Latest Agencies Headlines

Southeast Agents Fear Recession as Construction Woes Continue

Apr 7 2008 // Shrinking payrolls and receipts exacerbate soft market effects of lower premiums and commissions Southeast insurance agents do not all agree the economy is in a recession or on the causes of the slumping economy, but they...

People

Apr 7 2008 // Patrick G. Ryan, founder and executive chairman of the largest insurance intermediary, Aon Corp., said he intends to retire from Aon effective Aug. 1, 2008. “After 41 years as CEO and three years as executive...

‘State v. Federal’ Fight Heats Up

Apr 7 2008 // In the face of growing economic turmoil the Bush administration is calling for an overhaul of system of regulating the nation’s financial services industries — including insurance. The reform proposal announced...

Apr 7 2008 // People Rob Arnold has been named president of Houston-based insurance wholesaler Myron Steves. Arnold has been a member of the Myron Steves management team since 1995 and has also served as director of Business...

Double Whammy

Apr 7 2008 // It starts with the housing market. Then it seeps into construction, typically residential followed by commercial. Then it travels to manufacturing, then retail, then hospitality. It differs by region. It might be worse in...

California Assembly Considering Insurance Agent-Broker Bill

Apr 7 2008 // A bill that would help to clarify when an insurance professional is acting in the capacity of a broker versus an agent in California is scheduled come before the state Assembly Insurance Committee no later than April 16....

Take a P/C Soft Market, Throw in a Recession, and Stir

Apr 7 2008 // The P/C industry’s chief economist on how agents are affected when a recession coincides with a soft market The following interview with Robert Hartwig, president of the Insurance Information Institute, took place...

Beecher Carlson: Energized for Growth

Apr 7 2008 // Atlanta-based broker just keeps going and going while striving to maintain service excellence The “Energizer Bunny” of property/casualty insurance brokerages worldwide — that seems an apt description for...

Strategies for Agents in a Recession

Apr 7 2008 // Despite soft market conditions and a downturn in the economy, it’s still a good time to be an agent, says Leonard Brevik, president and CEO of National Association of Professional Insurance Agents. “There are a...

Industry Lines Up ‘Pro and Con’ on Bush Plan for Federal Regulator

Apr 7 2008 // Insurance industry groups lined up quickly with responses to the Bush administration’s proposed overhaul of the way the government regulates the nation’s financial services industries, including insurance. The...

During a Recession, Agents Tend to Fare Better Than Their Customers

Apr 7 2008 // Agents writing residential contractors feel recession first; manufacturing, retail segments follow Main Street independent insurance agents could take a bigger hit than their larger counterparts as an economic recession...

What America’s Young Insurance Agents Like Most About Being Agents

Apr 4 2008 // According to a new Insurance Journal survey, among the many things America’s young independent insurance agents like about their jobs is the money. Forty-three percent pull in between $51,000 and $100,000 a year,...

Long Island Agent Wins Award from National Trade Group

Apr 4 2008 // Vincent A. Alba, vice president of MRW Group Inc. in Huntington, New York, has been given the Barney Burns Award by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America. The award recognizes the insurance agent or...

RLI Opens Its Small Fleet Trucking Insurance to More Agents

Apr 3 2008 // RLI Transportation, a division of RLI Insurance Co., announced the expansion of its small fleet trucking program to include new retail agents. The program had previously been limited to existing, appointed agents. The...

San Francisco’s Worldwide Facilities Names VP, Broker

Apr 2 2008 // Worldwide Facilities has named Greg Kuchar vice president of the company’s San Francisco office. Kuchar most recently was with Risk Placement Services (RPS) in Orange, Calif., where he spent the past four years as...

Burns & Wilcox Adds Broker in San Francisco

Apr 2 2008 // Burns & Wilcox has named Denise DiPietro vice president/California brokerage in the company’s San Francisco office. Her specialty is general liability and contractors coverage, but she will be responsible for...

Connecticut Anti-steering Bill Heads to Full Vote

Apr 2 2008 // A Connecticut bill that restricts auto insurers from directing clients to certain car repair shops – legislation opposed by insurers and agents alike – is headed for a floor vote in the state’s General...

American E&S Acquires Network E&S’ Brokerage Business

Apr 1 2008 // American E&S Insurance Brokers of San Francisco has acquired Network E&S’ brokerage book of business. Network E&S, a California-based wholesale broker, has agreed to sell the renewal rights of its...

No April Fool’s Prank: Mass. Drivers Really Can Shop Around Starting Today

Apr 1 2008 // Today — April Fool’s Day — is the day when competitive rating in the Massachusetts private passenger auto insurance market becomes real. No kidding. For the first time in more than three decades, the state is...

Disaster Derivatives Set to Grow in 2008

Apr 1 2008 // With the United States bracing for big hurricanes this year, new derivatives to trade catastrophe risks offer insurers the extra protection they crave against multi-billion-dollar storms. Trading of “catastrophe...