Business Moves

Fiesta Auto

Huntington Beach, Calif.-based Fiesta Auto Insurance is combining its two business models — insurance and tax preparation — under one roof, quadrupling its presence to more than 80 locations. Launched in 1999 to provide auto insurance to Hispanic and blue-collar communities in Southern California, Fiesta is pushing an aggressive franchise growth plan, which includes more than 1,500 new locations nationwide in the next five years. Target markets include Texas, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Florida and Michigan.

Fiesta also offers insurance for watercrafts, motorcycles, homeowners, rentals, condos, apartments, tenant occupied property, commercial auto, commercial property, commercial general liability, Mexico insurance and special event coverage. The company began franchising in 2006; it expects 250 new locations to be opened by the end of 2010.

Tapco

Tapco Underwriters Inc. (TAPCO), a Burlington, N.C.-based MGA specializing in high-volume, transaction-based excess and surplus insurance lines, is opening an underwriting service center in Dallas.

Tapco veteran Ellen McBride will manage the Dallas office. McBride has more than 25 years of experience in the industry and has been with Tapco as a senior commercial underwriter since 1996. She has earned the CPCU, AU and ASLI professional designations.

Tapco has offices in California, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia and Texas, covering a 19-state territory that includes Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Delaware, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington state and Washington, D.C.

Universal, Texas Platinum

Florida-based Universal Insurance Holdings Inc. called off plans to form and license Texas Platinum Property and Casualty Insurance Co., which would have written homeowners’ insurance coverage in Texas. Universal plans instead to explore alternatives, including the possible purchase of an established homeowners’ insurer in Texas.

Unisource

Oklahoma’s Unisource Program Adminis-trators (UPA) launched a new workers’ compensation specialty program for restaurants, including multi-unit fine dining, casual and fast food establishments. The program offers claim cost containment measures, workplace safety services and human resource solutions. It also features “UPAY-As-You-Go,” in which premiums are paid on a pay cycle basis. UPA partnered with Zurich, RealTime HR and Claimetrics to develop the program.

Topics California Florida Texas