Latest Agencies Headlines

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

Independent Spirit Shapes Marsh’s New Retail Unit

Feb 21 2011 // CEO Eslick Shares Lessons Learned in Assembling Marsh & McLennan Agency In a little over a year, mega-broker Marsh & McLennan quickly assembled one of the largest independent agencies in the nation, entirely...

NRRA Compliance Checklist: Prepare Now for Surplus Line Tax Changes and Enjoy Your Summer Vacation

Feb 21 2011 // Editor’s Note: This is the first of a two-part article on compliance with the Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act. The Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act (NRRA), Subtitle B, Part I, Dodd-Frank Wall Street...

People

Feb 21 2011 // The California Insurance Wholesalers Association honored David F. Anderson, chairman of Anderson & Murison, with its Wholesale Industry Award. Anderson was a founding president of CIWA from 1991 to 1993. He served on...

New York Lawmakers Propose Easing Some Insurance Regulations

Feb 21 2011 // The New York Senate Committee on Insurance has begun hearing on legislation that would extend insurance agents’ license renewals, allow multiple rating plans for personal lines insurers and clarify laws about...

Declarations

Feb 21 2011 // Rate Battle War of Words “High commercial auto rates can cause significant harm to small businesses. We believe Progressive’s proposed increase is unjustified and an unfair rate hike on small businesses across...

Certificates of Insurance a Priority Legislative Issue for Texas Agents

Feb 21 2011 // With a massive hole in the state’s budget and the looming duty to redistrict, insurance issues are likely to be low priority items for the Texas 82nd Legislature, which began its session in January. Still, nearly 200...

Industry Has Big Legislative Goals for 2011

Feb 21 2011 // Just as state lawmakers forge ahead with new legislative goals for 2011, the insurance industry, agents and their lobbyists are doing the same across much of the Northeast. Some states have already seen and continue to see...

Iowa Supreme Court: Agent not Required to Suggest Unrequested Coverage

Feb 21 2011 // The Iowa Supreme Court sided with an insurance agent in a case involving whether the agent has a duty to advise clients as to the need for insurance coverage about which the clients had not inquired. In considering an...

Willis UK Broker Networks Add Six New Members

Feb 18 2011 // Willis Group Holdings announced that six new members have joined Willis Networks, its alliance with local, independent insurance brokers in the UK. Willis Networks is made up of the Willis Commercial Network (WCN), which...

Oklahoma Agents Group Outlines Legislative Interests for 2011

Feb 18 2011 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Oklahoma (IIAO) is following a number of insurance related measures that have been introduced in the current state legislative session. According to IIAO President and CEO Dan Ramsey,...

Pennsylvania Considers Tort Reform

Feb 18 2011 // Pennsylvania lawmakers are once again eyeing a tort reform package โ€” a resurrection of the “Fair Share” act โ€” that many in the insurance industry say would help put downward pressure on premiums and rein in...

Big ‘I’ Promotes McPhillips to Senior Lobbyist Role

Feb 17 2011 // Jennifer McPhillips has been promoted to senior director of federal government affairs for the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”) and will serve as one of the...

Brown & Brown Acquires Two Massachusetts Agencies

Feb 17 2011 // Brown & Brown has acquired United Benefit Services and Beverly T. Gottlieb & Associates, two metro-Boston agencies specializing in employee benefits and related insurance products. Terms of the deal were not...

Mood on Main Street: Agents on Hardest Hit Small Businesses

Feb 17 2011 // Agents across the country โ€” except in Texas and neighboring states โ€” agree that construction and related trades have been hardest hit by the recession. Restaurants appear to be the second hardest hit. In terms of lines...

Certificates of Insurance a Priority Legislative Issue for Texas Agents

Feb 16 2011 // With a massive hole in the state’s budget and the duty to redistrict, insurance issues are likely to be low priority items for Texas 82nd Legislature, which began its session in January. But Texas agents are backing...

Calif. Insurance Agents & Brokers Association Changes Name to Cal Agents

Feb 16 2011 // Insurance Agents & Brokers Association of California has changed its name to California Agents & Brokers Insurance Association — or Cal Agents for short. “Cal Agents is a more succinct name to quickly...

Combined Agents of America Partners with Allied Insurance

Feb 15 2011 // Combined Agents of America LLC (CAA) announced a partnership with two new companies, Allied Insurance and Allied General Agency Company. Under the terms of the contract, CAA member agencies can now offer its customers a...

Mood on Main Street: How Recession Changed Insurance Buying Habits

Feb 15 2011 // The recession has taken its toll on contractors, restaurants, retailers, small manufacturers and other Main Street business around the country and most of the survivors are not going to soon forget the pain of the past few...

West Virginia Changes Agent Licensing System

Feb 14 2011 // West Virginia is moving to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners state based system for issuing agent licenses in order to bring it in line with other states and streamline the licensing process. Starting in...

New York Lawmakers Consider Extending Agents’ Licenses, Other Issues

Feb 14 2011 // The New York Senate Committee on Insurance is scheduled to hear bills this afternoon that would extend insurance agents’ license renewals, allow multiple rating plans for personal lines insurers and clarify laws...