Business Insurance articles from March 2006

Business Insurance archives from March 2006

Program sets wheels in motion.(Cover Focus: Benefits & Financial Services)(Hartford Financial Services Group Inc.)
March 1, 2006... Byline: Meg Fletcher The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc.'s initiative to educate agents and brokers about disability products seeks to give them a base of knowledge as well as a sense of mission. The knowledge comes from a...

Sullivan to preserve culture at AIG.(Feature)(American International Group Inc.)(Interview)
March 1, 2006... SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda-Leading the world's largest insurer is no easy task, but Martin Sullivan intends to preserve the culture that has made American International Group Inc. successful. AIG's president and chief executive officer outlined his...

Seeds of economic disaster.(First Word)(CBS Sports)
March 1, 2006... Byline: Rodd Zolkos Over the past couple of years there's been a lot of talk about Web risks and Internet-related exposures. Apparently American businesses are in the midst of confronting yet another. This new threat first emerged in...

Report highlights agents' electronic preferences.(Industry News)(Agents Technologies Corp.)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... ALEXANDRIA, Va.-A new report from the Agents Council for Technology outlines how agents would like to receive electronic communications from insurers for specific types of notices and transactions. ACT's recommendations aim at achieving...

On the Move.(Industry News)(American International Group Inc.)(Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association)(Humana Inc.)
March 1, 2006... Louisville, Ky.-based Humana Inc. has named James E. Murray to the newly created position of corporate chief operating officer. Mr. Murray previously was the company's COO for its market and business segment operations. Detroit-based Blue...

Mesirow acquires settlement firm.(Industry News)(Mesirow Financial Holdings Inc. acquire's Settlement Planning Associates L.L.C.)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... CHICAGO-Financial services firm Mesirow Financial Holdings Inc. has acquired Settlement Planning Associates L.L.C., a boutique structured settlement firm that provides settlement planning services to insurance companies, federal and local...

Insight from the claims department.(Last Word)
March 1, 2006... Byline: George F. Berg Having kicked off 2006 with an article for this esteemed publication, I am pleased to offer further insights garnered from my many years in the honorable profession called "Claims.'' Mediation as a Tool to Save...

Competition open to insurance marketers.(Industry News)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Again this year, the Insurance Marketing Communications Assn. Showcase Awards competition is open to all firms in the insurance industry, not just IMCA members. The competition, which typically attracts more than 400 entries, is open to...

Countrywide COO is recognized for commitment to career excellence.(Industry News)(Doreen DeLaney)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... CALABASAS, Calif.-Doreen DeLaney, chief operations officer of Countrywide Insurance Group, was recently named a Corporate Trailblazer by Minorities in Business Magazine. As Countrywide's COO, Ms. DeLaney provides oversight and strategic...

St. Peter's College offers ERM as part of MBA track.(Industry News)(Enterprise risk management)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Byline: Michael Bradford JERSEY CITY, N.J.-Enterprise risk management is becoming part of the accounting curriculum at St. Peter's College. This month, the school began offering an ERM course for students pursuing a master of business...

Hartford practice group to help streamline underwriting process.(Industry News)(Hartford Financial Services Group Inc.)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... HARTFORD, Conn.-The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. has formed a new technology practice group to serve companies in the technology industry. Based at the company's home office in Hartford, Conn., the new group is staffed by a team...

Lexington site expands online training.(Industry News)(Lexington Insurance Co.)(www.epl select.com)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... NEW YORK-Lexington Insurance Co., part of New York-based American International Group Inc. has expanded the online training available through its Web site, for customers carrying employment practices liability insurance. The site,...

Former AIG chief Greenberg shares views of industry.(Feature)(Maurice R. Greenberg, former chairman and chief executive officer of American International Group Inc)(Interview)
March 1, 2006... NEW YORK-Maurice R. Greenberg, former chairman and chief executive officer of American International Group Inc., not only is looking forward to defending himself against charges of false accounting that led to his ouster at AIG last March, he...

