‘Archaic’ agent commissions should die in health reform, group says

A consumer group is warning that “health insurance salespeople” are attempting to “rewrite the health reform law to guarantee broker income at the cost of increasing consumer premiums.”  Read Story

Continuing education courses offer little to no benefit, agents say

The continuing education that insurance agents and financial service professionals must complete to obtain and maintain state insurance licenses drew mixed results in the latest IFAwebnews.com poll.  Read Story

Groups cheer U.S. House’s vote to repeal 1099 tax reporting rule

Insurance industry trade groups praised the U.S. House of Representatives for passing a bill to repeal the 1099 provision of the health care reform.  Read Story

Composite property-casualty rate seems ‘stuck’

February's composite rate for U.S. property-casualty insurance coverages showed a 5% decline, according to MarketScout’s monthly analysis.  Read Story

USI’s Amerisc acquisition spreads its reach in New York, North Jersey

USI Insurance Services has completed an acquisition of some property-casualty companies that will allow it to expand its presence in Long Island, Rockland County and the Hudson Valley, as well as Northern New Jersey, company officials said.  Read Story

Local Red Cross chapters in Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and North Carolina are among the recipients of $1.3 million in money from the Nationwide Insurance Foundation.   Read Story

The Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Justice Department play a little game each year at this time, trying to dissuade possible tax cheats, especially now, when a slow economy encourages more people to take the chance.  Read Story

Life settlement industry ‘recovery’ afoot; new boomers show potential

An executive at an Orlando, Fla.-based life settlement company, which says it has established relationships with three new funding sources, suggests the life settlement industry is “recovering.”  Read Story

Federal judge puts on hold his ruling that health reform law is unconstitutional

U.S. District Court Judge Roger Vinson in Florida issued a stay of his prior court ruling that struck down key provisions of the federal health reform law passed last year.  Read Story

In today’s competitive business environment, companies are always looking for ways to bring added value and services to their customers. However, this desire for differentiation, market share and new revenue channels leads many firms away from their core competencies and into areas where they lack experience and expertise. This trend is especially true in today’s payroll industry, where large national payroll firms have focused their significant resources to aggressively enter the group insurance and 401(k) business.  Read Story