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Article 0 Comments Insurance broker World Insurance Associates LLC has acquired the business of Christopher Williams Agency and Barrett Millard LLC of Pittsford, New York. The Christopher Williams Agency began in 1961, and it purchased Barrett Millard in 2023. The agencies sell personal ad business insurance in the Rochester, New York area. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. World Insurance Associates has more than 300 offices across the U.S. and U.K. Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Agencies New York Was this article valuable? Thank you! Please tell us what we can do to improve this article. Submit No Thanks Thank you! % of people found this article valuable. Please tell us what you liked about it. Submit No Thanks Here are more articles you may enjoy. Interested in Agencies? Get automatic alerts for this topic.
Article 0 Comments TeleMessage, the message-archiving app that former National Security Adviser Michael Waltz appeared to be using in a photograph of him communicating with other Trump administration officials, is investigating whether hackers exploited its technology. A spokesperson for TeleMessage confirmed the inquiry in a statement on Monday and said the app’s services have been temporarily suspended. Owned by the Portland, Oregon-based software company Smarsh Inc., TeleMessage allows users to archive messages from the encrypted apps Signal, WhatsApp and Telegram. Waltz was captured sending messages on the app by a Reuters photographer, and apparently included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and other Cabinet members in his message history. A hacker breached TeleMessage, stealing contents of some direct messages and group chat messages, the technology news site 404 Media reported Sunday. “Upon detection, we acted quickly to contain it and engaged an external cybersecurity firm to support our investigation,” the spokesperson said. “Out of an abundance of caution, all TeleMessage services have been temporarily suspended. All other Smarsh products and services remain fully operational.” The company didn’t respond to questions seeking additional details. The Trump team’s use of Signal provoked an uproar in March after...
Erie Insurance Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction for Second Consecutive Year Troy, MI (Apr. 29, 2025) – The rate at which auto insurance premiums increased in 2024 declined to less than 2% at year-end from 13% at the beginning of the year. But, even as auto insurance customers in the United States have gained some pricing relief, the percentage of customers shopping for insurance year over year jumped to 57% from 49%, according to the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Insurance Shopping Study.SM “Auto insurance rate taking reached multi-decade highs in the first quarter of 2024, which put record numbers of customers into the market shopping for lower-priced policies as the year progressed,” said Stephen Crewdson, managing director of insurance business intelligence at J.D. Power. “As rate activity began to fall in the second half of 2024, many shoppers were successful at finding lower-priced policies. That combination of increased shopping and less rate taking created a bit of a snowball effect for much of the year, but we are seeing signs that shopping rates are starting to normalize. A potentially bigger concern for the industry right now might be the increased interest many consumers are showing in embedded insurance providers, like...
Date: Thursday, May 29, 2025·Time: 1pm ET | 10am PT·Cost: Complimentary·Pending approval: 1 CE Credit: CFP & Investments and Wealth Institute·Sponsored by:· ·As client portfolios grow in size and complexity, so does the need for more nuanced allocation strategies—especially when balancing exposure across public markets and alternatives. Today’s leading advisors are turning to transaction-level data, seeing that available peer benchmarks can be an interesting contrast to purely asset based benchmarks.·In this webcast, a team of research and portfolio strategy experts will share insights drawn from one of the industry’s largest aggregated datasets—more than $7 trillion in assets across 1,200 global clients—revealing how advisors are evolving their approaches to portfolio construction, performance evaluation and volatility management. You’ll walk away with practical, data-driven insights that can help you refine your investment approach and better meet the evolving needs of your wealthiest clients.·By attending this webcast, you’ll discover:·> How portfolio size and complexity are reshaping asset allocation trends> How peer benchmarking and transaction data can inform strategy and differentiate your client offering> What recent trends in advisor behavior reveal about navigating today’s uncertain markets·Featured Speakers:· Scott Ferguson | Think Advisor Contributor | ALMScott Ferguson is the Director of Custom and Marketing Content for...
Mississauga, ON (May 1, 2025) – As wildfires, floods, and extreme storms threaten more Canadian communities each year, a new survey from First Onsite Property Restoration reveals what Canadians would grab first when disaster strikes – and what they would leave behind. Released ahead of Emergency Preparedness Week (May 4–10), the findings offer a revealing glimpse into Canada’s top priorities in the face of sudden evacuation. Topping the list? Pets, credit cards and important documents are the three things Canadians say they would grab first if they had to leave home in a hurry. Top items Canadians would take during an evacuation: Credit cards (54%) Pets (51%) Important documents (51%) Medications (45%) Pre-packed emergency bag (33%) Food (20%) First aid kits (16%) Heirlooms (11%) Electronics (10%) Clothing, footwear, and jewelry (9%) The survey results reflect the recent emotional scenes from wildfires across North America. During the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles and the massive wildfires in Jasper, residents rushed to evacuate—often putting pets before possessions. “In both the Palisades and Jasper fires, the emotional bond with pets and the determination to protect loved ones was a central theme, with many risking their safety to ensure animals were safely evacuated,” said...
