Latest Agencies Headlines

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

Big Data: It Isn’t Just for Carriers

Nov 5 2014 // This is the era of big data and while it’s no surprise that insurance carriers are big players, the fact is that agents and brokers of all sizes also have a growing stake in big data. While the insurance industry has...

North Carolina Agent Charged for Allegedly Embezzling Client’s Funds

Nov 5 2014 // A North Carolina insurance agent has been charged with embezzlement and obtaining property by false pretense, the state’s Department of Insurance announced. According to the department’s announcement on Oct....

Boston Insurance Brokerage Hires Bordonaro as Broker’s Assistant

Nov 4 2014 // Boston Insurance Brokerage Inc., a national wholesale broker based in Boston, hired Joanne Bordonaro as broker’s assistant in the Property & Casualty Division. Bordonaro spent the last 10 years at Liberty...

Confie Seguros Acquires 2 New York, 1 California Brokers

Nov 4 2014 // Confie Seguros, a national provider of personal lines insurance, has acquired three insurance brokerages, two in New York’s Buffalo area and one in California. Confie Seguros acquired The Insurance Market Agency Inc....

Aon Benfield Buys Safe Brokers to Enhance Presence in Greece, Cyprus

Nov 4 2014 // Aon Benfield, the reinsurance intermediary and capital adviser of Aon plc, has acquired Safe Brokers to strengthen its investment in the Greek and Cypriot markets. Safe Brokers is an independent reinsurance broker with...

Nash to Retire as President of N.H. Association of Insurance Agents

Nov 3 2014 // Robert L. Nash Robert L. Nash, president of the New Hampshire Association of Insurance Agents (NHAIA), has announced his retirement effective Dec. 31, 2014. Nash, president of NHAIA since 2001, has spent 43 years in...

USI Completes Acquisition of 7 Willis Retail Insurance Brokerage Locations

Nov 3 2014 // USI Insurance Services said it has completed its previously announced acquisition of seven retail insurance brokerage locations from Willis North America Inc., part of Willis Group Holdings. Under the agreement, USI...

Boston Insurance Brokerage Hires Roderiques as Workers’ Comp Underwriter

Nov 3 2014 // John Roderiques Boston Insurance Brokerage Inc., a national wholesale broker based in Boston, has hired John Roderiques as an underwriter of workers’ compensation, to further develop and manage the firm’s...

Experts: Insurance Distribution Future Online and Personalized

Nov 3 2014 // The future of insurance distribution was recently discussed at the CPCU Society’s annual All Industry Day in California. The day-long conference at the Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City last month included...

Erie Insurance Enters Kentucky

Nov 3 2014 // Erie Insurance Group has begun to offer its products in the Kentucky market. The Erie, Pennsylvania-based insurer said its entry into Kentucky marks its first geographic expansion in more than 10 years. In preparing for...

Claims Trends

Nov 3 2014 // In terms of agency E&O trends, carriers are closely eyeing an uptick in claims severity. According to Curtis Pearsall, president of Pearsall Associates Inc., a risk management consulting firm specializing agency...

4 Trends to Watch in Professional Liability for Accountants

Nov 3 2014 // There’s no shortage of accountants in the United States today, and the growth of this industry is not expected to slow anytime soon. In 2013, there were 1.17 million accountants and auditors and 1.59 million...

Predictions on the Demise of the Independent Agent Are Premature Yet …

Nov 3 2014 // This column has covered a number of important technology issues facing agents, including security, social media, mobile technology, and the customer experience. A groundbreaking study issued last month and an equally...

E&O Insights: How Important Is Your E&O Policy?

Nov 3 2014 // Errors and omissions (E&O) coverage: It’s one of the most important coverages you can secure. After all, your agency’s protection depends heavily on your E&O policy and how it works. Despite this, it...

Spending on Agents Always Beats Spending on Ads

Nov 3 2014 // A recent research report published by Cliff Gallant and Matthew Rohrmann of Nomura Equity Research concludes that spending on advertising beats spending on insurance agents. Once again Wall Street gets it wrong! Their...

How to Navigate Today’s Agency E&O Market

Nov 3 2014 // While many agencies stick with their agency errors and omissions (E&O) carrier, those that do shop around tend to do so when premiums are rising. According to Insurance Journal‘s exclusive 2014 Agency E&O...

Contractors Need to Be Involved in the Claims Process, BELFOR CEO Says

Nov 3 2014 // Customer service in property claims suffers when the contractor is left out of the settlement process and policy renewals may be in jeopardy because of it. That’s the word from the top executive of one of the...

Lockton, Burns & Wilcox Brokerage Offer Income Protection without Physical Loss

Nov 2 2014 // Lockton Cos. and wholesale broker Burns & Wilcox Brokerage have joined the Ebola-sensitive insurance protection movement with a product that protects companies from income losses and increased costs incurred without...

China Insurers Face Shadow Banking Default Risk: Ratings Agencies

Oct 29 2014 // A doubling in the trust holdings of China’s insurers has prompted ratings companies to warn the industry may be taking on too much shadow banking default-risk. Insurers held 281 billion yuan ($46 billion) of trust...

Assurant to Buy French Mobile Device Insurance Broker CWI

Oct 28 2014 // Consumer electronic and household device insurer Assurant Inc. has made a binding offer to acquire CWI Group, a mobile insurance brokerage in France, for approximately €56 million ($71 million). The acquisition by...