Latest Agencies Headlines

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

Utah Independent Insurance Agents Name Stringham Young Agent of the Year

Jun 30 2008 // Ryan Stringham of The Buckner Co. has been named Young Agent of the Year by the Utah Association of Independent Insurance Agents. Stringham started his career with The Buckner Co. in 2002. While working full time for the...

The Opportunity to Buy Insurance Leads

Jun 30 2008 // Who has the opportunity to buy insurance leads? Generally speaking, agents and brokers are the two sets of professionals who are most interested in this. The question is: why would anybody want to purchase insurance leads...

The Secret to Selling More Insurance Policies

Jun 27 2008 // As an agent, any tip that you can use to place yourself above the competition is one that you should take to heart. With that being said, there is one secret to selling more insurance policies that you may or may not be...

McDevitt Named Wyoming Insurance Industry Person of the Year

Jun 27 2008 // Art McDevitt, vice president of the Energy Division of U.S. Risk Insurance Group Inc., a managing general agency and surplus lines wholesaler, was named Insurance Industry Person of the Year by the Association of Wyoming...

NIF Goes Beyond Insurance With Advisory Services for Nonprofits

Jun 27 2008 // Insurance agents in search of a way to separate themselves from the pack with their nonprofit clients might want to think beyond offering only insurance. Manhasset, New York- based NIF Group, a national insurance program...

N.Y. Appeals Court: Contingent Commissions Not Illegal

Jun 27 2008 // In a twist to a scandal that has rocked the insurance industry over the last several years, a New York appeals court has ruled that contingent commissions paid out by Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group Inc. are not...

Professional Insurance Agents of Washington/Alaska Name New Officers, Directors, Award Winners

Jun 26 2008 // The Professional Insurance Agents of Washington/Alaska (PIA) recently elected a new president and board of directors, and recognized award winners at its 42nd Annual Conference and Trade Show. Mark Balcos of Balcos...

Towerstone Adds Broker, Underwriter and Account Representative

Jun 26 2008 // Dallas-based wholesale insurance broker and managing general agent Towerstone Inc. has added a new broker, underwriter and account representative to its team. Chris Rohrer was hired as a property broker and will focus on...

Insurers and Agents Applaud New York Auto Rating Change

Jun 26 2008 // Trade groups for New York insurers and agents alike are praising a recently passed bill by state lawmakers that will allow auto insurers to raise or lower their rates by 5 percent over the course of a year without first...

Strengths and Weaknesses, Part 1: What Agents Think of Regional, National P/C Insurers

Jun 25 2008 // Regional carriers rate better in underwriting experience, relationships and stability as well as in customer service and agency relations than their national competitors in the view of independent agents. Regional insurers...

OneBeacon to Acquire California’s Entertainment Brokers

Jun 24 2008 // OneBeacon Insurance Group has agreed to acquire Entertainment Brokers International Insurance Services, a California managing agency specializing in the entertainment, sports and leisure industries. The sale is expected to...

Insurance Agents Advised to Learn from Professional Employer Organizations

Jun 24 2008 // As insurance agents and brokers search for ways to respond to the continuing soft market, they would be wise to follow the example of professional employer organizations (PEOs) that are winning over small and mid-sized...

Why Some Agents Are Earning More Than Others

Jun 23 2008 // Just like any industry, there are some insurance agents that earn more money than others. And not only do they earn more, they make their competition look bad. One of the best ways to join the top performers in your...

Kaufman Elected President of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas

Jun 23 2008 // Garry Kaufman, president of Galveston Insurance Associates, Galveston, Texas, was elected president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) for 2008-2009 during the 111th Annual Conference & Trade Show....

California Senate Approves Agent-Broker, Spyware Bills

Jun 20 2008 // California’s Senate Banking, Finance and Insurance Committee approved two bills — one allowing insurance cmpanies to require spyware to be installed in vehicles, and the other clarifying the duties of an agent...

Crump Names Two to Transportation Department in Washington

Jun 20 2008 // Crump Insurance Services named Michal Walter associate broker for the transportation department in Bothell, Wash. He will be responsible for quoting, binding, and servicing renewals and new accounts; developing...

Iowa Agents in Flooded Areas Meet the Challenges

Jun 20 2008 // Midwest agents with offices located in flooded areas are facing the challenge of “staying afloat,” so to speak, during the devastation of what some have called the 500 year flood event. One Iowa agency,...

Surety Bond Industry about to be Automated in a Flash

Jun 19 2008 // The surety bond industry, a subset of the insurance industry, is about to take a big step towards automation. Since its creation, suretyship has been extremely paper intensive, but a newly established technology oriented...

Womack Named Texas Agent Group’s Young Agent of the Year

Jun 19 2008 // Matt Womack, partner and principal with the Watkins Insurance Agency in Austin, was named the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas’ André Juneau Young Agent of the Year. The presentation was made by Patrick Kinney,...

E.L.M. Insurance Brokers Names Jordan Broker

Jun 18 2008 // E.L.M. Insurance Brokers Inc. of El Segundo, Calif., hired Doris Jordan as a new broker. Her responsibilities will include calling on retail agents and brokers, developing new and enhancing existing relationships, as well...