Risk & Insurance articles from October 2005

Risk & Insurance archives from October 2005

It's decision time.
October 1, 2005... Risk management executives, and that includes risk managers, brokers, insurance executives along with anyone from the CEO to the CFO to the line manager, face what may be our biggest challenge, if not opportunity, in the wake of Hurricane...

FAIR Act.(NEWS & NOTES)
October 1, 2005... The Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act, a U.S. Senate proposal to transfer nearly all outstanding asbestos-related liabilities to a federally administered trust fund, would add $6.5 billion to the federal deficit over the next 10 years,...

Late payment penalties.(NEWS & NOTES)
October 1, 2005... State lawmakers on August 29 advanced a bill that would fine employers in California for failing to pay workers compensation benefits within 10 days of a court award. Under the bill, employers would have to pay $2,000 plus the amount owed for a...

Reinsurers' combined ratio up.(NEWS & NOTES)
October 1, 2005... U.S. reinsurers reported a 105.8 percent combined ratio for the first half of 2005, compared with a 96.3 percent combined ratio reported by a similar group of reinsurers for the same period a year ago, according to the Washington-based...

Court rules on WCF ownership.(NEWS & NOTES)
October 1, 2005... The Utah Supreme Court has declared that Workers Compensation Fund's assets are owned by policyholders, not the State of Utah. The ruling in favor of WCF settles long-standing challenges by the State of Utah and upholds previous Supreme Court...

Upcoming events.(NEWS & NOTES)(Calendar)
October 1, 2005... OCTOBER 22-25 CPCU Society 61st Annual Meeting "Get Your Career in Gear," is the theme for the annual conference of the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters Society. The event will feature sessions to help attendees expand...

Read all about it: big easy paper beats Zurich on matters of intent: narrowly interpreted, a recent federal appeals court case could be seen as a disagreement over excess fidelity insurance. More broadly, it could also be celebrated as a victory of aggrieved insureds over powerful insurers.(UPFRONT: News, Updates and Other Emerging Strategies from Around the World)
October 1, 2005... In August, a federal appeals court found that Zurich was bound to the plain language of its excess fidelity policy and liable for its insured's claimed losses. The ease, The Times-Picayune v. Zurich American Insurance Company, fortifies the...

Top 10 risk managers' mistakes: a consulting firm releases its list of the greatest risk management miscues, leaving risk execs wondering: how many checkmarks do I get?(UPFRONT: News, Updates and Other Emerging Strategies from Around the World)
October 1, 2005... Gambling on risk by assuming a catastrophe won't strike their company--is the most grievous mistake risk managers can make, according to a list developed by independent risk management services provider Business Risk Management Solutions, a...

Tighter terms, higher prices to drown buyers: property/casualty renewals up by at least 25 percent on Gulf Coast.(UPFRONT: News, Updates and Other Emerging Strategies from Around the World)
October 1, 2005... MONTE CARLO -- Hurricane Katrina, which may cost the insurance industry as much as $60 billion, is expected to sharpen the terms and increase prices of insurance and reinsurance contracts in 2006, analysts and industry executives said. "I...

Hurricanes: a hot topic getting hotter: recent reports about warming oceans and horrific hurricanes may have risk execs considering a move inland, and carriers adding more policy exclusions.(UPFRONT: News, Updates and Other Emerging Strategies from Around the World)
October 1, 2005... Insurers and insurance buyers have read the weather page a lot this past summer. They should have also been reading Nature. In the July 31 online edition of that journal, Kerry Emanuel, professor of atmospheric science at MIT, published a study...

Worth repeating.(UPFRONT: News, Updates and Other Emerging Strategies from Around the World)
October 1, 2005... "Surge is binary.... Zero, one. It's either gone or it's not." Frank Fischer, senior account executive, AIR Worldwide. "The mainframe is far from dead. It's experiencing a renaissance." Philip F. Proudfoot, solution development...

