Risk & Insurance articles from April 2004

Risk & Insurance archives from April 2004

Disabled racecar driver kills worker.(up front)
April 1, 2004... A paraplegic racecar driver who hoped to score his first win in a stock car race killed a worker on Daytona International Speedway in February while driving at more than 100 mph, according to news reports. The driver, Ray Paprota, was...

Medical malpractice insurance, 1993-2002.(Risk Stats)
April 1, 2004... Medical Malpractice Insurance, 1993-2002 Net Annual Annual Premiums Percent Combined Point Year Written (1) Change Ratio (2) Change 1993 $4.52 B...

Worth repeating ...(up front)
April 1, 2004... "I like music--everything eclectic tastes. I play the guitar and the piano and I love to read and veg with my friends." Nancy L. Chambers, risk manager, Waterloo Region Municipalities Insurance Pool, expected to be named next president of...

Going postal means still going strong.(up front)
April 1, 2004... Think you've seen workers' compensation systems with problems? The U.S. Postal Service's workers' comp program is so flawed that a 102-year-old employee is able to pass up retirement in favor of continuing benefits. That's according to...

Risk infiltrates Madison Avenue.(up front)
April 1, 2004... The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism is looking to freshen up the Islands' image, and guess whose help they've enlisted? A strapping young risk manager, of course (albeit a fictional one). Following on the big-screen heels of "Along Came Polly's"...

To the editor.(up front)
April 1, 2004... To the Editor: I loved Peter Rousmaniere's column on the Wal-martization of workers' comp. While at Miami-based Ryder System in 1990-1996 we actually did a lot of these things. We were large (40,000-plus employees), nationwide,...

A passage to India.(Workers' Comp)
April 1, 2004... It's time to consider relocating some workers' comp operations offshore, such as in India, South Africa or Ireland. Lowering costs is an essential element but I think only part of the matter. Try to view offshore relocation not as losing an...

Monty python's shameless reinsurance circus.(Alternative Risk)
April 1, 2004... Bermuda's newest reinsurance company is also its smallest. Effronter Re brought to the Bermuda market seed capital of $128.74. "I found some money in the pocket of an old overcoat," says Effronter Re's chairman, president, CEO, CFO, chief...

New horizons for employers.(Benefits)
April 1, 2004... Exploding health care costs and shrinking retirement accounts aren't the only issues that worry employees. As employers look for new and inexpensive benefits to offer, they are discovering some new concerns they can solve for their workers with...

Beware of liberal language.(Risk Primer)
April 1, 2004... Fleet safety concerns are on the minds of insurance companies these days, and they should be on the minds of any organization that owns or operates vehicles. Other driver-related issues are important for any fleet safety program as well. ...

Tribal warfare: a Native American tribe raises the hopes of compensation managers desperate for lower insurance premiums, but instead winds up incurring the wrath of California regulators.(Cover Story)
April 1, 2004... Fast-food restaurant owner Safar Ghaffari, a foot soldier in the small-business community's war on steep workers' comp rate hikes, sought in late 2002 to secure affordable coverage for roughly 120 employees at four restaurants he owns in...

Stepping up: Canadian Nancy L. Chambers will become the new president of RIMS after her election this month. She'll need the skills of a diplomat to navigate all the constituencies that RIMS serves.(profile)
April 1, 2004... Nancy L. Chambers, the senior apprentice in the ways of the Risk and Insurance Management Society Inc., is about to become the trade lobby's next president. For a woman who "kind of fell into" risk management nearly 20 years ago on the advice...

A different perspective on risk in San Diego.(rims)
April 1, 2004... Sure, when you're in town for RIMS, you can visit tourist standbys like the San Diego Zoo, the Gaslamp Quarter and the Point Loma Lighthouse. But if you're more inclined to take the roads less traveled, here's a smattering of other ways to make...

