Magazine: August 2009 Issue
Cover Story
With each new advance in computers and electronic media, the relationship between agency management and technology becomes increasingly complicated and interdependent....
People
Steven Mitchell Clein, Clarence F. “Chip” Greene III, and Brian R. Scarborough, CIC, REBC, accepted their nominations and were elected to three-year positions on the Florida Association of Insurance Agents board of directors....
Teresa A. Long has been named director of agency services for the Institute of WorkComp Professionals. ...
Paul DiFrancesco has joined PMSI as president of its medical services and equipment division. ...
Company Notes
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) has signed separate Memorandums of Understanding with the German Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin) and the the United Kingdom’s Financial Services Authority....
A.M. Best Co. has assigned a financial strength rating of A- (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a-” to CastlePoint Florida Insurance Company (CFIC) of Ft. Lauderdale. ...
Focus Holdings, LLC, has closed on its acquisition of Capacity Insurance Co., a Florida domestic insurer. Douglas W. Bullington, CEO of Focus Holdings, will assume the same role with Capacity....
Allstate Floridian Insurance Co. has been renamed Castle Key Insurance Co. to differentiate it from its national parent. ...
Business Trends
Phil Knight, NIKE co-founder and chairman, has referred to one of the most recognizable professional basketball players of all time as ''brand Michael Jordan.'' ...
Agency Profiles
FAIA Executive Vice President Scott Johnson AAI, CAE, has been at the forefront of Florida insurance for over three decades. In a conversation with Florida Underwriter, he discusses the past, present, and future of our industry....
National Notes
Three-quarters of U.S. consumers prefer buying insurance products through agents and other trusted sources, but younger and higher-income consumers are more inclined to purchase products via the web than through an agent....
A new study by the Insurance Research Council finds that many Americans have taken steps to reduce personal insurance costs in response to the economic downturn, but that maintaining essential auto and homeowners' coverage remains a priority....
