On Aug. 30, 2023, Secretary of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra authored a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration recommending that marijuana be reclassified from a Schedule I to Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act....
The 2023 New York legislative session was a successful one for independent insurance agents. In 2023, PIANY saw not one, but two, of the association’s top priorities pass the Legislature! The advocacy of insurance agents, like yourself, has been critical in getting...
Building a strong team is a crucial part of running a successful independent insurance agency. This is especially true in times of economic uncertainty. Having the right people in place can help your agency continue to win when things get tough. With recent shifts in...
In the AppleTV+ show Severance, employees are split—their personal selves literally are left at the door when they swipe in for work. As they get to their desks, employees transition into their work selves, leaving the burdens of their personal lives at the door. In...
The summer of ’23 has brought disastrous weather events in almost every region of the country. The Northeast faced record-breaking flooding. Vermont received two months’ worth of rain—more than nine inches—in just a few days. More than 4,000 homes were damaged by...
Strangely, the legal concept of spousal liability has been in the news recently. This is due to a recent change in New York state law that will now require all auto insurance policies issued in the state to provide coverage for supplemental spousal liability—unless a...
When the market hardens, insurance carriers often will attempt to reduce their expenses and exposures in a variety of ways. Sometimes, those ways are overt like nonrenewing policies or filing for rate increases. Other times, the cost-cutting moves can be more covert...
Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation into law that prohibits businesses, including insurance agencies, from imposing certain surcharges on credit card transactions. What does the new law do? The new law prohibits a business (referred to as “sellers” in the...
If you are brave enough to have bought a ticket to Jason Statham’s latest action thriller, Meg 2: The Trench, then you might be familiar with what it would be like to take on a band of oversized, murderous sharks and other sea creatures in the pursuit of ocean...
Supporting and leading your employees through this hard market is going to be critical for agency leaders. They will follow your example and most team members want to do a great job. They need to understand what that means to your agency. You may be saying: "My team...