Insurance Banter with Burand & Borup
Episodes
88 episodes
Insurance Agency Valuations Are Crashing? The Truth About AI, Private Equity & Selling at the Right Time
In this episode of Insurance Banter, we sit down with Kevin Donoghue, Founder of Mystic Capital Advisors, to unpack what’s really happening in the insurance agency M&A market.From collapsing public broker multiples to AI-dri...
Captive Insurance: Smart Risk Strategy or Dangerous Tax Trap?
Episode Summary: Chris and Paul are joined by Jerry Messick of Unity Captive to explore the realities of captive insurance—beyond the polished sales pitches. They break down when captives are a powerful tool for risk management and p...
From $1M a Day in Losses to Industry Turnaround: The BrickStreet Story
In this episode of Insurance Banter, Chris and Paul sit down with Greg Burton, former CEO of BrickStreet Insurance, to unpack one of the most remarkable turnaround stories in the insurance industry.Greg shares how he stepped int...
Insurance Agents Aren’t ‘Advisors.’ Stop Pretending
The insurance industry markets expertise, but in many states the legal standard of care says something else: agents often aren’t required to advise clients what to buy, and the insured is expected to read and understand the policy anyway. That’...
If They Offer You Stock…Don’t Sign Until You Hear This
In today’s episode, Chris sits down with Jon Persky (Optimum Performance Solutions) to unpack what’s actually happening in the insurance agency M&A market—and what agency owners keep getting wrong when buyers come knocking.<...
Don’t Panic: Handling Department of Insurance Complaints Like a Pro
In this episode of Insurance Banter, Paula and Chris welcome back Mark Robinson for a practical conversation on how agents and brokers should respond to Department of Insurance (DOI) consumer complaints—and why these lett...
Insurance Can’t Win Without a Real Fight: The Lobbying Mistake Costing Everyone
In this episode, we sit down with one of the most effective insurance lobbyists in the industry to talk about why insurance keeps losing the public narrative, why honesty and expertise matter more than money, and what happens when even insuranc...
Why Most Insurance Producers Fail — and How the Right “Car” Creates Rainmakers
Chris and Paul are joined by Jim Caragher from the CIB Group (https://thecibgroup.com/) to chat about producer recruitment. Producers don’t fail—systems do. Why agencies that rely on luck and “shovel-ready” hires struggle, w...
Jeff Mango from AM Best discusses Delegated Underwriting Authority Ratings
Chris and Paul are Joined by Jeff Mango from AM Best. They discuss the growth of MGAs/MGUs and other Delegated Underwriting Authority entities in the market. Those types of operations now make up a material portion of the insurance ...
The Silent Danger - Fiduciary Risk in Self Funded Plans
Chris and Paul are joined by Frank Pennachio to discuss the often unrecognized risk in self-funded health plans and his new book The Silent Danger.
How will tariffs impact insurance pricing
Chris and Paul welcome Don Grimm from Archer Actuarial to the podcast.They discuss what impact, both direct and indirect, the recent tariffs will have on the insurance industry. If you'd like more information on the ed...
Easy way to avoid a claim denial
Insurance policies are long and complex. At the time of a claim, one section is especially important, understanding your duties as a policyholder. Mara Essick from Merlin Law Group joins Chris and Paul to talk about some of those re...
What does underwriting flexibility mean?
Jason Bogart and Bo Eaton from Deep Customer Connections join the podcast to talk about underwriting flexibility...what it is, what carriers get wrong when developing go to market strategies, and more!
Whitepaper disclosure in Florida
Chris and Paul discuss the recent whitepaper disclosure in the Florida Legislature along with the current state of the homeowners market. A few key topics: Are people served better when a regulator reduces standard...
Uncovered: The History of Insurance
Chris and Paul are joined by Katherine Hempstead. They discuss her book Uncovered: The Story of Insurance in America.The conversation touches on the NAIC, The Affordable Care Act, Gaps between what people want to buy and what is ac...
State of the Market
Chris and Paul caught up in February to discuss the state of the insurance market, where the inefficiencies are, and what needs to be addressed to make improvements going forward. Also, this is the first episode where we used AI to...
Ensuring Workforce Stability through safety, wellbeing, and performance
Chris and Paul are joined by Brad Roblin, the founder/owner of Pro Workforce Performance.They discuss how Brad took the tools he learned in professional baseball to improve every industry, including yours!How can a business improv...
Future of property inspections in the insurance industry
We are back! 2025 has been busier than ever and we have a solid pipeline of episodes that are sure to make you better insurance professionals.Chris and Paul are joined by Jim Gardner from ViewSpection to talk about how agencies can...
Employee / Producer Development Program
Chris and Paul are welcome Bill Teubel to the podcast to discuss Producer/Employee development.The 'evergreen' problem in the insurance industry is talent development and Bill has developed the best platform that Chris and Paul have see...
What does 2025 hold for the Insurance Industry?
Chris and Paul review 2024 and go out on a limb to prognosticate on what 2025 has in store for the insurance industry.
Trade Secret Insurance
Chris and Paul are joined by Mary Guzman from Crown Jewel Insurance.They discuss:What is a trade secretWhy the most valuable asset many businesses have isn't covered in the tradtional marketplaceThe risks a...
Every HR Problem becomes a Sales Problem
Don Phin joins Insurance Banter to chat about HR issues in agencies. Memorable quotes include:A fair days wage isn't what you say it is...it's what the market says it isYou need to move from expectations to agreements...
Chris Boggs!
Chris Boggs joins Insurance Banter to talk about:As an agent, is it better to advise on coverage or price?Why he chose to move into consultingThe current state of continuing educationand more<...
The impact of finding (and hiring) the right person for your team
Adam Klug of Specialized Recruiting Group joins Chris and Paul to talk about:Identifying the right talent for your teamWhy an Employee Value Proposition is so valuableCreative ways to find the right talent for your...
Insurance Market Madness: Creative Solutions Reign Supreme
Chris and Paul are joined by Skylar Romines to discuss:What prompted her to make the move from brokerage to owner's representativeThe current challenges Skylar sees in the insurance market landscapeHow she thinks t...