Market Insights

THE STORM has died down, the seas have calmed and the clouds are parting. The surety industry has weathered the turbulent times of the late 1990s and the first years of the 21st century, and has come through intact and on course for a potential

We all know someone who sticks his head in the sand and refuses to accept progress every time new technology comes along. When talking pictures came out, someone probably said they were a "fad" that wouldn't last long. Naysayers probably said the

In this age of the Internet and burgeoning technology, the high-touch often is overshadowed by the high-tech. Far from being obsolete, however, social-service organizations are more important than ever, as are the agents who arrange their insurance

THE FINANCIAL condition of a carrier should be as important to you and your clients as a company's coverages, limits, premium and customer satisfaction ratings. If an insurer's ability to honor its commitments is doubtful, then its policy is not

AS FAST as technology has been changing, agency management systems have been keeping pace. Today's systems sport improved imaging and file-attachment functions, expanded capabilities to interface with a growing number of carrier Web sites, and other

As if agency management systems, carrier interface, real-time transactions and uploads and downloads weren't enough, other technologies relevant to insurance agencies continue to develop at a brisk pace. One of the more recent trends is using an

WHAT is the next "big thing"? Like investors, insurance agents and brokers are constantly searching for the next fast-growing business segment to target. Insurance sales managers always want to give their staffs a growing business segment to pursue,

This article was derived from a presentation at the Third Annual Target Markets Program Administrators Summit, which was held in October in Tempe, Arizona. FEW transactions are more important to agents and brokers than selling their business-or