Latest Agencies Headlines

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

Regulatory modernization tops industry’s legislative agenda for 2006

Jan 23 2006 // With the extension of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, passage of federal class action and crop insurance reform, enactment of asbestos reform in several states and some changes in state laws on pricing, property/casualty...

New entrants join race for surplus lines share

Jan 23 2006 // XL, Rockhill and GMAC RE jockey for market share with established surplus lines writers Katrina-sized catastrophes put added pressure on admitted carriers, which increases the demand for greater capacity in excess and...

Why independent agents like backyard brokers

Jan 23 2006 // In today’s business world, it’s rare to hear a live voice on the other end of a phone call. Most companies, small and large, have succumbed to answering customer calls via electronic means. Customers,...

GA. BIG ‘I’ ESTABLISHES SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Jan 23 2006 // Establishment of a past president’s scholarship fund, to be awarded to the children of member agent’s employees, has been announced by the Inde-pendent Insurance Agents of Georgia according to David F. Lewis,...

FAIA PROPOSAL TO REFORM CERTIFICATES OF INSURANCE

Jan 23 2006 // The Florida Association of Insurance Agents has four key goals to accomplish in 2006 according to Jeff Grady, FAIA president: first, to pass its property insurance market proposal; second, to pass FAIA’s proposal to...

ALABAMA ‘BIG ‘I’ MEMBERS WATCHING MARKET

Jan 23 2006 // Maintaining existing markets and finding new ones, especially in coastal areas, is the Alabama Independent Insurance Agents most important 2006 goal, according to Victor McCarley, AIIA executive director. “We will...

BIG ‘I’S S.C. AGENDA: WORKERS’ COMP

Jan 23 2006 // Improving the state’s workers’ compensation system, developing coastal property insurance markets and increasing consumer awareness and educating them about insurance issues are key 2006 goals of the South...

Portable persistency discounts are good for consumers

Jan 23 2006 // Amid the confusion surrounding the elimination of portable persistency discounts in California, we may have lost sight of the real issue: Portable persistency discounts are good for consumers. California insurance carriers...

Multiline Productivity Poll: Agents play key role in understanding risk

Jan 23 2006 // Insurance buyers see increasing value from reducing their total cost of risk across multiple lines of commercial insurance, according to a new survey commissioned by property and casualty insurer Wausau Insurance, Wausau,...

Keeping up with increasing liability as clients expand

Jan 23 2006 // Property/casualty insurance agents and brokers are being exposed to more lawsuits as they move into unfamiliar products, states and technologies, and as their own clients do the same. In the eyes of customers and juries,...

Errors & Omissions

Jan 22 2006 // Property casualty insurance agents and brokers are being exposed to more lawsuits as they move into unfamiliar products, states and technologies and as their own clients do the same. In the eyes of customers and juries,...

Errors & Omissions

Jan 22 2006 // There is increased pressure to be an answer or expert to the evolving risks that change with companies as they grow and become diverse,” notes Mark Ruggles of Calsurance. Ruggles moderated a panel on the subject of...

People

Jan 22 2006 // Michael J. Roche, senior vice president of Protection Technology and Administration for Allstate Insurance Company, recently was named to IDG’s Computerworld Premier 100 IT Leaders Award Program. Roche was selected...

Seven tips for successful insurance process outsourcing

Jan 22 2006 // Outsourcing often receives a bad rap, with large corporations using it to reduce staff count, bureaucracy and overhead. However, for smaller companies such as small and medium sized insurance agencies, outsourcing can be a...

Productivity Poll

Jan 22 2006 // Insurance buyers see increasing value from reducing their total cost of risk across multiple lines of commercial insurance, according to a new survey commissioned by Wausau Insurance. Eighty-one percent (up from 70 percent...

Ga. Big ‘I’ establishes scholarship fund

Jan 22 2006 // Establishment of a past president’s scholarship fund, to be awarded to the children of member agent’s employees, has been established by the Inde-pendent Insurance Agents of Georgia according to David F. Lewis,...

FAIA proposal to reform Certificates of Insurance

Jan 22 2006 // The Florida Association of Insurance Agents has four key goals to accomplish in 2006 according to Jeff Grady, FAIA president: first, to pass its property insurance market proposal; second, to pass FAIA’s proposal to...

Editor’s Note: Caught in the middle

Jan 22 2006 // State legislatures are meeting, or will soon meet in most southeastern states to consider insurance proposals, many of which attempt to regulate the industry and prepare for the 2006 hurricane season. Associations in...

People

Jan 22 2006 // The Insurance Council of Texas elected James Langford as chairman of its Board of Directors effective Jan. 1, 2006. Langford is the assistant vice president of compliance, regulatory and governmental affairs, and training...

Texas governor to address agents at management seminar

Jan 22 2006 // Texas Gov. Rick Perry will deliver a special luncheon address at the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas’ 43rd Annual Joe Vincent Management Seminar. Nearly 400 of the state’s most progressive and influential...