Agency Management

Wholesale insurance brokerages continue to make acquisitions in 2011, with Ryan Specialty Group announcing two earlier this month and AmWINS announcing three.

Hosni Mubarak’s resignation as president of Egypt and the subsequent military takeover have brought a measure of stability to the nation, but uncertainty about the future and potential flashpoints throughout the region have insurers casting a wary eye on political risk coverage.

With a deadline looming for states to adopt regulations over the collection and disbursement of surplus lines taxes to comply with provisions of the Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act, two competing proposals have developed, but inaction might be the best news MGAs and brokers could hear.

With an eye toward jump-starting national momentum for reform, a North Dakota committee became the country’s first legislative body to approve a Surplus Lines Insurance Multistate Compliance Compact (SLIMPACT) this month, with Kentucky close behind.

The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America has named Jennifer McPhillips senior director of federal government affairs.

Question-answering systems such as IBM's "Jeopardy!"-winning Watson are only 3-to-5 years away from general business usage. What is the implication for insurance agents? AA&B Editor Laura Toops talks to Jamie Bisker, IBM industry solutions representative, about both the fears and the anticipation surrounding the advance of this new technology.