Latest Agencies Headlines

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

People

Nov 5 2006 // Tom Rodell, resident managing director of Aon Risk Services of San Francisco, was named the 2007 chairman of The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers. He is the first person to serve twice in the position. He...

Ease of doing business can make the strategic ‘profit’ differential

Nov 5 2006 // Let’s start with three basic ideas about property/casualty insurance distributed through independent agents and brokers — a sector with more than $200 billion in written premium annually. 1) P/C insurance...

U.S. legal precedents assume larger role in corporate oversight

Nov 5 2006 // Maybe it’s part of the globalization process; maybe it’s due to the increasing sophistication of private investors and fund managers, or maybe it’s the legal profession prospecting for additional income...

Social services agencies need extra care and an agent’s helping hand

Nov 5 2006 // Few independent agents recognize that they can make profits from not-for-profit organizations, says Dan Mogelnicki, president of Manhasset, N.Y.-based NIF Underwriting Facilities, a program administrator and wholesale...

Everything old (or hot, modified, exotic, muscle, etc.) is valuable again

Nov 5 2006 // Insurance producers, follow the money. It’s going into collector vehicles of all makes, models and years. Here are three facts to illustrate. 1) Collectors spend money — lots of it — to buy and restore...

Calif. Commissioner Reaches Settlement with UnumProvident

Nov 3 2006 // California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi has reached a settlement with UnumProvident Corp., Provident Life and Accident Insurance Company, and Unum Life Insurance Company of America to ensure that all compensation...

Disability Insurer Signs ‘Model’ Pact With Spitzer Over Commissions

Nov 3 2006 // UnumProvident Corp. disability insurance company has ended what New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer called deceptive practices and secret payments to brokers, according to a $15.5 million settlement announced this...

Farmers Dedicates Campus in Agoura Hills, Calif.

Nov 2 2006 // Farmers Insurance Group plans to dedicate a new, 120,000-square-foot agent, claims, leadership and management training facility — The University of Farmers — at a ribbon cutting ceremony to be held at 10:45 a.m., Nov....

Agents Should be Unaffected by Pending Sale of Merchants Group

Nov 2 2006 // Merchants Group, Inc. in Buffalo, N.Y., which sells property casualty insurance through Merchants Insurance Co. of New Hampshire, has agreed to be bought by American European Group, Inc, a private insurance holding...

La. Agent Arrested, Charged with Forgery and Fraud

Nov 1 2006 // A Rayville, La., insurance agent was shut down on charges of fraud and misappropriation of funds, Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon announced. Tracy E. Antley, 44, was ordered to cease and desist from...

Amory, Miss. Agent Surrenders License

Nov 1 2006 // Following an investigation into claims that he violated several sections of the Mississippi Insurance Code, Philip Minga of Amory, Miss., voluntarily surrendered his insurance license, according to officials. Commissioner...

IIAT Survey Finds Texas Coastal Insurance Market Tighter; More Costly

Oct 31 2006 // Property insurance along the Texas coast is getting harder to find plus premiums and deductibles are increasing, according to results from a survey of independent insurance agents. Respondents are members of the...

HUD Charges Erie, Agents with Unfair Bias; Erie Calls Charges ‘Misguided’

Oct 30 2006 // The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has charged Erie Insurance Group and five independent insurance agencies with violating the Fair Housing Act. HUD alleges that they provided inferior insurance products...

IIAT and The Republic Group Offering Personal Lines Program

Oct 30 2006 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Texas and The Republic Group, Dallas, have partnered to offer qualifying IIAT members a competitively priced, easy-to-quote personal lines program with a variety of products. The program...

Janes Named Property Broker in Swett & Crawford’s Los Angeles Office

Oct 30 2006 // Swett & Crawford has welcomed Brian Janes, a property broker, back to its Los Angeles office. Since 2004 he was a property broker with Stewart Smith/AmWins in the Glendale, Califo., office. James began his career in...

Regional Reporting Inc. Announces Calculations Milestone

Oct 27 2006 // New Technology Helps Keep Industry Veteran on Top Stamford, CT – National consulting and insurance services firm Regional Reporting, Inc., announced today that its customers have completed more than 100,000...

Ohio Westfield Insurance’s Polansky Honored for Real-Time Tech Advances

Oct 27 2006 // Westfield Insurance’s Brady Polansky, CPCU, CIC, was recognized by Applied Systems Client Network (ASCnet), the user group of Applied Systems agency management system, for his industry wide contributions toward...

Second Criminal Complaint Filed Against Placer County Broker

Oct 27 2006 // California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi is asking consumers across the state to contact the California Department of Insurance (CDI) if they believe they have been victimized by Roseville insurance broker Mindy...

North Carolina Insurance Agent Arrested on Alleged Fraud Charges

Oct 26 2006 // A Matthews, N.C. licensed insurance agent was arrested and charged with nine felony counts of obtaining property by false pretense and is under a $50,000 secured bond at the Union County Jail. According to Insurance...

Insurance Contributors Favor Republicans; Santorum, Clinton, McGavick Top Recipients

Oct 25 2006 // Insurance-related contributors to this year’s midterm Congressional races are favoring Republicans 2-to-1 over Democrats while the overall total given by insurance interests appears down from two years ago. According...