Latest Agencies Headlines
All the headlines from our Agencies Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Tech Talk: How to Use Digital Body Language
May 15 2017 // “When the eyes say one thing, and the tongue another, a practiced man relies on the language of the first.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson Agents pride themselves on their sales skills — to meet a prospect...
Producer Compliance in California: The Top Three Regulatory Danger Zones
May 15 2017 // Like Big Brother, California’s Department of Insurance is watching you. Okay, perhaps not literally — and certainly not all of you, but the department definitely has its antennae up when it comes to the...
American Family Disagrees with Jury Finding that Agents Are Employees
May 15 2017 // A federal jury in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 18 determined that thousands of agents with Madison, Wisconsin-based (AmFam) are employees, not independent contractors. The insurer stands by its classification practice and...
Illinois’ Árachas Group Joins Keystone Insurers Group
May 12 2017 // Árachas Group of Bartlett, Illinois, created by the merger of two local insurance agencies, has joined Keystone Insurers Group, becoming the network’s 18th partner in the state. Sullivan & Associates, led by...
Texas Public Safety Agencies Embracing Drone Use
May 12 2017 // Government use of aerial drones became much easier when the Federal Aviation Administration flipped the switch on new regulations last year. The Austin American-Statesman reports since then, a number of Austin-area public...
TMK Offers Construction Insurance in UK, Ireland via Online Broker Portal
May 12 2017 // Tokio Marine Kiln (TMK), the international specialist insurance business, has added construction to its One TMK broker portal. The tailor-made construction insurance product is underwritten through a fully automated...
BIG Independent Group Names 2017 Biggie Award Winners
May 12 2017 // Independent Agents Association Honors Insurance Industry Stars. Indian Wells, CA, May 12, 2017- The BIG Independent Group, a leading association of independent agent and brokers, was pleased to bestow its BIGGIE Awards for...
Bunker, Startup Broker for Small Business, Contractor Insurance, Raises $6 Million
May 11 2017 // Bunker, a startup digital insurance broker focused on independent contractors and small businesses, has raised $6 million in Series A funding that will help fuel product development and expansion. Hiscox and American...
TWFG Taps Cordone in New Jersey to Lead Expansion Efforts
May 11 2017 // The Woodlands Financial Group (TWFG), a national agency based in The Woodlands, Texas, is launching an effort to expand into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Vic Cordone, a...
‘Poaching’ Suits Like Aon v. Alliant: Nothing Personal, Just Routine Business
May 11 2017 // An ongoing legal battle between two large national insurance brokerage firms over employee poaching is a byproduct of a hazard faced in the financial services industries where relationships and knowledge of business...
Wells Fargo Weighing Sale of Insurance Brokerage Business: Bloomberg
May 9 2017 // Wells Fargo & Co. is weighing a sale of its insurance brokerage business, which could fetch about $2 billion, people familiar with the matter said. The San Francisco-based lender has begun reaching out to private...
New Jersey Agent Stults Honored with Woodworth Memorial Award
May 9 2017 // The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers (IIABA or the Big “I”) has awarded Charles “Cappy” Stults with the Woodworth Memorial Award, the highest honor the association bestows on one of its...
Agency Organic Growth Fell in Q1: Reagan
May 8 2017 // Agencies and brokerage firms reported that their organic growth fell to 3.9 percent in the first quarter of 2017, the weakest growth rate since 2011. According to Reagan Consulting’s Organic Growth and Profitability...
Louisiana’s Schilling and Texas’ Shepard Receive Big ‘I’ Awards
May 5 2017 // The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) honored two agents from South Central states with awards at the annual Big “I” Legislative Conference. Lee Schilling...
Aon Buys International Benefits Brokerage Portfolio of Mayfair Group
May 5 2017 // Aon plc announced it has completed its acquisition of the international health and benefits brokerage portfolio of Mayfair Group, a solutions provider to Indian multinational companies. Terms of the transaction were not...
Rhode Island’s Starkweather & Shepley Insurance Brokerage Hires Hillberg
May 4 2017 // Starkweather & Shepley Insurance Brokerage Inc., an East Providence, R.I.-headquartered independent insurance agency and insurance brokerage, has hired Tim Hillberg as a commercial lines sales...
Most Commercial Insurance Premiums Up in April: IVANS Index
May 3 2017 // Most standard commercial lines products saw an uptick in premiums at renewal in April, with workers’ compensation being the main exception, according to the IVANS Index. Business owners and commercial property...
As Auto Insurance Sales Stagnate, Carriers Turn to Agents: J.D. Power
May 2 2017 // Amid a second straight year of stagnant auto insurance shopping activity and modest rate increases, auto insurance companies have grown increasingly reliant on great customer service, personalized advice and strong agents...
Proposed New York Regulations Crack Down on Title Insurance Industry
May 2 2017 // New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has announced two new proposed regulations to protect New Yorkers and crack down on unscrupulous practices in the title insurance industry. These new protections were drafted following an...
AmWINS Completes Acquisition of Networked Insurance Agents in California
May 1 2017 // AmWINS Group Inc. has acquired Networked Insurance Agents, a California-based insurance aggregator specializing in the standard lines insurance segment. Charlotte, N.C.-based AmWINS Group is an independent wholesale...
