Latest Agencies Headlines
All the headlines from our Agencies Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Do Your Customers Know What You Did Last Summer?
Jul 18 2005 // Consider this story. Fifty years ago a relatively unknown entrepreneur opened a family-oriented entertainment complex in Southern California. He decided to place signs at each attraction or ride indicating the expected...
How to Use Alternative Markets
Jul 18 2005 // The “hard market” conditions have been gone now for a couple of years. So, usually during “soft market” conditions one expects a lot of competition from the standard markets. This, however, is not...
Homeowners Insurance Agent Web Directory Goes National
Jul 18 2005 // InsureMyHouse.com, an informational Web site about homeowners insurance, started an online directory of homeowners insurance agents two months ago. The directory started in Pennsylvania and is now open to all 50...
More Agencies Expand with Hiring of Staff Risk Managers
Jul 18 2005 // Larger insurance agencies today are more likely than not to employ a director of risk management, a claim specialist and a loss control specialist, according to a recent study. Business Management Group Inc.’s...
Working With E&S Wholesalers: Be Nice … You’ll Need Them Again!
Jul 18 2005 // The surplus lines industry pendulum is now on its backswing into a soft market. A couple years of market restriction and firm pricing brought a temporary prosperity to the industry. The so-called “standard”...
Virginia Big ‘I’ Breaks Ground in Education, Starting with CSR Program
Jul 18 2005 // It’s an age-old problem for agency owners: where to find customer service representatives. Ask agency principals to name their biggest challenges and locating CSRs is right up there at the top of most...
Insurers Balk about Added Burden as N.J. Gov. Codey Signs Bill Restoring Consumer Advocate Office for 2006
Jul 18 2005 // New Jersey has brought back to life the state’s consumer advocate office that was killed more than 10 years ago. New Jersey Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey recently signed into law a bill that restores the Department of...
Closing Time
Jul 18 2005 // The Insurance Journal directory issues are known as “keepers,” because both empirical and anecdotal evidence tells us that readers are likely to hang on to them longer for easy access. In this case,...
The Industry Goes to School: Universities That Offer Insurance Degrees
Jul 18 2005 // Twenty years ago, it was nearly impossible to find colleges and universities offering degrees in insurance. Now there are many programs across the nation that offer bachelor’s degrees, concentrations, certifications...
Producer Development: Learning to Sell
Jul 18 2005 // New Program Teaches a Consultative Approach to Insurance Sales Beginning this week, 15 insurance agents are returning to Normal, Ill., to do an unusual thing in the world of insurance training: talk with each other about...
How to Use Alternative Markets
Jul 18 2005 // The “hard market” conditions have been gone now for a couple of years. So, usually during “soft market” conditions one expects a lot of competition from the standard markets. This, however, is not...
How to Select a MGA/Wholesaler
Jul 18 2005 // The following is a guideline for some of the key things to review during the selection process for qualified alternative markets. The term MGA also applies to GA, MGU, wholesaler, E&S broker, etc. Step One —...
Education Essential
Jul 18 2005 // Frequent CE Classes Keep Agents Informed Efforts to provide first-quality education at its annual convention, insurance day programs and at regular errors and omissions education programs puts the Professional Independent...
Continuing Education Opinions Differ
Jul 18 2005 // It was a pleasure talking to insurance agency and insurance association representatives to discuss agent education for the education story on page 12. It was also interesting to hear the differing opinions about...
FAIA Says PIA of Florida ‘Gave Away the Playbook’ to the Opposition
Jul 18 2005 // During two Big I conventions in Florida, speakers accused the Professional Insurance Agents Florida of taking credit for Florida Association of Insurance Agents’ accomplishments, while “giving away the...
Time Management for Insurance Agents
Jul 18 2005 // Or how to make money instead of just being busy. Being busy is never a chore for insurance agents and producers. Being productively busy is the challenge. During a consultancy that spans 25 years, I have had the privilege...
Working With Your E&S Wholesaler: Be Nice … You’ll Need Them Again!
Jul 18 2005 // The surplus lines industry pendulum is now on its backswing into a soft market. A couple years of market restriction and firm pricing brought a temporary prosperity to the industry. The so-called “standard”...
American Hobbyist’s Online Rating
Jul 18 2005 // American Hobbyist Insurance, a national provider of collector-vehicle insurance, added real-time online quoting and submission capabilities to its newly redesigned Web site. AmericanHobbyist.com now provides online quoting...
DCAP Continues Expansion Buying Western N.Y. Agencies
Jul 15 2005 // DCAP Group Inc., an operator of insurance agency franchises, has executed a non-binding letter of intent to acquire a group of storefront agencies in western New York State. DCAP Group Inc. owns and operates a chain of...
Borisoff Joins Countrywide Insurance as President of Commercial Lines
Jul 14 2005 // Countrywide Insurance Group has announced that Brett Borisoff has joined the organization as president of Countrywide Insurance Services Inc.’s commercial insurance division. Borisoff will run the commercial division...
