Articles by Patricia-Anne Tom

California Commissioner Hopeful: Assemblyman Dave Jones

On November 2, Californians will select a new insurance commissioner, charged with regulating the fourth-largest insurance market in the world at about $160 billion. Assemblyman and Democrat Dave Jones recently shared why he has the experience to tackle such topics …

In Developing Producers, a Little Help From One’s Friends Goes a Long Way

As John Lennon and Paul McCartney could tell you, sometimes you just need a little help from your friends. And in the insurance agency business – where building relationships are key to success – that friend often is more than …

A New Way to Reach Consumers

Fiesta Auto Insurance Combines Insurance and Tax Preparation Services Under One Roof Modeling an insurance agency business after a sandwich shop might sound like an unusual goal, but that’s what John Rost, founder, president of CEO of Fiesta Auto Insurance …

A Franchise Model for Insurance Agencies

Fiesta Auto Insurance Combines Insurance and Tax Preparation Services Under One Roof Modeling an insurance agency business after a sandwich shop might sound like a strange idea, but that’s what John Rost, founder, president and CEO of Fiesta Auto Insurance, …

A New Way to Reach Consumers

Fiesta Auto Insurance Combines Insurance and Tax Preparation Services Under One Roof Modeling an insurance agency business after a sandwich shop might sound like an unusual goal, but that’s what John Rost, founder, president of CEO of Fiesta Auto Insurance …

Be Fair to CSRs

Insurance customer service and claims representatives may not have realized it, but when they fail to do their jobs, they are contributing to the insurance fraud problem. According to a survey by Accenture, more than half (55 percent) of U.S. …

California’s Commissioner Hopefuls

Unlike many voters, the hundreds and thousands of independent insurance agents and brokers in California know the November 2 election will be a pivotal one. After all, on that day, Californians will select a new insurance commissioner, charged with regulating …

Court: Calif. Surplus Line Insurers Should Not Be Double-Taxed

Surplus line insurers should not be subject to California Constitution Section 28 taxes to the state, according to a California Court of Appeal decision that notes that these nonadmitted insurers already pay surplus line premium taxes. A conflict arose when …

Flood News

The good news is that the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has been extended until Sept. 30, 2011. The bad news is that the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has been extended until Sept. 30, 2011. It’s good news because …

Agents to Calif. State Fund: Please Pay Commissions

Insurance agents and brokers want the California State Compensation Insurance Fund to change its broker of service policy and instead recognize broker of record (BOR) letters. While the policy not to recognize BOR letters is not new, the Alliance of …