Strong belief

An uptick in the housing market, especially in appreciation of homes, is good news to Lou Marinaccio, even though he's not in real estate.

Marinaccio, instead, runs MGA Insurance, a Lakewood Ranch-based firm that's a national leader in the niche market of selling insurance and benefits consulting services to independent insurance agents. MGA sells insurance plans and packages with features that include health, life, dental and professional liability to agents who work for firms like Aflac, Aetna and Great American Insurance.

And the housing market rebound, says Marinaccio, means more insurance agents are doing better, which, in turn, is better for MGA. Premiums at MGA have climbed more than 58% since 2011, to about $100 million. Premiums in 2014, adds Marinaccio, increased 27% over 2013. “Business is up,” says Marinaccio. “We find more people become increasingly very concerned about putting their financial life in order,” when there's a housing market rebound.