In a word: Yes. They do. There are organizations that rate the financial condition of insurance companies, such as Demotech, Moody’s and S&P Global Ratings. However, AM Best is probably the most prominent. AM Best uses letter ratings, ranging from “A” (which is...
The opening line of William Shakespeare’s Richard III is an oft-quoted line—often used to express sadness. You know, how you feel when another agency agreement comes across your desk. I know that agency agreements are no one’s favorite thing. You would much rather...
Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Cos. announced it will no longer write certain classes of homeowners’ risks. In a notice sent to GUARD agencies at the end of June, the carrier stated it would no longer accept new submissions for homeowners coverage for any property...
Independent agents have relationships with various insurance carriers. Each carrier has its own set of tools and resources to help agents educate their clients about what will happen when they file a claim—before, during and after. By working together, agents and...
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 33 million U.S. employees have resigned from their jobs since April 2021. In November 2021 alone, 4.5 million workers resigned. For many reasons, individuals in the U.S. are reevaluating their employment—and...
When independent insurance agents earn specialized designations, they elevate their skills to expert status on the national level. There are plenty of designations that insurance agents can earn, and the Certified Professional Insurance Agent designation through the...
Gov. Kathy Hochul ended New York state’s mask requirements for indoor public spaces on Feb. 10, 2022. However, counties and municipalities such as New York City still may choose to enforce their own orders, and businesses in the state still can require masks or proof...
New York’s Cybersecurity Regulation (23 NYCRR 500) requires all insurance entities that hold a New York state insurance license—referred to as covered entities in the regulation—to file a certification of compliance with the New York Department of Financial Services...
Gov. Kathy Hochul is expected to let New York’s indoor mask requirement expire on Thursday. Hochul announced in December that masks would be required to be worn in all indoor public places across New York state—unless businesses/venues implement a...
Multi-factor authentication is a method of authenticating users on an information system and requires them to go through multiple steps to access that information system. Commonly, this is accomplished through a combination of a username and password, followed by a...