Thanks to a hard market, a light catastrophic claims load and consistent underwriting, a little mutual based out of West Bend, Wis., was able to surpass the $1 billion asset mark at the end of 2003 for the first time …
West Bend is far from the only Wisconsin-based regional mutual insurer making a mark. The CEO of Appleton, Wis.-based SECURA Insurance Cos., John Bykowski, took some time recently to talk with IJ during the Independent Insurance Agents of Wisconsin’s annual …
Former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill once famously said, “All politics is local.” The same could be said for the insurance industry—insurance coverage is definitely local. In addition, there continues to be a shift of business within the independent …
Mark Roling, a sales executive with Iowa-based Cottingham & Butler, was recently selected as the National Alliance Tallahassee Producer School recipient of the Matt Wells Scholarship for Producer Development. Matt Wells, son of Mark Wells, publisher of Insurance Journal, was …
The CEO of Appleton, Wis.-based SECURA Insurance Cos., John Bykowski, took some time recently to talk with IJ during the Independent Insurance Agents of Wisconsin’s annual convention. SECURA has total assets of $406 million as of year-end 2003, operates in …
Des Moines, Iowa-based EMC Insurance Group announced that it will strengthen its bulk loss and settlement expense reserves by about $2.9 million for the second quarter. The company also estimated additional storm losses of $4.1 million for a 2004 total …
Omaha, Neb.-based small business workers’ compensation carrier FirstComp named David E. Thomas as its new treasurer and chief financial officer. He had served as an executive consultant since the fall of 2003. Before joining FirstComp, Thomas spent 17 years at …
A coalition of insurance companies is suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture, claiming the government has shortchanged them millions of dollars in the Federal Crop Insurance Program new Standard Reinsurance Agreement, or SRA. The lawsuit, and a separate disagreement over …
Midwest • May 5, 2004 “A typical response from a governor who is on the trial lawyers payroll!” — Kevin Maher, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
As the nation’s population ages, states are looking for ways to weed out people who shouldn’t drive. Half the states have passed some form of elderly driver restrictions, usually laws that require older motorists to renew licenses more often and …
