Agency Management

Insurance agencies seeking to upgrade their technology should listen to the needs of their clients and insurance partners and get a product their work force will believe in, a panel here advised.

Wholesale brokers are in a prime position to grab new business when a revived economy begins producing start-up companies that standard line carriers won't insure, a trade group leader advised here.

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 buy products via the Web, a survey has found.

The development and widening adoption of communication standards have promoted efficiency and improved the insurance industry's bottom line, said ACORD President and CEO Gregory A. Maciag.

The Government Accountability Office said in a report released last week that inconsistencies remain in state licensing of insurance producers--such as in conducting background checks and fingerprinting.

Some regulators believe they are charged with forcing personal lines insurance to be both affordable and widely available