Latest Agencies Headlines
All the headlines from our Agencies Topic Page, ordered by recency.
New Requirements Drive Need for Surety Bonds in Texas and Arkansas
Dec 14 2009 // At least four new surety bonds have hit the market in Texas and Arkansas in the last six months, part of a wave of new bonding requirements nationwide. Brokers in both states are working to stay on top of the new mandates....
Agent Agrees to Plead Guilty in Nude Videotaping Case
Dec 14 2009 // ESPN reporter Erin Andrews and the man accused of secretly making nude videos of her will come face-to-face next week in a Los Angeles courtroom when the Illinois insurance executive enters an expected guilty...
Fresno Agent Arrested for Auto Insurance Embezzlement
Dec 11 2009 // Fresno Insurance agent Ismael Flores Venegas, 34, has been arrested on felony counts of embezzlement by an agent and grand theft by embezzlement, the California Department of Insurance announced yesterday. If convicted,...
From Zero to 200 in 5: The Rise of Kansas City-based Ascension Insurance
Dec 11 2009 // Len Kline and his business partners, the private equity firms Parthenon Capital and Century Capital Management, had an ambitious goal when they created Kansas City, Mo.-based Ascension Insurance Inc. in late 2007. They...
Heffernan Insurance brokers Names Feliciano VP in Los Angeles
Dec 11 2009 // Walnut Creek, Calif.-based Heffernan Insurance Brokers has hired Cecille Feliciano as vice president in its Los Angeles office. She will be focusing on employee benefits, new business development, and account management...
Louisiana Agent Accused of Pocketing Premiums, Forgery
Dec 10 2009 // A St. Bernard Parish, La., agent has been arrested by the Louisiana State Police Insurance Fraud/Auto Theft Unit and served by Department of Insurance Fraud Section Investigators with a cease and desist order, summary...
New Year to Bring New Pay Disclosure Rules for New York Producers
Dec 10 2009 // The new year is likely to bring new compensation disclosure rules for New York insurance producers. A pending regulation allows agents and brokers to accept incentive pay from insurers that is tied to volume and...
S. California Agent Sentenced in Workers’ Comp Theft Case
Dec 8 2009 // Randy Jay Barrett, 41, of Canoga Park was sentenced to 240 days in jail and five years probation after pleading guilty to one count of felony grand theft. Barrett was also ordered to make restitution to his victim and a...
Wells Fargo Insurance Buys Agencies in Florida, Washington
Dec 8 2009 // Wells Fargo Insurance Services, Inc. has acquired iLeader Risk Management Solutions, a single office, insurance brokerage located in Tampa, Fla., and Orca Bay Benefits, LLC, a single office, employee benefits insurance...
Berns Added as Account Executive at Associated Agencies
Dec 7 2009 // Rolling Meadows, Ill.-based Associated Agencies Inc., has hired Helene R. Berns as an account executive. Berns is licensed in all areas of insurance, offering service to those needing auto, home, commercial and other...
California Agent Guilty of $48,207 Theft from Clients
Dec 7 2009 // Insurance agency owner Craig Randall, 52, of Porter Ranch has been found guilty of 13 counts of theft of funds by a broker or agent, two counts of forgery, one count of attempted theft of funds and one count of attempting...
Aon Acquires Major Construction Insurance Broker Allied North America
Dec 7 2009 // Aon Risk Services, the risk management and insurance brokerage business of Aon Corp., said it has agreed to acquire Allied North America, one of the largest independent surety and construction insurance brokerage firms in...
New York Requires Fingerprints for Some But Not Insurance Agents
Dec 7 2009 // New York State will begin requiring electronic fingerprints of people seeking certain professional insurance licenses– but not agents and brokers. The electronic fingerprinting will be part of background checks...
People
Dec 6 2009 // The San Diego office of Lockton Cos. hired Bud Cole in the company’s employee benefits practice as vice president and senior consultant. Cole will serve as a liaison between clients and the Lockton benefits team,...
Agents’ New Lobbying Agenda
Dec 6 2009 // The 2,074-page health care bill includes a range of items that some say could be time bombs in waiting for some agencies – or new opportunities. Until this year, health care was a minor blip on the radar of insurance...
Ohio AG Sues National Ratings Agencies Over Securities Information
Dec 6 2009 // Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray has filed a lawsuit against national securities and credit ratings agencies Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and Fitch over what the AG’s office called “false...
Top 7 High-Growth Industries and Their Unique Insurance Needs
Dec 6 2009 // According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the seven fastest growing industries between now and 2016 are: Management, Scientific and Technical Consulting Services; Individual and Family Services; Home Health Care...
Captives Fuel Growth and Income for Agency Owners
Dec 6 2009 // Now is the Time for a Captive: Don’t Wait for the Next Hard Market In times likes these, where the insurance industry is now in its fifth year of a soft market, the use of an agency captive insurance company can...
How and Why Agencies Should Have Codes of Honor
Dec 6 2009 // Many businesses have created a mission statement or company vision describing why they are in business and where they want to go. When properly crafted and incorporated, these statements are a guiding light for defining...
Top Personal Lines Agencies
Dec 6 2009 // Correction: Top Personal Lies Agencies The Top 2009 Personal Lines Agencies list that was published in the Nov. 16 issue of Insurance Journal was incorrect. Unfortunately, columns of spreadsheet data shifted in the process...
