Articles by Laura Mazzucca Toops

Brian Sullivan: The Industry is Changing — Really

Even though we’ve heard it many times before, the insurance agency business is on the cusp of huge changes, driven in part by technology, a host of new and better insurance products, and increased stability on the part of insurers …

Brian Sullivan: The Industry is Changing — Really

Although we’ve heard it many times before, the insurance agency business is on the cusp of huge changes, driven in part by technology, a host of new and better insurance products and increased stability on the part of insurers due …

Meanwhile, Back in the Heartland…

As of this writing, most of the United States is sitting here holding its collective breath and waiting for Hurricane Rita to touch down on the already devastated Gulf Coast, even while the experts are still toting up the damage …

Agent Compensation Disclosure: Distinguishing between Main Street and Wall Street

Illinois’ Department of Insurance is continuing to investigate the commission practices of its independent agents, and the rest of the country is keeping an eye on what’s happening there. Last October’s action by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer in …

Brian Sullivan: The Industry is Changing — Really

Even though we’ve heard it many times before, the insurance agency business is on the cusp of huge changes, driven in part by technology, a host of new and better insurance products, and increased stability on the part of insurers …

Illinios Insurance Director Assures Agents Commissions are Safe

Illinois Division of Insurance Director Michael McRaith assured an audience of independent agents that in spite of the Division’s ongoing investigation of agent commission practices, he was committed to working toward a compromise between producers and consumers on the issue …

NICB Warns Against Illegal Resale of Flood-Damaged Vehicles

Special insurance industry teams will be assisting Gulf Coast law enforcement and insurers in identifying and cataloging vehicles damaged by Hurricane Katrina to prevent their fraudulent resale to unsuspecting consumers in the future. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), based …

Katrina Hits Close to Home

“If it keeps on rainin’, the levee’s gonna break…” Led Zeppelin, “When the Levee Breaks” When the news media first began bleating about the developing storm that became Hurricane Katrina, I had my doubts. As a long-time observer of the …

Midwest Insurers Pitch In for Katrina Relief

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, insurers in the Midwest rose to the challenge, not only by getting adjusters on the ground as quickly as possible, but offering volunteer services and monetary contributions as well. The efforts ranging from the …

Indiana Targets Insurance for Economic Development

Former insurance industry advocate Mike Chrysler has recently been appointed as the Indiana Economic Development Corporation’s (IEDC) Director of Insurance Initiatives. Chrysler, an Indiana native and former assistant vice president of government affairs for the Insurance Institute of Indiana, has …