Latest Agencies Headlines
All the headlines from our Agencies Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Flood Insurance Program Suspended Until June 7 or Later
Jun 1 2010 // The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which expired at midnight on May 31, is not expected to be able to issue new policies for a week or longer. As reported by Insurance Journal last Friday, Congress left town for...
Judge Rejects Fraud Charge, Says Rating Agencies Not Underwriters
Jun 1 2010 // A Manhattan federal judge said on Tuesday that it was unfair to hold Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s liable as “underwriters” on securities offerings needing their ratings, as he...
New Insurance Producer Association Forms in California
May 28 2010 // A new nonprofit insurance producer association has formed in California. The Insurance Agents & Brokers Association of California said it is unlike any producer association in the state as it will be completely managed...
Ag States Group Named Agency of the Year by Minnesota Agents Assoc.
May 28 2010 // Ag States Group, the insurance subsidiary of CHS Inc., a Fortune 100 energy, grains and foods company, has been honored as Agency of the Year by the Minnesota Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers (MIIAB)...
Washington’s Berend Named FloodSmart Agent of the Year
May 28 2010 // Brian Berend, of Brian Berend Agency in Auburn, Wash., has been named FloodSmart Agent of the Year for 2010. The FloodSmart Award recognizes an agent who has made an outstanding effort to promote the National Flood...
Massachusetts AG Wants New Regulations for Insurers, Agents
May 28 2010 // Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is proposing new regulations that she says will rein in sales and underwriting practices for auto insurers and agents in the state. The regulations come in response to a report...
Smart Choice Agency Market Program Expands to 6 More States
May 27 2010 // The North Carolina-based Smart Choice Agents Program, which says it currently provides personal and commercial lines markets for some 3,000 independent agencies in 32 states, is expanding into six additional states. The...
Trade Groups Sue New York over Pay Rules
May 26 2010 // Two trade groups for New York insurance agents are suing the state’s insurance regulator over new rules that will force them to reveal to clients how much they are paid for a particular transaction. The Independent...
Survey: Agents Seek More Real Time Options from Carriers
May 26 2010 // Independent agents and brokers want more carriers to offer real-time functionality, according to a new industry survey. Agents believe those carriers will deliver the greatest benefit in making real time the predominant...
MGAs Called Critical to Florida’s Property Insurance Market
May 25 2010 // Several of Florida’s insurers with affiliated managing general agencies (MGAs) have come in for criticism recently but there is no widespread problem with the MGA model, regulators and insurance industry executives...
Insurance Agent Appointed to Texas Sunset Advisory Commission
May 24 2010 // Texas House Speaker Joe Straus of San Antonio has appointed Rep. Larry Taylor, an insurance agent from Friendswood, to the state’s Sunset Advisory Commission. Taylor, who serves on the House Committee on Insurance...
Vertafore Real Time Use by Agencies Up 56%; Savings Put at $20 Million
May 24 2010 // A leading insurance agency technology vendor says that real time transactions by independent agencies using its systems have skyrocketed 56 percent so far in 2010 over last year. Vertafore reported that its agent-carrier...
Senate Approves Financial Reform Bill
May 21 2010 // The U.S. Senate approved a sweeping Wall Street reform bill Thursday night, capping months of wrangling over the biggest overhaul of financial regulation since the 1930s. By a vote of 59-39, the Senate approved S. 3217,...
Arkansas Suspends License of Agent Accused of Embezzlement
May 21 2010 // The Arkansas Department of Insurance has suspended the producer and agency licenses of Timothy Walley and the Tim Walley Insurance Agency Inc. of Little Rock for multiple alleged violations, including embezzlement and...
Insurance Journal Searches for Nation’s Leading Agencies
May 20 2010 // Insurance Journal is on the search for leading privately-held property casualty independent agencies and brokerages for its annual Top 100 Property/Casualty Independent Insurance Agencies report. Top Overall Independent...
Arkansas Insurance Agent Wins GOP Nomination for Lt. Gov.
May 20 2010 // A Springdale, Ark., insurance agent has won the Republican nomination in Arkansas for lieutenant governor. Mark Darr will face state Sen. Shane Broadway in the fall to take over the No. 2 spot vacated by Bill Halter,...
America First Insurance Expands Agent Support in Louisiana, Oklahoma
May 20 2010 // America First Insurance, a Liberty Mutual Agency Markets regional company, has added key agent support positions in Louisiana and Oklahoma. Donnie Brackins has been appointed Commercial Lines Underwriting manager for...
GAB Robins Launches Broker Services at BIBA 2010
May 20 2010 // GAB Robins announced that it is launching a suite of Broker Services to “help intermediaries work more efficiently and enhance the standard of their claims services for their clients at this year’s British...
Tennessee Insurance Agents Warned on Flood Insurance E&O Exposure
May 20 2010 // Some Tennessee homeowners have been surprised to learn their policies won’t pay for flood damage and an attorney and lobbyist is warning insurance agents not to admit to any wrongdoing if clients confront them about...
Builder Agent Network Endorsed by the Texas Association of Builders
May 19 2010 // The Builder Agent Network, a Dallas-based provider of insurance programs for home builders, has been endorsed by the Texas Association of Builders (TAB) as its preferred member service provider for property and liability...
