Latest Agencies Headlines

Illinois Company Involved in Lawsuit Against Brooke Buys 44.3% of Stock

Oct 21 2008 // An Illinois company connected to a bank involved in the lawsuit of the parent company of Brooke Corp. has taken control of 44.3 percent of Brooke’s stock. Trim Creek LLC of Crete, Ill., now owns 6.43 million shares...

Study Says Mass. Agents Contribute $1.9B to the State’s Economy

Oct 20 2008 // As employers, taxpayers, consumers and charitable contributors, Massachusetts’ independent insurance agents make a $1.9 billion cumulative contribution to the Bay State’s economy last year, according to a new...

LA Public Transit Faces Dilemma Due to AIG Demise

Oct 20 2008 // Two public transportation agencies in Southern California are facing a financial dilemma and possible service cuts after a major lender fell victim to the nationwide economic crisis. Los Angeles County Metropolitan...

Annual Survey Lists Top 10 Ease of Doing Business P/C Insurers

Oct 20 2008 // West Bend Mutual Insurance Company of Wisconsin (No. 1), Central Mutual Insurance (No. 2), Safety Insurance (No. 3), Frankenmuth Insurance (No. 4), and Selective Insurance (No. 5) earned the top five spots when it comes to...

Agents Balk as Mass. Weighs Ending Auto Surcharge Appeals

Oct 20 2008 // People who have switched policies, and everyone who must renew them in the future, could lose their appellate right under the new regulations. The Massachusetts insurance commissioner, addressing a concern of some...

Oct 20 2008 // American International Group Inc. (AIG) elected Edward M. Liddy as chairman and CEO. Liddy, 62, succeeds Robert B. Willumstad. Stephen F. Bollenbach, who was named lead independent director in June 2008, continues in that...

Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner Sean Dilweg

Oct 20 2008 // From tornadoes, hail and flooding to the impact of the AIG bailout and the federal versus state regulation debate, Sean Dilweg has a lot on his plate as Wisconsin’s insurance commissioner. Appointed by Wisconsin...

Group Nurtures Latin Agents’ Relationships, Better Business Practices

Oct 20 2008 // LAAIA President Rivero Urges Agents to Strike Balance Between Technology and Direct Client Contact When the Latin American Association of Insurance Agencies was establishing itself in the late 1960s and early 1970s, most...

Carriers’ Marketing to Latinos is Good but Could be Better, Say Agents

Oct 20 2008 // A majority of independent agents and brokers in a good position to know say insurance carriers do an acceptable job marketing to the Latino community, although as many as 40 percent also rate carriers’ efforts as...

Wanted: Florida Agencies Focusing on Hispanic Market

Oct 20 2008 // Sunshine State High on List of States for Agency Acquisitions by Consolidators Behind Confie Seguros The movers behind the insurance agency consolidation firm Confie Seguros say they are well-positioned to meet their goal...

People

Oct 20 2008 // Angelo Ganguzza, vice president of Boca Raton, Fla.-based LIG Insurance Agency and Kimberly Langston Gray, managing partner of Langston Insurance Agency in central Florida, accepted election to the Professional Insurance...

Face-to-Face

Oct 20 2008 // Insurance carriers have not perfected the art of marketing to Latin independent agents or the Latino market. They are not terrible at it but they could be better. In a recent Insurance Journal survey (see page 50), nearly...

Regulatory Compliance

Oct 20 2008 // Retention of Business Records Most people dread record keeping, whether it is logging expenses, travel mileage, billable hours, laps on the treadmill or the birthday presents given to family friends. Although it is...

Cross-Border Trucking, Competitiveness Concerns in Arizona

Oct 20 2008 // Being the sixth-largest state in the nation, and one of the fastest-growing, makes Arizona an attractive place to live and do business. And that means the state is desirable from an insurance perspective, too, according to...

AIG Commercial Insurance Battles Back

Oct 20 2008 // Execs Say Balance Sheet, Underwriting Appetite Remain Strong as Ever Exclusive Insurance Journal Interview with AIG Commercial Insurance CEO John Doyle and CFO Rob Schimek The very strengths in its balance sheet, surplus,...

Armed & Ready to Outsell the Competition

Oct 20 2008 // West Coast’s Interwest Insurance Services Remains Militant on Sales Top 100 Agency Profile Ranking: 12 Agency Name: InterWest Insurance Services Inc. Headquarters: Sacramento, Calif. Year Founded: 1992 Additional...

Surplus Lines: A Market in Transition

Oct 20 2008 // The Soft Market and Financial Crisis Could Lead Firms into ‘Uncharted Waters’ For surplus lines insurance providers the economic turmoil and soft insurance market means a double-hit on profitability. Some...

Industry Innovators Give Agents Alternative Solutions

Oct 20 2008 // How to Use Surplus Lines Brokers and Managing General Agents Recent estimates show that about one third of all commercial risks in the United States are placed in an “alternative market.” As producers already...

From Seed to Supermarket

Oct 20 2008 // Agricultural Risks Require the Knowledge and Skill of Specialty Agents Agribusiness insurance has grown significantly as food production has become a global commodity. Since World War II there has been a dramatic reduction...

Risk Placement Services Hires Kufner as Underwriter/Broker in Scottsdale

Oct 17 2008 // Wendy Kufner has joined Risk Placement Services Inc. in Scottsdale, Ariz., as an underwriter/broker. She brings to her position a strong insurance background as both a retail and wholesale broker. She will be responsible...