Best's Review articles from September 2006

Best's Review archives from September 2006

The new face of risk.(Editor's Prologue)
September 1, 2006... The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, forced the insurance industry to acknowledge a new dimension of extreme risk. In numerous cases, the possibility of more attacks has caused insurers to decline risks they gladly would have accepted...

Is insurance industry crying wolf?(Comment, Katrina-Loss)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Once again the insurance industry is crying "wolf!" Rick Cornejo's recent article ("Katrina-Loss Lawsuits Over Flood Damage Threaten Insurance Market, Experts Say," page 16; the article first appeared in BestWeek, July 10, 2006) bemoans that...

Guaranty funds only part of security.(Comment)
September 1, 2006... (Editor's Note: The following letter is in response to A.M. Best's 2006 Annual Hurricane Study, highlights of which appeared in the July 2006 issue of Best's Review.) With the first post-Katrina hurricane season upon us, all eyes are...

Correction.(Comment)(Correction notice)
September 1, 2006... HealthMarkets' 2005 revenues were $2.1 billion. The figure was incorrect in the August 2006 issue of Best's Review.

Quote/unquote.(Comment)(Excerpt)
September 1, 2006... Excerpted from BESTWEEK "Catastrophe management we are continuing at a blistering pace. We're looking for other soft landings for our policyholders in Florida, but we haven't executed any to date." Tom Wilson, President and Chief...

New directors and officers battle looms over stock option backdating.(Briefing: Highlights From BestWeek)
September 1, 2006... Policyholder law firms are preparing for a major battle with insurers over the backdating of stock options. Anderson Kill & Olick P.C. is warning clients that insurance companies reflexively will look for ways to deny coverage, generally...

Congress passes pensions bill, estate-tax cut fails.(Briefing: Highlights From BestWeek)
September 1, 2006... For the second time in two months, an attempt by the U.S. Senate to enact permanent changes to the federal estate tax failed to overcome a procedural challenge. But the chamber was able to declare victory on its final vote of the 2006 summer...

San Francisco claims paid.(100 YEARS AGO in Best's Review)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The September 1906 issue of Best's Review reported that nearly three-fourths of the insurance losses from the Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire had been adjusted and paid. An estimation of total losses at the time was around $150 million,...

Risk retention groups keep growing.(By the Numbers)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Risk retention groups continued to show strong results through fiscal year 2005, according to the A.M. Best Co. Special Report Risk Retention Groups Continue to Sustain Operating Profitability. The comments in this report refer only to rated...

Domicile distribution, risk retention groups.(Table)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Domicile Distribution, Risk Retention Groups Domicile Percentage Count Vermont 48% 12 Hawaii 12% 3 Colorado 4% 1 Washington, D.C. ...

Risk retention groups 2005 key financial results.(insurance)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Risk Retention Groups 2005 Key Financial Results ($ Thousands) Net Net Policyholder Total Premiums Underwriting Net Surplus Assets Written ...

Risk retention groups, distribution by line of business.(Table)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Risk Retention Groups, Distribution by Line of Business Medical Malpractice Claims Made 41% Medical Malpractice Occurrence 3% Other Liability Occurrence 29% Commercial Auto Liability 2% Other Liability...

Meetings.(Briefing)
September 1, 2006... Meetings Sept. 13-16 National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices: Annual Convention, Hilton Chicago, Chicago. Phone: (816) 741-3910 Web site: www.napslo.org Sept. 14-15 Limra International: European...

Katrina-loss lawsuits over flood damage threaten insurance market, experts say.(Briefing)
September 1, 2006... Hurricane Katrina caused billions of dollars in insured losses. That alone has made insurers more cautious about hurricane-prone markets. But a slew of lawsuits against insurers over flood damage coverage threatens the Gulf Coast markets even...

Scottish re posts second-quarter loss, seeks options.(Briefing)
September 1, 2006... Hit by big tax expenses and adjustments to reserves and acquisition costs, Scottish Re Group Ltd. posted a second-quarter loss following the abrupt resignations of three key executives. The results were a "sharp departure" from the life...