Article 0 Comments Warren Buffett, who built Berkshire Hathaway Inc. into a business valued at more than $1.16 trillion and himself into a celebrity billionaire renowned for his investing acumen and witticisms, will step down at year-end after six decades atop the conglomerate. Greg Abel, the vice chairman for non-insurance operations, will take charge of the conglomerate upon board approval, Buffett, 94, said Saturday at the company’s annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Nebraska. He said the board plans to meet on Sunday. The announcement stunned the board and even Abel, who, while long signaled as Buffett’s successor, was unaware that the news was coming as the annual meeting drew to a close. “That’s the news hook for the day,” Buffett said. “Thanks for coming.” Berkshire grew aggressively over the decades with Buffett as chairman and CEO, as he chose acquisitions and stocks for the company portfolio alongside trusted adviser and vice chairman, Charlie Munger, who died in 2023 at 99. The conglomerate acquired a bewildering assortment of businesses, which Buffett often said mirrored the US economy as a whole. A bet on Berkshire, he said, was a bet on America. “The world is Berkshire’s oyster — a world offering us...
Article 0 Comments Hawaii lawmakers this week passed a bill intended to help shore up Hawaiian Electric Co.’s credit rating despite strong opposition from House and Senate committee chairs who helped vet the measure. The bill would impose a new fee on HECO customers to help pay for investments needed to protect the public from wildfires. But that’s not what drew criticism from Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole, chair of the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee, and Rep. Scott Matayoshi, chair of the House Consumer Protection and Commerce Committee. They focused on an 11th-hour amendment capping HECO’s liability for property damage in the event of future wildfires. The liability cap has always been a key part of the measure, but a change made on Friday gives the Public Utilities Commission, not the Legislature, the power to set the cap amount and how it will apply. House Energy and Environmental Protection Committee chair Nicole Lowen said it made sense to have the PUC set the liability cap through a deliberative public rulemaking process. “It’s not perfect,” Lowen said. But she added, “It’s my firm belief that we’re doing something positive for consumers.” But Keohokalole said the part of the bill putting the...
Belleville, ON (May 2, 2025) – Cornell Insurance Brokers Ltd., a division of McDougall Insurance Brokers Limited, is pleased to announce the successful combination with Active Insurance & Financial Group Inc. in Etobicoke Ontario. The strategic transaction brings together two excellent GTA insurance brokerages and strengthens McDougall’s presence in the region. “We have always had a close working relationship with Active,” said Patrick Hogan, Vice-President of Cornell. “They think of insurance the same way we do – with an intense emphasis on relationships, communities and doing the right thing for their clients. We welcome Active’s staff and clients into the Cornell family and look forward to succeeding together as a bigger, stronger team.” Continuity is crucial to all parties in this transaction, which is why they are happy to announce that Mark Palazzese, the owner of Active, will remain as President and will continue to lead Active post-transaction. “Active is a special organization built from the effort and discipline of our team, and I firmly believe this transaction will be another successful step in our journey,” said Mark. “We are in the relationship business – and through our relationship with Cornell we knew that this transaction was a fit that would...
Quebec City, QC (May 1, 2025) – iA Financial Group is pleased to announce it has deployed My Financial Journey™, a digital financial planning tool, to brokerage network advisors who are eligible for the iA Premier recognition program. This innovative needs analysis tool—unparalleled in the industry and wholly developed by iA Financial Group—enables advisors to offer their clients a personalized plan aligned with their financial objectives at every stage of their lives. Launched in 2021, My Financial Journey™ was first offered to over 2,000 Individual Insurance Savings and Retirement advisors in the Career network. Since then, My Financial Journey™, a comprehensive solution that facilitates the analysis of clients’ overall financial needs, has equipped them to better support their clients in their financial decisions. My Financial Journey™ optimizes recommendations by taking into account clients’ savings capacity and their protection needs. To date, more than 300,000 financial journeys have been undertaken, thereby optimizing the financial planning of many clients. “As we strive to be a key partner for all of our advisors across Canada, we are pleased to offer My Financial Journey™ to an even greater number of them, helping them better serve their clients so they can feel confident and secure about their future. This...
