix and...

BB&T to Acquire P/C, Life Insurance Units of Wholesaler Crump Group

Feb 3 2012 // North Carolina-based BB&T Corp. is buying the property/casualty and life insurance units of Roseland, N.J.- based insurance wholesaler Crump Group. Under the terms of the agreement, BB&T said it will pay $570...

Insurance Fund Would Aid Farmers, Ranchers Still Owed $100M by MF Global

Feb 3 2012 // U.S. farmers and ranchers who had accounts with failed broker MF Global have got back the bulk of their money but are still owed about $100 million, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange indicated on Thursday after announcing a...

C.M. Meiers Brokerage in Southern California on Trustee’s Auction Block

Feb 2 2012 // Woodland Hills, Calif.-based C.M. Meiers Co. Inc. is being auctioned on Friday at a U.S. bankruptcy court near Los Angeles. Following a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filed on Jan. 9, the firm was placed in the hands of a trustee...

Texas Agents Honor State Lawmakers with Independent Leadership Award

Feb 2 2012 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) has presented Independent Leadership Awards to the Honorable Kelly Hancock, Texas House of Representatives, and the Honorable John Carona, Texas Senate. With close to 10...