Latest Agencies Headlines
All the headlines from our Agencies Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Who’s Worth What in the Independent Agency System? Find Out … Join IJ’s Survey
Jan 18 2012 // Insurance Journal is polling insurance agents and brokers nationwide in its annual search to find out who’s worth what in the independent agency system. Don’t miss out on your chance to participate. The 2012...
Schubmehl Joins Swett & Crawford Chicago as Property Broker
Jan 18 2012 // Farrah Schubmehl has joined the property practice group in Swett & Crawford’s Chicago office to broker a broad range of specialty exposures. Schubmehl has worked as an underwriter and broker in both the retail...
Supreme Court Won’t Hear FINRA Immunity Case
Jan 18 2012 // The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of a ruling that the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) had immunity from a private lawsuit over the 2007 deal that created the Wall Street regulator. The...
Murderer, Fake FBI Agent, Amateur Arsonist Enter Insurance Fraud Hall of Shame
Jan 17 2012 // A cash-strapped businessman torches his home then massacres five people to keep witnesses from testifying. A cop shoots himself to steal workers’ comp money. Two scammers stuff a coffin with a mannequin and cow parts...
Former North Dakota Insurance Agent Sentenced for Fraud
Jan 16 2012 // A former Minot, N.D. insurance agent has been sentenced to prison and ordered to pay nearly $1.2 million in restitution for wire fraud. Alan Henning, 58, pleaded guilty on Aug. 24, 2011, to charges that he diverted...
Oklahoma Charges Former Agent with Embezzlement, Unlawful Insurance Sales
Jan 12 2012 // The Oklahoma insurance regulators announced that a Tulsa area man has been charged unlawfully selling health insurance to Oklahoma customers. The Oklahoma Insurance Department said Terry L. McCrackin, 64, was charged in...
Agents Outline Real-Time Technology Priorities for Carriers
Jan 12 2012 // Insurance carriers’ use of real-time tools is becoming a differentiator when independent agents choose where to place business, according to a new survey. Independent agents and brokers place the highest priority on...
UPA Insurance Brokers in Northern California Acquired by Risk Strategies
Jan 11 2012 // Millbrae, Calif.-based UPA Insurance Brokers has been acquired by Risk Strategies Co., a national insurance brokerage and risk management firm headquartered in Boston. The acquisition was announced on Wednesday. Terms of...
Georgia Man Sent to Prison for Killing Insurance Agent
Jan 11 2012 // A Savannah man has been sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted of killing an insurance agent during a robbery. The Savannah Morning News reported that 41-year-old Pedro Walker was given two consecutive life...
French Broker Gras Savoye Receives License to Operate in Georgia
Jan 10 2012 // France’s Gras Savoye, which is closely associated with Willis, announced that it has received a license to commence brokerage operations in Georgia (the country – not the state), as part of its initiative to expand...
2012 Brings Operational Changes for Texas Windstorm Insurer
Jan 10 2012 // The New Year ushered in changes to the operation of Texas’s insurance company of last resort for wind and hail along the Texas coast. Many of the operational changes will affect insurance agents who handle Texas...
Lockton Hires Willis Exec as Real Estate Practice Leader in New York
Jan 9 2012 // Lockton Companies appointed industry veteran Michael Power as senior vice president and Northeast real estate practice leader. Based in the insurance broker’s Manhattan, New York, office, Power will be responsible...
Insurance Agent Rowland Gets Kentucky GOP Nomination
Jan 9 2012 // Tompkinsville independent insurance agent Bart Rowland will be the Republican nominee for a Kentucky House seat left vacant when former Rep. James Comer was elected state agriculture commissioner. Rowland was nominated...
Oklahoma’s Commissioner Doak Had a Full Plate in 2011
Jan 9 2012 // In his first year as insurance commissioner of Oklahoma, John Doak was a busy man. Doak and the agency he leads had their hands full implementing reforms in the workers’ compensation system, dealing with a host of...
Trends for 2012
Jan 9 2012 // Soft Market Here to Stay, Merger Activity, Financial Pressures and More In order to be proactive, one needs to understand and exploit current and future trends. So what will 2012 be like for insurance agents and brokers?...
2012 Brings Operational Changes for TWIA
Jan 9 2012 // The New Year is ushering in changes to the operation of the insurer of last resort for wind and hail along the Texas coast. Many of the operational changes will affect insurance agents who handle Texas Windstorm Insurance...
A Disciplined Approach to Underwriting
Jan 9 2012 // Now that 2011 is in the record books, various insurance company presidents soon will be disclosing and discussing their company’s year-end results. While the exact words may be different, don’t be surprised if...
Déjà Vu
Jan 9 2012 // If you are an insurance agent or broker counting on the economy to perform considerably better in 2012 than it did in 2011, well, don’t. Economists say that the economy is showing slight improvement, and employment...
If an Agency Were a Person
Jan 9 2012 // Most agencies are managed from the perspective of the shareholders and executives. But what would an agency want if it were a shareholder? 1. Good health. The foundation of agency health is the balance sheet. The most...
People
Jan 9 2012 // Verne Cadwell has been named vice president of the crop hail division at Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Co. located in Grinnell, Iowa. Cadwell’s promotion follows a 12-year career at Grinnell Mutual, where he has served...
