Best's Review articles from March 2009

Best's Review archives from March 2009

Sales leads in 2009.(From the Editor's Desk)
March 1, 2009... The current economic climate makes quality sales leads more important than ever for agents. Our cover stow, "Contact Me," page 26, takes a look at the 21st century's version of the cold call--online aggregator-generated sales leads. Many agents...

A quick conversation on Financial Risk Management.(Best's Review Online)(Audit Integrity Inc.)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Watch Jack Zwingli, chief executive officer for Audit Integrity Inc., discuss how his company's work in forensic financial analysis is helping insurers spot companies that are in economic trouble.

Monster trucks bring monstrous liability.(Briefing: Highlights From BestWeek)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Two recent deaths at different monster truck rallies in eight days highlight the risks that monster truck operators, promoters, venues and even sponsors can face--and the need for them all to have adequate liability insurance and risk...

37 catastrophes hit in '08.(Briefing: Highlights From BestWeek)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... The highest frequency of catastrophes in a decade resulted in insurers paying homeowners and businesses about $25.2 billion for property losses in 2008, according to ISO's Property Claim Services unit. Insured property losses in 2008 were...

"I say, 'goodbye, State Farm.'".(WORTH REPEATING)(State Farm Florida Insurance Co. leaving the property and casualty insurance business)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... "I say, 'Goodbye, State Farm.'" --Mike Gold, chief executive of People's Trust Insurance Co., one of about 40 new insurers to enter Florida since 2007. Gold said his firm will gain customers now that State Farm, Florida's largest writer of...

Power outages freeze state.(Kentucky Ice)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: POWER OUTAGES FREEZE STATE: An ice storm in Kentucky piled claims on the state's largest writer of property insurance, just a few months after remnants of Hurricane Ike tore through the area. Kentucky Farm...

Committee issues 'Beach Plan' report.(Briefing: Highlights From BestWeek)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... A special North Carolina committee charged with finding solutions to coastal insurance woes recommended the state's Beach Plan lower its maximum property coverage in order to limit potential liabilities. But it deferred to the legislature key...

European insurers face difficult '09.(Briefing: Highlights From BestWeek)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Europe's insurance companies are facing a number of difficulties in 2009, according to a market outlook report from financial services consultant Ernst & Young. The study said the biggest challenge is the ongoing financial crisis, which is...

Hong Kong favors traditional cover.(Briefing: Highlights From BestWeek)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Hong Kong life insurance purchasers moved away from life insurance policies with savings features and into "pure" life policies in 2008, a survey has found. HSBC banking group found the number of new, pure life insurance and term life...

Best's Review's stats & numbers.(Briefing: Highlights From BestWeek)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... BEST'S REVIEW'S STATS & NUMBERS Ticket to Ride ISO's Quality Planning Corp. studied 1.7 million driving records and confirmed that some vehicles are police magnets-as well as expensive to insure. 5 Most-ticketed * ...

PICC Property and Casualty Co. Ltd.(Property/Casualty)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... PICC PROPERTY and Casualty Co. Ltd., the largest nonlife insurer in China, said it is the sole underwriter for all insurance on the construction project for China Central Television's fire-damaged ancillary cultural center in Beijing. Total...

Florida Insurance Commissioner.(Workers' Comp)(Kevin McCarty)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... FLORIDA INSURANCE COMMISSIONER Kevin McCarty will approve a workers' compensation rate increase of 6.4% starting April 1, reflecting an October ruling by the state Supreme Court that claimant attorneys must be granted reasonable fees in...

Once prominent.(Legal)(Richard Scruggs pleaded guilty of bribery plot)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... ONCE PROMINENT attorney Richard "Dickie" Scruggs, who had taken on the insurance industry following Hurricane Katrina, has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges he took part in another judicial bribery plot. He was sentenced to seven years...

Fortunes reversed: Dow tops P/C Index.(By the Numbers: Recently published Special Reports from A.M. Best Company)(Dow Jones Industrial Average)(property/casualty and life/health insurance )(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... In 2008 global insurance stocks, measured by A.M. Best's Global Insurance Composite Stock Index (AMBG), fell 47.2%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 33.8%. Traditionally, property/casualty and life/health insurance stocks...

