Latest Agencies Headlines

BB&T Broker McGriff, Seibels & Williams Names Senior VP

Dec 28 2007 // McGriff, Seibels & Williams of Irvine, Calif., a BB&T Co. broker has appointed Timothy J. Mooney senior vice president in its Northern California operations. Mooney has more than 20 years of insurance experience...

West Va.’s BrickStreet Sued Over Agent Commissions

Dec 23 2007 // Two companies are suing West Virginia’s workers’ compensation writer BrickStreet Mutual Insurance Co. over agent commissions. Aero-Fab Inc. and The Bunch Co. allege that Brickstreet is billing companies for the...

Dec 23 2007 // People The Louisiana Medical Mutual Insurance Co. named Thomas H. Grimstad, M.D., as its new president and chief executive officer. Grimstad will succeed John E. Lemoine, M.D., effective Jan.1, 2008. Since its founding in...

Good Agency-Carrier Relationships Travel a Two-Way Street

Dec 23 2007 // Carriers and agencies both face challenges in maintaining quality relationships Agents might think they have their hands full trying to attract and retain quality employees, but they are not alone. Insurance carriers face...

People

Dec 23 2007 // Members of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) elected 2008 officers during their meeting in Houston. The newly elected officers, who will assume their duties following the completion of the NAIC...

Garden State Bill Would Ease Agents’ Paperwork

Dec 23 2007 // New Jersey auto insurance agents would no longer need to offer clients quotes from each company they represent under a bill awaiting signature of Gov. Jon S. Corzine. The bill, backed by both the Independent Insurance...

Make the Most of the Mexico-bound

Dec 23 2007 // Auto coverage essential; homeowners a growing market Recent snow and rain at many people’s doorsteps signal that it’s the high season for snowbirds to flock south for the winter. And those driving beyond the...

People

Dec 23 2007 // Members of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) elected 2008 officers during their meeting in Houston. The newly elected officers, who will assume their duties following the completion of the NAIC...

Organic Growth Success Should Be a Key Initiative for 2008

Dec 23 2007 // Transparency, disclosure, and private equity interest reshape how high growth agencies do business As agents and brokers embark upon the strategic planning process for 2008, organic growth initiatives remain at the...

People

Dec 23 2007 // Toledo, Ohio-based privately held commercial insurance brokerage, the Hylant Group, has named John W. Chaney as president of the Cleveland office and regional vice president. Chaney will be responsible for the overall...

People

Dec 23 2007 // Robert P. Page of Houma, La., was installed as president of the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA National). Page, co-owner of Charles A. Page and Sons Insurance Agency in Houma, has served on the...

Mich. Report: House Fires and Deaths on the Rise

Dec 23 2007 // The number of reported house fires and fire-related deaths in Michigan increased last year, with many homeowners not maintaining working smoke alarms, according to a report released by the Michigan Association of Insurance...

Agents Wish for More Stability, But Predict Soft Market Will Continue in 2008

Dec 23 2007 // Industry hopes for disaster solutions, federal terrorism insurance extension, regulation reform and more In 2007, buyers of insurance reaped in the rewards of a soft insurance market. But for agents and brokers the soft...

Country Financial Enters Chicago Market, Names Fisher as Director

Dec 23 2007 // Rural company comes back to its roots in the big city Veteran Chicago financial services executive Michael Fisher has been appointed director of new market development by Country Insurance & Financial Services and...

On the Radar for 2008

Dec 23 2007 // It’s that time of year — predictions about everything from the economy to politics run rampant with a new year. Predicting the future is never easy. But there are some issues facing the independent agency system in...

The Quiet Giant

Dec 23 2007 // The secret is out: Utah-based Leavitt Group is big – it now operates in 115 locations Kelly Russell, a director and chief affiliation officer for the Leavitt Group, pondered the question put before him: What would most...

Despite Firefighting Prowess, the Russians Aren’t Coming

Dec 23 2007 // Global firefighter claims U.S. Forest Service stonewalls on Russian aid while U.S. wildfires burn While the Southeast’s largest wildfire in over a century was still smoldering in Georgia after burning 903 square...

2007: Climate Change Dominates Debate While Soft Market Hits Entire P/C Market

Dec 23 2007 // The debate over climate change captured the world’s attention, including the insurance industry’s, in 2007, while major hurricanes spared the United States’ coastline. The soft market took hold of...

Mass. Reports $4M Judgment Against Insurance Broker Wm. Gallagher

Dec 21 2007 // Massachusetts officials say they have won a $4 million judgment against a large Boston-based insurance broker over questionable compensation and reinsurance practices. Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office...

Cavigna & Associates Names Employee Benefits Broker

Dec 21 2007 // San Diego-based Cavignac & Associates has named Matthew Noonan a new broker in the employee benefits department. Prior to joining Cavignac & Associates, Noonan served worked with John Burnham Insurance, in San...