Capitol taps InsuranceNoodle as agent.(Industry News)(Capitol Indemnity Corp.)(Capitol Specialty Insurance Corp.)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... CHICAGO-Online insurance broker InsuranceNoodle has been appointed a general agent of Capitol Indemnity Corp. and Capitol Specialty Insurance Corp. The appointment covers specific states and classes of business that the Madison, Wis.-based...

Policy pileup in Washington state over law and the underinsured.(Feature)
March 1, 2006... Byline: Meg Fletcher OLYMPIA, Wash.-Insurers will no longer be able to exploit a loophole in Washington's state law that one underwriter tried to use to deny paying the claim of a woman who was severely injured in a motor vehicle pileup....

BUILDING BETTER BENEFITS; Health insurers must go beyond relying only on consumer directed plans to battle rising costs.(Cover Focus: Benefits & Financial Services)
March 1, 2006... Byline: Meg Fletcher Traditional health insurers may lose ground as the health care industry becomes more efficient and more focused on consumers, some consultants and insurers predict. For all the attention given to an emphasis on...

Billing infrastructures due for major IT improvement.(Tech Focus)(Information technology)
March 1, 2006... Byline: Rodd Zolkos Faced with rising expectations from customers, agents and brokers, insurers increasingly see billing as more than a financial issue-a view that is shaping their information technology investments, a recent survey...

IQX Renewal links with legacy systems.(Tech Focus)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... OTTAWA, Ontario-Global IQX Inc., a provider of component-based sales and service systems for group benefits insurers, has released a new product, IQX Renewal, the company says will link with insurers' legacy systems to streamline renewals. ...

Gatherings.(Feature)(Allied World Assurance Company Ltd.)(Catlin Group)
March 1, 2006... Byline: Rupal Parekh Held last month in Southampton, Bermuda, the seventh biennial World Insurance Forum was attended by top executives from several major insurance, reinsurance, brokerage and financial services firms. Having faced...

Three Questions.(Lloyd's of London)(Interview)
March 1, 2006... Peter Levene, Lord Levene of Portsoken, has been chairman of Lloyd's of London since 2002 and is the first chairman in Lloyd's history to have been chosen outside of the market. During a recent visit to Bermuda-where he spoke at the World...

Industry attempts to back up HSA hype.(Cover Focus: Benefits & Financial Services)(Health savings accounts)
March 1, 2006... Byline: Louise Kertesz Health savings accounts are enjoying a level of publicity undreamed of when other "alphabet soup'' products-HMOs, PPOs and POSs-were introduced as solutions to the nation's health insurance problems. President...

SunGard puts products under iWORKS brand.(Tech Focus)(SunGard Insurance Systems)
March 1, 2006... WAYNE, Pa.-SunGard Data Systems Inc. has brought its entire family of insurance products together under a single global brand, SunGard iWORKS. The move represents a coordinated strategy across all the company's insurance products,...

THE QUOTE.(Industry News)
March 1, 2006... 'We feel very convinced that when broad consumerism is married with robust health advocacy programs it absolutely reduces spending and it does so by taking cost out of the system by attacking root causes.' Tom Richards Senior VP and...

Turks & Caicos to add protected cell captives.(Spotlight: Self-Insurance & Captive Management)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Byline: DOUGLAS McLEOD GRAND TURK, Turks & Caicos Islands-The Turks & Caicos captive industry expanded slowly last year, adding 11 new insurers. At the same time, nine licensed captives ceased doing business, leaving the domicile with...

Guernsey considering incorporated cell units.(Spotlight: Self-Insurance & Captive Management)
March 6, 2006... Byline: SARAH VEYSEY ST. PETER PORT, Guernsey-The U.K. crown dependency of Guernsey is set to introduce legislation that would pave the way for so-called "incorporated cell companies,'' a version of the protected cell company structure...