Best's insurance stock indices (Dec. 31,2004 = 1,000.00).(Briefing)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Best's Insurance Stock Indices (Dec. 31, 2004 = 1,000.00) Four Weeks Ended August 10, 2006 Percent Change Index Month/ Year to...

USDA proposing changes to crop insurance.(United States' Department of Agriculture)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing to simplify its crop insurance program by eliminating five plans of insurance and replacing them with one. The USDA's Federal Crop Insurance Corp., via a Federal Register notice, is proposing...

International Space Brokers.(Benoit Condroyer appointed)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... INTERNATIONAL SPACE BROKERS has named BENOIT CONDROYER executive vice president. Most recently, Condroyer was director of the aerospace department at Willis Iberia in Madrid. Previously, he was vice president at Aon Space in Paris.

Integro.(Paul Lazar appointed)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Insurance broker INTEGRO has named PAUL LAZAR principal for the firm's Atlanta office. Most recently, Lazar was senior vice president and Southeast zone finance director for Marsh Inc.

Hartford Financial Services Group Inc.(Harry Monti promoted)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... HARTFORD FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP INC. has named HARRY MONTI senior vice president of benefit management services in its group benefits division. Monti joined the group benefits division in 2000. He was named assistant vice president in...

Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co.(Elaine Sarsynski appointed)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... MASSACHUSETTS MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE CO. has named executive vice president and chief administrative officer ELAINE SARSYNSKI head of MassMutual International. Sarsynski joined MassMutual in 2005 as senior vice president and chief...

New York Life Insurance Co.(John Cassagne promoted, Daniel O'Brien appointed)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... NEW YORK LIFE INSURANCE CO. elected JOHN CASSAGNE senior vice president of the group membership association division. The company also named DANIEL O'BRIEN vice president of group membership. Most recently, Cassagne was head of sales for...

Peter Gordon takes the reins at John Hancock Financial.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... John Hancock Financial Network has named Peter Gordon president, effective Sept. 1. As president, Gordon is responsible for the overall growth, expansion and profitability of the company. "I'm looking forward to working to bring great...

Prudential Financial Inc.(Bernard Jacob promoted)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... PRUDENTIAL FINANCIAL INC. has named BERNARD JACOB senior vice president and treasurer, effective Aug. 1. He joined Prudential in January 2002. In March 2004 he became senior financial officer for Prudential's domestic individual life and...

Medmarc Mutual Insurance Co.(Jaxon White retires, Mary Todd Peterson promoted)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... MEDMARC MUTUAL INSURANCE CO. said its chairman and chief executive officer, JAXON WHITE, is to retire from active service on Dec. 31. The company's board has named Chief Operating Officer MARY TODD PETERSON to succeed White as CEO. He will...

XL Capital Ltd.(Michael Lobdell, Kirstin Romann Gould, and Celia Brown appointed)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... XL CAPITAL LTD. has named MICHAEL LOBDELL chief executive of global business services, effective in September. The company also has named KIRSTIN ROMANN GOULD general counsel for corporate affairs and CELIA BROWN head of global human resources....

Safeco Corp.(Mike Hughes, Terri Dalenta, and Kim Garland appointed)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... SAFECO CORP. has named three executives to senior posts. MIKE HUGHES was named executive vice president of insurance operations. TERRI DALENTA has been appointed senior vice president of claims and service, and KIM GARLAND has been named...

Gab Robins Group.(Edward Troy promoted)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... GAB ROBINS GROUP has named EDWARD TROY chairman and chief executive officer. Troy will be responsible for the company's overall strategic direction and management of the company. He joined GAB Robins as president and chief executive...

Aon Re Global.(Roderick Thaler appointed)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... AON RE GLOBAL has named RODERICK THALER vice chairman and member of the company's operating board. Thaler will assume the leadership responsibilities of the company's global accounts initiative and other business activities. A 30-year...

Olympic star teams with life campaign.(LIFE INSURANCE, Hamilton, Scott)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST SCOTT HAMILTON is serving as the spokesperson for the third annual Life Insurance Awareness Month. Hamilton lost his mother to cancer when he was 19 and is also a cancer survivor. "Losing my mother and fighting my own...

