Independent agents in Florida decry new contract between property insurers

Florida’s independent insurance agents have voiced their concern regarding one of Florida’s largest property insurers taking over thousands of policies from a now defunct competitor. Agents are worried that the move may cost them dearly in the form of client exodus. Homeowners Choice Insurance, a subsidiary of Homeowners Choice Property and Casualty Insurance, has taken on more than 70,000 policies from HomeWise Insurance. While agents have witnessed such happenings in the past, there is a provision in the contract between HomeWise and Homeowners Choice that could put agents’ livelihoods in…

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Insurance agents and carriers bring their mobiles with them everywhere

A study conducted by FirstBest Systems, Inc. has shown that the majority of insurance agents and carriers either want or already use a tablet computer, and that virtually all of them have a minimum of one smartphone, and that they all want to have convenient information access, to be able to be able to perform tasks of a time sensitive nature quickly and easily, and to offer superior service no matter where they are or what time it is. FirstBest performed the Mobile Technology for Insurance Survey while taking part…

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Insurance agents advised to create customer contact with social media tools

Social media and mobile commerce are becoming increasingly popular among business owners and insurance agents are being advised not to miss the lesson that has been learned by more than half of all business owners already. According to a survey called SB Authority Market Sentiment Survey, performed by Newtek Business Services, The Small Business Authority, which has more than 100,000 business accounts in its portfolio – 2,200 of which were polled – 57 percent of business owners are already working to bring in new customers through the use of social…

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Insurance Technologies LLC receives Most Compelling Case Study Award for the year

Financial services industry sales automation solutions provider, Insurance Technologies LLC, has received the award for the Most Compelling Case Study in 2011, the ACORD Award. The recipient of the award was announced in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at the ACORD Implementation Forum conference. Insurance Technologies received the award in recognition of the role it has played in standardizing eLabels – that is, tag values and instances – for any document which can be filled throughout a transaction with ACORD. Every year, the member partners of ACORD who have shown innovative development…

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Study suggests recovery for independent insurance agents and brokers

A new study from the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA), the largest insurance agent and broker association in the U.S., brings some good news regarding the state of the nation’s independent agencies. The 2011 Best Practices Study outlines the organic growth that is currently moving throughout the industry. The study notes that 2010 was a year of promising growth and that the trend has continued throughout this year as well. The IIABA says that independent agencies are showing real signs of recovery for the first time since…

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