New Online Company Offers Quotes on Insurance Services

Orange County financial companies continue to flock to the Internet in search of new customers.

In recent weeks, two local firms launched Web sites, and two others are expanding their existing online presence with new joint ventures.

Here’s a roundup of the activity:

One of the newcomers is Goapply.com, a Costa Mesa-based company offering insurance services to consumers. The start-up promises to allow consumers to bypass commissioned insurance agents and receive competitive premium quotes from a variety of insurers.

The site currently provides information for term life insurance, prepaid legal services and mortgages. Other financial services planned for the future include credit cards, auto insurance and homeowners insurance.

Goapply.com is led by four Orange County businessmen: Brian Horn, chief executive of Irvine-based Horizon Financial Resources; Jim Brakke, president of Laguna Niguel-based insurance broker Brakke Schafnitz; Ian Crockett, president of Costa Mesa-based ad firm Hunter Barth Inc.; and Rich Gartrell, president of his own Costa Mesa accounting firm.