Ride mass transit in California, walk into a store in Texas, step on a plane nationwide, and you will see two languages displayed in many instances. With an ever-growing Hispanic population across the country, this trend will likely grow.
As the Hispanic population, now the country’s largest minority group continues to grow, more and more businesses will look to serve this group. Among those businesses that will cater to Hispanics is the insurance industry.
In our center spread, staff writer Kevin O’Reilly looks at the insurance services being provided to Hispanics, how and when Hispanics expect to receive insurance services, and the number of Hispanics working in the industry.
Elsewhere, international editor Charles Boyle makes his way across the Atlantic Ocean and into the New Jersey auto reform debate.
New Jersey’s auto market has had more than a few bumps in the road over the years, and the impact can certainly be felt outside the Garden State.
As Boyle points out in his piece, seven companies alone withdrew from the market in 2002. By the end of May, 2003 no less than 27 insurance companies had withdrawn auto coverage from the state over the last 10 years, including The Hartford, Ohio Casualty, Harleysville, Central Mutual, Merchants Insurance and most recently Prudential. A wake up call came in June 2001 when State Farm Indemnity, the national insurer’s New Jersey operation and the state’s biggest auto policy writer, announced it was leaving. Is the call being answered? Read on.
Chris Farfaras, vice president of sales and marketing for California-based Input 1, opens a three-part series on the benefits of forming one’s own premium finance company. Are you a candidate to do this? Is now the right time financially to undertake such a venture? Read Farfaras’ story and see what you should do.
Ready to head to Big Sky Country?
Staff writer Cynthia Beisiegel gives us a preview of the Western States Surplus Lines conference that takes place this month in Montana. The conference will gather attendees to discuss the latest trends in the surplus lines industry.
Finally, in Parting Shots, Robert Zeman, senior vice president, state government affairs for the National Association of Independent Insurers (NAII), looks at the battle between state and federal regulation of insurance. While state regulation does appear to have its benefits, a number of people we’ve heard from in recent months say the states still need to modernize their efforts in order to make states as proficient as possible. Take a minute and visit our poll question on this subject at www.insurancejournal.com.
Also when you have a minute, drop us a line and let us know what you would like to see in coming issues.
Share your thoughts with us by e-mailing me at: dthomas@insurancejournal.com.
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