Insurance Journal

Wear and Tear and Mechanical Breakdown Exclusions Under Auto Policies

In my September 2023 column, I wrote about wear and tear exclusions in property policies and how these exclusions are sometimes improperly cited to deny claims. Most property policies have a series of exclusions that apply to wear and tear, …

Posted: Feb 18, 2024

Agency Compensation Rose Again in 2023 But Not Everyone Is Pleased

Agency salaries and total compensation rose in 2023 for everyone in the Insurance Journal Agency Salary Survey. But while insurance agency personnel made more money last year, not everyone was satisfied. Managers/owners and producers were less satisf...

Posted: Feb 18, 2024

Happy Employees

This issue reveals data and compensation insights gathered from Insurance Journal’s annual Agency Salary Survey. For the second year in a row in the survey’s 15-year history, salary averages reported were higher than ever before. (See pag...

Posted: Feb 18, 2024

Working From Home

Based on my reading, most employers appear to prefer employees to be in the office. And yet, most white-collar employees seem to prefer working from home, at least for a material portion of the time. Quite a conundrum exists, and …

Posted: Feb 18, 2024

How Apprenticeship Programs May Be the Best Solution to Today’s Talent Crisis

Four-year degree required. It’s been a standard part of job descriptions in the insurance industry for the better part of the past two decades. Now, it’s time for an overhaul. The college degree prerequisite, which is well intentioned, cr...

Posted: Feb 18, 2024

Houston Attorney Eric B. Dick Sanctioned Over $100K in ‘Frivolous’ Lawsuit

For the second time in three months, Houston plaintiffs’ attorney Eric B. Dick has been ordered to reimburse an insurer more than $100,000 for filing a “frivolous, groundless” lawsuit made “solely for the purpose of harassment...

Posted: Feb 18, 2024

Wage Growth Likely to Continue Driving Workers’ Comp Payroll Growth

By Allen Laman Despite a “significant slowdown” in job growth in 2023, a new National Council on Compensation Insurance briefing shared that “wage growth will likely continue to drive workers’ compensation payroll growth throu...

Posted: Feb 18, 2024

‘New Normal’ in Agency M&A Landscape Experts Share 2024 Outlook for Independent Agencies

By Allen Laman The number of announced insurance distribution mergers and acquisitions boomed in 2021 and 2022. Last year, the count plummeted to levels seen at the beginning of the decade. Insurance Journal recently interviewed four M&A experts...

Posted: Feb 18, 2024

WEATHER Act Aims to Reduce Hurdles for Small Farmers

In December, a group of legislators, including Vermont U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, pitched the Withstanding Extreme Agricultural Threats by Harvesting Economic Resilience (WEATHER) Act...

Posted: Feb 18, 2024

USDA Insurance Program Updates Encourage Conservation

In December 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced updates to the federal crop insurance program to affirm USDA conservation practices as Good Farming Practices for crop insurance. USDA’s updated Risk Management Agency (RMA) handboo...

Posted: Feb 18, 2024

Why Insurance Professionals Will Change Jobs in 2024

February is Insurance Careers Month, a time often used to attract the attention of college graduates and professionals from other industries to the benefits of working in the insurance industry. While I’m all for that hype, dare I say that &#82...

Posted: Feb 18, 2024

Extreme Weather, Cyber Risks Top Concerns When Insuring Farms

By Jahna Jacobson As risks from extreme weather, technology glitches and cyberattacks rise, so does the need for agricultural insurance that can cover a rapidly diversifying and evolving industry. “With the interest rates, production expenses,...

Posted: Feb 18, 2024

Referral Fees: A Multi-State Overview

No matter the business, customer referrals are always a welcome way to expand client bases and build trust within the marketplace. This is certainly true within the insurance space, where it is common practice for producers to incentivize friends, fa...

