Latest Agencies Headlines
All the headlines from our Agencies Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Spend Time with Customers, Not with Paperwork
Apr 18 2011 // I have the opportunity to spend a lot of time talking with insurance agencies of all sizes. During these conversations, I hear a recurring theme: Agents are overwhelmed with administrative processes, and agency managers...
Feds Probe Illinois Public Agencies’ Workers’ Comp Payouts
Apr 18 2011 // Federal prosecutors are investigating possible workers’ compensation abuses at Illinois government agencies after disclosures of millions of dollars in payouts and questionable practices by arbitrators. U.S....
Health Care Market’s Explosive Growth Offers Agents New Professional Liability Opportunities
Apr 18 2011 // The world of professional liability can be a foreign place for many agents and brokers alike. The policies vary from carrier to carrier so no universal form is used as the standard insuring agreement. Terminology such as:...
Allstate Seeks to Open 50 New Agencies in Florida
Apr 18 2011 // Allstate Insurance says it wants to open nearly 50 new agency offices in Florida. About half of those openings will be in north Florida, the company said. “North Florida has shown incredible growth for our...
Why Agencies Might Need a Trusted Adviser or Coach
Apr 18 2011 // Many owners in agencies today have a lot on their plate. They may be having a hard time making the budget and paying expenses on time. Growing in these economic times is somewhat difficult. Producers may need to learn new...
Agents Concerned on Perpetuation; Relatively Few Take Action
Apr 18 2011 // The majority of agents and brokers today worry about how to perpetuate their firm to future owners, yet few agency owners report having a perpetuation plan in place. New findings in the forthcoming survey “2011...
E&O Insights: Are Your Customers Properly Protected for Business Interruption?
Apr 18 2011 // While you may answer the question posed in the headline by saying that most of your commercial customers have business interruption coverage, the issue here is not whether they have the coverage, but whether they are...
Survey Shows Opportunity for Carriers to Support Agents in Social Media
Apr 14 2011 // The majority of agents and brokers say using social media is important for business, yet many report not using social media tools in their business today. Seven of 10 independent agents and brokers believe it is important...
P/C Industry Depends Too Much on Catastrophe Models, Says Pioneer Clark
Apr 14 2011 // Catastrophe models are a great risk management tool for property/casualty insurers but even the person who created the first one is worried that they are being given more credit and influence than they deserve. Karen Clark...
Credit Raters Triggered Financial Crisis, Says Senate Report
Apr 14 2011 // Moody’s Corp. and Standard and Poor’s triggered the worst financial crisis in decades when they were forced to downgrade the inflated ratings they slapped on complex mortgage-backed securities, a U.S....
Markel UK Launches Markel Direct for Low Premium Accounts
Apr 14 2011 // Markel UK, the retail division of specialist insurer Markel International, has launched Markel Direct, an online service targeting low-premium clients, many of which share the characteristics of personal lines business and...
Towers Watson Names Comis, Albert to Reinsurance Brokerage Team
Apr 12 2011 // Towers Watson has named Darrell Comis, senior vice president, and David J. Albert, vice president, in its Reinsurance Brokerage business. Comis, based in the company’s Stamford, Conn. offices, will be responsible for...
California Insurance Agent Pleads Guilty for Grand Theft
Apr 11 2011 // The California Department of Insurance announced that insurance broker Christopher Luna has pleaded guilty at the West Covina, Calif., Courthouse to two felony counts of Grand Theft. Luna was ordered to serve three years...
RHSB Appoints Hughston as CEO, Names New Board Members
Apr 11 2011 // Dallas-based insurance brokerage firm Roach Howard Smith & Barton (RHSB) has appointed Tom A. Hughston as its new chief executive officer. Hughston, previously the company’s executive vice president, is an...
Texas’ February Enforcements Bring Nearly $1M in Fines, Restitution
Apr 8 2011 // Enforcement actions taken by Texas Insurance Commissioner Mike Geeslin that became final during February 2011 resulted in fines and restitution totaling $920,170. The Texas Department of Insurance announced that the...
PointeNorth Acquires 2 Georgia Agencies
Apr 8 2011 // Atlanta-based PointeNorth Insurance Group has acquired two Georgia agencies. PointeNorth acquired Hodges & Associates, an employee-benefit provider in metro Atlanta. The Marietta-based agency’s BondsPlus...
Preparing For The Hurdles Ahead
Apr 8 2011 // Think of what happened in the neighborhood travel agency the first time an online travel Web site started doing business. Did those first agents, looking at the flickering image on their computer screens, realize what this...
Long Island Agent Accused of Stealing Premiums
Apr 7 2011 // A Long Island insurance agent is being accused of stealing almost $8,000 in premiums. Police say complaints by several clients led to the arrest of Robert P. Manigaulte, of Medford, for collecting homeowners’...
Allstate Looking to Open 50 New Agencies in Florida
Apr 7 2011 // Allstate Insurance says it wants to open nearly 50 new agency offices in Florida. About half of those openings will be in north Florida, the company said. “North Florida has shown incredible growth for our...
Survey Shows Agents Concerned on Perpetuation; Few Take Action
Apr 6 2011 // The majority of agents and brokers today worry about how to perpetuate their firm to future owners, yet few agency owners report having a perpetuation plan in place. New findings in the forthcoming survey “2011...