A.M. Best, IMA present Ad Summit.(CONFERENCES)
September 1, 2006... A.M. BEST CO. and the INSURANCE MEDIA ASSOCIATION will host the 2006 Insurance Marketing and Advertising Summit on Nov. 3, at the University Club in New York City. Event sessions will include how to reach independent agents, brokers, benefits...

Taking a stand.(BRANDING)
September 1, 2006... ALLSTATE CORP. continues its corporate ads, which debuted in 2005, to inform opinion " leaders about the value of insurance and its vital importance to Americans. The second phase of the campaign covers a range of topics including showing...

Megabrand insurers.(BRANDING)(Statistical table)
September 1, 2006... Megabrand Insurers Five insurers landed in Advertising Age's ranking of the top 200 Megabrands for 2005. Ranking Measured U.S. Ad Spending 2005 2004 2005 2004...

EIAs surpass indexes.(SPOTLIGHT, Equity Indexed Annuity, Covenant Reliance Producers LLC)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... During two historic, long and lackluster stock-market periods, the right kind of equity-indexed annuity would have outperformed the Dow Jones Industrial Average, including reinvested dividends, according to Pete Winer, a chartered financial...

New coverage for B&B operators.(Property/Casualty, bed-and-breakfast program, Smith, Bell and Thompson, Swiss Re's Commercial Insurance )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Smith, Bell and Thompson, a distributor based in Vermont, has partnered with Swiss Re's Commercial Insurance to offer a bed-and-breakfast program for the innkeeper industry. Insurance lines offered will cover property, general liability,...

Hartford offers accountants cover.(Property/Casualty)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The Hartford Financial Services Group has introduced professional liability insurance for private accounting firms with up to 50 accounting professionals. The product provides protection when an action or a failure to take action results in...

Principal adds no-lapse UL.(Life, Universal Life Protector III, Principal Financial Group )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Principal Financial Group has added Universal Life Protector III to its broad portfolio of universal life products. It offers a guaranteed death benefit to age 121, issue ages to age 85, premium-payment options and other features. Principal...

Own-occupation covers disability.(Life, Berkshire Life Insurance Company offersc atastrophic benefit rider )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America now offers through its subsidiary, Berkshire Life Insurance Company of America, a catastrophic disability benefit rider to its ProVider Plus individual disability income policy, which provides...

Illness product has options.(Life, Critical Care Plus)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... American General Life Insurance Co., part of American International Group, has introduced Critical Care Plus, allegedly the first critical-illness plan in the industry with term options and the only standalone plan to cover loss of independent...

Snapshot.(New Products)
September 1, 2006... What Americans Know About Retirement Income 10% Can name safe annual retirement savings withdrawal rate of 4% 29% Incorrectly believe they can spend 10% or more of assets each year 40%...

Best's rating changes.(Ratings, Insurance companies)
September 1, 2006... This edition of Best's Rating Changes reflects all rating changes--assignments, changes or placed under review--that occurred for life, health and property/casualty insurers domiciled in North America, as well as international insurance...

On alert: wary insurers weigh modeling and reinsurance options against elevated terrorism risks.(Property/Casualty: Terrorism)
September 1, 2006... In the five years since the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, the concept of extreme risk in the United States has gone from a focus on natural catastrophes to the heretofore unthinkable: chemical, nuclear, biological...

Saying no: a Best's Review survey reveals insurers and agents are declining terrorism coverage in urban, high-risk areas.(Property/Casualty: Terrorism)
September 1, 2006... Insurers are apprehensive about writing terrorism insurance in perceived target zones such as New York; Washington, D.C.; Chicago and Los Angeles as a result of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, according to a recent Best's Review...

A cloudy future: a recent New York law extending the deadline for Sept. 11-related worker's comp claim means insurers of first responders may experience liability for years to come.(Health/Employee Benefits: Workers' Compensation, Health)
September 1, 2006... New York City Police Department detective James Zadroga was inside 7 World Trade Center when it began to collapse. The 34-year-old detective was one of the first responders to the Sept. 11, 2001, attack, spending 470 hours searching for victims...

