Latest Agencies Headlines

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

Wholesaler Value is a Story That Needs to Be Told

Sep 1 2008 // Soft Market or Not, Stay Focused on Providing Superior Service, Value to Agents There is an old saying in the insurance industry that goes something like this: “Please, God, give me one more hard market and I...

AmWINS Insurance Brokerage Names Manassero VP in California

Aug 29 2008 // Brian Manassero has joined AmWINS Insurance Brokerage of California’s Chatsworth office as a vice president. He will specialize in property and product liability placements, and has 12 years of insurance industry...

Untrustworthy Insurance Agents Will Lose Licenses in Washington

Aug 29 2008 // Insurance agents in Washington state can lose their licenses if they are deemed “untrustworthy.” In an important decision, the Washington State Court of Appeals ruled that Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler...

No Absolutes in Agency Training and Recruitment

Aug 29 2008 // Recruiting and staffing in the insurance industry has never been as “hot” as it is right now, said Susan Henry, senior vice president, The Jacobson Group, an executive search, professional recruiting and...

Heartland Analyst Likes Insurance Broker Brown & Brown

Aug 28 2008 // There’s value to be found in this rangebound market in areas like insurance brokerages, North American natural gas as well as some industrials, a fund manager said. Brad Evans, who helps manage more than $2 billion...

Soft Market Exposes Value of Risk Control for Golf Insurers

Aug 28 2008 // For the golf industry, 2008 business is at best a bogey — probably worse. And for the agents, carriers and program managers who cater to the golf and country club world, that’s made for a rough market,...

Harn and Lechler Form New Insurance Brokerage

Aug 27 2008 // Sorn Harn and Horst Lechler have formed Harn & Lechler Insurance Services LLC, a wholesale insurance brokerage specializing in placing tough and difficult casualty and property risks with admitted and nonadmitted...

Texas Agent William C. Barmore Passes

Aug 27 2008 // Retired Texas independent insurance agent William C. (Bill) Barmore, Jr., age 81, and a resident of Pasadena, Texas, passed away Aug. 23, 2008. Barmore was born Jan. 6, 1927, in Cameron, Texas, to Cecil and Selma (Klatt)...

Pennsylvania Chiropractor Charged in Staged Bus Accident Claims

Aug 27 2008 // A former Bucks County, Pa., chiropractor has been accused of fraudulently billing two insurance companies for more than $27,000 for treatments to patients who claimed to have been injured in staged bus accidents. Attorney...

How Agencies Can Access Capital in the Current Credit Crunch

Aug 26 2008 // Every morning, stories of financial sector gloom and doom fill the airwaves. A slowing economy has affected the ability of individuals and businesses to pay their bills. The term “credit crunch” has become a...

Aon to Acquire Broker Benfield for $1.75 Billion

Aug 22 2008 // Chicago-based Aon Corporation and UK-based broker Benfield Group Limited announced that their respective boards of directors have reached agreement for Aon to acquire Benfield for £3.50 ($6.55) per share in cash and...

Combined Group Offers Agent Direct Express Service for Travelers Select Agents

Aug 21 2008 // The Combined Group now offers a fully automated service for Travelers Select commercial insurance lines. Combined’s Agent Direct Express™ and Quantum’s Real Time Express™ service offerings now...

North Carolina Young Agents to Dedicate Habitat for Humanity House

Aug 21 2008 // The Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina’s Young Agents announced the dedication of a Habitat for Humanity house. The Young Agents partnered with Habitat for Humanity of Wake County to build a house in...

New York Agents Want Export List Expanded

Aug 21 2008 // Agents say that the search of the admitted market ends up being just a time-waster for them and their clients. They already know which risks their insurers will accept and not accept. Insurance agents and brokers from...

New Jersey Court Limits Broker Duty of Care

Aug 21 2008 // Agents in New Jersey are praising a recent court decision that limits an agent’s duty of care when a client misrepresents himself. The ruling stems from a suit brought by Harbor Commuter Services, a ferry operator in...

Editor’s Note: The Debate Continues

Aug 21 2008 // If there are to be rules, let them apply to everyone equally. Agents, brokers and carriers across the nation are following the debate over whether contingent commissions should be permitted and how much compensation...

People

Aug 21 2008 // Ruby Chan has joined the Needham, Mass.-based Provider Insurance Co. as director of Internet marketing. Chan has worked for Hewlett Packard and was one of the founding members of the Alta Vista search engine. She moved on...

Jessica M. Frankovich

Aug 21 2008 // Indiana Insurance, a Liberty Mutual Agency Markets regional company, appointed Jessica M. Frankovich as Inland Marine underwriting manager. Frankovich will be based in Indiana Insurance’s Illinois regional office and...

Obtaining Optimal Catastrophe Coverage

Aug 21 2008 // The complexity of the cat insurance market can make it difficult to keep pace with the coverage options. In the midst of hurricane season, insurance agents and brokers are reminded of the need for forward-thinking...

Regional Brokerages Not Immune To Slump

Aug 21 2008 // For regional brokers, a saving grace has been diversification. Large regional insurance brokers won’t be immune from the cyclical downturn hitting many sectors of the insurance industry. Although geographic and...