Articles by Andrea Wells

Andrea Wells is a veteran insurance editor and Editor-in-Chief of Insurance Journal Magazine.

A Look Back

For Insurance Journal’s last print issue of 2023, we decided to travel back in time to review the most significant events in insurance history over the past 100 years. While we selected 100 moments that altered how the insurance industry …

Best Agency to Work For – Overall Winner: Mackoul Risk Associates

Mackoul Risk Associates with offices in both Morristown, New Jersey, and Long Beach, New York, lives and breathes the motto, “work hard and play hard.” As one employee wrote when nominating the agency for this year’s annual Best Agencies to …

Making a Great Place to Work: E&S Brokers Share Their View on Talent Strategies

With a staggering 50% of the current insurance workforce set to retire in less than 10 years, potentially leaving more than 400,000 positions unfilled, nearly every insurance organization is struggling to recruit new talent while retaining their best talent. But …

Ransomware Attacks Rise Again

Ransomware attacks are up 95.41% globally in 2023 year over year, a trend showing no signs of slowing. The number of ransomware victims to date in 2023 (3,311) has already surpassed totals for the entirety of 2021 (3,048) or 2022 …

Underinsured Small Biz

Small business owners are optimistic about their future with 71% expecting revenue increases in 2024, according to Q3 2023 MetLife & U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index. The survey found that 42% of small businesses say they plan to …

Agency E&O Buyers Report Fewer Price Hikes But Overall Premiums Still Up

Fewer agencies reported increases in premium on their agency errors and omissions renewal policies from 2022 to 2023, according to Insurance Journal’s annual Agency E&O survey which polls buyers of the coverage on pricing and trends on current market conditions. …

The Connectivity Challenge and the Future of Insurance Agents

Connecting the insurance ecosystem through the power of technology could answer the decades-old problem of duplicate entry for agents. Agents still must navigate through multiple carrier portals to complete a single quote, despite the promise of integrated solutions. Or agents …

Financial Stress

Employee stress is on the rise as families and workers navigate higher prices, uneven wage growth and record credit card debt. According to PwC’s 2023 Employee Financial Wellness Survey, 60% of full-time employees surveyed say that finances are the top …

Unstable Homeowners

The U.S. homeowners insurance segment has been hit with three consecutive years of net underwriting losses as a result of above-average numbers of natural catastrophes, inflationary pressures and elevated reinsurance costs. These market headwinds have led AM Best to revise …

Work Hard, Play Hard

Mackoul Risk Associates with offices in both Morristown, New Jersey, and Long Beach, New York, lives and breathes the motto, “work hard and play hard.” As one employee wrote when nominating the agency for this year’s annual Best Agencies to …