Economy hurts U.S. life/health.(By the Numbers: Recently published Special Reports from A.M. Best Company)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... U.S. life/health insurers' ratings were relatively unscathed at the beginning of the economic downturn in 2007, but 2008 brought a quick reversal. The global economic crisis--specifically, the damage inflicted on insurers' investment...

Health insurers to feel pressure.(By the Numbers: Recently published Special Reports from A.M. Best Company)
March 1, 2009... Health insurers enter 2009 with a host of challenges. A.M. Best's negative outlook on the sector reflects the uncertain economic environment, which may result in declining enrollment and lower investment income for the industry. (Recession,...

Meetings.(Briefing)(Calendar)(Conference notes)
March 1, 2009... March 10-11 America's Health Insurance Plans: AHIP 2009 NationalPolicy Forum, Washington, D.C. Web site: www.ahip.org March 15-18 National Association of Insurance Commissioners: NAIC Spring 2009 National Meeting, San Diego. Web...

Correction.(Briefing)(Correction notice)
March 1, 2009... SILA is the Securities and Insurance Licensing Association, based in Indianapolis (www.sila.org). The association was mislabeled in a Feb. 2009 story, "A Form For All Reasons."

A.M. Best's stock indexes.(Briefing: Stock Watch)(Statistical table)(Company rankings)
March 1, 2009... A.M. Best's stock indexes Four Weeks Ended February 6, 2009 (Dec. 31, 2004=1,000,00) The "AMB" vs. the "Dow" Percent Change Index Month/ Year to Year/...

Coalition files suit to block SEC indexed annuities rule.(Briefing: Stock Watch)(Securities and Exchange Commission)
March 1, 2009... The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission overstepped its statutory authority by promulgating a rule that would define most indexed annuities as securities products, a lawsuit filed by a coalition of life insurers and marketing organizations...

Insurance jobs.(Briefing: Employment)(Statistical table)
March 1, 2009... The U.S. insurance industry shed 2,500 positions in January, as the overall unemployment rate surged to a 17-year high, according to seasonally adjusted data released Feb. 6 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. For the month the industry's...

Career wise.(Briefing: Employment)(leadership roles)
March 1, 2009... Question: In regards to the challenging race to capture market share in the retirement space, what are the trends relative to talent? A highly competitive race has emerged and will continue to bring convergence within the insurance, mutual...

Aon Corp.(Agent/Broker)(appointment of Mark Oshima)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... AON CORP. has named MARK OSHIMA senior vice president of corporate transactions for its global consulting office. He will take up his new post with Aon Consulting Worldwide, the management and staffing consultancy for the Chicago-based global...

Willis Group Holdings Ltd.(Agent/Broker)(Bill Donovan and Adam Garrard appointed)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... WILLIS GROUP HOLDINGS LTD. has named ADAM GARRARD chief executive officer of its European continental business. Garrard, most recently the chief executive of Willis Group's Australasian business in Sydney, Australia, will work in Germany. ...

Lassiter Ware Insurance.(Health/Employee Benefits)(appointment of John A. Turner)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Leesburg, Fla.-based LASSITER WARE INSURANCE has named JOHN A. TURNER as the executive vice president for its employee benefits division. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Turner was president of the Orlando, Fla.-based J. Rolfe Davis Insurance...

Coventry Health Care Inc.(Health/Employee Benefits)(appointment of Allen Wise)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... COVENTRY HEALTH CARE INC. named former chief executive officer and current chairman ALLEN WISE successor to President and CEO DALE WOLF, who resigned. Wise was Coventry's president and CEO from 1996 through 2004 and served as its...

NAIC chief executive excited at role during 'historic time'.(People in Insurance)(Terri Vaughan new chief executive officer of National Association of Insurance Commissioners)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... The National Association of Insurance Commissioners' new chief executive officer, Terri Vaughan, said she is excited to be taking the helm of the organization "at a historic time for regulation." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With movements...

