Articles by Stephanie K. Jones

Independent Texas MGAs Join Forces for Targeted Harvey Relief

A group of independently owned Texas managing general agents (MGAs) have come together to provide targeted, direct, local relief to communities affected by Hurricane Harvey. Texas MGAs for Disaster Relief is working with local officials and emergency coordinators to identify …

GOLD Best Agency to Work For – South Central: BKCW

Employees at BKCW say there’s a lot to like at the Central Texas-based insurance agency, including its hiring practices, its friendly culture, its leadership, its outstanding reputation and its growth-with-balance attitude. All that, plus the fact that it has been …

GOLD Best Agency to Work For – Midwest: Gibson

As one employee stated: “This is not a great place to work — Gibson is the BEST place to work.” That’s the sentiment expressed by numerous employees at Indiana-based Gibson, which was selected as this year’s Best Agency to Work …

Texans Helping Texans: Independent MGAs Join Forces for Targeted Harvey Relief

A group of independently owned Texas managing general agents (MGAs) have come together to provide targeted, direct, local relief to communities affected by Hurricane Harvey. Texas MGAs for Disaster Relief is working with local officials and emergency coordinators to identify …

Mixed Messages Sent Over Texas’s New Cat Claims Statute

Ambiguity surrounding a Texas law that went into effect on Sept. 1 had insurance industry representatives and attorneys who represent insurance policyholders issuing conflicting messages to insureds who may have suffered property damage from Hurricane Harvey — even before the …

Insured Loss Estimates from Harvey Will Take Time

Flood losses from Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall as a Category 4 storm late on Aug. 25 near Rockport, Texas, are expected to vastly outnumber those from wind but that doesn’t mean property losses will be insignificant. As of Aug. …

Oklahoma Workers’ Comp Commission Report Shows a 30% Drop in Premium Costs Since 2013

Oklahoma’s workers’ compensation system seems to have benefited from reforms that were initiated in 2013, at least in terms of premium costs for businesses. By the end of 2016, employers in Oklahoma had seen a 30 percent reduction in workers’ …

Northern Underwriting Managers’ Fendler Indicted Again; Faces 20 Fraud Counts

The owner of multiple property/casualty insurance operations in northern Illinois has been indicted once again, this time on charges that he defrauded more than 100 clients. Todd J. Fendler, of Rockford, Ill., previously had been charged in federal court on …

Law’s Ambiguity a Source of Mixed Messages Over Texas Cat Claims Statute

Ambiguity surrounding a Texas law that goes into effect on Sept. 1 has insurance industry representatives and attorneys who represent insurance policyholders sending conflicting messages to insureds who may have suffered property damage from Hurricane Harvey. HB 1774 was originally …

Northern Illinois Agency Owner Indicted Again; Slapped with 20 Fraud Counts

The owner of multiple property/casualty insurance operations in northern Illinois has been indicted once again, this time on charges that he defrauded more than 100 clients. Todd J. Fendler, of Rockford, Ill., previously had been charged in federal court on …