Latest Agencies Headlines

Why Regional Insurers Rate

Jun 16 2008 // Regional and Specialty Carriers Are Critically Important Carriers in the Marketplace This year, 2008 marks the second year that Demotech, Inc., as Insurance Journal‘s Official Research Partner, has published our...

Alabama Insurance Agent in Runoff for Congressional Seat

Jun 16 2008 // Huntsville, Ala. insurance executive Wayne Parker and Huntsville attorney Cheryl Baswell Guthrie will be in a runoff for the Republican nomination for the 5th Congressional District seat. Parker nearly won without a runoff...

Jun 16 2008 // People Dallas-based Colemont Insurance Brokers promoted Su Young to vice president in Colemont’s Texas office. Young joined Colemont in 2001 as part of the Texas financial services team and is located in Houston. She...

Why Regional Insurers Rate

Jun 16 2008 // Regional and Specialty Carriers Are Critically Important Carriers in the Marketplace This year, 2008 marks the second year that Demotech, Inc., as Insurance Journal‘s Official Research Partner, has published our...

People

Jun 16 2008 // Golden Eagle Insurance, a Liberty Mutual Agency Markets regional company, appointed Pete McPartland president and CEO. McPartland comes from General Casualty in Sun Prairie, Wis., where he led insurance operations for QBE...

States Allow Firms Purchased by Aon to Phase-Out Contingent Commissions

Jun 16 2008 // Insurance broker Aon Corp. reported that the five government agencies to its 2005 regulatory settlement agreement agreed to an amendment that will permit companies it acquires to continue to accept contingent commissions...

Premium Financing Compensation Disclosures: Are You in Compliance?

Jun 16 2008 // Failing to Disclose Could Lead to Lawsuits Many insurance brokers and agents who perform services for premium finance companies may unwittingly violate certain disclosure requirements under the California Insurance Code...

Why Regional Insurers Rate

Jun 16 2008 // Regional and Specialty Carriers Are Critically Important Carriers in the Marketplace This year, 2008, marks the second year in a row that Demotech Inc., as Insurance Journal‘s official research partner, published our...

Building Commercial Construction Business in a Soft Market

Jun 16 2008 // Soft Market Emphasizes Need for Education, Communication It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Charles Dickens probably was not referring to the insurance industry’s soft market, when he wrote...

Why the Nice Man Fired His Insurance Agent

Jun 16 2008 // How to Keep Your Customers and Agency Living Happily Ever After Once upon a time, there was a very nice man who moved his entire family from one state to another. The move meant leaving his many friends and business...

Brokerage Stocks Down; M&A Activity Continues at Strong Pace but Slower Than 2007

Jun 16 2008 // Stock Prices: The brokerage sector as a whole is down 3 percent for the year. Among middle-market brokers, Arthur J. Gallagher’s (NYSE:AJG) stock has faired well compared to peers Brown & Brown (NYSE:BRO), down...

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

Jun 16 2008 // Where Regional P/C Insurers Beat Out Nationals … and Where Nationals Outperform Regionals Regional carriers rate better in underwriting experience, relationships and stability as well as in customer service and agency...

Good Time to Lock in Property Insurance Pricing, Advise Brokers

Jun 16 2008 // Science and technology are converging with risk management to help insurers negotiate the current hurricane season such that it’s now possible to use short-term hurricane forecasts — as few as 10 days out...

Oregon/Idaho Profesional Insurance Agents Association Elects Officers

Jun 13 2008 // The Professional Insurance Agents of Oregon/Idaho Gary Steffen, vice president of Safe and Sound Insurance in Gladstone, Ore., and Amigos Aseguranzas in Portland, Ore., as the association president. He will serve as the...

AMS Parent Vertafore to Acquire Licensing, Compliance Vendor Sircon

Jun 13 2008 // Vertafore, Inc., a provider of software and services to the insurance industry including AMS Services, has agreed to acquire licensing and compliance software maker Sircon Corp. Michigan-based Sircon serves carriers,...

Combined Agents Group Elects New Management Committee

Jun 11 2008 // Austin, Texas-based Combined Agents of America LLC (CAA) has elected a new management committee for 2008. Don Jones, president of Crockett Insurance Service, Crockett, Texas, will serve as president of the group. CAA also...

HUB International Acquires Assets of BC’s Falkenberg Agencies

Jun 10 2008 // Chicago-based Hub International Limited has acquired the Managing General Agency assets of Falkenberg Agencies Ltd., a British Columbia-based agency specializing in life and investment products. Terms of the transaction...

Grow your Business through Increased Insurance Lead Production

Jun 9 2008 // If you are serious about your job as an insurance agent, you must realize that it is essential to collect as many leads as possible. A high quality lead is much easier to turn into a sale than a cold call. For this reason,...

Texas Agent Group’s Recruiting Manager to Help Members Find Staff

Jun 9 2008 // Colleen O’Sullivan has joined the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas as the organization’s first-ever recruiting manager. Sullivan’s duties will include assisting the IIAT’s Trusted Choice...

Willis Sees Deal to Buy HRH Raising U.S. Revenue

Jun 9 2008 // Willis Group Holdings, the third largest global insurance broker, said Monday it sees its $2.1 billion deal for a rival broker boosting growth, especially in the United States. Willis said late Sunday it would buy...