Latest Independent Agencies Headlines
All the headlines from our Independent Agencies Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Online Portal Aims to Connect Independent Agents with Consumers
Dec 11 2011 // Beginning early next year, independent insurance agents will be able to tap into an online resource designed to connect them with the more than 65 percent of market share in personal lines they are currently missing. The...
Minnesota Workers’ Comp Insurer Joins Big ‘I’ Trusted Choice Program
Dec 6 2011 // The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) announced that Minnesota-based workers’ compensation insurer, SFM, is the newest member of the Trusted Choice consumer...
Texas Regulator Abstains from MLR Vote; Says State Requested Waiver
Nov 29 2011 // The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has adopted a resolution urging Congress to amend the Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to ensure...
How to Compete for Personal Lines with the Direct Writers
Nov 28 2011 // Let’s face facts. It’s unlikely that any individual independent agency will ever “beat” the direct writers. They have massive marketing budgets, a strong online presence, great name recognition, and...
Nationwide, Harleysville CEOs Say Merger All About Growth
Nov 21 2011 // The merger of insurer Nationwide Mutual with regional carrier Harleysville Mutual is all about growth, not only for the companies but also for their independent agents, according to the CEOs of the two...
How to Compete for Personal Lines with the Direct Writers
Nov 21 2011 // Let’s face facts. It’s unlikely that any individual independent agency will ever “beat” the direct writers. They have massive marketing budgets, a strong online presence, great name recognition, and...
Beyond Wall Street
Nov 21 2011 // We’re in the news business and this isn’t exactly news. It’s more like another confirmation of something we have all known for a long time. Here is the not-so-new news flash: Small business owners trust...
Caliper’s Greenberg Receives Big ‘I’s’ Chairman’s Award
Nov 17 2011 // The Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America (Big “I”) recently presented Caliper Corp.’s founder and CEO Herb Greenberg with the association’s chairman’s award. Greenberg was...
Willis UK Broker Networks Add Nine New Members
Nov 15 2011 // Willis Group Holdings announced that nine new members have joined Willis Networks, its alliance with local, independent insurance brokers in the UK. Willis Networks is made up of the Willis Commercial Network (WCN), which...
Small Business Owners Report High Trust in Agents, Survey Reports
Nov 14 2011 // Small business owners trust their independent insurance agents and commercial insurance carriers more than other financial services businesses, a new study reports. The study, commissioned by The Hanover Insurance Group...
Independent Agencies Showing Signs of Recovery, Better Profitability, Study Reveals
Nov 7 2011 // Things are looking better for the nation’s property/casualty independent insurance agencies. Organic growth for these agencies improved somewhat last year and their profitability held constant across most of the six...
People
Nov 7 2011 // Jim Donelon has been re-elected commissioner at the Louisiana Department of Insurance. Donelon, a Republican from Metairie, on Oct. 22 defeated Democrat Donald Hodge. Donelon has been insurance commissioner since...
Pennsylvania, Delaware Agent Groups Part Ways With PIA National
Nov 2 2011 // Two independent agent associations in the northeast said they will discontinue their affiliations with the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA). The Insurance Agents & Brokers of Pennsylvania...
High Hopes for High Tech: Interview with New Applied Systems CEO
Oct 27 2011 // Insurance agencies are under pressure to quickly adopt new technologies in order to keep up with competitors, according to a newcomer to the insurance industry who is now positioned to help agencies do just that. Reid...
High Hopes for High Tech
Oct 17 2011 // Tech Talk with Reid French, Applied Systems’ New CEO Insurance agencies are under pressure to quickly adopt new technologies in order to keep up with competitors, according to a newcomer to the insurance industry who...
Nationwide, Harleysville CEOs Say Merger All About Growth
Oct 17 2011 // The merger of insurer Nationwide Mutual with regional carrier Harleysville Mutual is all about growth, not only for the companies but also for their independent agents, according to the CEOs of the two...
Nevada Young Agents Group Grows the Old-Fashioned Way
Oct 17 2011 // The Nevada Young Agents Committee started out small with a young insurance agent collecting and passing out a few cards around the state, and it’s now a rapidly growing organization that has garnered a bit of...
Independent Agencies Showing Signs of Recovery, Says Big ‘I’ Study
Oct 13 2011 // Things are looking better for the nation’s property/casualty independent insurance agencies. Organic growth for these agencies improved somewhat last year and their profitability held constant across most of the six...
Oklahoma’s Bramlett Installed as Chairman-elect of Big ‘I’ Executive Team
Oct 12 2011 // The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) announced that Robert “Bobby” Bramlett has been installed as chairman-elect of the IIABA’s executive...
Nationwide, Harleysville CEOs Reassure Agents: Merger All About Growth
Sep 30 2011 // The merger of insurer Nationwide Mutual with regional carrier Harleysville Mutual is all about growth, not only for the companies but also for their independent agents, according to the CEOs of the two...
