Latest Agencies Headlines

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

The Midwest’s Top 10 Newsmakers

Dec 20 2004 // Here Are the Heartlanders Who Made Insurance Headlines in 2004 What a long, strange trip it’s been. The year started with the two Chicago-area property/casualty insurance trade groups merging to form the Property...

CONN. AG URGES STATE CODES:

Dec 20 2004 // Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal repeated his call for state insurance regulators to establish a code of professional responsibility for agents and brokers in a letter to the National Association of...

Spitzer Investigation Dishes Out Winners, Losers in Financial Services Industry

Dec 20 2004 // The insurance industry continues to make the news even a month and a half after Attorney General Eliot Spitzer filed his lawsuit against Marsh and McLennan for bid rigging and receiving contingent commissions. Contingent...

Latin American Agents Announce Fla. Conference Plans

Dec 20 2004 // The Latin American Association of Insurance Agents (LAAIA) convention committee has announced its annual convention has been scheduled July 7 to 10 at the Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa in Hollywood, Fla. The 2005...

Louisiana: The Best Defense is a Good Offense

Dec 20 2004 // Louisiana went on the offensive in 2004 with a campaign to tell insurers and other commercial operations that the state is “open for business.” The Professional Insurance Agents of Louisiana (PIA Louisiana),...

PCI SEEKS CHANGES TO PROPOSED RULE ON PRODUCER COMPENSATION IN OREGON:

Dec 20 2004 // The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) has voiced its general support of the Oregon Insurance Division’s effort to establish an objective way to determine when an insurance broker must make...

Looking Back on ’04: The Most Talked-About Stories in the Western Region

Dec 20 2004 // The year 2004 saw a little bit of everything across the Western Region. Workers’ comp, homeowners, med-mal, and even insurance fraud topped the list of the most talked about stories. We compiled these recaps based on...

Industry Consolidation Continues to Gain Momentum, 2005 Looks Cloudy

Dec 20 2004 // Agency consolidations are likely to achieve record results for 2004 but the outlook for 2005 remains unclear. Agency acquisitions in 2004 will more than likely outpace prior years by at least 25 percent. Insurance brokers...

Agents, Insurers Seek Targeted Compensation Disclosure Rules

Dec 20 2004 // The model compensation disclosure measure under consideration by the nation’s state regulators has been met with generally guarded support from agents, brokers and insurers. The Independent Insurance Agents &...

Delaware Regulators Asking Insurance Agents If They’re Honest

Dec 20 2004 // State regulators are asking Delaware insurance agents to fess up if they’ve been engaging in illegal conduct. In the wake of alleged industry abuses in New York, the Delaware Department of Insurance is asking more...

Aon’s Pat Ryan Backtracks on Ethics Declaration

Dec 20 2004 // Aon Corp. CEO Patrick G. Ryan’s attempt at a PR offensive hit a snag when he had to clarify comments he made in a top-of-the-fold, front-page Dec. 5 Chicago Tribune story about the No. 2 broker’s ethical...

From Maine to Virginia … What Happened in 2004

Dec 20 2004 // Leaving aside the insurance brokerage compensation investigations, the World Trade Center trial, the St. Paul-Travelers merger and the UnumProvident settlement, all of which have their roots in this region but grew to...

DELAWARE QUESTIONS AGENTS:

Dec 20 2004 // In the wake of alleged industry abuses uncovered in New York, the Delaware Department of Insurance is asking more than 4,000 insurance agents and brokers whether they have been involved in similar misconduct. The...

Berkshire Bank Buys Woronoco Savings Bank and Insurance Agencies in Mass.

Dec 20 2004 // Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. (AMEX: BHL), the holding company for Berkshire Bank in Pittsfield, Mass., has agreed to purchase Woronoco Bancorp, Inc. (AMEX: WRO), the holding company for Woronoco Savings Bank, including...

Andrew Welsh-HugginsAgents, Insurers Seek Targeted Compensation Disclosure Rules

Dec 20 2004 // The model compensation disclosure measure under consideration by the nation’s state regulators has been met with generally guarded support from agents, brokers and insurers. The Independent Insurance Agents &...

Jury Backs $2.3 Million Award to Terminated Independent Agent; Nationwide to Challenge Verdict

Dec 17 2004 // An eight person jury in the United States District Court in Connecticut awarded $2.3 million in compensatory damages to an independent insurance agent in a decision expected to have serious ramifications on the...

Insurers Say Compensation Disclosure Amendments to Producer Licensing Model Act Still Lacking

Dec 17 2004 // The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) distributed a revised version of its draft Producer Compensation Disclosure Amendments to the Producer Licensing Model Act on Thursday and insurers claim the model...

Is It Time to Sell the Agency’

Dec 16 2004 // The following article was published in Insurance Journal magazine on Dec. 6, 2004 Many owners have at one time or another thought about selling their insurance agency or brokerage. Many were tempted but never quite took...

Guy Carpenter Unveils Disclosure Doctrine

Dec 16 2004 // Guy Carpenter & Company, Inc., a global risk and reinsurance specialist and a part of the Marsh & McLennan Companies, has published a “Disclosure Doctrine” for treaty placements globally. The new...

Al Risk Updates ProgramConnect

Dec 16 2004 // The AI Risk division of Risk Specialists Companies Inc., a member company of American International Group Inc. (AIG), announced the expansion of AI Risk ProgramConnect (ProgramConnect), an online specialty lines quote and...