Latest Agencies Headlines
All the headlines from our Agencies Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Virginia Agents Must Now Print Their Own Producer Licenses
Mar 16 2010 // Virginia’s insurance regulator says it will no longer mail licenses to producers and companies, since they can print the licenses out themselves online. The Virginia State Corporation Commission announced the change...
Property/Casualty Insurers Have Issues with Dodd Financial Reform Bill
Mar 16 2010 // Even though they are largely excluded from the federal financial regulatory overhaul proposed in the Senate, property/casualty insurers say there are some elements they fear could negatively affect them and their...
Young Agents Survey: Why Agents Stand By Their Career Choice
Mar 15 2010 // Most enter the insurance business by accident but for young independent insurance agents, the decision to stick with insurance as a permanent career is a matter of choice. A healthy 84 percent of young insurance agents say...
USI Holdings Acquires Business from Seattle Broker RA Bench
Mar 12 2010 // USI Holdings Corp. has reported the closing of the acquisition of the insurance and financial services business of RA Bench, a Seattle, Washington, based wealth management, executive and group employee benefit insurance...
Who’s Worth What in the Independent Agency System? Join IJ’s Survey
Mar 12 2010 // Once again, Insurance Journal is polling insurance agents and brokers nationwide in its annual search to find out who’s worth what in the independent agency system. The 2010 Agency Salary Survey results will be...
How New York Insurance Broker Has Used Social Media
Mar 12 2010 // To the 77 percent of independent insurance agencies that don’t have a social media presence, creating a profile and trying to form “friendships” via a computer can be daunting. Once an agency gets online,...
Florida Insurers Pin Hopes on Broad Bill Passed by Senate Panel
Mar 11 2010 // With the prospects for a controversial rate deregulation bill dimmed by Gov. Charlie Crist’s threat of a veto, the insurance industry is betting on a new wide-ranging insurance proposal to bring some reform to...
Ohio Casualty Introduces New Learning Center for Appointed Agents
Mar 10 2010 // Ohio Casualty, a Liberty Mutual Agency Markets regional company, has introduced its comprehensive online Agent Learning Center for its appointed agencies. Ohio Casualty appointed agents can now register for classroom...
Lobell Joins Insurance Marketing & Sales Society Designation Programs
Mar 10 2010 // Rhonda Lobell has signed on as sponsor for the American Insurance Marketing & Sales (AIMS) Society Certified Professional Insurance Agent (CPIA) designation programs in Louisiana and Mississippi. A 30-year insurance...
Ark. Regulators Suspend Agent License of Standridge for Dishonest Practices
Mar 10 2010 // Arkansas’ Insurance Commissioner Jay Bradford has immediately suspended the resident producer license of Steve Standridge, founder of the Steve Standridge Insurance Inc. based in Mount Ida, Ark., for allegations that...
California Regulator Considering Regs to Alleviate Underinsurance
Mar 8 2010 // The California Department of Insurance is considering proposing new regulations governing standards and training for estimating replacement value on homeowners’ insurance. Among the ideas that was floated at a recent...
How Agencies Are Leveraging Social Networking
Mar 8 2010 // Technology Trailblazers Build Relationships, Business Receipts There’s no better time for insurance agents and brokers to delve into social networking technologies than now, according to those who study marketing and...
People
Mar 8 2010 // Steve Peeters, who most recently was president and chief operating officer of Jacksonville, Fla.-based Zurich Insurance Services, joined The Main Street America Group as vice president, commercial lines product. Peeters...
The Worst Is Yet to Come
Mar 8 2010 // Deepening State Budget Deficits in 2010 and 2011 Could Harm the Insurance Industry While 2009 was a tough year to do business, state and city leaders say 2010 and 2011 will be even tougher — the outcome of which could...
IRS, States Target Employer Abuse of Classification of Independent Contractors
Mar 8 2010 // The Internal Revenue Service and 37 states are cracking down on companies that try to trim payroll costs by illegally classifying workers as independent contractors, rather than as full employees, The Associated Press has...
California Proposal To Withhold Independent Contractor Fees on Hold
Mar 8 2010 // In February, California legislators considered a proposal that would have mandated a 3 percent withholding of fees paid to independent contractors. But the proposal has since been placed on hold, much to the delight of...
Why Public Adjusters Are Not Enemies of Independent Agents
Mar 8 2010 // Here’s why working with a public adjuster can be good for an independent insurance agency and for its customers: 1. After a disaster, insureds have hundreds or even thousands of questions and worries. In a...
Insurance and the Internet
Mar 8 2010 // It seems like every day we hear about the Internet and how some sort of new online social networking site or service will revolutionize the way people communicate, collaborate, or do business. With all this hype one has to...
Arizona Senate Committee Considers Changes to DMV Notification Rules
Mar 8 2010 // The Arizona Senate is considering reducing or eliminating the need for some risky drivers to maintain their automobile driving insurance filing. An amendment to Senate Bill 1030 would reduce or eliminate the need for...
Trusted Choice
Mar 7 2010 // Just when producers thought it was safe, mandatory compensation disclosure has reared its ugly head again. In a move that has its origins in the Spitzer days, New York regulators are mandating that insurance agents and...
