Articles by Andrea Wells

Andrea Wells is vice president of content for Wells Media Group Inc., overseeing coverage for its multiple print and digital platforms. She is a veteran insurance journalist with more than 20 years’ experience covering the property/casualty industry. She has won several awards from the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE), including awards for original research for her work on Insurance Journal’s annual salary survey of retail insurance agencies and its annual survey of young insurance agents. She can be reached at: awells@wellsmedia.com.

The Power of More

Why the Time is Right for Agency Networks They go by many names — networks, alliances, franchises, clusters and aggregators — but all have similar goals. Aggregator groups have been around the insurance industry for more than three decades but …

Clock is Ticking on Surplus Lines Tax Reform

The insurance industry called the passage of the Wall Street Reform & Consumer Protection Act on July 21, 2010, a “big win” thanks to provisions in the massive reform bill that would modernize regulation and taxation issues for surplus lines. …

Clock is Ticking on Surplus Lines Tax Reform

With Less Than a Year to Go, Can States Agree on Tax Sharing Plan? The insurance industry called the passage of the Wall Street Reform & Consumer Protection Act on July 21, 2010, a “big win” thanks to provisions in …

Surplus Lines Premiums Down in 2009; But Brokers Say Market is Stabilizing

The surplus lines industry continues to experience a decline in direct premiums written (DPW). For a third consecutive year in 2009, the surplus lines industry’s DPW fell 4.1 percent, an improvement over 2008 where the DPW fell 6.2 percent. Despite …

Best Overall Agency to Work For: Barney and Barney LLC

San Diego, Calif.-based Barney and Barney LLC, ranked No. 33 on Insurance Journal’s Top 100 list, has grown year-over-year throughout the past 10 years. This privately held independent agency generated revenues of $36.61 million in 2009, including property/casualty written premiums …

Swett & Crawford Goes Global With Cooper Gay

Swett & Crawford, one of the nation’s largest and oldest wholesale insurance brokerage firms, and London-based independent wholesale, reinsurance and specialist broker Cooper Gay, completed negotiations to form a combined entity under a new unified holding company on July 9, …

How to Make Agent-Wholesale Relationships Work

It’s no secret. Insurance is a relationship business. And the agent-wholesale broker relationship is no exception. The continued soft market hasn’t stifled relationships either. Wholesale brokers are still a much needed asset to retail agents even though the need to …

Hit a Home Run with Wholesalers

How to Make Wholesale-Agent Partnerships Work It’s no secret. Insurance is a relationship business. And the agent-wholesale broker relationship is no exception. The continued soft market hasn’t stifled relationships either. Wholesale brokers are still a much needed asset to retail …

What Agencies Should Do When Key Employees Leave

Protecting Trade Secrets, Confidential Agency Information Critical, Attorney Hirshfeld Says The insurance industry is a highly competitive market, even when it comes to its work force. There’s a shortage of highly qualified employees at all levels of the industry. Agency …

The Agency Salary Blues: How to Keep Employees Happy

While slugglish agency salary growth has employees singing the blues, some agency management consultants believe employee satisfaction can be kept up even in tough times. One way agency owners can keep their employees happy in today’s challenging climate is by …