InsurBanc Expands To 15 States

By Mark E. Ruquet

NU Online News Service, July 11, 12:53 p.m. EST?InsurBanc, based in Farmington, Conn., has received approval to expand its operations into 15 states and begin an online agent education program.

The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America in Alexandria, Va., announced that the savings bank, designed to serve association agents, brokers and their clients, would be allowed to begin full service in three states and have limited service in 12 others. Added to their existing venues this would give them a total of 18.

InsurBanc will have full commercial and consumer banking services in Maine, Rhode Island and Delaware. The bank has been working as a full-service savings institution in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Jersey since it received approval in April 2001.

InsurBanc was granted limited-service authority in Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon and Virginia.

Michael Herlihy, InsurBanc's chief executive officer, said under limited-service authority the bank can provide full commercial and consumer banking services as it does in full service states. However, it is limited to paying referral fees to participating agents for credit card applications and settlement fees for residential mortgages.

The Office of Thrift Supervision approved this expansion of services late last month, IIABA said, along with a new online agent education program for agents.

The online agent education program, called the InsurBanc Independent Agent Education Program, is designed for agents and brokers to take their bank referral training online instead of sitting through a four hour in person training session, Mr. Herlihy said.

Agents will receive the same course work and testing they have in the past. Using the on the online program, available through IIABA's Virtual University and InsurBanc Web sites, they will be able to take the lessons at their own convenience, Mr. Herlihy said.

IIABA and insurer W.R. Berkley Corp., based in Greenwich, Conn., are partners in the bank.

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InsurBanc Expands To 15 States

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