MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 20, 2015 – TrustedChoice.com today announced that W. R. Berkley Corporation has joined the industry initiative as an investor and commercial lines participant.
W. R. Berkley now joins seven other major carriers in working with the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) and its state associations, and other industry leaders on the TrustedChoice.com initiative.
“Increasingly, businesses are researching their commercial insurance needs online,” says Bill Berkley, W. R. Berkley Corporation chairman and CEO. “In response, the new TrustedChoice.com allows business owners, office managers, CFOs and risk managers to research their commercial insurance needs, coverages, and likely price ranges online. The site also assists business owners and managers to identify markets with an underwriting appetite for commercial risks in their industry. Most importantly, TrustedChoice.com helps companies find the right independent insurance agent or broker - one that specializes in serving businesses like theirs. W. R. Berkley is pleased to be an investor and commercial lines participant on TrustedChoice.com.”
"January was a record month for TrustedChoice.com with 205,000 insurance buyers visiting the site,” says Charles “Chip” Bacciocco, Consumer Agent Portal/TrustedChoice.com CEO. “Remarkably, commercial Lines, which was launched just 4 1/2 months ago in October, accounted for 40% of that traffic. As we expand our presence in commercial lines, we couldn't ask for a more knowledgeable partner than W.R. Berkley. We are extremely pleased to have them as an investor and participating company on TrustedChoice.com."
Founded in 1967, W. R. Berkley Corporation is a Fortune 500 insurance holding company listed on the New York Stock Exchange that is among the largest commercial lines writers in the United States. The company has 52 operating units in more than 60 countries. It operates in three segments of the property-casualty insurance business: insurance-domestic, insurance-international and reinsurance-global.
“Independent agents and brokers applaud the participation of W. R. Berkley investing in its distribution system and the TrustedChoice.com platform,” says Robert Rusbuldt, IIABA president & CEO and Consumer Agent Portal/TrustedChoice.com chairman. “W. R. Berkley is one of the premier commercial lines carriers in the country, and having W.R. Berkley actively participate in the commercial lines platform confirms the company’s knowledge of the commercial lines marketplace and its vision for the future.”
Trusted Choice® is a national brand that represents more than 27,000 independent agency locations in the United States. These agents are independent business owners who are bound by a common commitment to serving their customers and adhere to a national pledge of performance.
“W. R. Berkley knows there is no such thing as a static marketplace,” continues Rusbuldt. “They are working with their distribution force to ensure they are doing business the way commercial lines clients want to do business while always offering the added value of a trusted advisor.”
About TrustedChoice.com: Created through an alliance of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big "I"), Trusted Choice®, state associations and key insurance carriers, TrustedChoice.com is an industry initiative to expand the independent agent's share of the property-casualty insurance market. TrustedChoice.com received initial operating investment from the Big "I" and key insurance carriers, including: The Central Insurance Companies, Safeco Insurance, State Auto Insurance Companies, Selective Insurance, The Main Street America Group and Westfield Insurance. For more information, visit agents.trustedchoice.com.
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