Latest Agencies Headlines

How to Choose the Right Bank for Your Agency

Nov 20 2005 // As an independent agent or agency owner, you have unique financial needs. Unfortunately, few banks truly understand those needs. Worse yet, it has become the norm for banks to also sell insurance, meaning they actually...

Your New Employee is About to Start, Now What?

Nov 20 2005 // After a long search, your agency has finally found the right employee. Intelligent, the right attitude, solid background. So what do you do with them now? There is so much they need to learn, but how do they get...

People

Nov 20 2005 // Dallas-based Colemont Corporation named David Stevoff as chief operating officer of Colemont Brokerage Group, its U.S. subsidiary. In this newly created position, Stevoff will have responsibility for the overall operations...

Nov 20 2005 // The Nevada Independent Insurance Agents has elected a new board of directors and has named a new president. Nevada Insurance Commissioner Alice Molasky-Arman has announced the installation of the following newly-elected...

California Commissioner Drops Broker Regulations

Nov 20 2005 // California Insurance Commis-sioner John Garamendi has announced that he will halt efforts to adopt new regulations imposing fiduciary duties and mandatory disclosure regulations on insurance agents and brokers. “We...

Editor’s Note: Is the image insurance industry forever tainted in the public’s eyes?

Nov 20 2005 // Ipsos Public Affairs, a market research company, recently conducted an online survey of the public’s perception of the insurance industry in the wake of hurricane Katrina. While the 1,000 adults who responded hardly...

InsWeb’s AgentInsider

Nov 20 2005 // InsWeb Corp. launched AgentInsider, its new local agent lead generation program. InsWeb said the AgentInsider program will extend the reach of local agents by providing a cost effective way to connect with the millions of...

Apollo Agencies Appoints President

Nov 18 2005 // Don Gwizdalski has been named president of Apollo Agencies Inc., a subsidiary of Kinecta Federal Credit Union. He will be responsible for growing Apollo’s insurance business in each of the Kinecta Member Service...

CNA E&S Appoints Noodle Specialty Brokers for Property/Liability Products

Nov 16 2005 // Noodle Specialty Brokers (NSB), a division of InsuranceNoodle (www.insurancenoodle.com), announced it has been appointed by CNA E&S to underwrite and distribute select products from the E&S division. CNA E&S...

N.J. Agents Back Change in Insurers’ Auto Expense Formula

Nov 16 2005 // The Professional Insurance Agents of New Jersey Inc. recently provided comments supporting the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance’s proposal to change the method for calculating the maximum allowed...

AVRECO’s Deiss Voted Chairperson of Lloyd’s Brokers

Nov 15 2005 // The Association of Lloyd’s Brokers has named Linda Deiss, vice president and underwriting manager of AVRECO, chairperson of the association. Deiss will serve for one year, with appointment to the board for three...

Big ‘I’ Throws Backing Behind House Terrorism Insurance Bill

Nov 15 2005 // The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”) said it strongly supports H.R. 4314, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Revision Act, introduced late Monday by Subcommittee Chairman Richard...

Miami/Dade County, Fla. Kicks Off Young Agents IIADC Events; Schedules Nov. 17 Meeting

Nov 15 2005 // More than 40 property and casualty producers, company representatives, association members, and life and health representatives attended a recent kick-off party in Coral Gables at which everyone celebrated the formation of...

Willis Gets Permission to Increase Stake in Chinese Broker to 51%

Nov 15 2005 // In a breakthrough agreement, global insurance broker Willis Group Holdings Limited, announced that it has received written approval from the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) to increase its ownership interests...

PIA of Fla. Clarifies Status of Citizens Property Insurance’s Commissions

Nov 14 2005 // The Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Board of Governors met in May and agreed to change the amount of commissions it paid to agents, but Professional Insurance Agents of Florida members complained to the association that...

Dade County, IIABA Slates HIPAA CE Course Dec. 7 in Miami

Nov 11 2005 // “Taming the HIPAA Monster,” will be discussed from 9 a.m. to noon during a Dec. 7 continuing education course sponsored by the Independent Insurance Agents of Dade County. The fine points of the Health...

Agents Group Sets Flood Insurance Reform Agenda

Nov 11 2005 // The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”) released a set of 22 recommendations for needed improvements to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The recommendations, if...

N.Y. Readies ‘Common Sense’ Broker Commission Disclosure Rules

Nov 10 2005 // New York officials are not planning to ban contingent commissions for agents and brokers but will issue regulations requiring them to disclose their compensation to clients. Superintendent of Insurance Howard Mills...

Pitfalls in Valuation Can Be Detrimental to Stability, Advises GE Solutions

Nov 9 2005 // Commercial property values must be correctly quantified by agents, brokers and customers so that insurers are able to charge adequate premiums for the risks they assume, according to Tom Smith, vice president, regional...

FAIA Forms Young Agents Council to Perpetuate Leadership, Advocacy

Nov 9 2005 // A new Young Agents Council has been formed by the Florida Association of Insurance Agents in Tallahassee, Fla. The purpose of the YAC is to perpetuate the future of the independent insurance agency system by serving as the...