Latest Agencies Headlines

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

New York Issues New Draft of Disclosure Rules for Agents

Sep 21 2009 // The New York State Insurance Department released proposed new rules mandating how and what insurance agents must reveal to clients about how they are compensated in the sale of policy. The so-called transparency rules...

Lead Nurturing Proves Valuable

Sep 21 2009 // Top Insurance Agencies Sell 26% of Policies Due to Follow-Up Using X-Dates Shows New Data An analysis of over 180 insurance agencies using Leads360’s lead management and lead nurturing software provides decisive...

Florida’s Newly-Formed Ascendant to Rescue First Commercial Policies

Sep 21 2009 // The new company will use independent agents and brokers for sales. Florida officials announced that a new Miami-based insurance company will pick up the insurance for about 15,000 of the policyholders now with First...

How to Create a Client Retention Culture

Sep 21 2009 // Insurance agency owners are always looking for ways to generate more income and grow their business. This typically involves spending a lot of time, effort and money on marketing and selling to new prospects. As...

Florida’s Newly-Formed Ascendant to Rescue First Commercial Policies

Sep 21 2009 // The new company will use independent agents and brokers for sales. Florida officials announced that a new Miami-based insurance company will pick up the insurance for about 15,000 of the policyholders now with First...

People

Sep 21 2009 // Insurance broker Marsh announced the appointment of Gary Grose as U.S. marketing director. Grose joins Marsh with 20 years of insurance industry marketing and sales experience. He reports to Jack Butcher, U.S. sales and...

Changing of the Guard

Sep 21 2009 // It’s a remarkable coincidence that several state regulators in the Northeast seem to be moving on to greener pastures just as key reform efforts are winding into place. This past month, Massachusetts Insurance...

Agent Group Installs New President, President-Elect

Sep 21 2009 // J. David Daniel was inaugurated as the chairman of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”) at the recent Big “I” Leadership Conference in New Orleans, La. He will...

Midwest-based Agent ‘Walks the Walk’ to Control Work Comp Costs

Sep 21 2009 // Carl Zeutzius has walked his share of floors over the past four years. But they were miles well traveled. As a Certified Work Comp Advisor (CWCA) and director of Sales and Marketing for UNICO Group, an insurance, risk...

North Carolina Coastal Broker Ready to Ride Beach Plan Reform Wave

Sep 21 2009 // Hanover Excess Sees State Pool Changes A Boost For Business Still Recovering From Recession, Soft Market The Web site for Hanover Excess (www.hanoverxs.com) proclaims that the people at this North Carolina excess and...

California Insurance Agents Cater to Medical Marijuana Clinics

Sep 21 2009 // Ever since the Obama Administration said it would not pursue medical marijuana dispensaries, the number of such businesses has exploded in California. Now, a few insurance agents are catering to them. Medical marijuana...

People

Sep 21 2009 // Louisiana-based insurance wholesaler, Specialty Risk Associates Inc., announced several changes to its management team. Thomas Garland was named chief operating officer. Garland joined Specialty Risk in 2004 as vice...

Timely Claims Reporting: A Serious Obligation for Agencies

Sep 21 2009 // In many insurance agencies, customer service representatives (CSRs) are responsible for handling claims submissions for clients. Larger agencies may have a separate claims department. Various problems can arise when the...

Feds, Regulators, Congress Eye the Future of Credit Rating Agencies

Sep 21 2009 // The nation’s insurance regulators, Congress and the SEC have eyes on credit rating agencies and the standards they must follow in the future. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) said it will...

Employers Must Keep Company Picnics and Team-Building Activities Voluntary

Sep 21 2009 // When Fun ‘n Games at Work Take a Bad Turn Phyllis Young and her co-worker and friend, Sarah Bales, won the hula-hoop contest and the balloon toss, making them the favorites to also win the three-legged sack...

SEC Tightens Regulation of Credit Rating Agencies

Sep 18 2009 // Credit agencies will have to disclose more of their ratings history, and creators of financial products will have to share data with all credit raters, under rules adopted by U.S. regulators Thursday. The U.S. Securities...

California to Probe Credit Rating Firms

Sep 18 2009 // California Attorney General Jerry Brown issued subpoenas on Thursday to Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s Investors Service, and Fitch Ratings as he launched an investigation of whether they broke state law with...

Illinois Agent Fined $100K for Allegedly Stealing Premiums

Sep 18 2009 // The Illinois Department of Insurance as revoked the license of an agent and his agency, and fined him $100,000 for keeping his clients’ payments and committing several other frauds. Investigators say Earl D....

San Diego Insurance Broker Pleads Guilty to Theft

Sep 17 2009 // Insurance agent Louise May Batchelor, 55, of San Diego, has pled guilty to two felony counts of grand theft. Her sentencing has been set for November 6, 2009 in San Diego Superior Court. According to California Department...

Dressel Insurance Named Trusted Choice Agency of the Month

Sep 16 2009 // Dressel Insurance Agency Inc. in Saint Bonifacius, Minn., has been named the Trusted Choice Agency of the Month by Trusted Choice, the consumer branding program for independent insurance agents and brokers. “The team...