Latest Agencies Headlines

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

The Promise of NAFTA Not Quite Fulfilled

Feb 24 2008 // It’s been a long, frustrating process for most participants In February 2002, Insurance Journal reported that Congress and the Bush Administration had reached a deal whereby the trucking provisions of the North...

AIG’s $5 Billion Write-Down Has Rating Agencies, Wall Street Concerned

Feb 24 2008 // Some observers speculate the fallout could lead to additional woes for AIG including possibly CEO Sullivan’s exit While American International Group Inc. sought to downplay its miscalculation of losses on a...

People

Feb 24 2008 // San Diego-based Barney & Barney LLC named Jim O’Connell principal. He also will serve as director of development for programs, specialty insurance solutions. In that role, he is responsible for both regional and...

Marinas’ Ticking Bomb

Feb 24 2008 // What lies inside a customer’s file makes the difference in insurable risks There are always hidden issues that can blow up in any industry. The marina industry is no different. Many marinas are tenants of port...

Strength in Numbers and Cooperation

Feb 24 2008 // No. 4 on IJ’s Top 100, Keystone Insurers Group’s cooperative approach now thrives in five states Top 100 Agency Profile RANKING: No. 4 Keystone Insurers Group Headquarters: Northumberland, Pa. Year Founded:...

Create a Team Environment in An Individual Commission-Based World

Feb 24 2008 // A brokerage firm and its brokers all benefit when everyone plays for the same team Commissions have a long history as the incentive of choice for insurance brokerage firms. They create a clear link between revenue and...

Public Broker Stocks Down in Dec. as 2007 Closes With 205 M&A Deals

Feb 24 2008 // Stock Prices: Brokerage stocks mimicked the overall uneasiness of the stock market during January. Hilb Rogal & Hobbs (NYSE:HRH) traded down 11.2 percent while Arthur J. Gallagher traded up 5 percent. Overall the...

Lockton Expands Atlanta Brokerage Team

Feb 22 2008 // Lockton Companies added Mary Guzman to its Atlanta brokerage team as senior vice president and producer for all property and casualty lines. The addition of Guzman expands Lockton’s Atlanta-based professional...

U.S. Court Dismisses ‘Agent Orange’ Case Against Chemical Firms

Feb 22 2008 // A federal appeals court Friday upheld a lower court ruling dismissing a civil lawsuit against major U.S. chemical companies brought by Vietnamese plaintiffs over the use of dioxin, or “agent orange,” during the...

Mich. Accident Fund Honors Agencies with 2007 President’s Club Award

Feb 22 2008 // Accident Fund Insurance Company of America recently recognized agencies by presenting its 2007 President’s Club Awards. The award is presented each year to a select number of independent insurance agencies that work...

Final Call to Participate: Who’s Worth What in the Independent Agency System?

Feb 22 2008 // Insurance Journal is polling insurance agents and brokers nationwide in its quest to find out who’s worth what in the independent agency system. More than 1,600 agencies nationwide have already responded to Insurance...

Arthur J. Gallagher Acquires Houston-based Leicht General Agency

Feb 20 2008 // Ill.-based Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. announced that its subsidiary, Risk Placement Services Inc., acquired Leicht General Agency, headquartered in Houston. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Established in...

Rating Agencies React to AXA’s Acquisition of ING Seguros

Feb 19 2008 // A.M. Best Co. and Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services have taken slightly different views of France’s AXA Group’s agreement to purchase 100 percent of the share capital of the ING Group’s...

Chinese Regulators Cite Marsh as #1 International Broker

Feb 19 2008 // Marsh got a chance to deliver some good news, when the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) ranked it number one out of China’s top 20 intermediaries based on annual invoiced revenue. The survey published in...

S.D. Court Rules Against Former Agent Who Held Insurance Executive Hostage

Feb 19 2008 // A federal appeals court has upheld a judge’s ruling against the Sioux Falls man who held an insurance executive hostage in 1991. Eric Castaneira, who served 10 years for kidnapping, filed a lawsuit against the...

Who’s Worth What in the Independent Agency System?

Feb 19 2008 // Insurance Journal is polling insurance agents and brokers nationwide in its annual quest to find out who’s worth what in the independent agency system. Nearly 1,000 agencies nationwide have already responded to...

Ind. to Send Agents Back to School for Flood Coverage Refresher

Feb 14 2008 // This winter’s flooding has prompted state insurance regulators to require a training course for agents selling flood coverage. Those already selling insurance will have to take a continuing-education course of at...

Connecticut Agents Get Online License Renewals

Feb 12 2008 // There’ll be no more ink and paper for Connecticut agents looking to renew or change their insurance licenses. That’s because the state’s insurance department said it has upgraded its computer systems to...

AIG Downplays $5B Write-Down; Rating Agencies, Wall Street Concerned

Feb 12 2008 // While American International Group Inc. sought to downplay its miscalculation of losses on a derivatives portfolio as not “material to the company,” Wall Street was abuzz with speculation over whether the...

Survey: Wealthy Americans Still Fret Over Financial Stability, Security Issues

Feb 12 2008 // High-net-worth Americans with investment assets in excess of $1 million believe having money brings overall peace of mind, yet these wealthy Americans still have a variety of financial and security concerns, according to...