Andrea Wells

Austin

Editor-in-Chief at Insurance Journal

Content creator and editor for #1 property/casualty insurance publication.

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Articles

Stress and Opportunity

1 month ago | insurancejournal.com | Andrea Wells

The first quarter of 2025 has been a whirlwind. New presidential administration. Historic wildfires. Financial market volatility. Trade war and tariff talks. A looming recession. Higher costs at the grocery store. Higher car repair bills. Higher cost of wood products including paper (this is a big one for Insurance Journal) Oh my. And yet through it all the insurance industry seems to be doing remarkably well. Many of the largest property and casualty insurers have set record incomes for 2024.
E&S Leaders Embrace the Risky Future

Sep 15, 2024 | insurancejournal.com | Andrea Wells

The property/casualty insurance industry and excess and surplus lines brokers in particular are at the world’s beck and call to help navigate what is an increasingly risky environment. The industry continues to respond as social, environmental, technological, political, legal, scientific and economic forces are changing industries, institutions, relationships, communications, products and more.
Auto Trust Factor

Jun 30, 2024 | insurancejournal.com | Andrea Wells

The trust factor is critical in the insurance purchasing process. When customers trust their insurance provider they feel more satisfied with the insurance buying process even in the face of rising rates. That’s according to the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Auto Insurance Study, which found that rate increases do not necessarily erode customer satisfaction when it comes to auto insurance.
How to Succeed in the Entertainment Insurance Business: Get creative producing with a small cast of underwriters and limited capacity.

May 19, 2024 | insurancejournal.com | Andrea Wells

Even during the post-pandemic boom in the entertainment industry, when event and live performance venue attendance reached pre-COVID-19 levels, insurance markets in the sector could be difficult. Now, the post-pandemic momentum may be slowing as entertainment businesses contend with rising costs of doing business, staffing shortages, and an insurance market that remains somewhat restrictive and more expensive.
Agency Compensation Rose Again in 2023 But Not Everyone Is Pleased

Feb 18, 2024 | insurancejournal.com | Andrea Wells

Agency salaries and total compensation rose in 2023 for everyone in the Insurance Journal Agency Salary Survey. But while insurance agency personnel made more money last year, not everyone was satisfied. Managers/owners and producers were less satisfied with their compensation overall despite their reported higher pay. On the other hand, support staff/CSRs/account executives reported both higher salaries and higher satisfaction with compensation.
What’s to Come in 2024: AI Expansion, More Catastrophes, Network Consolidation

Feb 4, 2024 | insurancejournal.com | Andrea Wells

No one can predict the future, but insurance professionals are likely the best qualified when it comes to predicting risk. For this special report, Insurance Journal magazine asked industry thought leaders their predictions for the property/casualty world in 2024 and what they’d wish for if they could have what they wanted. Here’s what they had to say.
Best Agency to Work For - Overall Winner: Mackoul Risk Associates

Nov 20, 2023 | insurancejournal.com | Andrea Wells

Mackoul Risk Associates with offices in both Morristown, New Jersey, and Long Beach, New York, lives and breathes the motto, “work hard and play hard.”As one employee wrote when nominating the agency for this year’s annual Best Agencies to Work For award: “The term ‘work hard, play hard’ really applies to our company.” The agency’s incentives motivate employees to set goals, work hard to achieve those goals, and play hard year-round.
The Connectivity Challenge and the Future of Insurance Agents

Nov 13, 2023 | mynewmarkets.com | Andrea Wells

Connecting the insurance ecosystem through the power of technology could answer the decades-old problem of duplicate entry for agents. Agents still must navigate through multiple carrier portals to complete a single quote, despite the promise of integrated solutions. Or agents hit barriers trying to utilize agency data when one technology platform simply can't "speak to" or connect to another platform.
Bread and Butter

Oct 22, 2023 | mynewmarkets.com | Andrea Wells

Small business accounts are the bread and butter for most agencies. The good news: small businesses are increasingly satisfied with the insurance products and services they receive from their providers. Thats according to the 11th annual JD Power 2023 U.S. Small Commercial Insurance Study, which showed overall customer satisfaction reached an all-time high of 847 (on a 1,000-point scale) as customers note significant year-over-year improvement in three of five factors evaluated in the study.
Unstable Homeowners

Oct 8, 2023 | mynewmarkets.com | Andrea Wells

The U.S. homeowners insurance segment has been hit with three consecutive years of net underwriting losses as a result of above-average numbers of natural catastrophes, inflationary pressures and elevated reinsurance costs. These market headwinds have led AM Best to revise its outlook on the segment to negative from stable.