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 Agency Salary Blues: Staff Morale Takes Hit in Tough Economy

Stagnant and declining agency salaries have many agency employees singing the blues, and most agents don’t expect things to change, at least not anytime soon. While independent agency salaries maintained or decreased slightly in 2009, employee morale seems to be …

CRC Loses 100 Employees; Possible Legal Action to Follow

When 10 percent of an organization’s entire workforce resigns in one day, the fallout can be devastating. That’s exactly what happened to CRC Insurance Services Inc. (CRC) – one of the largest wholesale insurance brokers in the United States – …

CRC Employees in California, Illinois, Pennsylvania Resign

CRC Insurance Services Inc. (CRC) – the largest wholesale insurance broker in the United States – released a memo to its customers stating that a number of CRC employees in Illinois, California and Pennsylvania resigned on May 4. CRC’s CEO …

Earth Day: How Insurance Works with Recyclers

Today marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and this year the Environmental Protection Agency turns 40 as well. Earth Day, the EPA and activists have been catalysts for one industry’s growth, in particular. The recycling industry plays a critical …

Salary Blues

Agency Salary Reveals Who’s Worth What, State of Stff Morals Independent agency salaries maintained or decreased slightly in 2009, but employee morale may be registering at an all time low. And agents don’t expect things to change, at least not …

Green Building Movement Raises Some Construction Defect, Claims Concern

New insurance products to protect innovative green construction products such as wind turbines, fuel cells and vegetative roofs are on the rise. But even those closest to the situation admit to being a bit, well, green, about the risks behind …

U.S. Prosecutors Targeting Mid-Level, Senior Corporate Officers in Foreign Bribery Cases

Woodruff Sawyer’s Amantea Advises Adding Specific D&O Endorsement to Ensure Coverage Directors and officers will be the target of more federal prosecutions under the U.S. anti-bribery statute, said a top U.S. Justice Department official. Mark Mendelsohn, the department official who …

Arkansas Regulators Suspend Agent License of Standridge for Dishonest Practices

Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Jay Bradford has suspended the resident producer license of Steve Standridge, founder of Steve Standridge Insurance Inc. based in Mount Ida, Ark., for allegations that he falsified collateral used to purchase another insurance organization, and improperly retained …

Green Is Good, Right?

Insurers Monitoring Defects, Claims Tied to Green Building Products and Designs From wind turbines and fuel cells to vegetative roofs and bamboo surfaces, innovative green construction materials are showing up everywhere. A number of insurers are on board with new …

Young Agents Survey: Why Agents Stand By Their Career Choice

Most enter the insurance business by accident but for young independent insurance agents, the decision to stick with insurance as a permanent career is a matter of choice. A healthy 84 percent of young insurance agents say they consider insurance …