Insurance exit strategies: the use of tools increasingly available to manage the risk of developing contaminated real estate include a guaranteed-price cleanup and environmental insurance, which pays for unforeseen liability and cost overruns.(Special report: environmental)
April 1, 2004... A 29-acre parcel in Kenosha, Wis., was hardly ripe for redevelopment when a plant that manufactured brass fixtures since the late 19th century closed in 1999. With residue of more than a century of metalworking in the ground and an uncertain...

A class evolves and matures: during a roundtable meeting hosted by Marsh & McLennan Cos., five of the largest environmental insurance companies in the world discussed the state of the environmental insurance marketplace. This is an edited version of that conversation.(Special report: environmental)
April 1, 2004... Gregg Bundschuh, who moderated the roundtable, is head of Marsh's environmental practice. The panel members include: Joseph Boren, President and CEO of AIG Environmental. Kenneth Berger, Executive Vice President of Zurich...

After TRIA, what price terror? The federal reinsurance backstop program has entered its second year, but it expires at the end of 2005. That means policies issued in January 2005 would still be in effect after the expiration of TRIA, leaving insurance companies on the hook if a terrorist attack took place in early 2006.(reinsurance)
April 1, 2004... In less than a year, risk managers will have to start worrying about the availability of terrorism coverage again. The Terrorism Risk Insurance Act created a temporary solution to terrorism losses by requiring insurers to make terrorism...

Through the lens sharply: insurance, reinsurance and brokerage community professionals highlight the differences in how they approach risk.(Insurance Industry Risk Report)
April 1, 2004... Insurance companies, reinsurance companies and insurance brokerages make their living sorting out the risk profiles of others--analyzing them, minimizing them and financing them. But what of their own risks? Are they atypical? If so, what are...

Converting bits and bytes: data conversions have become more frequent. Yet, many insurance companies are not very good at it, argues one expert, who offers guidance in navigating the pitfalls of data conversion.(Industry Risk Report)
April 1, 2004... Though the saying "knowledge is power," may sound cliche, especially in risk management, it's true. Our industry relies on knowledge and information to make critical risk decisions and the quality of our data becomes the linchpin to evaluating...

That settles IT! Delays in reporting claims are the source of many workers' comp costs and a little help from Web-based technology can cut reporting times from days to minutes, according to a proponent of Internet-based claims processing.(technology)
April 1, 2004... Just about every claims manager alive holds this truth to be self-evident: fast, accurate reporting of first report of injury translates into benefits for both claimant and carrier. Yet the speed with which workers' compensation claims are...

Ducking the taxman: the growth in numbers of RRGs formed by non-profit health care organizations to respond to a lack of primary liability coverage in the commercial market is striking. For many non-profits, a key concern in forming a captive RRG is to achieve tax efficiency, the author argues.(alternative risk)
April 1, 2004... The past few years have witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of non-profit organizations forming captive risk retention groups, which qualify under the federal Liability Risk Retention Act of 1986 to provide their members with liability...

Boom time for voluntary benefits: for employers, voluntary benefits are a matter of economics. For employees, it's a matter of priorities.(benefits)
April 1, 2004... It is becoming increasingly clear that the voluntary benefits category represents a major growth opportunity in the employee benefit marketplace. Understanding that fact is only the first step, however. Taking full advantage of the opportunity...

TPA buyers' guide.(Directory)
April 1, 2004... TPA Buyers' Guide Name & Address Area of Coverage Health Care CoreSource Inc. All US 400 Field Drive Lake Forest, IL 60045 www.coresource.com (800) 223-3543, ext....

Web services.(Software & Systems)
April 1, 2004... InsureVianet has enhanced its Web site, www.insurevianet.com, to make transacting and managing small commercial business online more efficient and convenient for agents, wholesalers and members, the company has announced. InsureVianet manages...

Workforce management.(Software & Systems)
April 1, 2004... Workscape Inc., a provider of benefits and workforce management solutions, has launched its next-generation portfolio of self-service and workforce management applications, including its award-winning enterprise compensation management solution...

Policy administration.(Software & Systems)
April 1, 2004... New York Marine and General Insurance Company, a division of New York Marine Group, has signed a licensing agreement for Phoenix, an integrated policy processing and administration system by Allenbrook Inc., Allenbrook has announced. Helping...

