It's an issue that can strike fear into the heart of any agent: If a DOI auditor came around to check your books right now, would your premium trust fund account (PTFA) be out of trust? If you're a typical independent agency in Illinois,

Although the National Assn. of Registered Agents and Brokers (NARAB II) bill passed the House this year, it still faces a possible challenge in the Senate, which means agents and brokers who conduct business in multiple states still have to comply

As one of the few insurance markets that can still be construed as hard, D&O business has seen a recent resurgence from a period of high loss ratios in the Enron era, helped along by improved underwriting and pricing

Welcome to American Agent & Broker's new graphics and editorial redesign--the result of six months of blood, sweat, tears, swearing and an excuse for my increase in gray hair. (Not that you need to

Whenver rates are high and capacity tight in the standard insurance market, producers turn to excess and surplus insurers, especially for high-risk customers. Over the past two years, however, with admitted insurers competing for all types of

Wow! What a fantastic view! I used to be stuck way in the back of the book, but now I'm right here on the masthead, where I can see the whole AAB staff and even wave hello to the

While news headlines scream about the disastrous residential construction market, retail agents and brokers are quietly growing commercial construction business in a changing marketplace by building on strong relationships with their

Just call me The Amazing Mazzo. We weren't peering into a crystal ball last month when we wrote about the need to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), but we might as well have been. As