Agencies - Latest Insurance News

Judges Reopen Portions of Bid-Rigging Civil Suit

Aug 20 2010 // A decision by a federal court in Philadelphia has reopened some of the racketeering and antitrust lawsuits that were dismissed three years ago against insurers and brokers who allegedly participated in a bid-rigging scheme...

Employee-Owned Insurance Brokerage Opens Akron Office

Aug 19 2010 // Ohio’s oldest independent and largest employee-owned risk management and insurance brokerage firm has opened an office in Akron. Oswald Companies serves more than 50 clients collectively in Akron and...

Goss Re Names Brock as CEO; Fox as VP, Senior Broker

Aug 19 2010 // Scott Brock has been appointed as CEO of Goss Reinsurance Brokers Inc., the reinsurance brokerage division of U.S. Risk Insurance Group Inc. Brock will work with Chris Turner, president of Goss Re, to provide highly...

8 Traits Top 100 Agencies Have in Common

Aug 19 2010 // Over the course of the past decade, our firm, C. R. Ekern & Co. has worked closely with over 25 percent of the Insurance Journal Top 100 Agencies. Providing either sales training, leadership training, or consulting to...

Solutions Agency Culture Issues – Small Agencies In Small Towns

Aug 18 2010 // In my previous post “Insights Into Agency Cultures – Small Agencies in Small Town” I discussed some of the cultural challenges these firms face. Some owners of these firms recognize that they have issues....

How to Establish an Agency Growth Culture

Aug 18 2010 // Why is agency growth important? Agents and brokers are faced with a continued economic downturn combined with sustained soft market conditions; insurance companies continue to tier agents based on future growth;...

H. Linwood Insurance Appoints Novy Senior Broker

Aug 17 2010 // H. Linwood Insurance Services Inc. of Carlsbad, Calif., has named Terri Novy a senior broker. She has five years of insurance industry experious, having previously worked as a broker for State Farm Insurance.

Riggins Joins L.A. Xcess Insurance Brokers

Aug 17 2010 // Los Angeles based L.A.Xcess Insurance Brokers Inc. has hired Jodi Riggins as assistant vice president. She will be reporting responsible for marketing new business and servicing an existing book of business. Riggins began...

Insurance Journal Seeks Nominations for Best Agencies to Work For

Aug 16 2010 // Is your independent insurance agency or brokerage firm a great place to work? Insurance Journal is once again on the lookout for the best independent insurance agencies and brokerages in the U.S. to work for and we hope...

Cuomo and New York Regulators Respond to Producer Comp Lawsuit

Aug 16 2010 // In a series of court filings, the New York Attorney General’s Office and State Insurance Department argue that new rules requiring agents to disclose their pay to clients are needed to penetrate a “cloak of...

Georgia Brokerage Sues in Case Involving National Baptist Convention

Aug 16 2010 // A Georgia-based insurance broker is suing two former business partners that it had in an arrangement to sell health insurance products to the 7.5-million-member National Bapitist Convention. The brokerage, Kingdom...

Smart Agents’ Growth

Aug 16 2010 // Grow or die has long been the accepted strategy for business. But look at the problems plaguing AIG or Toyota for instance, and one is left wondering why. In a new book, Smart Growth: Building an Enduring Business by...

M&A Wrap Up: Year-over-Year, M&A Activity Sustains a Moderate Pace

Aug 16 2010 // Insurance brokerage deals in the second quarter of 2010 barely bested the number of deals during the second quarter of 2009 bringing year-over-year activity slightly ahead of last. Forty-six transactions were announced...

How To Use Compensation to Boost Sales

Aug 16 2010 // Al Diamond is one of the country’s best known agency management consultants. His firm, the Agency Consulting Group, is based in Cherry Hill, N.J. He deals with agencies across the country on issues ranging from...

101 Sales & Marketing Ideas

Aug 16 2010 // From … how to research and obtain referrals, why it’s important to listen to clients, what to do with social media, where to advertise and what to say … to how to use a questionnaire, court records, a...

3 Keys to Establishing a Total Agency Growth Culture

Aug 16 2010 // Why is agency growth important? Agents and brokers are faced with a continued economic downturn combined with sustained soft market conditions; insurance companies continue to tier agents based on future growth;...

Agency Marketing Must Move Online and Beyond Yellow Pages

Aug 16 2010 // Insurance agents could be more effective with their marketing efforts by incorporating online tools into their advertising strategy. After all, online resources often are free — and they’re a good way to build...

Why Carriers’ Producer Bulletins Are Like Greyhound Buses

Aug 16 2010 // Communications from carriers are crucial to an agency’s business. Through producer bulletins, carriers describe changes, policy updates, and other business matters. Yet producer bulletins are the Greyhound buses of...

2010 Education & Training Directory

Aug 16 2010 // Insurance Journal is pleased to publish the 2010 Education and Training Directory. This exclusive resource directory has been designed to help independent agents and brokers find educational and training opportunities to...

101 Sales & Marketing Ideas*