Agency Management

The Direct Marketing Association's Insurance and Financial Services Council announced two awards for a Marsh brokerage subsidiary.

Marsh Inc. has acquired the largest independent manager of captive and third-party insurance companies in Bermuda, International Advisory Services Ltd.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc. said it will pay a quarterly dividend of 20 cents per share on outstanding common stock, payable on Nov. 16 to shareholders of record as of Oct. 9.

J. David Daniel was named chairman and J. Michael "Mike" Miley was named chairman-elect of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America at its recent Leadership Conference in New Orleans.

The health reform bill unveiled by Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., will likely be more of a threat to the Democratic Party than to insurers and agents, says NU Editor In Chief Sam Friedman in his blog today at www.NUSamSoapBox.com.

Federal and state activity to create rules and laws for the insurance industry has surged this year increasing demands on carrier resources, a consulting firm said.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), a not-for-profit organization dedicated exclusively to fighting insurance fraud and vehicle theft, has released its analysis of reported suspicious activity for the first half of 2009.

The chief executive of an independent agents group said his organization finds New York State's proposed producer compensation disclosure regulation unacceptable and without changes legal action is a possibility.