Spinning modeling tourbillions.(ALTERNATIVE RISK)
October 1, 2005... What is news? More precisely, when is news? Lately, the division has become starker between news that reports the details of past events, and "news" that is a forecast, a best guess, of the outcome of past events, or even of future events. ...

What Katrina tells us about TRIA.(WORKERS' COMP)
October 1, 2005... Without delay the country needs to learn from Katrina. Because it is up for renewal by year's end, let's look at how the federal Terrorism Risk Insurance Act could be strengthened. Katrina has elements of a man-made disaster: imperfect...

Never be predictable in Colombia.(RISK PRIMER)
October 1, 2005... As the world economy grows, global opportunities open in faraway places. When businesses grow and expand, many face new risks associated with travel to and from foreign countries or the establishment of foreign-based operations. Some of the...

One bad Kat: business owners and adjusters begin the painstaking, often frustrating process of assessing the damage wrought by Hurricane Katrina. A massive piece of the real losses, however--the wholesale shredding of the social fabric--may never be truly recovered.(Cover Story)
October 1, 2005... Use whatever cliche you want to describe America's small businesses--the lifeblood, the heart and soul, the glue that holds Main Street together. No matter what you call them, Katrina got them. It drained the lifeblood. It threatened to stop...

Diary of a CAT man: our associate editor travels to the Gulf Coast just days after Hurricane Katrina hit to survey the damage and discovers the real meaning of the word "adjustment.".(Cover Story)
October 1, 2005... Thursday Sept. 1, 2005 I heard the stories. Refugees were flooding Atlanta. They were snatching up hotel rooms, slowing the airport, clogging the highways. But when I landed in Hartsfield Airport, there were no evacuees, no people on the...

Time to adjust: claims adjusters find it's heavy slogging as they try to reach clients left stranded by Hurricane Katrina.(Cover Story)
October 1, 2005... What came first? The wind or the water? The answer may seem easy to someone living near a river that floods every spring. But ask someone in Bayou La Batre with a claim on the garbage, the mold and the mud that once was his business--where...

Messing with models: executives from a disaster-modeling firm travel to the Gulf Coast looking for clues to fine-tune their computer models.(Cover Story)
October 1, 2005... Frank Fischer and Mohit Pande cruised the neighborhood in their big black sport-utility vehicle, nodding and waving at folks out on the street. They counted the houses and checked out their build, looked closely at the property behind the...

A prescription for health-care anxiety: the costs of health care are closing in on most American businesses. The one bright spot in health benefits, however, has been prescription drug plans. But with the present success of PBMs come doubts and fears about their future.(BENEFITS)
October 1, 2005... When it comes to insuring employees, is there anything that feels as complex and out of the employer's control regarding cost as providing health care? It's hard to imagine that there could be. But in fact, the closely related prescription drug...

Still in the lead: Bermuda, the global leader when it comes to hosting captive insurance companies, held its first annual captive conference in September. The hope is that the meeting will boost interest in the island, which has seen its share of the captive insurance marketplace decline over the past 15 years as the island has become more expensive and as other jurisdictions have caught up.(SPECIAL REPORT: BERMUDA/ ALTERNATIVE RISK)
October 1, 2005... It happens every so often, and the response is always the same. Registrations drop off in one or another of the major captive jurisdictions, and the competition at once claims victory. Then, a year or two later, registrations go back up, and...

Captive to conflicting interests: many times, captive board members have lots of expertise in their own industry, but little knowledge of insurance. Captive managers usually provide the insurance expertise. But captives can get a truly unbiased perspective by adding an independent director to the board who knows the ins and outs of the insurance business.(SPECIAL REPORT: BERMUDA/ALTERNATIVE RISK)
October 1, 2005... While it's unusual for a captive insurer to have an outside director, MedStar Health Inc. has added not one but two outside directors in the last three years. "We were not driven to do this because we felt it was required," says Larry...