Claims management.(Software & Systems)
April 1, 2004... Sedgwick Claims Management Services, has opened an office in Canada, Sedgwick CMS Canada Inc., the company has announced. It is the company's first international location for the U.S. claims and productivity management services provider....

Workers' comp.(Reference & Training)
April 1, 2004... American Re-Insurance Co.'s affiliate, AMRE Services Inc., has entered into an agreement with Best Doctors Inc. The agreement is designed to improve medical outcomes and help American Re's clients reduce workers' comp claims costs by providing...

Calendar of upcoming events.(Calendar)
April 1, 2004... May 5-7 16th Annual NMHCC Conference With health care costs continuing to rise at double-digit rates, everyone in managed care--from CEOs to administrators--is feeling the pressure. NMHCC's programming teaches you to communicate as a team...

Weather derivatives: call them insurance: defrocking weather derivatives and classifying them as what they are, insurance products, can only serve to benefit the public, claims the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.(point/counterpoint)
April 1, 2004... Editor's note: The following is a summary of a draft white paper titled Weather Financial Instruments: Insurance or Capital Markets Products? published by NAIC. Virtually every business is subject to some fiscal impact by the weather,...

Weather derivatives: call them anything but: contracts concluded in the weather derivatives market are swaps, forwards and other contracts that do not involve the payment of premium. Therefore, they should not be defined as insurance.(point/counterpoint)
April 1, 2004... Weather derivatives are not insurance when analyzed under insurance law, it's as simple as that. As outlined in the Definition of Insurance Working Group White Paper, state legislation prescribes the elements of insurance in order to allow...

From the editor & publisher.
April 15, 2004... This edition is the culmination of more than a year's work. With the help of design consultants Iridium Group, we've created a contemporary look for a magazine that covers a dramatically changing industry. Risk, as a topic, has never been...

Reflecting on Roger.(Letters To The Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
April 15, 2004... To the Editor: Every now and then Risk & Insurance dishes up a pleasantly offbeat surprise. Roger Crombie's column ("Bowie Bonds Rock Secure," March 2004), is the latest example. Thanks for the unexpected Moonage Daydream! ...

The ubiquitous albatross.(Letters To The Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
April 15, 2004... To the Editor: Peter Rousmaniere's column ("Hand Jive," March 2004) is an excellent illustration of what Dr. Richard Materson (former medical Director at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C.) called "Crick to Crock to...

The role of reinsurance.(Letters To The Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
April 15, 2004... To the Editor: I enjoyed Joseph Mangan's property column ("Watch Out for 'Weasel' Words!" March 2004). As someone who works mostly on the "back" (reinsurance) end, it's always good to see articles relating how reinsurance can "trickle...

Matrimonial confusion.(News & Notes)
April 15, 2004... Arguments over the definition of marriage could leave many a workers' compensation administrator scratching his or her head. The issue becomes problematic mainly when a worker dies on the job and employers need to know whether workers' comp...

Insurer to pay Tyco ex-CEO fees.(News & Notes)
April 15, 2004... A Manhattan judge has ruled that the Federal Insurance Company, which provided liability insurance for Tyco International officers, must pay legal fees for L. Dennis Kozlowski, the former chief executive who is on trial on charges of helping...

Hard market's turbulence.(News & Notes)
April 15, 2004... Commercial insurance buyers experienced a turbulent 2003 as the hard market peaked, according to an annual survey from the Risk and Insurance Management Society Inc. (RIMS). The survey suggests that price swings, the lingering effects of...

Connecticut court ruling.(News & Notes)
April 15, 2004... If a bystander's emotional distress is the result of witnessing the bodily injury of a third party, the only available recovery would be under the third party's per-person bodily injury limits as defined in the insurance policy, the Connecticut...

Survey reveals comp costs.(News & Notes)
April 15, 2004... For every $1,000 of revenues, U.S. businesses spend an average of $2.32 on insurance and other measures to manage their workers' compensation, auto and general liability risks, according to a study by Marsh Inc. On average, workers'...

