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Appraisal of Agencies

Colby Allen

Colby Allen is a consultant with AgencyFocus who has over 10 years of industry experience in finance, operations, analytics, and project management. During that time he has worked with regional agencies, national agencies, and a regional carrier. Notable projects include refinement of agency finance and operational reporting processes as well as assist in acquisitions to…

It’s Just a Name Change and Other ‘ERPS’- Part 2

“There are inherent dangers when a company is acquired, not only for the selling company, but for the acquiring company. It is not uncommon for the buyer to require the seller purchase several years of extended reporting coverage. This is because the buyer, when either acquiring the assets or the stock transaction, wants no exposure to any known or unknow liabilities created by activities before the acquisition.
We’ve all seen companies get acquired, with the seller invoking whatever extended reporting coverage they can acquire, sometimes at a significant price. But that is not the only problem, and this is where the approach and analysis become important. Asking the right questions is thus necessary to provide the appropriate financial protection to those involved, with the avoidance of any error and omission claim that might be made against the broker, despite whether they are simply following an “order take” standard or not.”

RISING INTEREST RATES AND YOUR AGENCY VALUE

When an agency is marketed to the right potential buyers, with a strategic fit that maximizes—not just value—but carriers and culture, “value” takes on a whole new meaning.

Mike Stroman

R. MICHAEL STROMAN SUMMARY R. Michael Stroman has over 42 years of experience in the insurance industry. Currently serving as an industry consultant, he assists insurance purchasers, insurance companies and agents, and their attorneys, accountants, and other industry advisors, with agency management, claims consulting, underwriting practices, standard of care, and other technical assistance. Mr. Stroman…

Dr. Brenda Powell Wells

Brenda Powell Wells holds both a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Ph.D. in Risk Management and Insurance from the University of Georgia.  She holds the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Accredited Advisor of Insurance (AAI) and Construction Risk Insurance Specialist (CRIS) designations.  She also holds a graduate certificate in Business Analytics from East…

Chris McAtee

Chris started INS Capital Group (ICG) when he saw a need for a quality, professional advisory firm to assist business owners in the insurance industry with exit planning, M&A and capital raising activities.  Chris’ career in the insurance industry has focused on mergers, acquisitions and financing options for agents.  Prior to founding ICG, Chris worked…

Technical Aspects Of Professional Liability Claims

“To the uninformed, “a claim is a claim is a claim.” To some extent this is true. Any type of liability claim requires proof that the insured owed a duty to another person or entity, that the insured breached this duty, and that the breach was the proximate cause of quantitatively measurable damages suffered by the person or entity to whom the duty was owed. Thereafter, it becomes a matter of determining whether or not there are any defenses such as comparative or contributory negligence on the part of the claimant. Finally, there is the question of coverage—the issue of whether or not the policy will respond to the claim. ….

There are significant differences between managing professional liability claims, compared to those arising out of more standardized coverages. …”

Valuing Your Agency Tangible Net Worth And Working Capital

How to calculate and manage your TNW to a level that is sufficient to meet your business’ capital needs for growth.

Agency Valuation-How And Why

Agency valuations are rarely obtained simply to satisfy an owner’s curiosity about the value of his business. Every valuation has a purpose.

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Van Hedges

Van is currently President of Southern Insurance Consulting, where he assists insurance agencies with valuations and mergers & acquisitions. He also provides expert testimony, litigation support and coverage analysis.  In 2000, he joined the University of Mississippi faculty as Adjunct Professor of Insurance and teaches Finance 341 – “Risk Management and Insurance”.  In 2011, Van…

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