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Your vote still counts

Nov 20 2006 // The final votes from November’s midterm elections may have been tallied, yet the real political campaigning should be just about ready to begin. As expected, elections changed key roles in in the House and Senate...

Declarations

Nov 20 2006 // Soundly defeated “We’ve learned that we need not fear voters won’t understand the benefits of credit scoring and will respond on basis of their own interests. I think we had a fairly good idea that we...

Calif. associations take issue with broker definition, OAL to weigh in

Nov 20 2006 // The California Office of Administrative Law (OAL) has decided to accept a petition filed by Insurance Brokers and Agents of the West (IBA West) requesting review of the outgoing Insurance Commissioner John...

IIABA president: contingency commission crisis threatens agents

Nov 20 2006 // For a small- to mid-sized independent insurance agency, contingency commissions can determine whether the business survives, according to many within the industry. That explains why Alex Soto, a Miami agent who is also...

Flying solo now, former Zurich exec ‘gooses’ independent agents

Nov 20 2006 // A retired insurance industry executive turned turbo-charged speaker told a group of independent insurance agents that they are the greediest people he has ever met. Ray Thomas, a former Zurich North America Small Business...

People, partnerships lead to nearly a century of success

Nov 20 2006 // Good people can make or break a company. In San Diego-based Barney & Barney’s case, it’s clearly made it; the company has been in business for nearly a century, thanks to people who have invested their...

SPECIAL REPORT: Surplus Lines

Nov 20 2006 // The insurance industry’s excess and surplus lines (E&S) sector has experienced a pronounced reversal of position in the last 20 years. Once considered a mere adjunct, a safety valve for risks that were too hard...

MODES OF INSURANCE REGULATION — WHO SUPPORTS WHAT?

Nov 20 2006 // H.R. 5637, the Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act, would: — Give sole regulatory and enforcement authority to the insured’s home state for the placement of surplus lines/nonadmitted insurance; —...

Improving efficiency and valuation through automation and outsourcing

Nov 20 2006 // Revenue growth, the quality of a book of business, the caliber of producers, strategic drivers and the overall level of client service — these are the typical considerations that affect an agency’s...

Where are all the young guns?

Nov 20 2006 // Look around you. Take a long look at the folks in your agency or company. And then break out your calculator. What is the average age of your employees or colleagues? What percent of your firm’s workforce were...

Democratic Congress OK for industry traditionally tied to Republicans

Nov 20 2006 // The new Congress may be blue on Capitol Hill, but insiders say that’s not necessarily a bad color for the insurance industry. “The more things change, the more they may remain pretty much the same,” said...

Not your father’s wholesaler

Nov 20 2006 // When it comes to today’s excess and surplus lines brokers, retail agents have a choice of several models Much is said about retail agents having to change with the times and stand out from the crowd to survive. But...

Lame duck Romney team pushes ahead with high risk plan change

Nov 19 2006 // Opponents of the ARP have urged Bowler to leave the decision of what to do about the high risk system to the incoming Patrick administration. News Currents Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner Julianne Bowler said she...

By Adam Friedlander

Nov 19 2006 // Some brokers have taken steps to protect themselves, asking clients to sign agreements to hold them harmless if they elect to obtain coverage from a trust. Their concern relates to the insolvency exclusion of self insured...

News Currents

Nov 19 2006 // N.Y. agents protest reported incidents as ‘red flags’ for rating New York agents want insurers to stop and think before penalizing small businesses that report incidents where no paid claims result. The...

Laptop stolen from broker has Villanova University insured student driver data

Nov 19 2006 // A laptop computer stolen from an insurance brokerage firm contained the names, birth dates and driver’s license numbers of more than 1,200 Villanova University students and staff members, the school said. No Social...

With new governors could come new commissioners in Mass., Md., N.Y.

Nov 19 2006 // Newly elected Democratic governors in Massachusetts, New York and Maryland are expected to name their own insurance commissioners, although it’s to early to know who the successors might be, according to insurance...

10 N.Y. agents protest incidents as red flags

Nov 19 2006 // Should mere incidents affect pricing? 10 Laptop stolen from broker HRH deals with lost data on Villanova N1 Employee crime: big threat to small firms More than one in three firms experience theft N1 Commercial premiums...

Nov 19 2006 // People Greg Thompson, president and chief executive officer of Thomco, is the new president of the Target Markets Program Administrators Association, a national organization serving program managers. Thomco, headquartered...

Understanding D&O risks, exposures and insurance options

Nov 19 2006 // What do a parent advisory board, parish council, the United Way and local athletic club have in common? They are all nonprofit organizations. Most people serving on the board of such organizations are volunteers who...