Latest Agencies Headlines
All the headlines from our Agencies Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Closing Time
Jul 18 2005 // The Insurance Journal directory issues are known as “keepers,” because both empirical and anecdotal evidence tells us that readers are likely to hang on to them longer for easy access. In this case,...
The Industry Goes to School: Universities That Offer Insurance Degrees
Jul 18 2005 // Twenty years ago, it was nearly impossible to find colleges and universities offering degrees in insurance. Now there are many programs across the nation that offer bachelor’s degrees, concentrations, certifications...
Producer Development: Learning to Sell
Jul 18 2005 // New Program Teaches a Consultative Approach to Insurance Sales Beginning this week, 15 insurance agents are returning to Normal, Ill., to do an unusual thing in the world of insurance training: talk with each other about...
How to Use Alternative Markets
Jul 18 2005 // The “hard market” conditions have been gone now for a couple of years. So, usually during “soft market” conditions one expects a lot of competition from the standard markets. This, however, is not...
How to Select a MGA/Wholesaler
Jul 18 2005 // The following is a guideline for some of the key things to review during the selection process for qualified alternative markets. The term MGA also applies to GA, MGU, wholesaler, E&S broker, etc. Step One —...
Education Essential
Jul 18 2005 // Frequent CE Classes Keep Agents Informed Efforts to provide first-quality education at its annual convention, insurance day programs and at regular errors and omissions education programs puts the Professional Independent...
Continuing Education Opinions Differ
Jul 18 2005 // It was a pleasure talking to insurance agency and insurance association representatives to discuss agent education for the education story on page 12. It was also interesting to hear the differing opinions about...
FAIA Says PIA of Florida ‘Gave Away the Playbook’ to the Opposition
Jul 18 2005 // During two Big I conventions in Florida, speakers accused the Professional Insurance Agents Florida of taking credit for Florida Association of Insurance Agents’ accomplishments, while “giving away the...
Time Management for Insurance Agents
Jul 18 2005 // Or how to make money instead of just being busy. Being busy is never a chore for insurance agents and producers. Being productively busy is the challenge. During a consultancy that spans 25 years, I have had the privilege...
Working With Your E&S Wholesaler: Be Nice … You’ll Need Them Again!
Jul 18 2005 // The surplus lines industry pendulum is now on its backswing into a soft market. A couple years of market restriction and firm pricing brought a temporary prosperity to the industry. The so-called “standard”...
American Hobbyist’s Online Rating
Jul 18 2005 // American Hobbyist Insurance, a national provider of collector-vehicle insurance, added real-time online quoting and submission capabilities to its newly redesigned Web site. AmericanHobbyist.com now provides online quoting...
DCAP Continues Expansion Buying Western N.Y. Agencies
Jul 15 2005 // DCAP Group Inc., an operator of insurance agency franchises, has executed a non-binding letter of intent to acquire a group of storefront agencies in western New York State. DCAP Group Inc. owns and operates a chain of...
Borisoff Joins Countrywide Insurance as President of Commercial Lines
Jul 14 2005 // Countrywide Insurance Group has announced that Brett Borisoff has joined the organization as president of Countrywide Insurance Services Inc.’s commercial insurance division. Borisoff will run the commercial division...
OSHA and Wis. Agencies Launch Job Safety Alliance
Jul 14 2005 // The U.S. Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Wisconsin state agencies have launched an alliance aimed at preventing workplace hazards statewide, according to a statement from the...
Va. Agents Warned to Adhere to State’s Fee Disclosure Law
Jul 14 2005 // Virginia insurance agents might not have to worry about a new far-reaching compensation disclosure law as do agents in some other states, but they should pay attention to laws already on the books, the state’s chief...
Citizens/Hanover Touts Multi-Variate ‘Connections Auto’ as Winner
Jul 14 2005 // The Citizens and Hanover Insurance Companies’ new Connections Auto, a state-of the-art, multi- variate auto product with greater customer segmentation capabilities, is off to a strong start in its initial launch...
American Agents Alliance Opposes SB 20 Despite Amendments
Jul 14 2005 // American Agents Alliance Executive Director Ken Nigohosian says the association will maintain its opposition to Senate Bill 20 (Escutia), despite recent amendments to the bill. SB 20 would mandate the continuance of...
Bridgeport, W.Va. Insurance Agent Charged With Embezzlement, Fraud
Jul 13 2005 // Insurance agent Dorsey R. Ash of the Ash Insurance Agency Inc. in Bridgeport, W.V. has agreed to plead guilty to one count of embezzlement, a felony; and one count of conducting a fraudulent scheme, also a felony,...
Countrywide, Atlantic Mutual Join Forces to Sell Affluent Market Product
Jul 12 2005 // Countrywide Insurance Group and Atlantic Mutual have formed a strategic alliance to expand the availability of the Atlantic Master Plan insurance product nationwide to individuals with substantial asset protection...
Hurricane Dennis’s Bark Was Worse Than Its Bite; Carriers, Associations Evaluating Damages
Jul 12 2005 // As Hurricane Dennis approached Key West, Fla., large insurance carriers, expecting and preparing for the worst, alerted hundreds of adjusters to proceed to Florida and Alabama, and put hundreds of other employees on...