Posted: Feb 18, 2024

Empowering the Future: Investing in Risk Management Education

Tallahassee, FL, February 16, 2023 — Florida is witnessing a surge in educational initiatives supporting the growth of the risk management and insurance (RMI) profession. The surplus lines market has more than doubled over the last two decades,...

Posted: Feb 16, 2024

TWIA Committee Recommends $6.5B as PML for 2024 Storm Season

The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association’s Actuarial & Underwriting Committee met on February 13 and voted unanimously to recommend the TWIA Board of Directors establish $6.5 billion as the Association’s 1:100 probable maximum loss (...

Posted: Feb 16, 2024

People Moves: Leif Assurance Hires Gulli and Kay as Marketing Specialists

Leif Assurance, headquartered in St. Louis, hired Lauren Elizabeth Gulli as brand marketing specialist and Connor Kay as digital marketing specialist. Before joining Leif Assurance, Gulli was a marketing director for a business consulting firm. Befor...

Posted: Feb 16, 2024

February Tornadoes in Wisconsin Caused $2.4M in Damage

EVANSVILLE, Wis. (AP) — The first ever tornadoes ever recorded in Wisconsin in the usually frigid month of February caused more than $2.4 million in damage, officials said Wednesday. The tornadoes that ripped through Rock County on Feb. 8 killed &#82...

Posted: Feb 16, 2024

Wisconsin Assembly Passes Amendment Limiting DEI Efforts

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A constitutional amendment supported by Republicans that attempts to limit diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in Wisconsin won approval Thursday in the state Assembly. The measure is the latest effort targeting DEI efforts n...

Posted: Feb 16, 2024

West Texas Has More Fatal Crashes Than State Average, Report Finds

ODESSA — Severe and fatal vehicle crashes occur at a higher rate in the Permian Basin than the rest of Texas, a new report released Wednesday by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute found. Commissioned by the Permian Road Safety Coalition, &#82...

Posted: Feb 16, 2024

MCI Syndicate-in-a-Box Gets Lloyd’s Nod to Provide Clinical Trial Funding Insurance

Asta, through its third-party managing agency at Lloyd’s, announced the “in-principle” approval of a syndicate-in-a-box (SIAB) to deliver a breakthrough insurance product that aims to accelerate the development of new therapeutic dr...

Posted: Feb 16, 2024

Ares Leads $3.3 Billion Private Loan for UK Insurance Broker Ardonagh at Low Rate

Ares Management Corp. is leading a $3.3 billion private credit loan for UK insurance broker Ardonagh Group Ltd., with the debt’s pricing among the lowest seen in direct lending, people with knowledge of the matter said. Ardonagh’s loan is...

Posted: Feb 16, 2024

JPMorgan, State Street Quit Climate Group, BlackRock Steps Back

JPMorgan Chase’s and State Street’s investment arms on Thursday both quit a global investor coalition pushing companies to rein in climate-damaging emissions, while BlackRock said it has transferred its membership to its international arm...

Posted: Feb 16, 2024

Cyber Risk Management Specialist KYND Secures New Funding for Global Growth Plans

KYND, the London-based provider of cyber risk management solutions, has disclosed “a substantial investment” to propel expansion and further growth. The investment comes from Verisk, a leading global data analytics and technology provider...

Posted: Feb 16, 2024

Under New Owners, Florida’s TRUE Gets Slight Downgrade, Withdraws from AM Best

Six weeks after Trusted Resource Underwriters Exchange, a Florida-based reciprocal property insurer, announced it had received a $1.25 billion capital investment and new majority ownership, the AM Best rating firm has slightly downgraded the exchange...

Posted: Feb 16, 2024

Under New Owners, Florida’s TRUE Gets Slight Downgrade, Withdraws From AM Best

Six weeks after Trusted Resource Underwriters Exchange, a Florida-based reciprocal property insurer, announced it had received a $1.25 billion capital investment and new majority ownership, the AM Best rating firm has slightly downgraded the exchange...

Posted: Feb 16, 2024