Fitch Ratings publishes its 2012 outlook report for American insurance brokers

Fitch Ratings has just announced the results of the analysis of their data for revenue and earnings increases for American insurance brokers in 2012, and that they have shown that their figures will likely equal or top those that were reported from January through September 2011. However, they also indicated that the basic nature of competition of the marketplace for property & casualty insurance, and the lukewarm recovery of the global economy will continue to provide a struggle for more significant growth and operating performance. Top-line increases may be able…

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Insurance industry sheds jobs in some sectors while adding to others, according to III report

The Insurance Information Institute (III) has released a new report drawing upon data from the U.S. Department of Labor. The report touches upon the volatility seen in the property/casualty insurance business in October of this year. According to the report, the property/casualty sector performed poorly in terms of employment while other sectors saw promising growth. Overall, the report highlights the turbulent year the insurance industry has faced as a whole and suggests that the trend can continue throughout next year depending on the economic climate. The III notes that 900…

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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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Changes to annuity regulation spur more transparency in the insurance industry

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners, a national standard-setting and regulatory support organization comprised of insurance regulators from across the country, have passed new amendments to the Annuity Disclosure Model Regulation. The regulation determined how insurers released information regarding annuity payments to consumers. Previously, such information was withheld as much as possible by insurers, but the new amendments require that this information be put into the limelight for all to see. Changes to the rule will also require insurers to detail the practices they use in determining annuities and how…

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Independent insurance agents in Ohio flock to new insurance plan that may be a major hit with homeowners

Last month, Ohio’s Home Value Insurance Company launched a new insurance product dubbed Home Value Protection Insurance. The insurance plan is the first in the nation to provide protection against falling home prices due to a volatile market. Since announcing the plan, more than 75 independent insurance agents have applied to sell it, making Home Value Protection Insurance one of the most popular policies amongst agents in the nation. Given that the plan has no equal, there is an unprecedented opportunity for agents able to sell the product. The coverage…

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