Insurance Exchanges: The World Small to Rule the Big
A pair of industry experts espoused the benefits of insurance exchanges and small agencies today and in the future during the recent Insurance Industry Roundtable run by the WIAA Education &...
View ArticleNew York Gov. Cuomo Vetoes State Agency Mailing Bill
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo vetoed a bill (S.6285-A/A.9034B) last Friday that would have banned state agencies from disseminating ads to the public for products that relate to the subject matter of the...
View Article3 Maine Agencies Included in State’s Annual ‘Best Places to Work’ List
Three independent insurance agencies in Maine have made the state’s seventh annual “Best Places to Work in Maine” list. The list is published by the Maine State Council of the Society for Human...
View ArticleAgents Cite Advance in Fight Against Medical Loss Ratio
A House subcommittee has advanced a bill that would exclude agency commissions from the formula that limits how much health insurers can spend on administrative and other non-medical costs. The U.S....
View ArticleMarketScout Wholesale Launches E&O Program for Independent Agents
MarketScout Wholesale (MSW) has formed an exclusive independent agents errors & omissions program. In addition to professional liability, this program provides data breach/privacy protection as...
View ArticleTrusted Choice Grants Support Texas Volunteer Fire Departments
The Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office announced that Texas independent insurance agents, who operate in their communities under the Trusted Choice brand, have created a grant program for volunteer fire...
View ArticleProject CAP Selects Phoenix Agency for Agency 2020 Program
Hester, Heitel & Associates, an independent insurance agency in Phoenix, has been chosen as the spotlight agency to represent Project CAP’s Agency 2020 program. Agency 2020 was designed to provide...
View ArticleNew Hampshire’s Minkler New Chairman of Big ‘I’
New Hampshire independent agent Thomas J. Minkler has been inaugurated as the new chairman of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”), with David Walker as...
View ArticleExperts: Insurance Distribution Future Online and Personalized
The future of insurance distribution was discussed at the CPCU Society’s annual All Industry Day in California on Tuesday. The day-long conference at the Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City included...
View ArticleGoogle Dupes Insurance Buyers: Insurance Agent Executive
Independent insurance agents are accustomed to competition but many are watching with heightened interest the entry of one new competitor in particular, Google Compare. Bill Wilson, director of the...
View ArticleHelping Independent Agents Compete and Evolve
This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. Even with advancements in the direct-to-consumer channel, independent agents (IAs) continue to be a dominate distribution channel for property...
View ArticleWhy Customer Satisfaction Is Falling for Large Auto Insurers, Rising for...
After climbing in each of the past two years, customer satisfaction is falling among the nation’s largest auto insurers, while satisfaction is actually up a tad for small insurers. This rising...
View ArticleCarrier Poll Shows Many Agents Expect Minor Tech Disruption by 2020
A new poll conducted by a Seattle, Wash.-based carrier that asked independent insurance agents what’s ahead in 2020 showed that roughly half of agents expect technology disruption to have a minor...
View ArticleNationwide Switching to Independent Agency Distribution Model by 2020
Independent agents take note – Nationwide may be on your side. Nationwide on Monday announced its intention to shift to an independent agency distribution model over the next two years. The Columbus,...
View ArticleClient Connections – Are You Taking Full Advantage of Your Digital Options?
Calling All Independent Agents! This week we’re running a survey, sponsored by Providence Bank Agency Finance. The survey asks 10 questions about how you connect to your clients and market your agency....
View ArticleLiberty Mutual to Acquire State Auto Group
Insurer Liberty Mutual reported that it will acquire State Auto Group, a super-regional insurance holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Under the terms of the agreement, State Auto mutual...
View ArticleDigital Auto Insurer Root Will Add Independent Agents to Its Distribution
Digital auto insurer Root saw its loss ratio spike in the 2021 second quarter as higher costs for repairs, used vehicles and miles driven rose above pre-pandemic levels. But the Ohio-based insurer...
View ArticleJ.D. Power Agents’ Survey Reveals Top-Ranked P/C Carriers (Story in Charts)
Neglected no more. Independent agents are feeling the love from property/casualty insurance carriers—and the scores they are giving carriers are moving higher, J.D. Power reports. According to results...
View ArticlePay-Per-Mile Digital Insurer Metromile in Drive to Add Independent Agents
Pay-per-mile digital auto insurer Metromile is pursuing what it is calling a “significant” expansion of its use of independent agents to sell its insurance, and it has hired a Travelers Insurance...
View ArticleOakbridge Continues SE Expansion
Oakbridge Insurance Agency, a regional independent agency, announced it has continued its Southeast U.S. expansion plans by contracting with Your Insurance Centers, an agency in Alabama. The move into...
View ArticleInsurance Agents Eye Changes to Support Growth in 2022
A majority of insurance agents have a very positive outlook for 2022. About 70% expect their business growth to be on track in the new year, while nearly 20% expect that growth to be “off the charts.”...
View ArticlePeople: Georgia Agents Elect Iverson President
The Independent Insurance Association of Georgia has installed longtime member Michael Iverson as president of the organization. Iverson is CEO of the M.D. Iverson Group, an insurance agency in...
View ArticleAgents Expects Big Jump in Online Commercial Insurance Shopping: Survey
A majority of independent insurance agents (53%) are expecting a significant increase in online commercial insurance buyers over the next three years, according to a survey from Semsee, a platform for...
View ArticleIndependent Agents Place Majority of U.S. P&C Insurance: Big I
The independent agency channel places 62% of all property-casualty insurance written in the U.S., according to the Big “I” 2022 Market Share Report. The annual Market Share Report compiles and analyzes...
View Article‘Synthetic’ Agents? Lemonade Says Finance Deal Limits Cash Burn
Late last week, Lemonade announced a financial agreement to borrow 80% of the costs it incurs to acquire insurance customers from a venture firm. The insurtech carrier revealed the deal in a media...
View ArticleIndependent Agents Are Shopping Premiums Despite Record High Carrier...
Independent insurance agents report unprecedented satisfaction with their carrier partners, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t keeping their options open due to the rising cost of premiums. According to...
View ArticleInsurtech Startup QuoteWell Comes Out of Stealth With $15M in Series A Funding
Tech-enabled commercial insurance wholesale brokerage QuoteWell announced its public launch to serve independent retail agents. Founded in 2021, the insurtech said it “helps agents who are often...
View ArticleAs More Shop Around, Many Insurance Consumers Unaware of Rate Factors
According to a new survey released today by Trusted Choice—the national consumer brand representing the members of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big I)—nearly 70% of...
View ArticleDestination Progressive… or One of These Other Carriers
Commissions are more certain than insurance losses. Those were not exactly the words that a Progressive executive used when he described the work the insurer has been doing to help customers meet all...
View ArticleNew Survey Reveals How Independent Agents Are Adapting to the Hard Market
The hard market has independent agents “going the extra mile” to prioritize client communication, retention, technology and team morale. Trusted Choice, the national consumer brand representing the...
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