Insurance Journal

Top 100 Agencies

This year marks the 21st annual publication of Insurance Journal’s Top 100 Independent Agencies special report. Nearly all of the firms in the Top 100 saw notable increases in total property/casualty revenue year-over-year. From 2023 to 2024 th...

Posted: Aug 03, 2025

This Hard Market Explained

This hard market is the longest and hardest in generations. Historically, hard markets occurred every seven years or so and lasted two to three years. Agents that sold price and represented carriers who sold price worked hard during the soft …

Posted: Aug 03, 2025

How to Attract the Next Generation to Insurance

For many young professionals, the insurance industry isn’t exactly top of mind when plotting a career path. But for 23-year-old twins Sam and Noah Zickefoose, it’s where they’ve found purpose, opportunity, and a surprising sense of...

Posted: Aug 03, 2025

When Business as Usual Isn’t Enough: Rethinking Assault & Battery Liability in Commercial Real Estat...

In urban centers across the U.S., property owners and managers are welcoming a return to pre-2020 levels of foot traffic in retail corridors, mixed-use developments, and multifamily buildings. While this rebound signals a healthy recovery for local e...

Posted: Aug 03, 2025

From Golf Greens to Sausage Fests: The Wild World of Prize Insurance

By Ezra Amacher Mark Gilmartin grew up around golf, playing in national tournaments from a young age and competing in college. When his amateur golf career didn’t translate into a spot on the professional tour, he turned his love of …

Posted: Aug 03, 2025

Bird’s Eye View: Parallels from Piloting Planes to Leading an Agency

As a commercial lines insurance producer in a very competitive industry, I looked for every advantage I could uncover to build my book of business. Like most successful agents, I tried a multitude of different ideas and strategies as I …

Posted: Aug 03, 2025

How Employer Value Proposition and Employee Experience Can Boost Recruiting Success

In today’s hyper-competitive talent market, gaining a recruiting edge doesn’t require reinventing the wheel. To use a sports analogy, think about recruitment like the NFL. Every team is so talented that you see more single-digit victories...

Posted: Aug 03, 2025

Independent Agencies’ Market Share Shows Small Decline; Strong Hold on Commercial Lines with Opportu...

The independent agency channel placed 61.5% of all property/casualty insurance written in the U.S. in 2024, a slight decline from 2023 where independent agents placed 62.2% of P/C lines nationwide. That’s according to the 2025 Market Share Repo...

Posted: Aug 03, 2025

5 Evolving Trends Shaping Architects and Engineers Coverage

The architects and engineers (A&E) sector is changing rapidly as design professionals adopt new project delivery methods and technology tools to increase efficiency and reduce costs. As the sector evolves, A&E firms and their insurance agents...

Posted: Aug 03, 2025

Thought Leadership in Insurance: Building Credibility Through Insights and Industry Commentary

The insurance industry stands at a crossroads. From emerging risks driven by climate change and cyber threats to regulatory shifts and technological disruption, professionals across the sector face challenges that demand informed perspectives and str...

Posted: Aug 03, 2025

Workplace Injuries Costs Near $60B Per Year; Overexertion, Falls Top Causes: Liberty Mutual

Liberty Mutual’s latest Workplace Safety Index has found that workplace accidents cost U.S. employers about $58.8 billion annually. The top 10 causes of injuries account for 86% of those costs, or $50.87 billion. The index marks its 25th year i...

Posted: Aug 03, 2025

The New Approach to Hurricane-Strong Homes? Concrete Walls, Wind-Resistant Roofs, But Affordable and...

If wind mitigation and stronger homes are the paths to reducing insurance claims and bringing down premiums in hurricane-prone areas as a growing number of industry experts believe, then homeowners, builders and insurers may want to take a look at &#...

Posted: Aug 03, 2025

North Carolina Expands FORTIFIED Roof Grant Program With Another $20 Million

North Carolina’s residual property insurance association is expanding its roof-grant program by $20 million, offering $6,000 to policyholders who upgrade their roofs to the more wind-resistant FORTIFIED standard. “In May, we launched the...