Floating on a raft of ambiguity: the Cayman Islands drift offshore, unsure of whether they want to follow the fecund currents of capital or set course for land and the relative safety of the state.(OFFSHORE: THE DARK SIDE OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMY)
October 1, 2005... One only hopes that William Brittain-Catlin doesn't have any money stashed away in the Cayman Islands. It's not likely he's going to win any friends or tax breaks there anytime soon. Thanks to his enlightening new book called "Offshore: The...

Cleaning up after your computer: toxics from electronic scrap are emerging in streams and are bobbing on companies' risk horizons. One step ahead of Congress, brokers and underwriters say they are addressing this growing but fractured market.(INDUSTRY RISK REPORT: WASTE MANAGEMENT)
October 1, 2005... Not much usually happens in Washington, D.C., in midsummer. But this year, despite a heat wave, the Senate held hearings about an equally hot issue: the potential for environmental contamination from toxins in electronic scrap. Further hearings...

Industry risk report: waste management.
October 1, 2005... INDUSTRY RISK REPORT WASTE MANAGEMENT While environmental insurance policies are a requirement in the insurance portfolios of just about every waste management company, these companies also take out general liability and directors' and...

Big Iron's back: after flirting with newer, distributed technology systems, insurers are taking a fresh look at the ones they originally brought to the dance. They're seeing new promise, and serious savings, in an old familiar technology--their mainframes.(TECHNOLOGY)
October 1, 2005... Even in laid-back Hawaii, agents don't want to wait until tomorrow for a reply from an insurer. They want it today. So when Hawaii's largest property/casualty insurer sought to meet the demand for a response time measured in minutes instead of...

Programming for success: Robert Petrie couldn't figure out his major in college. A semester off from school and a volunteering gig later, Petrie discovered his focus in life--and programmed his way to a career in risk management and the position of CEO of a major software provider.(PROFILE)
October 1, 2005... Robert G. Petrie III recalls his junior year at the University of California at Berkley like it was yesterday. The critical juncture in his young life had arrived--the semester in which he was expected to declare a major and set his sights...

Decoding the risk multiple: whether it's a happy event such as the birth of quadruplets to an employee or the kind of unhappy incident that inflicts multiple injuries--perhaps a hotel fire at a conference or a shuttle-bus accident involving several employees--managing exposure to multiple medical claims is a rising concern.(HEALTH CARE)
October 1, 2005... Several trends are coming together in the healthcare insurance industry that could result in significant, unexpected exposure and losses for health plans, and potentially higher health insurance premiums for employers. This risk comes in...

Technology directory.(Directory)
October 1, 2005... Below are paid listings of specialty software packages for the insurance companies This guide is not intended to be a complete directory but is an overview of some of the packages available. The software suppliers provided the data. To obtain...

McQueary Henry Bowles Troy L.L.P.(EXECUTIVE MOVES)
October 1, 2005... McQueary Henry Bowles Troy L.L.P. has announced the recent appointments of Carla Paschal and Ann Forkner as vice presidents of marketing in the firm's Dallas office. CARLA PASCHAL joins MHBT with experience in large property placements, as...

Willis Group Holdings.(EXECUTIVE MOVES)
October 1, 2005... Willis Group Holdings has announced that SEAN COGAN has joined its Japan Practice Group as senior vice president and regional manager. He is based in Dublin, Ohio. Formerly vice president and relationship manager at Aon, Sean Cogan has...

Greene-Hazel & Associates.(EXECUTIVE MOVES)
October 1, 2005... LEIGH MILLS has joined Greene-Hazel & Associates, a Jacksonville-based Independent Insurance Agency, as an account executive, announced Theresa Greene Hazel, president of the insurance firm. Mills, who will work in employee benefits sales,...

Compliance.(TECHNOLOGY)
October 1, 2005... PeriseopeIQ, a provider of Web-based assessment solutions, has announced the availability of DISCLOSURE, a risk assessment and management solution designed to meet the compliance requirements of Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002....

Errors & omissions.(INSURANCE)
October 1, 2005... CalSurance, a national insurance sales, service and support company, has enhanced its specialized errors and omissions program for broker-dealers with less than 75 brokers, the company said. The improvements now provide each broker-dealer with...

