Latest Agencies Headlines
All the headlines from our Agencies Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Senate Committee Holds Hearing on Flood Claims Process After Sandy
Jul 30 2014 // A U.S. Senate committee today conducted a hearing titled “The Flood Insurance Claims Process in Communities After Sandy: Lessons Learned and Potential Improvements,” where lawmakers had a chance to listen to...
Last Chance to Participate: Take the Market & Financial Survey Now
Jul 30 2014 // How are agencies targeting new business today? Will historical growth rates be sustainable? And just how much do agencies need to reinvest to achieve desired growth and enable perpetuation? These are some of the questions...
Loar Gets IIABCal’s Ramsden-Sullivan Memorial Award
Jul 30 2014 // IIABCal Past President Stan Loar received the association’s Ramsden-Sullivan Memorial Award last week. The award is the highest IIABCal gives, and a recipient is said to exemplify the highest caliber of service to...
Independent Agents Drawn to Tablet Applications: Channel Harvest
Jul 29 2014 // Many independent insurance agents say that tablet devices are going to be more important in the next couple of years — particularly for sales presentations and accessing carrier-based training. This is among the many...
With Premium Refunds in Process, Washington Criticism of Flood Insurance Ebbs
Jul 28 2014 // Insurance agent, insurance carrier and real estate lobbyists praised federal regulators in charge of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) last week on Capitol Hill, agreeing that the process of issuing flood...
Fees Plus Commissions Allowed for Retail Insurance Agents in Texas
Jul 25 2014 // Retail insurance agents in Texas are allowed to charge certain fees in addition to a commission in relation to selling an insurance policy, but those fees must be disclosed to the customer. “Texas is one of the few...
Allstate Seeks Agents in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska and Hawaii
Jul 24 2014 // Allstate Insurance Co. plans to add several local agency owners in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska and Hawaii in 2014. Allstate’s plan is to recruit 51 new exclusive agents, 13 financial specialists and the company...
LevelFirst Adds Taylor as Senior Underwriter/Broker in Dallas
Jul 23 2014 // LevelFirst, a wholesale broker and managing general agency based in Dallas, Texas, announced Ryan Taylor has joined the company as a senior underwriter/broker. Taylor brings 10 years of wholesale experience to the company....
Big ‘I’ Group Names Cantor Ex-Aide Stewart to Capitol Hill Lobbying Team
Jul 23 2014 // Wyatt Stewart has joined the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (Big “I”) Capitol Hill team as director of federal government affairs. Wyatt Stewart Stewart, a native of Washington, D.C.,...
U.S. Risk Names Jonathan Hagan an Underwriter for the Dallas Commercial Underwriting Division of U.S. Risk Underwriters, Inc.
Jul 23 2014 // Dallas, TX – July 23, 2014 – U.S. Risk Insurance Group, Inc. (www.usrisk.com), the eighth largest managing general agency and surplus lines wholesaler in the nation, announced that it has named Jonathan Hagan an...
SIAA Adds 204 Member Agencies in First 6 Months 2014
Jul 22 2014 // The Strategic Insurance Agency Alliance, or SIAA, signed 204 new member agencies in the first six months of 2014, including its 5,000th member agency since its inception in 1995. SIAA also reached $5 billion in in-force...
Rebates, Referrals and Rewards in Texas – What’s OK and What’s Not?
Jul 21 2014 // What are the rules governing insurance agents in Texas on rebates, referrals and rewards, and why do they matter? For starters, at a minimum, an agent could lose their license for violating rules regarding such activities....
E&O Insights: Why It’s Important to Review E&S Proposals
Jul 21 2014 // Hard market or soft, having an active relationship with at least a couple of excess and surplus lines (E&S) wholesalers is typically required for agencies to be successful. For as long as insurance has been part of...
Iowa Agent Sentenced to 41 Months for Defrauding Insurers
Jul 21 2014 // A former Des Moines, Iowa, insurance agent was sentenced to 41 months in prison for insurance fraud. Melissa Ilene Williams, of Dike, Iowa, also was ordered to pay restitution for fabricating and submitting life insurance...
Independent Agents Drawn to Tablet Applications
Jul 21 2014 // Many independent insurance agents say that tablet devices are going to be more important in the next couple of years – particularly for sales presentations and accessing carrier-based training. This is among the many...
Agents Keep Up: How People Use Mobile Technology to Communicate and More
Jul 21 2014 // An agent’s technological plate is so full it may seem impossible to decide where to start. Experts agree that embracing mobile needs to take top priority for two critical tasks: to mobile-optimize the agency website...
Deal Analysis: Why Validus Is Buying Western World
Jul 21 2014 // The combination of Validus Holdings and Western World Insurance Group fills in “missing pieces” for both organizations, Validus’ chairman said in late June, detailing finer points of a $690 million deal...
Peremption for Me, But Not for Thee
Jul 21 2014 // The Difference Between Insurance Agents and the Insurers They Represent Hurricane season 2014 had barely begun when Hurricane Arthur formed and wreaked havoc along the East Coast during the 4th of July weekend. Whether the...
Consumer Interest in TrustedChoice.com Growing, Big ‘I’ Chair-Elect Says
Jul 21 2014 // Insurance consumer interest in Trusted Choice, the national brand created for the members of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or Big “I”) is growing, according the...
Surplus Lines Tax Sharing Solution Still Up for Debate
Jul 21 2014 // Things have changed a bit for the surplus lines industry since the Non-admitted and Reinsurance Reform Act, (NRRA) part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform legislation, passed in 2010. The NRRA’s implementation has...
