Monthly Archives: <span>March 2009</span>

Changing Demographics Offer a World of Opportunity for Enterprising Agents

Minorities Destined to Become Majority by Mid-Century Before the 21st century reaches the half-way mark, more than 50 percent of the population of the United States will be represented by a vast cultural mix of people considered to be “minorities,” …

Shrinking Budgets Stem Fraud Fighting Efforts

Fewer Fraud Bills To Be Debated in West With the downtrodden economy rumbling through the West, momentous and game-changing fraud bills will be in short supply this year. Lawmakers’ time and patience will be soaked up by efforts to shore-up …

Local Fire Chiefs Depend on Neighboring Stations for Assistance

Most U.S. fire departments call on neighboring communities to help them fight fires and the most significant reason for that is the need for more firefighters. Also, nearly one-in-six departments either has no water service for firefighting or must rely …

It Figures

$500 Million The financial toll from the January 2009 ice storm in north Arkansas is estimated at $500 million, with most of the cost for restoring electric utilities, the Associated Press reported. Three major utilities say they will spend around …

Securities Lawsuit Filings Are Up, So What About D&O Pricing?

The pace of securities lawsuit filings increased significantly in 2008 compared to recent years. There were 226 new securities lawsuits filed in 2008, which represents a 31 percent increase over the 172 securities lawsuits filed in 2007, and nearly a …

A Letter to the President

President Barack Obama recently received the following letter from the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America congratulating him on becoming the 44th President of the United States of America, and encouraging him to preserve the successful state system of …

People

Russell R. Oliver, president of Texas Mutual Insurance Co. since 1995, is retiring from the company at the end of August 2009. Oliver notified the Board of Directors in January of his decision to retire this summer. Two years ago, …

States Gear Up for Stimulus Package

Impact on Insurance Industry May be Minimal, Experts Say The $787 billion stimulus package passed by Congress looms as the largest mountain on the country’s newly changed economic landscape. But despite hope that the stimulus bill will jump-start spending, some …

Increase Traffic to Your Internet ‘Real Estate’

Enhance Your Agency’s Online Visibility Through Search Engine Optimization Nearly half of the United States — more than 163 million people — are using the Internet, according to a recent Nielsen poll. And they are using search engines to research …

Spinning Off, Not Out of Control

The new AIU will start out with $45 billion in total revenues — enough to be a Fortune 54 company all by itself. State insurance regulators, like Texas Insurance Commissioner Mike Geeslin and Louisiana’s Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon, have …