Property/casualty.(INSURANCE)
October 1, 2005... Lexington Insurance Co. has introduced a new property terrorism endorsement to cover losses incurred when a civilian or military, order related to a terrorist act or threat impedes business operations, the company said. The so-called "OpShield"...

Liability.(INSURANCE)
October 1, 2005... St. Paul Travelers has launched a basic Internet liability policy aimed at small to midsize technology businesses, St. Paul has announced. Internet Basic Liability Protection is designed for technology businesses or firms with between KS...

Workers' comp.(INSURANCE)
October 1, 2005... ISO has introduced a workers' comp report-writing product that enables carriers to access the policy and claims information they report through the ISO Workers' Comp Information Service. The product, called Executive Analytic Solutions Engine,...

An unhealthy Tango.
October 15, 2005... MONTE CARLO -- Poor ratings houses. They just can't win. They got pounded a few years back for not downgrading questionable carriers like Kemper and Reliance before the carriers let everyone know they were in trouble. Now the ratings...

Don't forget property.(LETTERS TO THE EDITOR)(Letter to the Editor)
October 15, 2005... Dear Editor: Tom Slattery's article "Time to Re-Act" (Risk & Insurance[R], Sept. 1, 2005, page 29) was well-written and a good summary of the current situation with respect to the liability issues involved with nuclear power generation in...

Reflecting on disgrace.(LETTERS TO THE EDITOR)(Letter to the Editor)
October 15, 2005... Dear Editor: Having taken Roger Crombie to task several months ago on a different issue, I thought I would send him an "attaboy" for the home run he hit with the article "Bermuda at Risk" (Risk & Insurance[R], Sept. 1, 2005, page 16)....

Give risk a turn.(LETTERS TO THE EDITOR)(Letter to the Editor)
October 15, 2005... Dear Editor: I read the article "The Fast Track to Better Health" by John Williams (Risk & Insurance(r), Aug. 2005, page 22) and thought that it offered encouragement for HR professionals who have once tried and failed to offer wellness...

MMC execs indicted.(NEWS & NOTES)
October 15, 2005... Eight former Marsh Inc. executives have been indicted for their roles in the alleged bid-rigging scheme at the world's largest insurance brokerage. The former Marsh managers are accused of colluding with insurance executives to arrange...

Airline to Axe plan.(NEWS & NOTES)
October 15, 2005... Even if Congress approves legislation giving commercial airlines pension funding relief, Delta Air Lines Inc. may terminate its pension plans, resulting in a multibillion dollar loss that could be the biggest ever for Pension Benefit Guaranty...

Relief Scholarships.(NEWS & NOTES)
October 15, 2005... The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research has established a Disaster Relief Scholarship Fund to assist those in the insurance community whose lives have been tragically altered by Hurricane Katrina. Scholarships to National...

Lots of lawsuits.(NEWS & NOTES)
October 15, 2005... Doctors continue to be overwhelmed by frivolous lawsuits, according to updated Pennsylvania Medical Board statistics. According to the board, 7,725 Pennsylvania doctors were sued for alleged medical malpractice between May 22, 2002, and Aug....

Med-mal reform.(NEWS & NOTES)
October 15, 2005... The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America expressed mixed emotions over Illinois Gov. Rod Blagoevich's signing into law medical-liability legislation. PCI is particularly concerned with the provision that would require hearings for...

Rule withdrawn.(NEWS & NOTES)
October 15, 2005... The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has withdrawn its proposed state-specific requirements regarding the accounting treatment of finite reinsurance. Florida regulators have instead opted to implement the uniform standards that the...

Katrina blows away catastrophe models: the scramble to accurately predict losses has reinsurers and ratings agencies at odds, and the confusion may give the capital markets pause in launching new catastrophe risk products.(UPFRONT: News, Updates and Other Emerging Strategies from Around the World)
October 15, 2005... MONTE CARLO -- Hurricane Katrina tore ashore in late August with such fury that the insurance industry was unable to keep up with exactly how much damage she had done. Two weeks after the storm wreaked havoc on Gulf Coast communities and...

