Latest Agencies Headlines

N.C. Insurance Agent Arrested for Allegedly Pocketing Premium Payments

Nov 21 2007 // North Carolina officials arrested a Fayetteville, N.C., woman and charged her with three counts of embezzlement by an insurance agent, according to Insurance Commissioner Jim Long Jessica Rachelle Forde, 32, worked as a...

Indiana Insurance Named Company of the Year by Big I

Nov 21 2007 // Indiana Insurance, a member of Liberty Mutual Group, has been named the 2007 Company of the Year by the Independent Insurance Agents of Indiana (IIAI), an honor that the company also received in 2006. The IIAI Company of...

Survey: 96 Million Households Lack Knowledge on Protecting Electronics

Nov 20 2007 // As the holiday shopping season unofficially kicks off this week, about 42 million American households plan to give or receive high-tech electronic products this year. However, about seven out of eight households...

Sibthorp Hired as Agents Alliance Director of Sales

Nov 20 2007 // The California Alliance of Insurance Agents and Brokers has named John Sibthorp director of sales. He will be responsible for growing Alliance membership and marketing the group’s products and services.

Hanover Among First to Tout Mass. Auto Rates; Vows Agent Appointments

Nov 19 2007 // The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. was one of the first insurers to tout its competitive rates and product filings at today’s deadline for auto insurers looking to compete in Massachusetts under the new managed...

Best Interests

Nov 18 2007 // A Massachusetts lawmaker who is a former independent agent recently charged that local independent agents opposing some of the state’s auto insurance reforms are only interested in their own agencies’ values...

People

Nov 18 2007 // The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) elected new officers during its annual meeting in Boston recently. Robert Joyce, chairman and chief executive officer of Westfield Group, was elected as the...

Good Agency-Carrier Relationships Travel a Two-Way Street

Nov 18 2007 // Agents might think they have their hands full trying to attract and retain quality employees but they are not alone. Insurance carriers face challenges getting and keeping quality agents, too. For a company like St. Paul...

Nov 18 2007 // People Lockton Companies LLC appointed Frank Scardino as president of the company’s Dallas property and casualty operation. In his new position, Scardino is responsible for setting the vision and long-term strategies...

People

Nov 18 2007 // Munich Reinsurance America Inc. announced that John P. Phelan will retire as planned on Dec. 31, 2007, after serving nearly six years as chairman and CEO. Anthony J. Kuczinski, who is president of Munich Re America’s...

Congress Considers Disaster Legislation to Alleviate Coastal Insurance Crisis

Nov 18 2007 // House passes measure opposed by Bush and insurance industry remains at odds on best solution Disaster legislation is hot on the minds of congressional leaders this month as a handful of bills made their way to both the...

New Players Enter the E&O Market … But Some Agents May Not See Rates Decline

Nov 18 2007 // Despite a rosier outlook in the agents’ errors and omissions (E&O) insurance market compared with years past, many insurance agents still faced rate increases in their E&O coverage in 2007 and anticipate...

Locked Into the Customer

Nov 18 2007 // The force behind Lockton’s phenomenal organic growth Insurance Journal is pleased to launch a new series of profiles of privately-held property/casualty independent insurance agencies that qualify for the annual...

Looking for Profits at Marsh

Nov 18 2007 // MMC’s CEO Cherkasky searches for more insurance commissions The Marsh & McLennan Companies, or MMC, has seen its once dominant position atop the brokerage world assailed by changing conditions, Eliot Spitzer,...

Recognizing, Encouraging and Nurturing Outstanding Customer Service Reps

Nov 18 2007 // Today’s top CSRs possess indispensable attributes, including good communication skills, trust, integrity, and more Agencies that offer their employees the option of working remotely achieve an advantage when it comes...

Feature Non-Owner Producers in Agency Promotions

Nov 18 2007 // Whom does your marketing promote: the agency or the agent? Traditionally, property/casualty promotions focus on the office in general and not the individuals who actually sell the insurance. At first blush, this strategy...

Construction Litigation Puts Agents at Risk

Nov 18 2007 // When contractors get sued, sometimes agents get caught in the middle Construction is an inherently dangerous activity. Hundreds if not millions of dollars are at stake with each project, and if something goes wrong,...

USRisk Brokers Announces Senior Staff in Oakland

Nov 16 2007 // USRisk Brokers Insurance Services Inc. announced that Joan Edwards has joined its Oakland, Calif., office as branch manager, and Chris Ramos has joined the office as senior underwriter. USRisk Brokers is a California...

Fla. Title Co. to Pay $5 Million in Penalties

Nov 16 2007 // In violation of the Florida Insurance Code and federal law, First American Title Insurance Company agreed to pay $5 million in penalties and costs after allegedly paying “kickbacks” to builders, bankers, real...

GAINSCO Rolls Out Monthly Auto Policy in Texas

Nov 15 2007 // GAINSCO Auto Insurance, which specializes in minimum-limits personal auto policies, announced it has introduced a new monthly auto policy for Texas customers. The new product, which provides a single month of personal auto...