Rough Notes
INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASES Digested from case reports published online COURT DECISIONS Unhappy motorist On February 3, 2018, Teresa Rose was injured when the vehicle she was driving was struck by an underinsured motorist. Rose was commuting to her...
Posted: Jan 31, 2024
The keys to getting better at reaching the goals you set for yourself While good at keeping commitments to clients, colleagues and business partners, it seems that we lack that same rigor when it comes to keeping commitments to ourselves. By Kimberly...
Posted: Jan 31, 2024
Partners of Árachas Group, LLC. From left: Erin Kelly, Bill Sullivan, Dallas Peters, Kevin Lesch, Greg Mattingly, and Brian Dolewski. (Not pictured: Valeria Mogildea) With a vision built around “working as one,” this Illinois agency is experiencing e...
Posted: Jan 31, 2024
While not new, industry professionals struggle to mitigate the problem By Tom Rea Social inflation continues to be a hot topic across the insurance industry, as increasing claims severity remains an ongoing threat to long-term profitability and indus...
Posted: Jan 31, 2024
Texas-based young pro shows that second-generation leaders are more than the owners’ offspring By Christopher W. Cook In the insurance industry, certain dedicated young professionals stand out among their peers and are members of an elite squad of in...
Posted: Jan 31, 2024
Snellings Walters Insurance Agency By Dave Willis, CPIA The votes are in. Past cover agents and brokers have spoken. And we have a winner. Selected from the cast of amazing candidates, the 2023 Rough Notes Agency of the Year is Snellings Walters Insu...
Posted: Jan 31, 2024
Achieve greater operational efficiency and build stronger customer relationships By Jason Keck Insurtech spending in the U.K. and the U.S. is expected to increase by over 25% between 2022 and 2026, according to an Insider Intelligence article. And as...
Posted: Jan 31, 2024
Insider tips and tricks for asking clients to share their agency experience By Samanta Ulita Research reveals that 95% of your customers will read online reviews before buying a product or service—maybe yours—and that 49% trust those reviews as much...
Posted: Jan 31, 2024
Crafting a perpetuation plan for your agency By Carey Wallace As an independent insurance agency owner, planning for the future of your agency’s ongoing operation is a responsibility that is critically important to your family, staff, and customers....
Posted: Jan 31, 2024
A hard market brings new challenges By Joseph S. Harrington, CPCU No news is good news, in some circumstances. When assessing today’s market for insurance agent and broker errors and omissions (E&O) insurance, what stands out is what’s not there...
Posted: Jan 31, 2024
Read AI’s take on the risks of using AI to create something for you to read Simply relying on technology to do the work in totality is tempting—very tempting. That extends beyond the art of writing to mundane tasks in humanity’s daily life. By Micha...
Posted: Jan 25, 2024
Texas Supreme Court ruling is likely to have a big impact on additional insured disputes The dispute involved two excess policies purchased by the contractor, one of which was provided by the carrier which underwrote the primary CGL. By Joseph S. Ha...
Posted: Jan 18, 2024
INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASES Digested from case reports published online COURT DECISIONS On July 12, 2018, Sunbelt Shavings, LLC, contacted KC Welding, LLC, and requested that someone repair a metal storage bin, the door of which had become stuck. A...
Posted: Dec 29, 2023
INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASES Digested from case reports published online COURT DECISIONS Elaine Estrada worked for the city of La Habra Heights as an accountant and payroll administrator from November 7, 2005, to August 24, 2012. Through her employm...
Posted: Dec 29, 2023
INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASES Digested from case reports published online COURT DECISIONS Sprinkler squabble Sathiyaselvam Thangavel and Sasikala Muthusamy were tenants who leased an apartment from Seaford Apartment Ventures, LLC. The complaint filed...
Posted: Dec 29, 2023
Senate committee’s attention settles on property insurance There are limits to the authority that Congress lent to the states. – By Kevin P. Hennosy Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), as chairman of the banking committee, is stepping into the shoe...
Posted: Dec 29, 2023
Studying, learning and asking questions develop skills that make work easier and more accurate [Natural curiosity is] important because the types of customers that an agent may have the opportunity to serve are unimaginably diverse. By Paul Martin, C...
Posted: Dec 29, 2023
“Real world” reality check can benefit newly licensed producers While adding enhanced replacement cost coverage will help new agents and their clients sleep better at night, another potential issue may be lurking in the form of detached other structu...
Posted: Dec 29, 2023
Meshing employee/organization goals drives staff engagement Effective goal setting in the workplace isn’t just about setting objectives; it’s about a comprehensive approach that involves employees, aligns with business priorities, and adapts to chang...
Posted: Dec 29, 2023
From paper files and landline phones to the forefront of safety innovations As we continue to embrace technology and innovation, we must also remain committed to our ultimate goal: sending workers home to their families healthy and safe, every singl...
Posted: Dec 29, 2023
Looking back to embrace the future There is truly a need for greatness to meet current and future challenges in our industry and beyond. Where do you stand in your journey? – By Cheryl Koch, CPCU, ARM, AAI, ACSR, AFIS, and Mary Belka, CPCU, ARM...
Posted: Dec 29, 2023
While once an option, specializing is becoming increasingly important Besides enhancing the revenue potential for insurance agents and agencies, specialization provides valuable benefits to their clients. By Kari Glennon Have you ever been asked by a...
Posted: Dec 29, 2023
Who will be the 2023 agency of the year? One of the agencies featured in a Rough Notes cover story during 2023 will be named Agency of the Year. The winner will be selected based on votes from previous Rough Notes cover agents. Principals of the winn...
Posted: Dec 29, 2023
Having dabbled in card magic when he was younger, Tony Cañas, co-founder and chief motivational officer of Insurance Nerds, picked it back up more seriously last year. “I just like putting a smile on people’s faces and it goes well with my top hat,”...
Posted: Dec 29, 2023
Dedicated outsourced staffing provides agencies and brokerages greater independence By Maura C. Ciccarelli When Norm Hudson’s full-service agency, Inszone Insurance Services, was looking to expand about 10 years ago, finding talent to do back-end pro...
Posted: Dec 29, 2023