Competition cited for slowdown in Hawaii.(Spotlight: Self-Insurance & Captive Management)
March 6, 2006... Byline: ROBERTO CENICEROS HONOLULU-Captive growth in Hawaii slowed last year, with the Aloha State claiming 158 licensed facilities at the end of 2005, up from 147 the prior year. Hawaii licensed 18 captives last year, but the domicile...

Comings & Goings - Industry.(Derek A. Smyth joined Willis Group Holdings Ltd.)(Andrew J. Pinkes joined Hartford Financial Services Group Inc.)(Rogal & Hobbs Co. appointed William F. Creedon)
March 6, 2006... Brokers: Ames & Gough Inc., a McLean, Va.-based broker and risk management consultant, has named Dan Knise president and chief executive officer. Previously, he was an equity partner. Richmond, Va.-based Hilb Rogal & Hobbs Co. has...

Captive growth cools as market options rise.(captive insurance companies)
March 6, 2006... Byline: JERRY GEISEL The captive insurance company market is cooling off. Captive formations last year in many of the world's largest domiciles were down sharply from the pace of the prior two years when several major domiciles...

Between the Lines; Disparaging words for consultants.(Despair Inc. )(workplace smoking ban effects employee medical benefits according to the report by Hewitt Inc. )
March 6, 2006... Byline: Compiled by Joanne Wojcik Playwright Oscar Wilde may have said "life is too important to be taken seriously,'' but that philosophy is also apparent at Despair Inc., a Web-based company that makes its money mocking motivational...

Former Gen Re execs drop APRA appeals.(Australia Prudential Regulation Authority)(Geoffrey Barnum and Christopher Byatt of General Re Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Byline: Sarah Veysey SYDNEY, Australia-Two former senior executives at General Re Corp.'s Australian operations last Wednesday withdrew their legal challenge to their disqualification by the country's insurance regulator because of their...

Forum draws 328 to Bermuda.(world insurance forum)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda-The biennial World Insurance Forum attracted 328 attendees from Europe, Australia, the United States and Bermuda itself. Held Feb. 21-23 at the Fairmont Southampton Princess Hotel in Southampton, Bermuda, the opening...

BI to launch magazine for European market.(Crain Communications Inc. introducing Business Insurance Europe magazine)
March 6, 2006... NEW YORK-Crain Communications Inc. announced today it will launch Business Insurance Europe, a London-based, biweekly news magazine focused on news, trends and issues of interest to corporate risk management executives in Europe. Staffed...

Hardening market may boost Bermuda captives.(spotlight on captive insurance companies)
March 6, 2006... Byline: RUPAL PAREKH HAMILTON, Bermuda-The world's largest captive domicile saw captive numbers dip in 2005 as a result of softening commercial rates and competition from other domiciles. Although commercial property insurance rates...

Industry must prepare for sunset of TRIA.(says Emil Henry at the Networks Financial Institute at Indiana State University's annual insurance summit)(Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Byline: Mark A. Hofmann The insurance industry needs to prepare for the end of federal involvement in terrorism insurance. Emil Henry, assistant secretary of the Treasury for financial institutions, made it clear that the Bush...

Vermont sees steady growth as domestic options expand.(Spotlight: Self-Insurance & Captive Management)
March 6, 2006... Byline: MICHAEL BRADFORD MONTPELIER, Vt.-Captive formations in Vermont have settled to a pace that captive managers and regulators expect will continue for a while. The domicile issued 37 new captive licenses in 2005, down from 43 the...

Cayman sees influx of captive management firms.(spotlight on self-insurance & captive management)(Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. opened an office)(case against PFA Assurance Group Ltd.)(JLT Risk Solutions Ltd. sold to USA Risk Group Ltd.)(Industry Overview)
March 6, 2006... Byline: Douglas McLeod GEORGE TOWN, Grand Cayman-The Cayman Islands' captive management ranks have seen several changes in recent months as new managers have set up offices and an established company has sold its business and shut down....