Medical Mutual of Ohio.(Health/Employee Benefits)(appointment of Rick Chiricosta)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... MEDICAL MUTUAL OF OHIO named RICK CHIRICOSTA president and chief executive officer. Chiricosta succeeds KENT CLAPP, who was killed, along with his fiancee, in December in a plane crash in Puerto Rico. Chiricosta is president of the life...

Aegon N.V.(Life)(appointment of Mark Mullin)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... AEGON N.V. named MARK MULLIN president of Aegon Americas. He will oversee operations in the United States, Canada and Latin America. Mullin was executive vice president of Aegon USA. He joined Aegon in 1987. PAT BAIRD, chief executive...

Max Capital Group Ltd.(Property/Casualty)(appointment of Susan Spivak Bernstein)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... MAX CAPITAL GROUP LTD. has named SUSAN SPIVAK BERNSTEIN senior vice president for investor relations. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Bernstein, a 20-year veteran of Susan Spivak property/casualty Bernstein insurance, comes to the Hamilton,...

Teachers Auto Insurance Co. of New Jersey.(Property/Casualty)(appointment of Marc V. Buro)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... TEACHERS AUTO INSURANCE CO. OF NEW JERSEY has named MARC V. BURO president. Along with his new duties at the automobile insurer, Buro will remain in his post as the vice president of marketing and distribution Marc V. Buro for High Point...

NAS Insurance Services.(Property/Casualty)
March 1, 2009... NAS INSURANCE SERVICES has named RICHARD J, ROBIN as its chief executive officer. Robin has served with NAS for 14 years.

American International Group Inc.(Property/Casualty)(Anastasia D. Kelly appointed)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL GROUP INC. has named ANASTASIA D. KELLY as vice chairwoman responsible for corporate affairs, communications and human resources, expanding her current role as executive vice president. Kelly retains the...

United America Indemnity Ltd.(Property/Casualty)(Charles F. Barr appointed)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... UNITED AMERICA INDEMNITY LTD. has named CHARLES F. BARR senior vice president and general counsel. A 30-year veteran of the legal and insurance worlds, Barr served most recently as the secretary and general counsel for the Hamilton,...

Hiscox Ltd.(Property/Casualty)(Jim Whetstone appointed)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... HISCOX LTD. has named JIM WHETSTONE as the senior vice president for global errors and omissions in its global markets division. Whetstone will work out of Chicago. He has served with Ace USA's professional risk office and with Aon Corp.'s...

Fireman's Fund Insurance Co.(Property/Casualty)(Eleanor Barnard appointed)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... FIREMAN'S FUND INSURANCE CO. has named ELEANOR BARNARD as its chief distribution officer. Most recently the chief marketing officer and head of distribution for Zurich Financial Services' North America office, Barnard has held senior-level...

Zurich Financial Services Group.(Property/Casualty)(appointment of Ian Parker)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... ZURICH FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP has named IAN PARKER as the chief executive of direct business for its Europe general insurance office. Parker takes his new post with the Zurich, Switzerland-based financial services company, where he had...

Property Casualty Insurers Association Of America.(Property/Casualty)(retirement of John Lobert)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... JOHN LOBERT, senior vice president for state government relations with the PROPERTY CASUALTY INSURERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, is retiring. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Lobert's retirement from the Des Plaines, Ill.-based insurance company...

Geico.(Property/Casualty)(Mike Campbell appointed)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... GEICO has named MIKE CAMPBELL senior vice president and chief financial officer. Campbell was due to assume his new posts after election by the company's board of directors. Campbell has sat on the company's board since 2005. Most...

Ulrich Wallin is to succeed Wilhelm Zeller as chief executive of German reinsurer Hannover Re and its subsidiary, E+S Ruckversicherung.(Reinsurance/Capital Markets)(HANNOVER Ruckversicherungs-AG)(Roland Vogel to replace Elke Konig)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... ULRICH WALLIN is to succeed WILHELM ZELLER as chief executive of German reinsurer HANNOVER RE and its subsidiary, E+S RUCKVERSICHERUNG. Wallin will take up his new position on July 1, the day after Zeller retires. Hannover Re also said...