No rolling the dice with devastation: one Gulf Coast casino relates how it survived Hurricane Katrina, and how it intends to be there when Biloxi's back open for business. Its emergency response mirrored what recovery experts recommend for big businesses faced with catastrophe.(UPFRONT: News, Updates and Other Emerging Strategies from Around the World)
October 15, 2005... Gulf Coast casinos faced big challenges after Katrina hit. If they were lucky enough to have their hotels standing and their barges floating, they still had to cope with power and communication breakdowns, missing employees, business...

Immunity doesn't bar third-party liability: somebody has to pay when an employee suffers serious injuries because a coworker crashed driving home from a work-related function. And in a recent case, that somebody was the insurer.(UPFRONT: News, Updates and Other Emerging Strategies from Around the World)
October 15, 2005... An injured employee deserved just compensation from a work-related accident despite the exclusive provision of the state workers' compensation law, a U.S. District Court in Pennsylvania found. After considering summary judgments in July in...

Billion-dollar disasters 1980-2004.(UPFRONT: News, Updates and Other Emerging Strategies from Around the World)
October 15, 2005... The color-coded map represents the number of times a state was affected by a billion-dollar climate or weather event, though it does not necessarily mean that a state suffered $1 billion or more losses from each event. [ILLUSTRATION...

In search of serenity cover.(ALTERNATIVE RISK)
October 15, 2005... Dateline: my summer vacation. Not long ago, I wrote in these pages about how one cannot insure against heartbreak. Not one company rose to the challenge by offering coverage. Sigh. In the past few minutes, I have suffered two egregious losses...

A mirror to your driving.(WORKERS' COMP)
October 15, 2005... We were in the basement garage of a big insurer. Every parking space was full. We raced the car down narrow lanes, braked sharply, swerved at tight corners. The driver of this manic jitterbug in my Mazda was a senior executive of the insurer,...

When caution isn't enough.(RISK PRIMER)
October 15, 2005... Without underestimating the value of sound loss prevention techniques discussed in the last Risk Primer column, insurance for kidnap & ransom risks is available from several companies. These policies offer insurance protection for a wide range...

On the mass tort superhighway.(THE LAW)
October 15, 2005... Plaintiffs' lawyers who think that they can cruise questionable claims down the "mass tort superhighway" to payment will now encounter toll booths, if not sobriety cheeks, thanks to a ruling by U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack, who...

Risk, improved with age: rising premiums have vintners nationwide digging deep for ways to control risk and avoid the headaches of the grape.(Cover Story)
October 15, 2005... Despite efforts to overhaul California's workers' compensation system, premium costs for wineries and vineyards have continued to escalate during the past decade, as they have for most industries. While state legislators debated various...

The great grape secret: location, location, location: wine-makers who get the location variable right save themselves a lot of trouble in insuring and managing risks later on.
October 15, 2005... Wine grapes are very sensitive to weather conditions. That's why many in the industry believe that the best risk management tool is selecting the proper site for a vineyard. Not only can weather influence the flavor and character of wine,...

School of hard knocks: with eight campuses scattered throughout Mississippi's ravaged Gulf Coast, administrators at the University of Southern Mississippi are dealing with physical and intellectual property losses. And all this before many of USM's 15,000 students even arrived on campus for the fall semester.(PROFILE)
October 15, 2005... "The house of the university president is gone," says David Taylor, physical plant director at the University of Southern Mississippi. The matter-of-fact assertion is one Taylor never thought he would make. But these are not normal times....

Katrina's winds of change: reinsurance claims could exceed maximum policy limits with a loss of Katrina's magnitude, but will the event change the way reinsurers underwrite and weigh such catastrophes?(REINSURERS)
October 15, 2005... The full details of weather events are not known for years, by insurers or anyone else who studies weather professionally. For example, the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration revealed two years ago that 1992's Hurricane Andrew was of...