Open season on contractors in Iraq: as the Iraq occupation enters its second year, casualties and deaths among civilian workers and contractors has escalated.(Upfront: news, updates and other emerging strategies from around the world)
April 15, 2004... Gordon Knight, president of AIG WorldSource, which offers a package of life, kidnapping and ransom, accident and health and medical coverage wrapped around the requirements under the U.S. Defense Base Act, said AIG anticipated that those claims...

A boost in captive fronting: but, nearly a third of captives now forgo fronting, despite the 'satisfaction' reported in a survey.(Upfront: news, updates and other emerging strategies from around the world)
April 15, 2004... Many captives and would-be captives still bemoan the dearth of fronting carriers. But those carriers that are still in the running seem to be doing something right, according to the 4th annum Fronting/Risk Sharing survey from the Captive...

Stepping down, then up.(Upfront: news, updates and other emerging strategies from around the world)
April 15, 2004... Workers' compensation insurance net annual premiums declined from 1994 to 1999, before rising again in 2000, according to insurance industry data. SOURCE: A.M BEST INC., NATIONAL COUNCIL ON COMPENSATION INSURANCE, INSURANCE INFORMATION...

Green mountain giant: Leonard D. Crouse, Vermont's top captive finance regulator, holds the keys to the "Captive Kingdom." Crouse has been steering the exceptional growth of the state's captive insurance industry since 1990.(Special supplement: Vermont captive)
April 15, 2004... Ask Len Crouse what he hates most about his job and he laughs and tells you it's that he can only play golf five months of file year. That, and no more. He laughs again when you subtlest, as I did, that he has no one but himself to blame....

Staples' captive: 'yeah, we've got that'. For the giant retailer, setting up a captive was an open-and-stapled-shut case. Now Staples is set to benefit.(Special supplement: Vermont captive)
April 15, 2004... When Deborah Harder set up a captive insurer not so long ago, she got by with a little help from some friends--friends outside her company to be sure, but even more importantly within. Deb Harder is director of risk management for Staples...

Mudslinging season is here: former presidential candidate and Vermont Governor Howard Dean and Democrat presidential nominee John Kerry traded barbs over the captive industry during the primary season this year.(Special supplement: Vermont captive)
April 15, 2004... It's an issue or a non-issue depending on your point of view, but one the Vermont captive insurance community wants to go away. The question is, will it? The underlying questions are hardly new: Is the very notion of captive insurance, or...

Employee benefits: will the bust turn to boom? Michael Lusk, the Archer Daniels Midland vice president responsible for the company's pioneering employee benefit captive domiciled in Vermont, explains how it came about and what ADH plans for the future.(Special supplement: Vermont captive)
April 15, 2004... The idea of employee benefits captives has been heralded over the past few years as the next hot trend for Vermont and other captive domiciles. So far, it's been a bust. For some of the reasons why, see our profile of Len Crouse on page A-3....

British brokers face new regulatory headaches: registration deadline set for mid-July.(Upfront: news, updates and other emerging strategies from around the world)
April 15, 2004... First, they had to digest a change in accounting rules that also threatens to trim their profits. Then they had to heed a deadline for registration with the Financial Services Authority watchdog. The FSA, which is bringing down the curtain...

ERM: all talk, little action: there's no lack of agreement on the importance of enterprise risk management in insurance circles, but just don't ask insurance companies to implement it.(Upfront: news, updates and other emerging strategies from around the world)
April 15, 2004... While 64 percent of respondents in a recent survey agreed that enterprise risk management provides key benefits to shareholders, only 5 percent of the respondents felt that ERM was part of their corporation's strategic thinking. "While...

Worth repeating.(Upfront: news, updates and other emerging strategies from around the world)
April 15, 2004... "Business continuity is absolutely a board-level issue. It's being treated as a serious concern throughout organizations. Carol Moffitt, former director of risk management, technology and solutions, BMO Financial Group "I would hope...

