Agency Management

The health insurance industry is very nervous about the reform bills making their way through Congress, and rightfully so.

There's been a lot of talk on the acquisition front by excess and surplus lines insurance companies, but little action to date--even in a year that followed back-to-back declines in organic growth for the segment overall.

Commercial insurers wondering what they need to do to attract and hang on to their customers got an earful from the 411 buyers responding to open-ended questions about what they want from their carriers.

The insurance industry shot itself in the foot once again with the clumsy release of a health reform study that has galvanized the industry's critics into a lynch mob, says NU Editor Sam Friedman in his blog today at www.NUSamSoapBox.com.

Forty-three insurance agents and brokers have been fined a total of $42,650 for accepting kickbacks, or failing to supervise staff who accepted kickbacks, New York's insurance superintendent said today.

Most program business insurers believe gross premiums for the segment total at least $20 billion, but a growing number now have doubts they are doing that much volume, a survey reported.