United States News

Breckenridge Buys St. Louis Wholesale Broker IPSICO

Ohio-based wholesale insurance broker and program administrator Breckenridge Insurance Services has acquired the assets of International Placement Services, LC (IPSICO), a wholesale insurance brokerage firm in St. Louis. Terms were not disclosed. The deal is the fourth for Breckenridge, which …

National Premium Finance Association Names Mangia President

Angelo Mangia, president and CEO of Long Island, N.Y.-based Standard Funding, has been elected president of the National Premium Finance Association at its annual meeting in Charlotte, N.C., on Nov. 10. The National Premium Finance Association represents the nation’s largest …

North Korea Shells South in Fiercest Attack in Decades

North Korea on Tuesday fired dozens of artillery shells at a South Korean island, killing two soldiers and setting houses ablaze, in one of the heaviest attacks on its neighbor since the Korean War ended in 1953. The attack, with …

Pre-Paid Funeral Services Controlling Officials Indicted

The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced the indictments of six controlling officials of National Prearranged Services Inc., in a 50-count indictment charging wire, bank, mail, and insurance fraud; money laundering; and multiple conspiracy charges involving the sale of pre-paid funeral services. …

Zimmerman Joins Brown & Brown

Insurance broker Brown & Brown has named Paul J. Zimmerman as director of acquisitions. Zimmerman is a 40-year industry veteran who most recently worked with Travelers, joins Brown & Brown’s acquisitions team immediately. He will work to identify acquisition opportunities …

Allianz Warns Climate Change Could Hit Harder than Financial Crisis

As the UN climate summit in Cancun approaches, the insurance industry is preparing to present its case to the poiticians, business leaders and scientists, who will be attending. “As an insurer, we are the frontline industry to feel the heat …

Best Affirms Assurant and Subsidiaries Ratings; Outlook Stable

A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength ratings (FSR) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of the property/casualty and life/health insurance subsidiaries of Assurant, Inc. Best also affirmed the ICR of “bbb” and debt ratings of Assurant. The outlook for …

Moody’s: P/C Insurers’ Losses Under Municipal Bonds Manageable

U.S. property/casualty insurers are not likely to sustain substantial losses on municipal bonds, Moody’s Investors Service says in a new report. While muni bonds make up a high 27 percent of P/C insurers’ invested assets, credit losses would be manageable …

CIS Group Acquires Indiana’s Cornerstone Appraisal

CIS Group LLC, a subsidiary of CIS Holdings LLC and an affiliate of CEP, has completed its acquisition of Cornerstone Appraisal Services of Valparaiso, Indiana. This acquisition marks the third property inspection services company that CIS Group has acquired, including …

Firefighters Busy on Thanksgiving Day

For most Americans, Thanksgiving Day invokes memories of safe and warm family gatherings featuring hot turkey dinners. But for some 2,000 families a year, and for firefighters across the country, the memories are not so happy. There are an estimated …