Latest Agencies Headlines

Oct 20 2008 // American International Group Inc. (AIG) elected Edward M. Liddy as chairman and CEO. Liddy, 62, succeeds Robert B. Willumstad. Stephen F. Bollenbach, who was named lead independent director in June 2008, continues in that...

Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner Sean Dilweg

Oct 20 2008 // From tornadoes, hail and flooding to the impact of the AIG bailout and the federal versus state regulation debate, Sean Dilweg has a lot on his plate as Wisconsin’s insurance commissioner. Appointed by Wisconsin...

Group Nurtures Latin Agents’ Relationships, Better Business Practices

Oct 20 2008 // LAAIA President Rivero Urges Agents to Strike Balance Between Technology and Direct Client Contact When the Latin American Association of Insurance Agencies was establishing itself in the late 1960s and early 1970s, most...

Carriers’ Marketing to Latinos is Good but Could be Better, Say Agents

Oct 20 2008 // A majority of independent agents and brokers in a good position to know say insurance carriers do an acceptable job marketing to the Latino community, although as many as 40 percent also rate carriers’ efforts as...

Wanted: Florida Agencies Focusing on Hispanic Market

Oct 20 2008 // Sunshine State High on List of States for Agency Acquisitions by Consolidators Behind Confie Seguros The movers behind the insurance agency consolidation firm Confie Seguros say they are well-positioned to meet their goal...

People

Oct 20 2008 // Angelo Ganguzza, vice president of Boca Raton, Fla.-based LIG Insurance Agency and Kimberly Langston Gray, managing partner of Langston Insurance Agency in central Florida, accepted election to the Professional Insurance...

Face-to-Face

Oct 20 2008 // Insurance carriers have not perfected the art of marketing to Latin independent agents or the Latino market. They are not terrible at it but they could be better. In a recent Insurance Journal survey (see page 50), nearly...

Regulatory Compliance

Oct 20 2008 // Retention of Business Records Most people dread record keeping, whether it is logging expenses, travel mileage, billable hours, laps on the treadmill or the birthday presents given to family friends. Although it is...

Cross-Border Trucking, Competitiveness Concerns in Arizona

Oct 20 2008 // Being the sixth-largest state in the nation, and one of the fastest-growing, makes Arizona an attractive place to live and do business. And that means the state is desirable from an insurance perspective, too, according to...

AIG Commercial Insurance Battles Back

Oct 20 2008 // Execs Say Balance Sheet, Underwriting Appetite Remain Strong as Ever Exclusive Insurance Journal Interview with AIG Commercial Insurance CEO John Doyle and CFO Rob Schimek The very strengths in its balance sheet, surplus,...

Armed & Ready to Outsell the Competition

Oct 20 2008 // West Coast’s Interwest Insurance Services Remains Militant on Sales Top 100 Agency Profile Ranking: 12 Agency Name: InterWest Insurance Services Inc. Headquarters: Sacramento, Calif. Year Founded: 1992 Additional...

Surplus Lines: A Market in Transition

Oct 20 2008 // The Soft Market and Financial Crisis Could Lead Firms into ‘Uncharted Waters’ For surplus lines insurance providers the economic turmoil and soft insurance market means a double-hit on profitability. Some...

Industry Innovators Give Agents Alternative Solutions

Oct 20 2008 // How to Use Surplus Lines Brokers and Managing General Agents Recent estimates show that about one third of all commercial risks in the United States are placed in an “alternative market.” As producers already...

From Seed to Supermarket

Oct 20 2008 // Agricultural Risks Require the Knowledge and Skill of Specialty Agents Agribusiness insurance has grown significantly as food production has become a global commodity. Since World War II there has been a dramatic reduction...

Risk Placement Services Hires Kufner as Underwriter/Broker in Scottsdale

Oct 17 2008 // Wendy Kufner has joined Risk Placement Services Inc. in Scottsdale, Ariz., as an underwriter/broker. She brings to her position a strong insurance background as both a retail and wholesale broker. She will be responsible...

Six Independent Agencies Named as Best Practices Top Performers

Oct 17 2008 // Reagan Consulting and the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (Big “I”) announced the Best Practices Agencies for 2008-2009. A total of 189 agencies from around the country maintained their...

Howard Joins Lockton Phoenix Brokerage Team

Oct 16 2008 // The Phoenix office of Lockton Companies LLC, a privately held insurance broker, announced that J. Robert Howard has joined its Phoenix, Ariz., brokerage team as producer for all property and casualty lines. Howard’s...

Florida Agents Group Hosting Agency Perpetuation Clinics

Oct 16 2008 // With one session down and two to go, the Florida Association of Insurance Agents is hosting a series of perpetuation clinics throughout Florida to aid agency owners in grappling with issues associated with agency...

Collins, Especializada Re Form Brazil Partnership

Oct 16 2008 // Minneapolis-based Collins and Brazil’s Especializada Re have entered into an agreement under which the two companies will serve as exclusive correspondent brokers for the placement of reinsurance for insurance...

Confie Seguros Acquires Alamo Auto Insurance Group

Oct 16 2008 // Confie Seguros, a provider of auto insurance with an emphasis on serving Hispanic consumers, has acquired auto insurance brokerage Alamo Auto Insurance. The acquisition of San Antonio-based Alamo expands Confie...