The soft market is here again and an over supply of capital is the main reason for the market’s turmoil, says Skip Cooper, president of AmWins Group Inc. In this interview with Insurance Journal’s Mark Wells at the recent NAPSLO Annual Convention in San Diego, Cooper says that while the capital is a bit more disciplined than past soft market cycles, carriers are still hurting. There’s also a big disconnect between carrier pricing and the terms of reinsurance, he adds, something unique to the current market cycle.
The alternative energy market has many complicated angles to it, including solar warranties, which are essential to solar manufacturers as well as to the development and funding of solar projects.
According to Mike McMullen, president of PowerGuard Specialty Insurance Services, banks are hesitant to lend against some larger solar projects because of the severe credit [...]
Engle Martin & Associates is an independent adjusting firm providing claims services to the insurance industry. In this interview with Claims Journal, Susan Froman, Engle Martin’s Director of Sales, discusses the growth of the company and providing service to their clients when they need it most.
Too often agency principals find themselves facing a forced sale as a result of not having a proper perpetuation plan. In this podcast, MarshBerry president John Wepler discusses the many difficult and “uncomfortable” decisions required of an owner seeking to properly–and profitably–perpetuate the firm. Listen to this frank conversation as John offers some good news: [...]
The Internet makes it easier to get into business but it also makes it easier to steal others’ ideas. The Web is also expanding the notion of what materials, images and designs need to be protected. Intellectual property attorney David Branfman advises agents on questions to ask clients about intellectual property exposures and warns about [...]
Moving companies face a number of exposures in their daily operations, including workers compensation, cargo, fleet and general liability. Priority Moving in San Diego, Calif. is no exception. A Wheaton Van Lines agent, Priority Moving has created a series of internal procedures, reinforced by a strong employee screening process and training program. Analytics software [...]
Stroz Friedberg is a consulting firm that does computer forensics, mobile phone forensics, electronic discovery and cyber crime response, operating at the intersection of law, technology and behavioral sciences. David Garrett, managing director of Stroz Friedberg’s San Francisco office, explains why clients may or may not have cyber risk insurance, whether those that have the [...]
Being too big to fail is not really an issue in most of the property/casualty business, says Bob Restrepo, CEO of State Auto Insurance, a super regional carrier that is looking to grow and balance its personal and commercial book. Restrepo discusses growth and the pricing, acquisition and competitive environment in these excerpts from a [...]
Retail agents are re-evaluating their relationships with wholesalers and scaling back on the
Agency Management Done Right is an audio podcast hosted by Mitch Dunford exploring various aspects of agency management.
The topic of the second episode is the rise of social media, including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, and how insurance agencies can use these new tools to engage customers in fun and unique ways. Mitch is joined by [...]