Posted: Aug 03, 2025

Florida Meteorologist Predicts Where the Next Hurricane Will Hit–For a Price

By William Rabb Colorado State University’s hurricane research team, perhaps the best-known and most-often quoted forecasting service, in early July revised its prediction for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season downward slightly – to eigh...

Posted: Aug 03, 2025

Lenders Get Reprieve in UK Motor Finance Case From Top Court

A group of lenders won a major reprieve in a pivotal UK car finance case, after the country’s top judges agreed to rein in a lower court’s ruling that could have cost the banks billions more in consumer payouts. The …

Posted: Aug 01, 2025

Trump Tariff Blitz Unleashes Delayed Shock to Global Economy

Four months after Donald Trump shocked the world and roiled markets by unveiling a placard full of tariff rates at the White House Rose Garden, his revisions unveiled Thursday generated a more subdued response among investors. But at an average &#823...

Posted: Aug 01, 2025

Trump Hits Dozens More Countries With Steep Tariffs

U.S. President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on exports from dozens of trading partners, including Canada, Brazil, India and Taiwan, ahead of a Friday trade deal deadline, pressing ahead with plans to reorder the global economy. Trump set rates...

Posted: Aug 01, 2025

Update: Markets Dive After Trump Hits More Countries With Steep Tariffs

U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest wave of tariffs on exports from dozens of trading partners sent global stock markets tumbling on Friday and countries and companies scrambling to seek ways to strike better deals. As Trump presses ahead with...

Posted: Aug 01, 2025

Espionage, Including Theft of Intellectual Property, Cost Australia $12.5B in 2023-2024

Espionage cost Australia $12.5 billion in 2023-24, according to a study by ASIO and the Australian Institute of Criminology. The figure includes the direct costs of known espionage incidents, including state-sponsored theft of intellectual property,...

Posted: Aug 01, 2025

AXA Shares Decline on Net Income Miss, Italian Takeover

AXA SA fell the most in almost four months after profit missed estimates and the French insurance group agreed to buy a majority in Italian car insurer Prima Assicurazioni. The stock fell as much as 7%, the biggest intraday decline …

Posted: Aug 01, 2025

People Moves: QBE Hires ERGO’s Peerdeman to Launch Marine Insurance in Netherlands; HDI Global Appoi...

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at QBE and HDI Global. A summary of these new hires follows here. QBE Hires ERGO’s Peerdeman to Launch Marine Insurance Biz in Netherlands International business insurer QBE has hi...

Posted: Aug 01, 2025

KCC Completes Review of California Wildfire Model

The California Department of Insurance completed a review of the KCC US Wildfire Reference Model Version 3.0, making it the state’s second wildfire catastrophe model. The new model for use by insurers in assessing wildfire risk in property insu...

Posted: Aug 01, 2025

Specialty Program Group Acquires Miami-Based ANOVA Marine Insurance

Specialty Program Group, a specialty insurance brokerage and distribution firm headquartered in Chicago, has acquired Florida-based ANOVA Marine Insurance, a managing general agent and Lloyd’s coverholder. ANOVA, in business since 2011, offers...

Posted: Aug 01, 2025

Radioactive Wasp Nest Found at SC Site Where US Once Made Nuclear Bombs

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Workers at a site in South Carolina that once made key parts for nuclear bombs in the U.S. have found a radioactive wasp nest but officials said there is no danger to anyone. Employees who routinely …

Posted: Aug 01, 2025

‘Soft Market Under Stress’ Offers Unique Window of Opportunity for Insurance Buyers

A buyer-friendly competitive commercial insurance market is likely to be short-lived, according to a new analysis of second-quarter 2025 market conditions from global professional services firm Aon. “This is not a typical soft market cycle; it&...

Posted: Aug 01, 2025