In memoriam.(People in Insurance)(Jim Long)(In memoriam)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Former North Carolina Insurance Commissioner JIM LONG died Feb. 2 after suffering a stroke in the state capitol. He was 68. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Long won election to six terms as insurance commissioner before retiring recently after...

Job shifts: former AIG employees now with other insurers.(People in Insurance)(American International Group Inc.)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... A partial list of senior AIG officials who have left the company since December 2008, followed by their new positions: * Kevin Kelley, chairman and chief executive, Lexington Insurance Co.; chief executive, Ironshore Inc. * Shaun...

Beaming up the 'Biggest Trekkie'.(AUTO INSURANCE)(Esurance Inc. partners with Paramount Pictures Corp. for the release of new Star Trek film)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... ESURANCE is beaming into a new area, becoming a partner with Paramount Pictures' May 8th theatrical release of the new Star Trek film from director J.J. Abrams. As part of the partnership, the direct-to-consumer personal auto insurer...

Tournament of roses.(SPONSORSHIP)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE FARMERS INSURANCE GROUP OF COS. float was part of the 120th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade in January, marking the company's 50th year of participating in the event. Farmers also was the Official Insurance...

Nationwide insurance recently hired.(ADVERTISING)
March 1, 2009... NATIONWIDE INSURANCE RECENTLY HIRED a new ad agency to increase its reach to African Americans. The Columbus, Ohio-based company hired Carol H. Williams Advertising, which specializes in connecting to the influential African-American and urban...

Upgrade starts for Web tool.(SPOTLIGHT)(Transamerica Partner iSeries)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Transamerica Retirement Services has announced a series of enhancements to Transamerica Partner iSeries, a Web-based, virtually paperless plan administration tool for third party administrators. In addition to previously launched technology,...

ING goes direct with 403(b) plan.(Life)(ING Life Insurance and Annuity Co.)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ING Life Insurance and Annuity Co. has introduced the ING Educator's Direct 403(b) Program, a variable annuity available to educators in Delaware. The tax-sheltered annuity solely offers target-date maturity funds,...

Optum expands record-sharing.(Technology)(OptumHealth Inc.)(www.myOptumHealth.com)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... OptumHealth Inc., the health and wellness business of UnitedHealth Group, now provides a free portable personal health record that can be shared with physicians, family members and others. The PHR, available through www.myOptumHealth.com,...

Swiss Re product backs self-insureds.(Reinsurance)(Swiss Reinsurance Co.)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Swiss Re is launching a new product in the United States that provides benefits to companies who choose to self-fund their employees' health care plans. The company's Employer Stop Loss product provides coverage for catastrophic claims,...

Cinematic stunts insurable via Web.(Property/Casualty)(Abacus Insurance Brokers Inc.)(www.abacus.net)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Abacus Insurance Brokers Inc., a Los Angeles-based program manager that distributes specialty insurance products online through www.abacus.net, has enhanced its portfolio of production programs to include optional...

America's response to the recession.(SNAPSHOT)(Statistical table)(Survey)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Spending less on entertainment 75% Eating Out less often 74% Cutting back on holiday gifts 68% Reducing debt 55% Putting off a large purchase 53%...

Rating actions.(Ratings)(Statistical table)
March 1, 2009... This edition reflects all financial strength rating changes--assignments, changes or placed under review--that occurred for life, health and property/casualty insurers domiciled in North America, as well as non-U.S. insurance companies, since...

Contact me ... if you can: agents fell market's pull toward the often elusive online sales lead.(Agent/Broker: Online Leads)(Cover story)
March 1, 2009... After four decades in the insurance business, Ken McVickers isn't so sure his toughest year is behind him. "2009 will be even worse," McVickers predicted. "The telephones are dead around the entire area. Companies are starving for...

What Do You Know? Experienced employees often outshine even the brightest raw recruits.(Agent/Broker: Selling Insight)(Column)
March 1, 2009... During my 25 years in the insurance industry, I have watched companies engage in talent wars. Believing that individuals from Ivy League schools or prestigious companies were smarter or had innate talent, carriers aggressively recruited them....

Protective measures: parents with special-needs children turn to life insurers to provide for their kids' lifelong financial requirements.(Life: Financial Planning)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Parents and caregivers of children with disabilities are faced with all sorts of hurdles and pitfalls when it comes to financial and estate planning. Now some U.S. life insurers are targeting this niche market to...