Taking the hit: long after the mud is washed away from the streets and homes of Biloxi and New Orleans, the insurance industry will still be tallying up the impact.(INSURANCE)
October 15, 2005... It was a storm that will be remembered for a long, long time. One of the worst disasters ever to strike the United States, Hurricane Katrina will most likely rank as the largest insured loss in history. With losses for Katrina estimated in...

Seeking solvency: as defined-benefits wells run dry and cash-balance uncertainties abound, opinions are mixed about what might salvage employer-sponsored retirement plans.(SPECIAL REPORTS: BENEFITS)
October 15, 2005... In July, Hewlett-Packard froze benefits in its traditional defined-benefits plan for all but its most senior workers. The technology giant's move is the latest in a growing trend among large employers--once the bastion of defined benefits in...

Archrivals battle it out over health plans: with the two leading consumer-driven health providers now owned by the two leading health-care networks, the question is not whether CDH plans will change American health care, but how.(SPECIAL REPORT: BENEFITS)
October 15, 2005... The jury is still out on whether consumer-directed health-care plans are merely shifting cost, or actually changing consumer behavior to improve the overall health/cost equation, as early studies suggested. But clearly CDH is an important...

Risky business: when red carpets don't roll for temperamental talent in Hollywood, or when dangerous stunts on faraway sets put stars at risk, movie and television production staffs must find ways to protect their cast, their crew and their budget.(INDUSTRY RISK REPORT: ENTERTAINMENT)
October 15, 2005... Dave Chappelle was the toast of Tinseltown when he signed a $50 million deal to extend his wildly popular sketch-comedy series for a third and fourth season. The Emmy-nominated "Chappelle's Show," which boasted more than 140 east and crew...

Trade credit's stubborn streak: despite a marketplace offering more options than ever before for medium-term trade-credit insurance products, buyers still aren't getting much of a break.(INSURANCE)
October 15, 2005... Question: There have been several new entrants into the trade-credit marketplace. What has that done for pricing? Freely: It really hasn't affected it too much. It's still a fairly hard market for this kind of coverage. There are not a lot...

'Heard' mentality: an agent-broker trade group pushes for a common language to make it easier to communicate, but finds that the task is still not easy. A common idiom is still at least two years off.(AGENT/BROKER)
October 15, 2005... Insurance agent Mark Wilson, an agent at Scottsdale Insurance Company, remembers the paradox facing wholesale property and casualty agents and companies as far back as two years ago. The large insurance carriers were transferring less and...

Warming up for The Great Fall Pilgrimage: as experts in workers' compensation, return-to-work and disability management prepare for the 14th Annual Workers' Comp and Disability Conference, managing return-to-work issues is moving to the front burner.(WORKERS' COMP)
October 15, 2005... Implementing a successful safety program hinges not only on what type of program employers want to put in place, but on how they present that program and, most significantly, how employees perceive it. The key to engaging employees in the...

RMIS.(MARKETPLACE)(Advertisement)
October 15, 2005... Tired of the same old software? Wake up to a better solution--ATS! ATS continues its 20-year legacy to bring you the best RMIS solutions: innovative and intuitive claims administration for all coverage lines, and workers' comp ready for all...

Insurance: CNA has helped our clients manage risk for over 100 years.(MARKETPLACE)(Advertisement)
October 15, 2005... Endurance Specialty Holdings Ltd. is a global provider of property and casualty insurance and reinsurance. Through its operating subsidiaries, Endurance currently writes property per risk treaty reinsurance, property catastrophe reinsurance,...

Business process outsourcing.(MARKETPLACE)(Advertisement)
October 15, 2005... Would you like to eliminate the administrative headache of bureau and state reporting while reducing costs and increasing quality? The experienced staff at MFX ProcessSure will utilize our skills by combining proven insurance processes with...

Risk & policy management.(MARKETPLACE)(Advertisement)
October 15, 2005... CSC provides claims, risk and policy management information systems and services for carriers, self-insureds, TPAs, health care providers and corporate counsel to help them control costs. CSC's solutions provide products, process, manage and...

