7 Themes We Overheard at NAILBA 44

Spoilers: Data Matters

For the 800-plus insurance industry leaders who attended the National Association of Independent Life Brokerage Agencies (NAILBA) conference Nov. 9 through Nov. 12, 2025, in Grapevine, Texas, data was top of mind.

As insurance executives mixed and mingled with a backdrop of twinkle lights and silver-spun garlands in the palatial Gaylord Texan Resort, conversations fluctuated between macrotrends and microconcerns. Networking was still enthusiastic, but the relief that conference season was coming to a close was palpable among the crowd members (maybe that was just us?).

We’ve rounded up the themes that came out of the conversations and sessions we attended for NAILBA 44, and would love to know, do you agree?

If we saw you at the booth, fantastic; we’re happy to continue the conversation. If we missed you, drop us a line!

No. 1: Standardization

“Why does each carrier think their onboarding is so special and different?”

– Overheard at NAILBA

It was an agency-focused conference, so the subject of how to best interface with carriers was unsurprisingly on many lips. One frequent point of frustration: Carriers often see their data collection and onboarding processes as a “secret sauce,” but independent agencies that work with many carriers get tired of having to fill data many different ways across 20-plus carriers.

There are some very basic low-hanging fruit that carriers could adopt to be easier to work with, but there are also ways agencies can improve their agent-to-carrier onboarding, like adopting a contracting tool…

No. 2: Getting clean data

“I’ve got more fields in our producer records than ever, and I can’t tell you whether the data is real.”

– Overheard at NAILBA

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) have done an excellent job of working with the different entities of life insurance and variable lines regulation to get a standard data repository nailed down. But the way agencies maintain their internal data and their ability to validate internal systems against an external source of truth is still a persistent challenge. 

Agency leaders agree: Technology has a serious opportunity to move the needle in the world of agency data, but even a basic implementation of data solutions can be an issue when your tech stack has a debt of bad data.

No. 3: AI enthusiasm meets AI skepticism

“Please don’t talk to me about AI.”

– Overheard at NAILBA

For every conversation about the possible opportunities artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLM) afford the industry, there were several executives begging off of one more AI pitch. A lot of the skepticism comes from the reality that AI has yet to deliver on some of the promises it’s made.

Ultimately, AI has the ability to scale some business processes in a big way. But when clean data is already an issue, plugging an LLM into your software could just leave you with a bigger mess.

No. 4: Consolidated operations

“I can’t add one more login for my staff.”

– Overheard at NAILBA

Login fatigue is real. When it takes your operational staff six or more systems to onboard a single producer, or, worse, multiple teams multiplied by multiple systems, how much operational time is lost to the simple act of clicking through tabs?

Agency owners were looking for a way to streamline and consolidate their operational tech stacks to get closer to that vision of a single, seamless workflow.

Honestly, we love to see it. 😘

BONUS: Read how we helped INSURICA consolidate their workflow.

No. 5: Insurance isn’t immune from inflation

“Sure, but where do I get the money for that?”

– Overheard at NAILBA

Inflation is the unseen undertow that has pulled at everyone’s overhead. Conference attendees shared the difficulties of planning for the upcoming fiscal year when they feel unable to pin down a basic budget amidst economic uncertainty.

However, the life, health, and annuities space of the industry is one of the few sectors that’s often in a position to take advantage of market uncertainty by providing products that are a counterweight to stock market wobbles. Businesses that are doing the work of tightening up operational processes and controls will be poised to increase their margins and get ahead of inflation in the coming year. 🥂

No. 6: Businesses need insights

“Would love to see if that’s true. I’m sure we have the data somewhere, but it takes forever for someone to download it and cross-check the CSV against our other systems. Just a matter of missing Saturday soccer to take the time to do it, I guess.”

– Overheard at NAILBA

Insurance agencies are drowning in data, but turning those data points into actionable business insight is often beyond reach. Or it’s something extra that one employee takes on as an additional duty every quarter or so.

If only there were a way to break down those silos for more connected and useable data.

No. 7: Recruiting and retaining agents and staff

“We’re doing a lot of work to get someone in the door and in the chair just to watch them leave.”

-Overheard at NAILBA

Gen Zers don’t appear to be breaking down the door to get into insurance, and the older generational cohort has a bit of a pick from the agencies they want to work with, whether we’re talking about operational staff or producing agents. Agencies need good agents and good staff, and trying to recruit those people, identify who they are, and retain them were challenges worthy of several sessions.

While there’s no single falling off point for agencies to capture the hearts and minds of producers and staff, the consensus is clear that technology is part of the solution.

Beyond NAILBA: Solving for data

Whether you made it to NAILBA this year or skipped the airport chaos, you know good data is crucial to your next level. To see what AgentSync can do to help your insurance agency boost its margins, check out our Contracting product.