Latest Agencies Headlines

All the headlines from our Agencies Topic Page, ordered by recency.

AVRECO’s Deiss Voted Chairperson of Lloyd’s Brokers

Nov 15 2005 // The Association of Lloyd’s Brokers has named Linda Deiss, vice president and underwriting manager of AVRECO, chairperson of the association. Deiss will serve for one year, with appointment to the board for three...

Big ‘I’ Throws Backing Behind House Terrorism Insurance Bill

Nov 15 2005 // The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”) said it strongly supports H.R. 4314, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Revision Act, introduced late Monday by Subcommittee Chairman Richard...

Miami/Dade County, Fla. Kicks Off Young Agents IIADC Events; Schedules Nov. 17 Meeting

Nov 15 2005 // More than 40 property and casualty producers, company representatives, association members, and life and health representatives attended a recent kick-off party in Coral Gables at which everyone celebrated the formation of...

Willis Gets Permission to Increase Stake in Chinese Broker to 51%

Nov 15 2005 // In a breakthrough agreement, global insurance broker Willis Group Holdings Limited, announced that it has received written approval from the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) to increase its ownership interests...

PIA of Fla. Clarifies Status of Citizens Property Insurance’s Commissions

Nov 14 2005 // The Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Board of Governors met in May and agreed to change the amount of commissions it paid to agents, but Professional Insurance Agents of Florida members complained to the association that...

Dade County, IIABA Slates HIPAA CE Course Dec. 7 in Miami

Nov 11 2005 // “Taming the HIPAA Monster,” will be discussed from 9 a.m. to noon during a Dec. 7 continuing education course sponsored by the Independent Insurance Agents of Dade County. The fine points of the Health...

Agents Group Sets Flood Insurance Reform Agenda

Nov 11 2005 // The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”) released a set of 22 recommendations for needed improvements to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The recommendations, if...

N.Y. Readies ‘Common Sense’ Broker Commission Disclosure Rules

Nov 10 2005 // New York officials are not planning to ban contingent commissions for agents and brokers but will issue regulations requiring them to disclose their compensation to clients. Superintendent of Insurance Howard Mills...

Pitfalls in Valuation Can Be Detrimental to Stability, Advises GE Solutions

Nov 9 2005 // Commercial property values must be correctly quantified by agents, brokers and customers so that insurers are able to charge adequate premiums for the risks they assume, according to Tom Smith, vice president, regional...

FAIA Forms Young Agents Council to Perpetuate Leadership, Advocacy

Nov 9 2005 // A new Young Agents Council has been formed by the Florida Association of Insurance Agents in Tallahassee, Fla. The purpose of the YAC is to perpetuate the future of the independent insurance agency system by serving as the...

Dade County Agents Launch 2005 Thanksgiving Food Drive

Nov 9 2005 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Dade County have announced its 2005 Thanksgiving Food Drive, with a deadline of noon Nov. 21 for food to be dropped off at participating agents offices. More information about the annual...

N.Y. Agents Applaud Pataki Workers’ Comp Package as ‘Positive Step’

Nov 9 2005 // New York Governor George E. Pataki’s workers’ compensation package is being hailed as a positive first step by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York, Inc. and its industry coalition, NY...

Safeco Automating Sales Process for Mid-Market Commercial

Nov 8 2005 // Safeco announced it is one of the first insurance companies to fully automate the sale of commercial insurance packages to more than 800 classes of small- and mid-sized businesses. In 16 states and the District of...

E&O Alert: Has Your Agency Outgrown Its Policies and Procedures?

Nov 7 2005 // If your agency has grown over the years, then you’ve probably gone through many changes. Do the following scenarios sound familiar? The organizational structure, policies and procedures that were in place when your...

Nonprofit D&O Essentials: Homeowners, Condo Association Boards Beware

Nov 7 2005 // Americans place significant value on their residential investments. So who wouldn’t want to get involved in one’s homeowners or condominium association? But the directors and officers of these nonprofit...

Disaster Claims and the Ripple Effect

Nov 7 2005 // Hurricane Katrina has long gone, but the aftereffects of the mighty storm are likely to linger for a very long time. Rita and Wilma have compounded the mess. The direct losses are staggering. The latest preliminary figures...

Value Added Services Stand Out from the Pack

Nov 7 2005 // Most consumers buy on price and not value. True or False? The vast majority of insurance salespeople would tend to believe there is a lot of truth in the above statement–despite any well-programmed responses from...

Planning Ahead: Navigating Clients through Disasters

Nov 7 2005 // Most insurance agents and brokers have worked hard to build their businesses and their reputations. Clients trust them to provide good advice and to really understand their businesses and exposures. So when a disaster...

IJ Online Exclusive: Swett & Crawford Group Gains Independence Again

Nov 7 2005 // Insurance Journal Publisher Mark Wells interviewed Dave Hartoch, chairman of the Swett & Crawford Group, shortly after an announcement that the company had been sold by Aon Corp. to an investment group in late...

Miss., La. Crisis: A Domino Effect

Nov 7 2005 // One of the top issues facing the insurance industry in the southeast right now is rebuilding Mississippi and Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane experts at the Society of Insurance Research conference in October...