Desperately seeking 'Loverage'.(Alternative Risk)
April 15, 2004... Spring--and a young man's fancy turns to love. So too, in my case, does a middle-aged geezer's fancy, since I have lately fallen in love in that once-in-a-lifetime, full-steam-ahead, damn-the-torpedoes, overdo-the-hyphens manner that occurs but...

SOx strikes again.(The Law)
April 15, 2004... A sigh of relief radiated from non-profits, private companies and their risk managers when the Sarbanes-Oxley Act passed nearly two years ago. After all, the federal law targeted only public companies. Absent a direct need to consider...

Casualties of war.(Workers' Comp)
April 15, 2004... At this year's Risk and Insurance Management Society Inc.'s conference I will be thinking of risk management friends who are too busy to come. They are under the gun for quick results. Their hurry is reminiscent of Mel Brooks' 2000-year-old man...

Continuity at a crossroads: as long as the bottom line remains robust, corporate boards rarely pay much attention to a firm's ability to survive ... until the proverbial bullet hits them in the chest. Business-continuity managers say the concept still has a long way to go before it's fully accepted.
April 15, 2004... Business continuity rocks. That's the view of Carol Moffitt, the former director of risk management, technology and solutions at BMO Financial Group, the former Bank of Montreal. Moffitt, now a consultant, insists that business continuity...

Today's 10 greatest risks: what are the greatest risks we face in the United States? Risk & Insurance posed this question to Risk Management Solutions, a leading risk modeling firm. The answers evolved into unique scenarios--fictional accounts of what may really happen.(Top 10 Risks)(Cover Story)
April 15, 2004... It's been tough to avoid the question of risk in a post-Sept. 11 environment or in any environment for that matter. Recent headlines have been dominated by catastrophic events--earthquakes in Iran, devastating fires in the United States,...

Gustav bears down on U.S. East Coast: the Hurricane Scenario: Gustav, an intense Cat 4 storm, wreaks supreme havoc upon the Eastern Seaboard, leaving a trail of losses from Key West to Cape Cod.(Top 10 risks: huricane)
April 15, 2004... The Hypothetical Scenario: Early in the fall, the National Hurricane Center satellites identify a tropical depression in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, moving west from the coast of West Africa. As the depression gains strength over...

Mississippi river rages: the Flood Scenario: the Mississippi river system's flood protection plans and devices are overwhelmed. Thousands watch helplessly as their dreams drown in rising water levels.(Top 10 risks: flood)
April 15, 2004... The Hypothetical Scenario: The end of the previous summer had been exceptionally wet across the upper Midwest, the north central states and as far east as Pennsylvania. Torrential rain fell day after day, as a high pressure system brought...

Paradise painted black: the Oil Spill Scenario: a 15-million gallon slick drifted quickly because of strong tidal currents. Within a few days it reached all the coastal communities of the Puget Sound.(Top 10 risks: oil spill)
April 15, 2004... The Hypothetical Scenario: Whether a simple navigational error was to blame or, as was later claimed, the second officer had left the wheelhouse, one fact is clear: The SS Kodiak Star ran aground at 2:26 a.m. PST on January 28th. With...

Echoes of Sept. 11: the Terror Scenario: despite improvements in security since Sept. 11, terrorists take aim at Chicago's Loop, launching three highly coordinated truck bomb attacks.(Top 10 risks: terrorism)
April 15, 2004... The Hypothetical Scenario: Nobody noticed the white Ford Aerostar parked in front of the Federal Plaza in the center of Chicago's Loop. The minivan, disguised as a contractor's vehicle, arrives shortly after 11 a.m. on a Tuesday in June....

Cursing the darkness: the Blackout Scenario: incessant precipitation and freezing temperatures paralyze New York's complex power system, turning it into a winter wasteland. Essential services grind to a halt and many businesses in the Northeast are shut down for weeks.(Top 10 risks: blackout)
April 15, 2004... The Hypothetical Scenario: It was a Monday morning in mid-January and heavy snow had fallen across the whole of New York State. Earlier in the month an extremely cold Arctic air mass had moved in from Canada with clear skies and daytime...