Risk management.(MARKETPLACE)(Advertisement)
October 15, 2005... AIGCS RMIS' Web-based IntelliRisk[R] e-Services include first notice of loss, providing online claim submission/ tracking; IntelliRisk NetSource[R], offering real-time claim analysis and ad hoc reporting capability, "profiling" potentially high...

Workers' compensation.(MARKETPLACE)(Advertisement)
October 15, 2005... Our doctors are centered on superior outcomes for workers and employers alike. Concentra offers employers a nationwide combination of more than 260 owned and 1200 associated occupational medical centers. We are dedicated to providing medical...

Claims.(MARKETPLACE)(Advertisement)
October 15, 2005... Valley Oak Systems is a national provider of claims management software, services and support. Our core product is iVOS[R] a browser-based claims management system designed for multiple lines of insurance, iVOS is the "One-System" solution. All...

Workers' compensation.(MARKETPLACE)(Advertisement)
October 15, 2005... Fiserv Insurance Solutions automates workers' comp management from policy administration through claims and billing with Web access for quoting and customer service. Our managed care system lets you pre-certify, track, discuss, approve and pay...

Property.(MARKETPLACE)(Advertisement)
October 15, 2005... Allianz Global Risks US is a leading provider of commercial property insurance to Fortune 1,000 companies and large public entities. In order to better serve you, our underwriters, risk consultants and claims staff specialize in one of 13...

Insurance.(Advertisement)
October 15, 2005... At American Wholesale Insurance Group (AmWINS) independence matters, so does size, strength and experience. As the largest independent insurance wholesaler in the country, AmWINS has a coast-to-coast team of skilled brokers and underwriters...

Benefits.(Marketplace)(Advertisement)
October 15, 2005... Aetna is a leading national provider of insurance coverage. We offer a broad range of benefits including dental, life, pharmacy, disability, long-term care, group and, of course, health. No matter what the size of your business, you can meet...

Risk management.(Advertisement)
October 15, 2005... Take the bite out of risk. In precarious times, Certified Risk Manager (CRM) courses will help you thrive in the worlds of safety, risk finance, and management of risk. Call 800.633.2165 or go to www.TheNationalAlliance. com for more...

Payments processing.(Marketplace)(Advertisement)
October 15, 2005... The insurance industry is facing new competition and distribution channels are shifting from brick and mortar to direct mail, phone and Internet sales. Accepting MasterCard-branded payment cards can be an important component in achieving your...

Bill review.(Marketplace)(Advertisement)
October 15, 2005... StrataCare provides national bill review software solutions and service for the workers' compensation and auto liability industries including insurance companies, employers, third-party administrators and bill review companies. StrataCare's...

Ratings.(Marketplace)(Advertisement)
October 15, 2005... A.M. Best has been the world's leading source of insurance industry information for more than 100 years. Best's Ratings are the established standard for measuring insurance company financial performance. A.M. Best offers the most comprehensive...

Reducing loss costs.(Marketplace)(Advertisement)
October 15, 2005... Broadspire (www.choosebroadspire.com) offers the most complete package of claim and medical management and risk and safety consulting services, designed to reduce your loss costs. Offering the flexibility and customization you need, you can...

Mapping services.(Marketplace)(Advertisement)
October 15, 2005... ESRI has been the world's leading provider of geographic information system (GIS) and mapping software for more than 35 years. Additionally, ESRI provides powerful mapping solutions to more than 300,000 clients in more than 220 countries. ESRI...

Records retention.(Marketplace)(Advertisement)
October 15, 2005... Migrate from paper to RecordStore. When considering a records retention policy, documents must be retained, protected and readily available in the future. Security is paramount. Real estate to store paper records is expensive, whether onsite or...

Insurance.(Marketplace)(Advertisement)
October 15, 2005... CNA has helped our clients manage risk for over 100 years. We continually focus on designing coverage backed by financial strength and based on unique insight into our customers' specific needs and goals. For more information about CNA, contact...