Latest Agencies Headlines

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

Miami Insurance Agent Accused of $14 Million in Premium Finance Fraud

Oct 13 2009 // A Miami insurance agent was arrested for the second time in less than a month for stealing more than $14 million by submitting thousands of fraudulent premium finance contracts for fictitious policyholders, according to...

Southern California Broker Sentenced for Stealing

Oct 13 2009 // Former insurance agent and San Diego County resident Lynn Flanagan, 60, was sentenced to serve 180 days in jail and pay more than $100,000 in restitution for stealing from clients, the California Department of Insurance...

Texas-based Firm Named PIA’s Managing General Agency of the Year

Oct 13 2009 // The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents has named Empower Insurance Group MGA Inc., headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, as recipient of its 2009 Managing General Agency of the Year Award. “Empower...

PIA Names Ohio Mutual Insurance Group 2009 Company of the Year

Oct 13 2009 // The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents has named Ohio Mutual Insurance Group as the recipient of its 2009 Company Award of Excellence. The annual PIA National Company Award of Excellence honors companies...

Western Security Surplus Forms New MGA Facility

Oct 12 2009 // Dallas-based Western Security Surplus Insurance Brokers (WSS) has announced that all managing general agency business and specialty programs that it has been handling will now be written through a new exclusive MGA Dallas...

Insurance Broker Pleads to Embezzling in Colorado

Oct 12 2009 // A Hawaii resident has pleaded guilty in Denver to an embezzling charge. Fifty-nine-year-old Barney T. Lyles was accused of embezzling from an employee benefit fund when he was chief executive officer at the defunct...

Two Louisiana Agents, Eight Employees Told to Stop Selling Insurance

Oct 9 2009 // The Louisiana Department of Insurance reported it has issued cease and desist orders to two West Monroe, La.-area agents for allegedly allowing unlicensed employees to conduct the business of insurance. Eight unlicensed...

Recession Does Not Stop Brokerage Market Consolidation

Oct 9 2009 // The marked trend toward consolidation in the insurance brokerage sector may have a hiccup, but it will not be slowed by the global economic recession, according to a new report on the insurance brokerage market by Advisen...

New Jersey Agents Group Elects New Leadership

Oct 8 2009 // The Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of New Jersey (IIABNJ) has elected new leadership. Terry M. Ryan of Hanson & Ryan in Totowa will serve as the new chairman of the association. Ronald Gansfuss of Gansfuss...

Allstate Agents Petition IRS for Review of Independent Contractor Status

Oct 8 2009 // The National Association of Professional Allstate Agents (NAPAA) has published and is distributing a petition to the Internal Revenue Service, written by an unidentified Allstate agent, questioning whether Allstate has...

States, Industry Worried Federal Insurance Office Would Regulate

Oct 7 2009 // State insurance regulators, insurance carriers and independent insurance agents are concerned that redrafted legislation to create a federal insurance office makes the new agency too much like a regulator. Testifying...

Louisiana Agency Named Trusted Choice Agency of the Month

Oct 7 2009 // Dupre Carrier Godchaux Agency Inc., located in Louisiana’s Acadiana region, has been named the Trusted Choice Agency of the Month by Trusted Choice, the consumer branding program for independent insurance agents and...

Emerson Joins Colemont’s Dallas Office as Vice President and Broker

Oct 6 2009 // Colemont Insurance Brokers announced that David Emerson has joined the company’s Dallas office as vice president and broker specializing in transportation business. Prior to joining Colemont, Emerson was assistant...

How to Reinvigorate Producers and Other Employees Who Have Lost Their Spark or Become Too Comfortable

Oct 5 2009 // Incentive Compensation Should Focus on Customers not Premiums, Consultant Says Al Diamond is one of the country’s best known agency management consultants. His firm, the Agency Consulting Group, is based in Cherry...

People

Oct 5 2009 // W. R. Berkley Corp. has appointed Carol J. LaPunzina as senior vice president of human resources. In her newly established position, she will oversee human resource operations and personnel development for the company....

People

Oct 5 2009 // David Daniel was named chairman of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (Big “I”). He will lead the organization as chairman for the 2009-2010 term. Daniel is president of Daniel &...

States Give a ‘Thumbs Up’ to Fingerprinting Insurance Producers

Oct 5 2009 // Regulators Say Fingerprinting Keeps Criminals Out of the Business Don’t be alarmed, but there are convicted criminals roaming around the country acting as insurance producers. They could be robbers, forgers, possibly...

People

Oct 5 2009 // Kirby Dibb has joined independent insurance brokerage TriSure in Raleigh, N.C., as client services manager for safety and risk management. In her new capacity, Dibb is responsible for the design, training and monitoring of...

People

Oct 5 2009 // David Daniel was named chairman of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (Big “I”). He will lead the organization as chairman for the 2009-2010 term. Daniel is president of Daniel &...

States Give a ‘Thumbs Up’ to Fingerprinting Insurance Producers

Oct 5 2009 // Regulators Say Fingerprinting Keeps Criminals Out of the Business Don’t be alarmed, but there are convicted criminals roaming around the country acting as insurance producers. They could be robbers, forgers, possibly...