Latest Agencies Headlines

All the headlines from our Agencies Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Agents, Insureds Said Surprised by Nationwide’s 10,000 Nonrenewals in NC

Sep 29 2023 // In February, Nationwide Mutual Insurance filed notice with the North Carolina Department of Insurance that it would non-renew some 10,525 homeowner policies in the state due in large part to the growing risk from climate...

Illinois Appellate Court Rules Freight Broker Not Liable for $18M Jury Award in Teen’s Brain Injury Case

Sep 28 2023 // A freight broker is not liable for an $18 million jury award to the mother of a teenage boy who suffered a brain injury when he was struck by a truck, an Illinois appellate court ruled Wednesday. A panel of the 1st...

Re/insurance Broker UIB Expands in South America With Launch of 2 Firms in Peru

Sep 28 2023 // United Insurance Brokers (UIB), the London-based international re/insurance broker, has announced an agreement to create two new companies in Peru, expanding the UIB Group footprint in South America. UIB has taken an...

Independent Insurance Agents of Wisconsin to Celebrate 125 Years at InsurCon2024

Sep 27 2023 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Wisconsin (IIAW) announced they will celebrate 125 years in the insurance industry in 2024. To celebrate this significant milestone, the IIAW is opening registration for its grand...

Ship Insurance Facility Set Up for Ukraine Grain Exports, Broker Miller Says

Sep 27 2023 // A new marine insurance facility for Ukrainian grain exports using the country’s sea corridor has been set up in conjunction with Ukraine’s authorities, insurance broker Miller said on Tuesday. Russia quit a...

Insurance Broker in Menendez Corruption Case Allegedly Got Senator’s Help With Fraud Case

Sep 27 2023 // The defendants in the corruption case involving U.S. Senator Robert Menendez include a former New Jersey insurance broker who was convicted of premium fraud in 2011 and lost his insurance license. Jose Uribe allegedly got...

VIAA Adds Two Missouri Agencies to Commercial Marketing Pod Program

Sep 25 2023 // Valley Insurance Agency Alliance (VIAA), a cohesive family of more than 160 independent insurance agencies in Missouri and Illinois, recently welcomed two alliance agencies to its members-only Commercial Marketing pod...

Former Minnesota Insurance Broker Charged with Fraud, Allegedly Earned $650,000 in Improper Commissions

Sep 22 2023 // A former Minnesota insurance broker has been charged with fraud for allegedly inventing customers and fake Social Security numbers to earn nearly $650,000 in improper commissions. Kevin Anthony Meyers, 48, allegedly...

Next Insurance Offering Allows Agents to Customize Small Business Quotes

Sep 22 2023 // Digital small business insurer Next Insurance announced a new offering it says will enable agents to fully customize coverage quotes to better meet the needs of their small business clients. Next’s Coverage Builder...

US Federal Agencies Aim to Streamline ‘Hodgepodge’ of Cyber Reporting Rules

Sep 20 2023 // The Department of Homeland Security wants Congress and other federal agencies to help it streamline 52 different cyber reporting requirements to protect critical infrastructure and ease regulatory burdens on hacking...

5 Top Mistakes Every Independent Agent Should Avoid

Sep 18 2023 // One of my favorite sayings is “failure is tuition for something else.” I adopted this phrase during a conversation with another senior leader one day on the consequences of some mistakes we’d made...

Montana Brokerage Owner Admits to Defrauding Customers

Sep 18 2023 // Kileen Moria Hagadone, 57, owner of Rosebud County Insurance Inc., pleaded guilty to wire fraud and to aggravated identity theft. Hagadone faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, $250,000 fine and three years of supervised...

Agents, Regulators Remind Insurers to Take Care of Insureds as Idalia Claims Start Coming in

Sep 18 2023 // The property insurance industry breathed a sigh of relief after Hurricane Idalia landed in a less-populated part of the coast, triggering just a few billion dollars in losses. But regulators have urged insurers to make...

People Moves: Former CSAA CEO Troy Joins USAA; Big ‘I’ Installs McBride as New Chairman; Dagostino AXA XL’s Global Cyber CUO, Commercial

Sep 14 2023 // Former CSAA CEO Troy Joins USAA USAA has selected former CSAA president and chief executive Tom Troy as its chief transformation officer. He will start Sept. 25 and report to CEO Wayne Peacock. This newly created position...

Lockton Signs Strategic Partnership With Spanish Re/insurance Broker Jhasa

Sep 13 2023 // Lockton, the world’s largest independent insurance broker, announced it has signed a long-term strategic agreement with Jhasa, a Spanish independent insurance and reinsurance broker that specializes in the...

Smart Choice Signs a Record Number of Independent Insurance Agencies

Sep 13 2023 // In 1H23, 760 agencies partnered with the fastest growing insurance network. GREENSBORO, NC., September 13, 2023— Smart Choice® has signed a record number of independent insurance agencies in the first half of 2023 with...

Louisiana Commissioner Directs Agents to Notify Citizens Policyholders of Less Expensive Policy Offers

Sep 12 2023 // A recent directive issued by Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon orders agents to notify their Louisiana Citizen policyholders when they receive an offer to be placed with a significantly less expensive insurer in...

Carolina Insurance Agent Charged with ID Theft, Taking out Secret Life Policy

Sep 11 2023 // North Carolina authorities have charged a Charlotte-area insurance agent with identity theft after he reportedly took out a life insurance policy without the man’s knowledge. Derek Urban Ezzell, 56, a multi-lines...

Allstate Wins Trade Secret Tiff With Former Agents

Sep 8 2023 // Allstate Insurance has emerged victorious in litigation against two of its former exclusive agents who retained and used Allstate spreadsheets with policyholder information after the insurer terminated their agency...

NC Appeals Court: Trial Needed After Agent Failed to Disclose Pond on Property

Sep 6 2023 // A North Carolina insurance agent will have to return to court to determine if he or the client acted negligently by failing to disclose details about an insured’s property, the state’s Court of Appeals decided...