South Carolina regulator says market maturing.(spotlight on self-insurance & captive management)
March 6, 2006... Byline: SALLY ROBERTS COLUMBIA, S.C.-South Carolina's young captive insurance industry attracted 21 new insurers in 2005, further enhancing the state's status as a viable alternative to more established domiciles. At the end of 2005,...

BVI managers reorganize in push for growth.(spotlight on self-insurance & captive management)(BVI Insurance Association)(British Virginia Islands)
March 6, 2006... Byline: JOANNE WOJCIK TORTOLA, British Virgin Islands-Following last year's record growth, the British Virgin Islands is continuing to hold its own as one of the world's leading captive domiciles. BVI's director of insurance, Michael...

Some new domestic domiciles drawing clients.(spotlight on self-insurance & captive management)
March 6, 2006... Byline: SALLY ROBERTS Companies have more choices than ever when it comes to choosing a domicile for their captive insurance entities. And while the lure of such established domiciles as Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and Vermont remains...

Growth in exempt companies slows in Barbados.(spotlight on captive insurance companies)
March 6, 2006... Byline: GLORIA GONZALEZ BRIDGETOWN, Barbados-Captive growth in Barbados in 2005 was sluggish due to a softening insurance market, fierce competition from other domiciles and companies restructuring their captives. In 2004, Barbados...

Cayman's new captives not limited to health care.(captive insurance companies)
March 6, 2006... Byline: DOUGLAS McLEOD GEORGE TOWN, Grand Cayman-The Cayman Islands' captive industry has seen growth on several fronts in the past year, with the addition of new captive and management companies, the creation of the domicile's first open...

Health care stop-loss insurers continuing to get premium hikes.(spotlight: self-insurance & captive management)
March 6, 2006... Byline: MICHAEL BRADFORD Stop-loss insurance for self-funded health plans is going through its yearly round of rate hikes, a process so commonplace that increases of 25% are not significant enough to generate much hand wringing. "We're...

Integro's recruiting efforts trigger lawsuit from Aon.(Aon Corp. filed a case against Integro Ltd. for violating employment agreements)
March 6, 2006... Byline: SALLY ROBERTS ATLANTA-After raiding talent from the world's biggest brokers over the past year, Integro Ltd. is now facing litigation over its efforts to build a large-account brokerage from scratch. Aon Corp. last month sued...

Trucker regulation faces challenge; Review of time rule requested.(working hours)(Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration )
March 6, 2006... Byline: MICHAEL BRADFORD WASHINGTON-The federal government's hours-of-service rule for truckers is being challenged by public advocacy groups and a union that charge the regulations will harm the health of drivers and create unsafe highway...

Mississippi backs off RRG licensing requirement; Change to legislation avoids clash over scope of regulators' authority.(risk retention group)
March 6, 2006... Byline: JERRY GEISEL JACKSON, Miss.-Mississippi legislators are moving away from a controversial risk retention group licensing bill that could have triggered a legal battle with the RRG industry. The controversy was ignited in...

New group seeks to boost profile of catastrophe management field.(The International Society of Catastrophe Managers )(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Byline: MICHAEL BRADFORD WASHINGTON-Catastrophe management professionals have a new association to call their own. The International Society of Catastrophe Managers held its first board meeting late last month at a catastrophe modeling...

Starr Tech MGA inks deals with ACE, Berkshire; Agency will compete with AIG on energy.(Starr Technical Risks Agency contract with ACE USA and Berkshire Hathaway Inc.)(case between Starr International Co. and American Insurance Group Inc. over shares)
March 6, 2006... Byline: JUDY GREENWALD NEW YORK-Managing general agency Starr Technical Risks Agency said last week it will begin to offer commercial insurance coverage by ACE USA and Berkshire Hathaway Group, a move that observers say will bring welcome...

Due process is overdue.(American International Group Inc. sued by Maurice R. Greenberg for obtaining report)
March 6, 2006... FORMER AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL Group Inc. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Maurice R. Greenberg was expected this week may finally see a copy of an internal AIG report, but not before the legal contortions surrounding his access to such...

