Latest Kansas Headlines

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

Industry Veterans to Open New Business – ThinkRisk – in Kansas City

Dec 22 2009 // Plans are underway for the February 2010 launch of ThinkRisk Underwriting Agency in Kansas City, Mo. Founded by insurance industry veterans Chad Milton, Leib Dodell and Debra McClenahan, ThinkRisk will offer underwriting...

2009 P/C Insurance Mergers, Acquisitions Large and Small

Dec 20 2009 // Large insurers AIG, Farmers and The Hartford made moves in 2009, as did large brokers Marsh, Aon, Willis, Gallagher, Brown & Brown, Hub and Wells Fargo. So, too, did, many regional insurers and Main Street agencies....

Kansas Regulators: State’s Auto Insurance Rates Among Lowest in U.S.

Dec 15 2009 // The Kansas Insurance Department reports that Kansas ranks sixth lowest in the nation for average auto insurance expenditures, according to figures released by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC)....

IMA Hires Otto as Sales Executive in Kansas City

Dec 15 2009 // The risk and insurance services company, IMA Financial Group Inc., announced that Heather Otto has joined IMA’s Kansas City location as a sales executive. Otto has successfully managed client portfolios in a $1...

From Zero to 200 in 5: The Rise of Kansas City-based Ascension Insurance

Dec 11 2009 // Len Kline and his business partners, the private equity firms Parthenon Capital and Century Capital Management, had an ambitious goal when they created Kansas City, Mo.-based Ascension Insurance Inc. in late 2007. They...

Kansas Town Considers Tighter Rules on Pit Bulls, Including Insurance

Nov 10 2009 // City commissioners in Hays, Kan., could vote this week on strict new rules for pit bull owners. Pit bulls would not be banned in the northwest Kansas community. But a proposed ordinance would declare the dogs to be...

Foremost Expands Dwelling Fire Program in Kansas

Oct 16 2009 // Foremost Insurance Group has expanded its Dwelling Fire program in Kansas effective Oct. 15, 2009. The company said it will write a broad spectrum of landlord and rental coverages, with lower rates and new, larger...

Nearly $4.5M Recovered by Kansas Insurance Dept. in September

Oct 8 2009 // The Kansas Insurance Department announced September 2009 was a record month for insurance claim recoveries. The department’s Consumer Assistance Division recovered almost $4.5 million from insurance companies as a...

Sinkholes Create a Void in Insurance Coverage for Kansas Residents

Sep 9 2009 // State insurance officials say residents in a Hutchinson, Kan., neighborhood that will be bought out because of the potential for sinkholes likely won’t see an increase in their insurance premiums. On the other hand,...

People

Sep 7 2009 // Markel Corp. has promoted Henry Lopez to president for Markel Midwest. Lopez has served as executive vice president for the Midwest region since November 2008. He joined Markel in 1995 as a financial analyst and has held a...

FEMA Delays Disputed Flood Map for Kansas Community

Sep 4 2009 // Federal authorities this week delayed implementation of a new flood plain map for Garden City, Kan., just days before local officials planned to ask a federal judge to block it. A hearing scheduled for Thursday in U.S....

Federal Judge Dismisses Agents’ Lawsuit Against Brooke Corp.

Aug 14 2009 // A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit accusing bankrupt Brooke Corp. and its financing arm of racketeering and fraud, saying the claims are not specific enough. Scores of insurance agents sued Overland Park, Kan.-based...

Paddock, Reeder Join IMA Financial Group in Kansas City

Aug 11 2009 // The IMA Financial Group, Inc., a diversified financial services company specializing in insurance, asset and risk management, announced that Rodney Paddock and Scott Reeder have joined IMA in the Kansas City office as part...

Hayworth Promoted to Executive Vice President at Lockton

Aug 6 2009 // Privately-held insurance broker Lockton, headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., has promoted Bob Hayworth to executive vice president. Hayworth has been a leader in Lockton’s Kansas City Benefit operation since he joined...

Survey: Midwest Economy Improving

Aug 4 2009 // The Institute for Supply Management, formerly the Purchasing Management Association, began formally surveying its membership in 1931 to gauge business conditions. The Creighton Economic Forecasting Group uses the same...

Kansas Insurance Commissioner Praeger to Campaign Again

Aug 4 2009 // Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger has confirmed that she will campaign for another term as the state’s top insurance regulator. She told The Topeka Capital-Journal that her decision stems from a desire to...

Holburn Moves Minnesota Office, Names New Leader in Kansas City

Jul 27 2009 // Holborn Corporation, an independent provider of reinsurance brokerage services, has moved its Minnesota operations to new facilities and added two new staff members in the Midwest. Under the continued leadership of senior...

Kansas Town Destroyed by Tornado Now a Model ‘Green’ Community

Jul 27 2009 // Greensburg, Kan., which was nearly wiped off the map by a tornado two years ago, is famous for having the world’s largest hand-dug well and the world’s largest pallasite meteorite. Now it’s another...

Kansas Insurance Dept. Distributing More than $9M to Firefighters

Jul 15 2009 // Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger is currently making the annual distribution of money to state and local firefighter relief organizations. More than $9.2 million will be distributed among 582 local Firefighters...

Kansas City’s Ascension Acquires Atlanta’s Haas & Dodd Insurance

Jul 15 2009 // Missouri-based Ascension Insurance, Inc. has acquired Haas & Dodd Insurance, Inc. of Atlanta, Ga., effective July 1, 2009. Haas & Dodd agency specializes in property/ casualty insurance and employee benefits...