Latest Agencies Headlines

Virginia Advises Insurance Agents of Security Breach

Aug 8 2006 // Virginia’s Bureau of Insurance is advising all insurance agents in the state that their social security number may have been accessible on the bureau’s website for a six-week period of time. The social security...

Singapore Brokers Give Chubb ‘Best Claims Service’ Award

Aug 7 2006 // Members of the Singapore Insurance Brokers Association recently voted Chubb as having the “Best Claims Service.” This is the second consecutive time Chubb has won the award and the fifth consecutive time it...

Julie Benafield Bowman

Aug 7 2006 // Like insurance commissioners in other states, Arkansas Insurance Commis-sioner Julie Benafield Bowman, is keeping an eye on catastrophe issues and the availability of insurance related to them. Unlike commissioners in...

Companies step up to take Texas Select policyholders

Aug 7 2006 // Some 150,000 Texas homeowners will be affected by the liquidation of Vesta Fire Insurance Co. and its Texas subsidiaries by the Texas Department of Insurance, but the situation seems to be not as dire as previously...

Excess flood insurance — when the federal plan isn’t sufficient

Aug 7 2006 // The lessons learned from Katrina and Rita and predictions of a future with bigger and stronger storms highlight more than ever the importance of flood insurance, even in locations where it was previously thought...

Diversification plus education equals a successful independent agency

Aug 7 2006 // Note to independent agents and brokers: Pay attention to the Geico gecko and former “24” actor who is now shilling for Allstate. They are gunning for your business. Either you can try to go head to head against...

Vesta liquidation by Texas felt from Florida to Mass.

Aug 7 2006 // Some 70,000 Florida, 150,000 Texas, 5,200 Massachusetts and 11,000 New Jersey policyholders are among those affected by the liquidation of Vesta Fire Insurance Co. and its subsidiaries. Texas regulators placed the company...

Hawaii obtains reinsurance to take control of Vesta subsidiary

Aug 7 2006 // Some 150,000 Texas homeowners will be affected by the liquidation of Vesta Fire Insurance Co. and its Texas subsidiaries by the Texas Department of Insurance, but the situation seems to be not as dire as previously...

ARTHUR J. GALLAGHER & CO., S.P. TARANTINO INSURANCE BROKERAGE

Aug 7 2006 // Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. acquired S.P. Tarantino Insurance Brokerage Inc. of San Francisco. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 1979, S.P. Tarantino Insurance Brokerage is a full-service retail...

Christina Urias

Aug 7 2006 // Wildfires, captives, credit scoring, and broker compensation and disclosure have been hot topics lately especially since wildfire season in particular extends through September. But the Arizona Department of Insurance...

Understanding real estate-related risks

Aug 7 2006 // Throughout California and other states, there has been an incredible increase in the number of professionals involved in or related to real estate. When thinking about real estate risks, the first to come to mind are real...

When insuring international trade, expect the world

Aug 7 2006 // Think how few things you and your clients wear, use or drive that are wholly made in the USA, and you get a sense of the magnitude of international trade. International trade also is no longer the domain of global giants...

House bill would establish national disaster commission with agent member

Aug 7 2006 // Legislation that would establish a bipartisan national commission tasked with recommending policies to help the federal government prepare for and manage disaster response has been introduced in the House of...

Growth in retail shopping centers a boon for insurance brokers

Aug 7 2006 // When the going gets tough, the tough go … shopping! Judging by the 18 percent increase in the development of retail shopping centers in the United States in 2005 over 2004, that tongue-in-cheek adage has more than a...

A lot can happen in the auto dealers’ insurance market

Aug 7 2006 // Even with a wave of consolidation through the industry, the number of new and used auto dealerships in the U.S. is close to 100,000, meaning most independent agents have multiple dealers in their own backyards. “We...

Congressional hearing held on terrorism and insurance

Aug 7 2006 // Agents, risk managers and insurers press Congress for long-term TRIA solution Two U.S. House subcommittees–the Committee on Financial Services, Subcommittee on Oversights and Investigation, and the Homeland Security...

News Currents

Aug 7 2006 // Companies step up to take Texas Select policyholders Some 150,000 Texas homeowners will be affected by the liquidation of Vesta Fire Insurance Co. and its Texas subsidiaries by the Texas Department of Insurance, but the...

Julie Benafield Bowman, Arkansas, Commissioner of Insurance

Aug 7 2006 // Like insurance commissioners in other states, Arkansas Insurance Commis-sioner Julie Benafield Bowman, is keeping an eye on catastrophe issues and the availability of insurance related to them. Unlike commissioners in...

Aug 7 2006 // People Dallas-based McQueary Henry Bowles Troy LLP named Kyle Moss a partner in the firm. Moss, previously employee benefits director in MHBT’s Dallas office, is responsible for the production and servicing of...

When insuring international trade, expect the world

Aug 7 2006 // Shipments are delayed, damaged, lost or stolen around the globe with a frequency that is probably not surprising. What is surprising is how significantly the effects of those losses could be mitigated. Think how few things...