Federal charter option for insurers unlikely this year, lawmaker says; But regulatory reform efforts gaining steam.
March 6, 2006... Byline: MARK A. HOFMANN WASHINGTON-Congress is unlikely to pass legislation on insurance regulation this year that would allow insurers to choose federal rather than state charters, according to a key member of the House Financial Services...

Part D exaggerations not needed.(medicare plans)(Editorial)
March 6, 2006... Is the Medicare Part D prescription drug program a success? With the program now only in its third month, the short answer is that it is too soon to say. That said, we wish members of both political parties would cool their rhetoric. ...

Irish pension regulator may get more power; Bill would let ombudsman levy fines without litigation.(social welfare law reform and pensions bill)
March 6, 2006... Byline: SARAH VEYSEY DUBLIN, Ireland-The Irish pension regulator would be granted expanded powers-including the ability to fine employers-under legislation expected to become law later this year. In addition, the measure, currently...

Australia bars claims of negligence under federal trade laws.(insurance industry)(Trade Practices Act)
March 6, 2006... Byline: ELIZABETH FRY CANBERRA, Australia-Restrictions on negligence claims that have already been incorporated into state laws in Australia will be extended to federal law under a measure the Australian parliament passed late last month....

Panel discusses regulation obstacles.(World Insurance Forum)(political involvement in insurance industry)(Panel Discussion)
March 6, 2006... Byline: RUPAL PAREKH SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda-An increasingly global economy calls for global insurance standards, but broadening existing rules is a thorny process that will take years to achieve, regulators say. During a panel at the...

Converium says insufficient risk transferred.(Converium Holding Ltd.)
March 6, 2006... Byline: SARAH VEYSEY ZUG, Switzerland-In announcing its restatement of results for several years, Converium Holding Ltd. acknowledged that it had determined that several nontraditional reinsurance transactions had to be reclassified as...

Luxembourg totals shrink as competition increases; List of rival E.U. domiciles expands.(spotlight on captive management companies)
March 6, 2006... Byline: CAROLYN ALDRED LUXEMBOURG-The number of captives licensed in the small European state of Luxembourg declined last year, to 208 from 219, due to competition from other domiciles, as well as changes in the business world. For...

Converium restatements leave questions lingering; Potential for regulator, shareholder actions.(News)
March 6, 2006... Byline: SARAH VEYSEY ZUG, Switzerland-Converium Holding Ltd.'s restatement last week of its financials for several years to correct improper accounting for finite reinsurance transactions has resolved some of the questions that have been...

Dublin managers readying for law to mandate funds for reinsurers.(Spotlight: Self-Insurance & Captive Management)
March 6, 2006... Byline: SARAH VEYSEY DUBLIN, Ireland-Captive managers and regulators in Dublin are gearing up for the implementation of the European Union's reinsurance directive, which will introduce the regulation of reinsurance captives when it is...

Growth is slow in Isle of Man.(Spotlight: Self-Insurance & Captive Management)
March 6, 2006... Byline: CAROLYN ALDRED DOUGLAS, Isle of Man-The consolidation of captive parents and the redomestication to other domiciles of several captives have led to a decrease in the number of captive insurance companies in the Isle of Man. At...

CICA to present first service award to captives expert Hugh Rosenbaum.(News)(Captive Insurance Cos. Association)
March 6, 2006... Byline: MICHAEL BRADFORD ORLANDO, Fla.-D. Hugh Rosenbaum, one of the foremost experts in captives and self-insurance, will receive the Captive Insurance Cos. Assn.'s first Distinguished Service Award at the group's conference this week....

Updates; Storms, reserves hit Swiss Re profits.(World)
March 6, 2006... Swiss Reinsurance Co. posted net income of 1.45 billion Swiss francs ($1.10 billion) for 2005, down 41% from 2004, due in part to natural catastrophe losses of about 1.1 billion Swiss francs ($836.6 million), after releases from catastrophe...

