Latest Agencies Headlines
All the headlines from our Agencies Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Texas Agents Rate Companies on 2008 Hurricane Response
Apr 24 2009 // Insurance companies responding to last year’s hurricanes Dolly and Ike were given generally good marks by independent agents along the Texas coast in a recent member survey by the Independent Insurance Agents of...
Washington Reducing Agent Fingerprint Fee
Apr 24 2009 // Washington’s Office of Insurance Commissioner has announced that the fingerprint fee for resident insurance agents and brokers will be reduced to $45.25 beginning July 1, 2009. For non-resident applicants, the...
North Dakota Insurance Agent Accused of Pocketing Premiums
Apr 24 2009 // A North Dakota insurance agent has been barred from engaging in the business of insurance under a cease and desist order issued by the state insurance department. According to the order issued by North Dakota Insurance...
California AG Sues Wells Fargo Affiliates for Defrauded Investors
Apr 23 2009 // California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. filed suit against three Wells Fargo affiliates to recover $1.5 billion for California investors who purchased auction-rate securities based on “false and...
It’s Not Easy Being Green; But It’s Profitable
Apr 21 2009 // Jim Henson’s most famous Kermit the Frog said it the best, “It’s not easy being green.” Today’s property owners and insurers understand that while it’s not easy going green, being green...
The Freedom to Grow
Apr 20 2009 // What Young Agents Value About Being Independent Profile of Young Agents Older Side of Young 62% are 31 to 40 years old 38% are 30 and under Career Choice 84% consider insurance to be a permanent career choice 14% are...
A New York State of Mind
Apr 20 2009 // Superintendent Eric Dinallo Redefines the Role of Regulator in the Insurance Industry New York Insurance Superintendent Eric Dinallo was thrust into the national spotlight last year as the insurance industry’s...
Timing Earthquake Coverage
Apr 20 2009 // Why Trying to Time Earthquake Coverage Purchase Is Like Trying to Time the Stock Market Ask anyone who has been impacted by the recent volatility of the stock market, and they will tell you that it’s almost...
Agents Sue Brooke Corp.
Apr 20 2009 // More than 80 former insurance agents for bankrupt Brooke Corp. have sued the company’s lending arm, accusing it of civil racketeering and fraud. The lawsuit against Overland Park, Kan.-based Aleritas Capital Corp.,...
The Case for Confronting Fear
Apr 20 2009 // Study Shows Policyholders Eager to Address Economic Crisis With P/C Agents With the parallels being drawn between the nation’s new Administration and President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Administration during the...
For Award Winning CSR, Going ‘Above and Beyond’ is Part of the Job
Apr 20 2009 // What does it take to deliver outstanding customer service? Kimberly J. Muesse, a senior account manager with the Lockton Companies in Houston, should know. She’s won a string of awards during her 25-plus years in the...
Market Timing: A Faulty Strategy on Earthquake Coverage
Apr 20 2009 // Many Clients Buy Coverage When Earthquake Activity Arises, Then Cancel When It Subsides Ask anyone who has been affected by the recent volatility of the stock market, and they will tell you that it’s almost...
Data Security Presents a Risk — and Sales Opportunity — for Agents
Apr 20 2009 // It’s An Enormous Market That Includes Main Street Businesses Doing Credit Card Transactions Data security represents a new risk for independent insurance agencies that may not be compliant with data security laws or...
Georgia Trucking Insurance Agent Charged
Apr 20 2009 // A Chattanooga, Tenn. insurance agent has been charged with insurance fraud and theft for allegedly adding commissions to policies when he told policyholders that the coverage was being sold on a net basis – with a...
Agents Sue Brooke Corp.
Apr 20 2009 // More than 80 former insurance agents for bankrupt Brooke Corp. have sued the company’s lending arm, accusing it of civil racketeering and fraud. The lawsuit against Overland Park, Kan.-based Aleritas Capital Corp.,...
People
Apr 20 2009 // Thoits Insurance of San Jose, Calif., promoted Paul Saich to CEO. Saich replaces Don Way, who had been with Thoits for 44 years, and will remain as chairman of the board. Saich joined Thoits Insurance in 1996 and most...
Timing Earthquake Coverage
Apr 20 2009 // Timing an Earthquake Coverage Purchase Is Like Trying to Time the Stock Market Anyone who has been impacted by the recent volatility of the stock market will tell you that it’s impossible to time the stock...
Blowing Smoke
Apr 20 2009 // Arsonists’ handiwork has dominated headlines in the past several months. Earlier this year, in southeast Pennsylvania, an alleged group of firebugs torched dozens of buildings in one community before being caught. In...
Don’t Cheap Out on the Training
Apr 20 2009 // And Other Lessons from High-Performing Agencies Use your agency management system to the max. Measure your productivity. Communicate consistently and effectively with your staff, customers and carriers. And above all,...
Independence Through Teamwork
Apr 20 2009 // While the tendency is for independent agents to stress their independence and go solo, a team approach can be very valuable to producers who are new to the industry. “When producers first come in, instead of handing...
