Should risk managers pay their insurance brokerage costs directly on a straight fee basis, rather than let carriers pay commissions on sales? File your vote on the latest NU Online Poll at www.property-casualty.com.

Daytona Beach, Fla.-based insurance broker Brown & Brown said it has acquired four insurance agencies in Connecticut. Financial terms of the acquisition were not released.

A Kingston, N.Y., woman is accused of going to some extreme lengths in order to continue collecting workers' comp benefits while allegedly working another job.

Independent agencies are invited to enter the 2010 Commercial Insurance Agency of the Year Award program, run by National Underwriter and its sister publication, American Agent & Broker, with entries due by July 1.