Latest Agencies Headlines
All the headlines from our Agencies Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Continuing Education Methods Serve a Positive Purpose
Jan 13 2008 // Continuing education (CE) is a fact of life for all agents and brokers. Because states require CE credits, it translates into the reality of a continuous, and often repetitive, obligation — a career-long commitment of...
Travelers Settles With States Over Brokers’ Contingent Commissions
Jan 13 2008 // The Travelers Cos. Inc. will pay $6 million to settle investigations in nine states and the District of Columbia regarding how it paid brokers. The St. Paul-based company said it had reached agreements with attorneys...
Aiming to Improve Alaska
Jan 13 2008 // A small state like Alaska sometimes has trouble convincing the property/casualty insurance industry of creating opportunities in its state. So Alaska Director of Insurance Linda Hall relies on her experiences as a former...
Contractors’ Insurance: The Hard Sell for the Soft Market
Jan 13 2008 // Selling Long-term Relationships over Short-term Savings For contractor Paige Smith of Neuse Tile Service Inc. in Youngsville, N.C., the increase in cold calls she is receiving from insurance agents is a sure sign of the...
Well-financed Buyers Lead Today’s Agency Value Trends
Jan 13 2008 // Fair market value can be defined as the price that a willing buyer and a willing seller agree on for the price of a business. Naturally, there is a lot of room for negotiation based on the circumstances. However, fair...
Momentum Strong for Broker M&As in October, November
Jan 13 2008 // Stock Prices: Aon Corp. (NYSE:AOC) continued to outperform the sector, up a remarkable 43.1 percent year-to-date. The company reported third quarter 2007 results at the end of October. Net income increased 92 percent to...
Household Employee Exposure an Opportunity to Go Beyond Typical Sale
Jan 13 2008 // Homeowners may be at risk when employing housekeepers, maids, cooks, babysitters and other domestic employees We want to trust those whom we hire to work in our homes. Who prepare our meals. Clean our treasured...
La. Says Bail Bond Agent Filed False Documents
Jan 11 2008 // The Louisiana Department of Insurance issued a cease and desist order and suspended the license of a Frierson, La., bail bond agent accused of filing false public documents. The department says Brokenberry did not disclose...
Main Street America Gives Agents Electronic Bond Issuance
Jan 10 2008 // The Main Street America Group has introduced Main Street Station for Bonds, a state-of-the-art surety bonds ordering and processing system. With this proprietary bonds issuance system, Main Street America says its...
Clark Joins Western Security Surplus Insurance Brokers in Dallas
Jan 10 2008 // Jason Clark has joined the Dallas office of Western Security Surplus Insurance Brokers Inc. (WSS) as an associate broker, the company announced. Reporting to WSS President and CEO Kyle Stevens, Clark will be responsible...
Crowley Appointed to IIABNY Board
Jan 10 2008 // Thomas J. Crowley, vice president of Maran Corporate Risk Associates in Southampton, N.Y., has been appointed to the board of directors of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of New York. Crowley will represent...
Colemont’s San Francisco Office Appoints Conlon VP
Jan 9 2008 // Colemont Insurance Brokers has named Tim Conlon vice president and broker specializing in equipment maintenance insurance (EMI) in the San Francisco office. EMI is a niche insurance business that provides an alternative to...
Web Site, Ads to Help Agents Keep Mass. Auto Market Share
Jan 9 2008 // Massachusetts independent insurance agents, who now write more than 80 percent of the auto insurance market in the state, are getting some marketing help to protect that market share as they enter a new competitive rating...
Dunn Promoted to Broker in Colemont’s Dallas Office
Jan 8 2008 // Colemont Insurance Brokers announced that Craig Dunn has been promoted to broker in the company’s Dallas office. Craig joined Colemont in June 2005 and has served as a marketing associate as part of the Financial...
Kentucky Insurance Agent Arrested on Fraud Charges
Jan 8 2008 // The Kentucky Office of Insurance Fraud Division arrested a Somerset, Ky., insurance agent last month following an indictment on 11 felony counts of insurance fraud and four felony counts of possession of a forged...
S&P Revises Swett & Crawford’s Rating Outlook to Negative
Jan 7 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on HMSC Corp., the intermediate holding company of Swett & Crawford Group Inc., to negative from stable, while also affirming its ‘B’...
I.I.I.’s Hartwig Slated to Wrap Up Texas Agency Management Seminar
Jan 7 2008 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Texas’ 45th Annual Joe Vincent Management Seminar, to be held in Austin Jan. 27 – 29, will feature a motivational presentation by an Olympic speedskater and a rapid-fire wrap...
Professional Program Insurance Brokerage to Speak on Medispas
Jan 4 2008 // SAN DIEGO – January 3, 2008 – Susan Preston, president of Professional Program Insurance Brokerage (PPIB) will be speaking on Medispas, Laser Businesses, Tanning/Beauty salons, Permanent Makeup and Tattoo/Body...
Arthur J. Gallagher Acquires Wholesaler AVRECO
Jan 4 2008 // Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. recently announced the acquisition of AVRECO, based in Chicago, from The Park Group, Inc. The transaction was effective Dec. 31, 2007 and terms were not disclosed. Founded in 1962, AVRECO is...
N.J. Relaxes Rules for Writing Personal Auto Insurance
Jan 4 2008 // New Jersey auto insurance agents will have a lot easier time quoting and writing new policies under a bill signed yesterday by Gov. Jon S. Corzine. The bill, which had awaited his signature since last month, eliminates the...