The devil's rampage: the Wildfire Scenario: a catastrophic fire holds an entire city hostage while residents and business owners run for their lives and firefighters risk theirs.(Top 10 risks: wildfire)
April 15, 2004... The Hypothetical Scenario: The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection declared the fire season open slightly earlier than normal in early May as a result of the warm, dry weather and drought conditions during the previous...

Hell on rails: the Industrial Accident Scenario: fires spread from a tanker car and jeopardize the facilities of Texas' largest city. "Houston, we have a problem," is the understatement of the day.(Top 10 risks: accidents)
April 15, 2004... The Hypothetical Scenario: The fire begins in a rail tanker car loaded with gasoline in the railyards within the international port serving the petrochemical refineries along the shipping channel in Houston. The yards are unusually...

Pentecost worm unleashed on computer networks: the Cyber Attack Scenario: silent killers wreak havoc on the Fortune 1000. Databases are corrupted in the blink of an eye causing mayhem for corporate managers.(Top 10 risks: cyber attack)
April 15, 2004... The Hypothetical Scenario: The computer network bug that comes to be known as the Pentecost worm is first publicized in a red alert on IT security Web sites Monday, May 31, 2004. The public first becomes aware of it through garbled e-mails...

The deadly plague returns to America: the Pandemic Scenario: a mutated flu virus strain cripples the United States in a global pandemic. Employers struggle to function as a third of their personnel succumb to this virulent new bug.(Top 10 risks: pandemic)
April 15, 2004... The Hypothetical Scenario: Over several years, clusters of cases of a deadly new strain of flu, designated A(H5N1), have been reported in Vietnam, Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia. The flu strain is caught from chickens. It's...

A big one, though not the big one: the earthquake scenario: despite the high level of earthquake preparedness in many parts of California, losses--both human and property--are still breathtakingly high when nature decides to shake things up with a magnitude 7.0 quake.(Top 10 risks: earthquake)
April 15, 2004... The Hypothetical Scenario: Just after lunch on a summer Wednesday, more than 20 million people in Los Angeles feel the vibration underfoot. Immediately they know it is a major earthquake. Most people have felt distant or small tremors...

Enterprise risk: a new study confirms what every risk manager already knows. There is a gap--no, make that a crevasse--between the design and planning of ERM programs and their actual execution and implementation within a corporation.(Special Report)
April 15, 2004... There isn't a risk management department in existence today that doesn't shudder at the sound of these three letters, E-R-M. If a midlevel manager hasn't lost hours of sleep trying to think of ways to implement an enterprise risk management...

Vive L'Entreprise! As the concept of enterprise risk management continues to capture the attention of many corporate boards, Aventis, a French global pharmaceutical firm, spent a year plotting its plan for enterprise risk management.(Special Report)
April 15, 2004... When pharmaceutical giants Rhone-Poulenc Rorer of France and Hoechst AG of Germany merged in December 1999 to become Aventis, the new company's board saw it as a perfect opportunity to take a good look at their risk management practices and...

COSO 2: the big yawn the British enterprise risk regulations are hardly radical. There are no mandatory compliance or legal requirements.(Special Report)
April 15, 2004... For many of Britain's top blue chip companies, the United States is a vital market--in some eases, providing the bulk of their revenues. However, few would appear to regard the new Enterprise Risk Management Framework being developed by the...

Playing partners: historically, Wachovia Corp. had looked at risk by line of business. After its merger with First Union, management decided to develop a more holistic approach. Finding the most effective solution was as complex a process as the merger itself--but well worth the effort.(Special Report)
April 15, 2004... A corporate-wide view of operational risk is a relatively new discipline in the financial services industry. Operational risk is broad, pervasive and complex--including losses incurred from human error, failed processes, inadequate systems or...

A plate full of headaches: food for thought: the contamination of the U.S. food supply, a serious public health risk, could devastate the economy and the $500 billion U.S. food processing industry.(Industry Risk Report)
April 15, 2004... Two of the biggest risks now facing the U.S. food industry are attacks on the food supply by terrorists and obesity litigation. The overall safety of the U.S. food supply, from either intentional or accidental contamination, is one of the...

