Latest Agencies Headlines

IIABA president: contingency commission crisis threatens agents

Oct 23 2006 // For a small to midsize independent insurance agency, contingency commissions can determine whether the business survives, according to many in the industry. That explains why Alex Soto, a Miami agent who is also president...

Sticking up for the little guys

Oct 23 2006 // Somewhat akin to Rodney Dangerfield, smaller agents don’t seem to get any respect—or at least not as much respect as their larger counterparts. It is becoming difficult to keep the carriers they currently have,...

Oct 23 2006 // People Pat Arthur, a partner in the Dallas insurance and risk management firm McQueary, Henry, Bowles, Troy, has been appointed president-elect of the Independent Insurance Agents of Dallas. He will be responsible for...

Recovery after a disaster involves more than data and office space

Oct 23 2006 // One lesson Bill Boyd learned in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is that recovery from a disaster entails much more than simply restoring the critical functions of a business. “What we’ve learned … is...

Disaster planning helped New Orleans agencies get back up and running

Oct 23 2006 // You could almost feel it, the bond that had formed as we worked to bring our agency back to life, help our clients, and assist each other through the most trying times we will hopefully ever know,” said Douglass C....

People

Oct 23 2006 // The Society of Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters elected new officers and governors. They are: President Betsey L. Brewer, senior vice president of The Rule Co. in Pasadena, Calif. President-Elect James L. Britt,...

Why agents oppose contingent commission settlements

Oct 23 2006 // Imagine for a moment a state legislator introducing a bill that made it illegal for businesses to pay year-end bonuses to their sales forces. Then imagine that this piece of legislation also made it mandatory that all...

Technology

Oct 23 2006 // New check processing technology can help insurance agents improve efficiencies, have quicker access to funds and reduce banking fees. Check technology helps insurance companies save time and money Brokerage agencies and...

E. coli expedites need for recall and business interruption coverage

Oct 23 2006 // On Sept. 13, epidemiologists in New Mexico, Wisconsin and Oregon began discussing a cluster of E. coli infections and warned the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that they suspected fresh-bagged spinach as the...

Check technology helps insurance companies save time and money

Oct 23 2006 // Brokerage agencies and insurance companies across the country are changing the way they move money — taking advantage of a piece of legislation that allows them to process policyholder checks more quickly and...

Bustamante and Poizner in the final campaign stretch

Oct 23 2006 // From holding the line on new reforms to reducing uninsured motorists, a fair share of work lurks ahead for California’s soon-to-be-chosen insurance commissioner. Front-runners fighting for the honor of regulating...

Second association joins fight against Garamendi

Oct 23 2006 // The Alliance of Insurance Agents and Brokers, La Verne, Calif., is drafting a letter to the California Office of Administrative Law in support of the recent petition by IBA West over the California Insurance...

HOSPITALITY RISKS

Oct 23 2006 // In Pennsylvania, a disabled customer complained of emotional distress when she dined at a restaurant that lacked adequate parking for her wheelchair van and where the restrooms were not fully wheelchair-accessible. The...

News Currents

Oct 23 2006 // Banks’ insurance revenues, insurance brokerage fees up The nation’s bank holding companies increased their total insurance revenue 1.1 percent to $21.4 billion in the first half of 2006 from $21.2 billion...

HRH, Hub stock prices soar; B&B grows wholesale premium to $1 billion

Oct 23 2006 // Stock Price Activity: Brokerage stocks have varied through the first three quarters of 2006. Brokers such as Hilb Rogal & Hobbs and Hub International are having an exceptional year, with their stock trading up 11.7...

Employee benefits offer an easy way to expand business with clients

Oct 23 2006 // It’s a problem many brokers face: clients love our property casualty risk management products and services, but have we given them all they need? What else can we do for them? An employee benefits program offers an...

Tri-City Brokerage Appoints Olson Broker

Oct 20 2006 // Tri-City Brokerage of San Francisco has named Robert Olson as a broker in the Palm Desert area. Olson has more than 20 years of specialty commercial insurance experience from both an underwriting and brokerage perspective....

North Texas Agent to Appear on NASCAR

Oct 19 2006 // NASCAR returns to Texas in November for a second race, The Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, and the Brian Vickers #25 GMAC Chevrolet will include the sponsorship of the Al Boenker Insurance Agency. The Al Boenker...

Pa., Del., Md. Agents Name Board Members

Oct 19 2006 // The Insurance Agents and Brokers of Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland announced its new board members for the upcoming 2006-07 term at its annual board meeting in Baltimore. In addition to appointing board members to...

Survey: Commercial Market Softens, Insurer Appetite Increases

Oct 19 2006 // The commercial property/casualty market continued to soften during the third quarter, with indications that some insurers are finding an appetite for business in which they previously were not interested, according to the...