Marsh Ltd. replacing 'final salary' plan; Non-U.S. pensions are underfunded.(World)
March 6, 2006... Byline: Sarah Veysey LONDON-Marsh Ltd., the U.K. arm of Marsh Inc., is replacing its defined benefit pension plan based on final salary with a plan whose benefits will be calculated on a "career revalued'' basis. A Marsh Ltd....

CEOs predict more new market players.(world insurance forum)(Panel Discussion)
March 6, 2006... Byline: RUPAL PAREKH SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda-Despite concentrated capital among the world's biggest reinsurers, and major changes to the insurance brokerage business prompted by recent investigations, the industry will continue to attract new...

Greenberg must wait for AIG report.(News)
March 6, 2006... Byline: Rupal Parekh NEW YORK-A New York judge last week delayed the release of an internal American International Group Inc. report to Maurice R. Greenberg, AIG's former chairman and chief executive officer, after a federal prosecutor...

Court bars airline's 9/11 recovery bid.(US Airways Group Inc. vs. PMA Capital Insurance Co.)(business interruption coverage)
March 6, 2006... Byline: JUDY GREENWALD RICHMOND, Va.-An airline that lost revenues in the grounding of planes after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks cannot recover under both its business interruption coverage and a federal act intended to compensate...

High court ruling lowers award in sexual harassment case.(in the case of Ralphs Grocery Co. and Dianne Gober)(punitive damages)
March 6, 2006... Byline: Roberto Ceniceros SAN DIEGO-Plaintiffs in a sexual harassment case should receive punitive damages that represent a 6-to-1 ratio between punitive and compensatory damages, and not a much larger amount awarded by a jury, a...

Late News; Senate names conferees for pension reform bill.(Senate Republican and Democratic formed a conference committee)(Quanta Capital Holdings Ltd. rated as B++)(Lockton Cos. open an office)
March 6, 2006... Breaking a long deadlock, Senate Republican and Democratic leaders Friday named members to a congressional conference that will soon meet to try to work out a compromise pension funding reform bill. Setting up the conference committee-which has...

Directory of world captive domiciles.(Spotlight: Self-Insurance & Captive Management)
March 6, 2006... The following charts were developed by Business Insurance to help risk managers track developments and regulatory requirements in captive domiciles worldwide. The information is provided for domiciles with specific captive legislation or...

Greenberg obtains AIG internal report.(News)(American International Group Inc)(Maurice R. Greenberg)
March 13, 2006... Byline: RUPAL PAREKH NEW YORK-After a series of courtroom battles, American International Group Inc. has turned over an internal AIG report to its former chairman and chief executive officer, Maurice R. Greenberg. Mr. Greenberg and his...

RRG problems averted.(Editorial)(Risk Retention Group )
March 13, 2006... If risk managers need proof that early intervention in the legislative process can prevent problems later on, they need only look at the lobbying by the risk retention group industry on a sloppily drafted bill introduced in the Mississippi...

Should excess capital aid risk managers? Panel discusses options for insurers.
March 13, 2006... Byline: SARAH VEYSEY LONDON-Insurers should use excess capital to reduce premiums for policyholders or to subsidize loss prevention programs, a leading European risk manager said. Such actions would ease pressure on risk managers from...

Health care coalitions around the nation.(Benefits Management)(Brief article)
March 13, 2006... As health care benefit issues continue to gain strategic importance for employers of all sizes, Business Insurance has compiled its first Directory of Health Care Coalitions, as a resource for employers nationwide. The directory is...

Moderating pharmacy cost trends help boost managed care earnings.(News)
March 13, 2006... Byline: GLORIA GONZALEZ Managed care companies reported solid earnings growth in 2005 as commercial health care costs were kept in check by the implementation of a range of cost-control efforts. As a result of those efforts, commercial...

