Latest Small Business Headlines

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

Survey: Small Businesses Plan for Contingency; Expect Cutbacks in 2009

Jan 22 2009 // Many small business owners say that they’re prepared to eliminate some positions or reduce the number of hours employees work as part of their contingency planning for 2009, according to a recent survey. Almost half...

Bill Would Add Oklahoma Small Businesses to Do Not Call List

Jan 20 2009 // Oklahoma House of Representatives Democratic Leader Danny Morgan, D-Prague, filed a bill that he says will help small businesses reduce costs by adding Oklahoma businesses to the state’s Do Not Call...

Alabama Small Businesses Providing Health Insurance Get Tax Break

Dec 18 2008 // A tax break that takes effect for many Alabama small businesses on Jan. 1 is being implemented by state tax officials to cover as many companies as possible. State Revenue Commissioner Tim Russell said his department is...

Texas Mutual, NFIB Partnership Pays Dividends for Small Businesses

Nov 25 2008 // Texas Mutual Insurance Company announced a $446,998 dividend to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) purchasing group for manufacturers. The group has earned more than $542,000 in dividends since 2007,...

Treasury Turns Attention to Credit Needs of Small Businesses

Nov 20 2008 // The Treasury Department said it is working with the Federal Reserve on a plan to make access to credit easier for small businesses. Maintaining that illiquidity in the asset-backed securitization market is affecting the...

Brown & Brown Acquires Small Business Unit of N.J.’s Conner Strong

Nov 18 2008 // Florida- based Brown & Brown, Inc. said it it has agreed to acquire the small business insurance unit of Conner Strong Companies, Inc., which is headquartered in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. The small business insurance...

Scorecard: Small Business at the Supreme Court

Nov 16 2008 // There is no question that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decisions impact small business. In fact, studies have shown that more than 40 percent of the court’s cases deal with issues that directly affect the business...

Small Business Owners Unfamiliar With Risks in Self-Insured Groups’ Workers’ Comp Insurance

Oct 10 2008 // Small business owners are not fully aware of the financial risks involved in obtaining workers’ compensation insurance through self-insured groups, according to the results of the most recent Small Business Opinion...

ICW Group Enters Small Business Market

Oct 2 2008 // ICW Group, a group of insurance companies, has entered the small business market for workers’ compensation insurance. Comprehensive coverage and claims services is available in more than 40 small business categories,...

Supreme Court on Small Business

Sep 22 2008 // There is no question that U.S. Supreme Court’s decisions impact small business. More than 40 percent of the court’s cases directly affect the business community, including employment, civil rights, insurance,...

Scorecard: Small Business at the Supreme Court

Sep 22 2008 // There is no question that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decisions impact small business. Studies have shown that more than 40 percent of the Court’s cases deal with issues that directly affect the business...

Small Business Administration Disaster Loan Centers Closing in Wisconsin

Aug 15 2008 // The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) says it will close disaster loan centers in Lancaster, Portage and Janesville, Wis. on Friday, Aug. 15. The SBA is urging homeowners, renters, businesses and nonprofit...

Small Businesses Lose $200K to Fraud, Survey Reports

Aug 12 2008 // U.S. organizations lose an estimated 7 percent of their annual revenues to fraud – but damages are more among small businesses, according to a new study. The median loss suffered by organizations with fewer than 100...

Study: U.S. Entrepreneurs More Optimistic on Taking Risks

Aug 4 2008 // Despite a weakened economic market, a new study from Hiscox shows that 46 percent of American small business owners still feel that they can make more as entrepreneurs than the traditional corporate world. The Hiscox...

Small Business Organization Honors California Commissioner

Jul 25 2008 // Small Business California, a non-partisan business advocacy organization, honored California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and seven other Californians for having gone the extra mile to assist small businesses in...

Study: U.S. Entrepreneurs More Optimistic on Taking Risks

Jul 23 2008 // Despite a weakened economic market, a new study from Hiscox shows that 46 percent of American small business owners still feel that they can make more as entrepreneurs than the traditional corporate world. The Hiscox...

Credit Seen Drying Up for Main Street Small Businesses

Jul 21 2008 // As losses mount at American banks and the pain of the credit crisis spreads from housing and finance to the broader economy, many small companies complain it is increasingly difficult to obtain loans. Tighter credit could...

Strengths and Weaknesses, Part 1: What Agents Think of Regional, National P/C Insurers

Jun 25 2008 // Regional carriers rate better in underwriting experience, relationships and stability as well as in customer service and agency relations than their national competitors in the view of independent agents. Regional insurers...

Exclusive Survey, Part 1: Strengths and Weaknesses – What Agents Think of Regional and National P/C Insurers

Jun 16 2008 // Where Regional P/C Insurers Beat Out Nationals … and Where Nationals Outperform Regionals Regional carriers rate better in underwriting experience, relationships and stability as well as in customer service and agency...

Survey: Small Business Customers Depend on Agents’ Expertise

May 19 2008 // Agent expertise in workers’ compensation insurance is a critical factor in small businesses’ choice of carriers, according to a recent national survey conducted by EMPLOYERS, which specializes in insurance for...