Lower agent commissions, more direct sales and better computer systems also will help cut insurers' costs, he said.

The company sells policies by phone and online to avoid agent commissions.

Desperate sellers offered to pay real estate agents commissions of 8 or even 10 percent.

Carriers have periodically tried to lower travel agent commissions, with mixed success.

Group insurers deal directly with the employer and avoid agent commissions, which is, in part, why they can pass savings along to drivers.

In the Iowa system, though, there are no title insurance agents and therefore no agent commissions.

(The airlines stopped paying travel agents commissions in early 2002.)

Agent commissions are typically 8 percent or less of the total premium paid when amortized over the life of a policy.

Oh, I forgot taxes and agent commissions.

These agent commissions are sometimes contingent on the loss performance of customers, recognizing the agent's ability to act as a "front line" underwriter.

United Air Lines cut travel agent commissions to 5 percent from 8 percent, effective yesterday, and other airlines are expected to follow soon.

The GET is also charged on all business service activity such as real estate agent commissions, lawyer fees and the like.

They also pay higher travel agent commissions and award frequent-flier bonuses on the routes where they face competition.

NWA said its net loss grew because of higher costs for fuel, payroll, maintenance and travel agent commissions.

Using the mails cuts out agent commissions and makes low-priced policies possible, while the chosen pool of drivers keeps costly claims down.

(Since airlines have eliminated travel agent commissions, agents usually charge a booking fee of $25 or so a ticket.)

In that case depending on the market buying agents charge an amount up to the selling agent commission (which is generally higher than the buying agent's fee).

The society brought the lawsuit along with some 20 travel agencies, contending that the carriers illegally conspired to cap travel agent commissions on domestic airline tickets.

Congress provided this exception in recognition of the special situation of actors, musicians and other performers who tend to have especially large work-related expenses, such as agent commissions.

Breaking ranks with other major airlines, Trans World Airlines agreed yesterday to rescind a limit on travel agent commissions at least through September.

Three more airlines cut travel agent commissions to 5 percent from 8 percent yesterday, making the latest reduction in commissions all but a fait accompli for most of the industry.

They often offer a local travel agent commissions that rise with the number of tickets they sell, creating a powerful incentive for the agent to concentrate all his business on their flights.

It saves more by handling its own reservations, avoiding 10 percent travel agent commissions and a separate 3 percent fee that other rental car companies pay to use a shared reservation system.

Last year, companies selling auto-liability policies to individuals paid $1.17 in claims, agent commissions and other selling expenses for every dollar in premium revenue they took in, according to the A .

"We spend $1.7 billion a year on distribution costs," like travel agent commissions and fees for reservation systems, said Vincent Caminiti, senior vice president for electronic business at Delta Air Lines.