'Push' and 'pull' in enterprise risk management.(News)
March 13, 2006... Byline: John J. Hampton Everybody knows risks must be managed in an integrated program across the enterprise. Silos do not encourage a broad perspective on risk. Concurrently, members of boards of directors are intrigued by efforts to...

Provider performance reports benefit employers; Measurement efforts urge improvement in value of care.(Benefits Management)
March 13, 2006... Byline: GLORIA GONZALEZ As part of their efforts to improve the quality of health care, a handful of health care coalitions are creating and distributing reports measuring the performance of physicians and hospitals. The reports create...

Program aids benefit managers in buying quality health care.(Benefits Management)
March 13, 2006... Byline: JUDY GREENWALD The College for Advanced Management of Health Benefits' name may not fit neatly on a sweatshirt, but it more than fulfills its mission of helping benefit managers make better health care purchasing decisions, say...

Coalitions seeking correct mix on health care issues Groups emphasize value in drive to reform system.(Benefits Management)
March 13, 2006... Byline: LOUISE KERTESZ Escalating health care costs over the past three decades have given employers the impetus to transform the health care coalition movement from local organizations that aim to improve community-based health resources...

Late News; Spitzer reportedly nears more settlements.(Aon makes layoffs)(pension fund bill)(Rich Banas joins Catlin Group Ltd)
March 13, 2006... New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is reportedly in the late stages of talks with various U.S. and non-U.S. insurers and brokers to settle investigations related to contingent commissions and the misuse of finite insurance products. Late...

JLT launches review of business.(World)(Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group P.L.C)
March 13, 2006... Byline: SARAH VEYSEY LONDON-Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group P.L.C. is undergoing a review as it faces tougher operating conditions in the wake of U.S. probes into brokerage practices. The London-based broker was not forced to make the...

Updates; Tribunal upholds exec's disqualification.(World)(David Slee v HIH Insurance Ltd)(employment termination case)(Lloyd's of London been evaluated)(Aon Ltd v Heath Lambert Group )(breach of contract case)
March 13, 2006... The Australian Administrative Appeals Tribunal has upheld the disqualification of David Slee, a former consulting actuary to the failed HIH Insurance Ltd., from holding the position of actuary at any property/casualty insurer in Australia. Mr....

Ohio court limits relief for fetal testing error; Compensation denied for costs of raising disabled child.(News)(wrongful birth and medical malpractice case)(Schirmer vs. Mt. Auburn)
March 13, 2006... Byline: JUDY GREENWALD COLUMBUS, Ohio-An Ohio Supreme Court's decision in a so-called "wrongful birth'' case that limits damages to the cost of pregnancy and birth expenses, finds liability on much narrower grounds than have several other...

N.Y. boat operators face coverage law.(News)(New York )(marine liability coverage)
March 13, 2006... Byline: RUPAL PAREKH ALBANY, N.Y.-Commercial boat operators in New York may be compelled to buy marine liability coverage, under legislation being considered in the state. New York lawmakers this month announced competing plans for...

Products & Services; Hartford adds E&O cover for real estate brokers.(News)(errors and omissions policy)(Guided2Health starts wellness program)(AI Risk Specialist Insurance Inc introduces special-events liability insurance program)
March 13, 2006... HARTFORD, Conn.-The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. is offering an errors and omissions policy for small to midsize real estate brokers. The real estate E&O liability product was designed to offer broad coverage to real estate firms...

BHCAG effort identifies steps communities can take.(Buyers Health Care Action Group)(Brief article)
March 13, 2006... Byline: Joanne Wojcik In addition to working with providers to improve health care quality, the Buyers Health Care Action Group is working with health plans to identify communitywide opportunities for improvement. The effort is being...

Coalition project cost an obstacle for employers.(Benefits Management)(Employers Health Purchasing Corp.)(Brief article)
March 13, 2006... Byline: Joanne Wojcik While this handful of coalitions has gotten the employer buy-in needed to launch, employers' reluctance to pay more for health care services has been one of the biggest obstacles to many coalition-led...