Industry risk report.
April 15, 2004... Consumer food products: feeding the country is no simple job--nor is it one without a hefty amount of risk exposure. Consumer food product manufacturers manage multilevel risk, the most unpredictable of which are the consumers themselves....

Feasting on fat: the fight over fat pits public health advocates against food companies. Whoever wins, the odds are that obesity claims will increase the cost of health insurance, life insurance, disability and workers' comp coverage.(Industry Risk Report)
April 15, 2004... America is getting fat, and attorneys are ready to make a meal out of the U.S. food industry. In the past couple of years, obesity lawsuits have been filed against companies like McDonald's and Kraft Foods, the maker of Oreo cookies. ...

Catching a break: "the marketplace is improving slowly," one survey respondent says. "With any luck, risk managers will work with carriers to keep pricing reasonable and not push the market into another downturn cycle.".(Risk Management)
April 15, 2004... After several years of difficult renewals, relief appears in sight for risk managers and their respective organizations when it comes to coverage and pricing issues, according to the fourth annual survey of the alternative market conducted by...

Risk Management Information Systems (RMIS).(Marketplace)
April 15, 2004... All catalogues, booklets and other valuable information listed in this advertising section are available FREE of charge. Please contact advertiser directly for more information. To advertise your catalogues, booklets and other valuable...

After a 10-year tenure, Ace Ltd. Chairman Brian Duperreault will step down as the company's chief executive officer in May, to be succeeded by Evan Greenberg, Ace's current president and the former chief operating officer of American International Group Inc., the company said.(Executive Moves)(Advertisement)
April 15, 2004... After a 10-year tenure, Ace Ltd. Chairman BRIAN DUPERREAULT will step down as the company's chief executive officer in May, to be succeeded by EVAN GREENBERG, Ace's current president and the former chief operating officer of American...

Willis Group Holdings Limited.(Executive Moves)
April 15, 2004... Willis Group Holdings Limited, the global insurance broker, has announced a number of new practice leaders. MICHAEL P. DANGLER, who has over a decade of insurance industry experience, has been named national practice leader of the newly formed...

Florida Bar Board of Governors.(Executive Moves)
April 15, 2004... THOMAS M. KALLMAN, founder and president of Kallman Insurance Agency in Weston, Fla., was appointed by the Florida Bar Board of Governors to serve a three-year term on the 17th Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee. Kallman is only one of three...

GuideOne Insurance.(Executive Moves)
April 15, 2004... GuideOne Insurance has announced the appointment of PAUL LARSON to the company's board of directors, according to Jim Wallace, president and chief executive officer of GuideOne. Larson retired in March 1999 as president of Equitable Life of...

USI Holdings Corp.(Executive Moves)
April 15, 2004... USI Holdings Corp., a leading distributor of insurance and financial products and services to businesses throughout the United States, has announced the promotion of several senior officers. The promotions include JIM M. BUTLER, formerly...

Zurich Global Energy.(Executive Moves)
April 15, 2004... Zurich Global Energy has named MEL. CAUSER as senior vice president of exploration and production, the company has announced. Causer's primary focus will be on developing Zurich's presence in the United States and other key markets. Causer will...

Upcoming events.
April 15, 2004... MAY 5-7 16th Annual NMHCC Conference With health-care costs continuing to rise, everyone in managed care from CEOs to administrators is feeling the pressure. Tracks include case management, disease management and risk management....

Software matters: the code-based solutions: a packaged code-based solution allows the insurer to easily configure and adjust operating variables.(Point)(Calendar)
April 15, 2004... With many things, one size does not fit all. That is especially true when it comes to software solutions. When insurers embark on their solution search, they will inevitably come to the fork in the road and the decision to select a tools-based...

Software matters: the tools-based solutions: tools-based solutions allow insurers to focus on creating value rather than reinventing the wheel.(Counterpoint)
April 15, 2004... Tools-based software allows insurers to develop and maintain their own environment, and it is a valuable option for insurers who have the in-house resources and skills to take advantage of the "do-it-yourself" approach. Since tools-based...