BANK LESSONS FROM JOINT VENTURES AND AGENCY ACQUISITIONS by Robert Smith The trade press has been filled over the course of the past two years with announcements of banks entering the agen...

When a bank buys an insurance agency it's a marriage made in heaven. At least, it seems that way. On the agency side, principals have the opportunity to cash out at a time when values are declining. For those wanting to remain in the business, a bank offers a needed infusion of capital.

'We were all raised by mothers who told us we had one chance to make a first impression,' Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut once said. He added, 'And a first impression can last you awhile.' It’s all about first impressions making them and responding to them.

Why all the concern with first impressions? Why do we believe that the first contact makes such a difference? 'No one gets a second chance at making a first impression' — true, or just popular business lore? John Graham looks for the answers in this document.

POST-DEAL INTEGRATION WITH BANKS: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES by Robbie Smith The acquisition of independent insurance agencies by banks has revealed a number of crucial issues tha...