Fine tuning: more-accurate technology is helping risk managers ramp up service and build business.(Technology: Risk Management)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Gathering more-precise field data with a Smartphone helped one insurer realize its modeled catastrophic risk exposure could vary up to 15% because of property risk characteristics that previously were not captured....

Breaking new ground: Alabama's captive plan aims to lower homeowners premiums in coastal areas and improve state tax revenues.(Property/Casualty: Captives)(Alabama Municipal Insurance Corp.)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Captive insurance companies traditionally insure commercial lines, but Alabama is on track to creating a new use--a captive that provides homeowners insurance to residents of its hurricane-exposed coastal...

Captive domiciles.(Property/Casualty: Captives)
March 1, 2009... Captive domiciles are usually formed through enabling legislation and must be prepared to take on the tasks of oversight and regulation. Domiciles may use different criteria to define captives. In some places, the law may permit captives, even...

Making the best of bad times: in an economic downturn, insurance carriers can help solve customers' problems so they're ready to compete in the next upturn.(Property/Casualty: Underwriting Insight)
March 1, 2009... In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens writes: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." This well-known opening line sums up what the insurance industry and our customers are experiencing right now. In these difficult...

Looking for trouble: with litigation rising, insurers advise companies to shore up their liability defenses.(Regulatory/Law: Directors & Officers Insurance)(Survey)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This could be a busy year for litigation, especially for financial services and insurance folks, as investors look to recoup their securities-fraud losses by tapping into the directors and officers or errors and...

Capital matters: access to new capital in 2009 will become more difficult and expensive in the current economic climate.(Reinsurance/Capital Markets: Reinsurance Renewals)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The January 2009 reinsurance renewal season has "survivor" written all over it. "The January renewals have shown that the global reinsurance industry has remained substantially unscathed by the unprecedented...

Steering through choppy waters: successful carriers learn to avoid distractions--such as the faltering economy, litigation trends, and perhaps their own hubris--to focus on the tasks at hand.(Property/Casualty: Loss/Risk Management Insight)
March 1, 2009... A retired ocean captain with more than 50 years of high-seas experience was asked by a new captain, "What one phrase has led to your success?" The venerable captain replied, "Left side is port, and right side is starboard." Or so the story...

Multiple choice: should global employers standardize their employee benefits packages?(Health/Employee Benefits: Global Employee Benefits)
March 1, 2009... For Informa's employees in India, private health insurance, flexible benefits and dependent coverage are top commodities. But in the United Kingdom, the international provider of information and services sees wellness programs such as gym...

Back to the drawing board: why do living benefit guarantees in variable annuities now cost more and protect less?(Life: Variable Annuities)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Hedging programs worked well in 2008's third quarter for variable annuity writers that offer guaranteed benefits. According to a research report by consulting firm Milliman Inc., hedging was about 93% effective...

Consider options in retirement planning: even in or near retirement, there are ways to improve one's financial situation.(Life: Underwriting Insight)
March 1, 2009... Saving and planning for retirement are important whether or not your clients are in what is called the Retirement Red Zone--the five years before and after retirement. For some, this time still will be a period for continued work, whether...

Remember the in IT: information and technology are meant to be equal partners.(Technology: Data Utilization)
March 1, 2009... Whatever the recent market turmoil and evolving business conditions may bring, one thing remains certain: Insurance and risk management remain information-based businesses, where advantage derives from better abilities to gather, analyze and...

Test run: U.S. life insurers must assess how their products measure up to a single reporting system for financial performance, risk and capital.(Life: Financial Reporting)
March 1, 2009... European life insurers are moving to manage their business on a market-consistent framework as a way to improve risk management and transparency. As a result, a new paradigm for measurement and reporting is emerging that will provide a...

Bond of a guarantee: the risk of a broken promise may have far-reaching consequences.(Life: Selling Insight)
March 1, 2009... The deepest financial crisis since the Great Depression has sucked the insurance industry and some of its most venerable companies into the maelstrom. The entire insurance industry has been financially weakened while highly respected industry...

