Latest Retail Headlines
All the headlines from our Retail Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Agents Beware: Due Diligence is Now Required
Apr 4 2005 // Transactions between retail agents and brokers they place business through just became more labor intensive. I recently testified as an expert in a federal case involving a reputable agency’s failure to conduct...
Agents Beware: Due Diligence is Now Required
Mar 21 2005 // Transactions between retail agents and brokers they place business through just became more labor intensive. I recently testified as an expert in a federal case involving a reputable agency’s failure to conduct...
Retailers Reel in the Perfect Catch
Feb 21 2005 // Response Time, Service Crucial When Selecting E&S Brokers, IJ Survey Reports Retail agents and brokers consider service and response time delivered by excess and surplus lines brokers to be critical factors when...
Kings & Pawns: Excess Brokers’ Moves and Mergers
Feb 21 2005 // The emergence of large national and regional firms and the creation of networks of brokers as industry kings are transforming the nation’s wholesale insurance marketplace but experts maintain that independent...
E&S Markets Medium, Softening Across the Board
Feb 21 2005 // Rising property prices and a healthy economy after the election year have encouraged competition for casualty business. Although account size is sometimes a factor in the directions prices move, E&S specialists say...
Fla. Suing Jewelry Retailer
Feb 7 2005 // Florida is suing Savannah-based Friedman’s Inc. retail jewelry chain, alleging it sold millions of dollars worth of insurance on jewelry items but didn’t disclose the costs to consumers. Friedman’s, which...
Affirmative Acquires Assets of Agencies in Florida, Texas
Dec 23 2004 // Addison, Texas-based Affirmative Insurance Holdings Inc. reported it has signed definitive agreements to acquire the assets of two non-standard automobile insurance agency operations. In two separate transactions,...
U.K.’s Highway Insurance Acquires Direct Motorline
Nov 3 2004 // The U.K.’s Highway Insurance Holdings has confirmed the acquisition of telebroker Direct Motorline Limited for £3.4 million ($6.2 million) plus £0.6 million ($1.1 million) in respect of tangible net assets. Direct...
Wausau Introduces GL/Property Package ‘Wausau Express’ for Retail Businesses
Oct 12 2004 // Wisconsin-based Wausau Insurance has introduced Wausau Express, a new package policy for property and general liability that will streamline coverage and save money for retail businesses. The Wausau Express package policy...
Building Relationships Key to Success Says NAPSLO’s Incoming President
Sep 20 2004 // Polizzi Prepares to Take the Reins at Orlando Convention Thirty years ago a small group of surplus lines professionals met in Miami Beach, Fla., to form what would be known today as the National Association of Surplus...
Growth Determines Retail, Wholesale Broker’s Value
Sep 20 2004 // Sustaining Progress in a Changing Rate Environment The wind has been at the back of insurance agents and brokers for the past several years and has resulted in smooth sailing. Organic growth rates have been in double...
Convenience Stores
Aug 23 2004 // Nuts & Bolts: Cascade/Amstar is offering a new market for convenience stores including gas and propane sales. Package coverage is available, maximum fire legal limit: $100,000; gas sales must be less than 50 percent...
Swett & Crawford Forms Professional Services Division
Jul 19 2004 // The Power of Many Specialists Rolled into One With the softening market at the front door of the insurance industry, brokers in the wholesale industry have been scurrying about to prepare for the inevitable dawn of hard...
Business Made Easy Integrated Technology Solutions Key to Success
May 17 2004 // Just what are independent agents looking for when it comes to technology? That was the question posed to a number of industry experts who all seemed in agreement—in order to compete in today’s workplace...
Rates Hold Steady at 9 Percent for March
Apr 12 2004 // MarketScout (www.marketscout.com) recently released its industry barometer for March 2004. According to Richard Kerr, chairman and CEO, “Rates are holding steady at 9 percent for the month of March. In a related...
Relationships Are Everything When Working With MGAs
Feb 23 2004 // Managing general agents need retail insurance agents; retail agents need MGAs. That much is true. So, given this reciprocal professional dependence, why are working relationships between these two groups sometimes burdened...
Connecticut Retail Merchants Endorse OneBeacon
Jan 30 2004 // OneBeacon Insurance Group LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bermuda-based White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd., announced that it has been endorsed by the Connecticut Retail Merchants Association (CRMA) as its preferred...
IIAT, TSLA Release Joint Best Practices Study
Jan 26 2004 // Two Texas insurance organizations released a study recommending best practices for business relationships between wholesalers and retailers at the Joe Vincent Management Seminar in Austin. The study, Best Practices for...
Federated Department Stores Selects ROES As New EDI Vendor
Dec 18 2003 // Federated Department Stores, Inc., has selected ROES’ Workcomp.net EDI software for state injury reporting. Red Oak E-Commerce Solutions, Inc. (ROES) is a leader in Internet based EDI claim reporting...
TSLA, IIAT Gear Up for Joint Initiative
Dec 15 2003 // At the Texas Surplus Lines Association 2003 Annual Meeting held in Austin Nov. 16 and 17, Jim Berger, president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas announced that the two groups are working together on an...