Matching patterns: understanding how the costs for medical treatments change over time can lead to better forecasts.(Health/Employee Benefits: Medical Underwriting)
March 1, 2009... During initial medical underwriting, the goal is to make the best possible cost projection for the upcoming year of coverage. Most projections are based on past costs and current medical history. But evidence-based underwriting makes it...

Data done right: a poor approach to data management is risky business.(Technology: Technology Insight)
March 1, 2009... Insurance is a business of risks, and the proper management of an insurer's capital is critical to long-term survival and profitability. Financial institutions are looking for ways to improve confidence and transparency, as investors and...

Rescissionist history: a recent court decision clarifies when an insurer can rescind a policy.(Regulatory/Law: Legal Insight)
March 1, 2009... Generally, misstatements or concealment of any material facts in an application for insurance, even if unintentional, entitle the insurer to rescind the policy. Insurers, however, cannot rescind based on answers given where the applicant was...

Long-t[ERM] goals: insurers with fully deployed enterprise risk management programs avoided the brunt of the financial crisis.(Reinsurance/Capital Markets: Enterprise Risk Management)(Survey)
March 1, 2009... The fallout from the credit crisis is affecting financial services firms across the spectrum, including some of the nation's largest insurers. These events seemed to open the eyes of policymakers, regulators, rating agencies and insurance...

Follow the money: IT expenditures should be treated like any other investment portfolio.(Technology: IT Investments)(information technology)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With uncertain returns from the financial markets and the need to fuel growth in a rapidly changing business environment, it will be imperative for insurance organizations to ensure that returns on information...

Changing course: economic hard times will alter the health benefits landscape for insurers, employers and workers.(Health/Employee Benefits: Group Health Care)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] During the 1992 presidential election, James Carville, one of President Clinton's campaign strategists, hung a sign in Clinton's Little Rock campaign headquarters that read: * Change vs. more of the same. *...

Aetna.(Health)(Aetna Life Insurance Co. v. college students)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... AETNA will pay in excess of $5 million to more than 73,000 college students who allegedly were underpaid in health insurance reimbursements, trader an agreement with the New York attorney general. The settlement involves more than 200...

Reliastar Life Insurance Co.(Life)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... RELIASTAR LIFE INSURANCE CO. has settled a lawsuit flied by a trustee representing movie star Heath Ledger's 3-year-old daughter, alleging Reliastar wrongfully delayed paying out a $10 million death benefit. Ledger, who played the Joker in...

Lured by improved prospects in the international energy and construction markets, New York-based Navigators Group Inc. has created a London-based unit to coordinate the underwriting of this big-ticket business.(Property/Casualty)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Lured by improved prospects in the international energy and construction markets, New York-based NAVIGATORS GROUP INC. has created a London-based unit to coordinate the underwriting of this big-ticket business. The new entity, NAVIGATORS...

Bermuda-based Maiden Insurance says its U.S. subsidiary has acquired the reinsurance operations of GMAC Insurance.(Reinsurance)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Bermuda-based MAIDEN INSURANCE says its U.S. subsidiary has acquired the reinsurance operations of GMAC INSURANCE. The acquired business will be known as MAIDEN RE, and based in Mount Laurel, N.J. As part of the agreement, two U.S.-licensed...

Catlin Group Ltd.(Reinsurance)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... CATLIN GROUP LTD. said it has added casualty facultative reinsurance to its Catlin U.S. portfolio. Scott Beall, director of casualty facultative reinsurance, will direct the design, development and implementation of the casualty...

State Farm to quit Florida residential P/C business.(Companies)
March 1, 2009... By the fourth quarter 2011, State Farm's residential property operations in Florida will be a memory, leaving behind about 1.2 million policies that state and industry officials hope the private market can absorb, as well as many unanswered...

A century of learning: the institutes: celebrating 100 years of an academic approach to the practice of insurance.(The Last Word)(Insurance Institute of America)(Organization overview)
March 1, 2009... April marks the 100th anniversary of the Insurance Institute of America, which along with the American Institute for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters are better known as the IIA and AICPCU or simply, "the Institutes." Together they...