Term life vs. no-lapse UL: sales of both product lines are growing, but universal life with a guaranteed death benefit threatens to cut into term sales.(Life: Term, Universal)
September 1, 2006... Term life insurance is always less expensive at the time of purchase than permanent insurance, right? Well, not anymore. As of July, online broker Insure.com showed that its lowest-priced 30-year level-premium term policy for a 57-year-old...

Term life in force--2005.(life insurance companies ranking)(Table)(Brief article)(Company rankings)
September 1, 2006... Term Life in Force--2005 ($ Thousands) Metropolitan Life & Affiliated Cos $1,684,308,370 Swiss Reins Group $1,387,336,700 Aegon USA Inc $997,056,489 ING USA Life...

Ordinary life average policy size and lapse ratio, top life writers, United States--2005: rank is based on the amount of total ordinary life issued in 2005.(Life: Leading Writers)
September 1, 2006... Ordinary Life Average Policy Size and Lapse Ratio, Top Life Writers, United States--2005 Rank is based on the amount of total ordinary life issued in 2005. Issued in 2005 Rank Group...

Term life in force, top life writers, United States--2005.(leading life insurance writers)(Statistical table)(Company rankings)
September 1, 2006... Term Life in Force, Top Life Writers, United States--2005 Term life insurance provides protection for a specified period of time. It pays a benefit only if the insured's death occurs during the coverage period. ($Thousands) ...

Term life issued, top life writers, United States--2005.(life insurance: leading writers)(Statistical table)(Company rankings)
September 1, 2006... Term Life Issued, Top Life Writers, United States--2005 Term life insurance provides protection for a specified period of time. It pays a benefit only if the insured's death occurs during the coverage period. ($ Thousands) ...

Term life issued--2005.(life insurance: leading writers)(Statistical table)(Company rankings)
September 1, 2006... Term Life Issued--2005 ($ Thousands) AIG Life Group $151,893,644 Genworth Finl Group $81,270,991 Primerica Group $75,925,446 Northwester Mutual Group $70,757,571 State Farm Life Group ...

Top life writers.(life insurance: leading writers)(Statistical table)(Company rankings)
September 1, 2006... Group Life in Force--2005 ($ Thousands) Metropolitan Life & Affiliated Cos $2,161,919,465 Prudential of America Group $1,228,312,165 Hartford Life Group $596,449,388 Aetna...

Group life in force, top life writers, United States--2005.(leading life insurance writers)(Statistical table)(Company rankings)
September 1, 2006... Group Life in Force, Top Life Writers, United States--2005 Group life insurance most often is issued to a group of employees, but it may be issued to any group, provided that it is not formed for the purpose of buying insurance. ...

Credit life in force, top life writers, United States--2005.(leading life insurance writers)(Statistical table)(Company rankings)
September 1, 2006... Credit Life in Force, Top Life Writers, United States--2005 Credit life insurance is a group or individual life insurance contract whereby a creditor is protected if the insured dies before the indebtedness is paid in full. ($...

Group life issued, top life writers, United States--2005.(leading life insurance writers)(Statistical table)(Company rankings)
September 1, 2006... Group Life Issued, Top Life Writers, United States--2005 Group life insurance most often is issued to a group of employees, but it may be issued to any group, provided that it is not formed for the purpose of buying insurance. ($...

Credit life issued, top life writers, United States--2005.(life insurance: leading writers)(Statistical table)(Company rankings)
September 1, 2006... Credit Life Issued, Top Life Writers, United States--2005 Credit life insurance is a group or individual life insurance contract whereby a creditor is protected if the insured dies before the indebtedness is paid in full. ($...

Ordinary life in force, top life writers--2005.(leading life insurance writers)(Statistical table)(Company rankings)
September 1, 2006... Ordinary Life in Force, Top Life Writers--2005 Ordinary life insurance may be kept in force for a person's whole life and pays a benefit upon the person's death. Premiums for the policy are paid continuously as long as the insured...

Total life in force, top life writers, United States--2005.(life insurance: leading writers)(Statistical table)(Company rankings)
September 1, 2006... Total Life in Force, Top Life Writers, United States--2005 Total life insurance includes ordinary life, group life, credit life and industrial life. ($Thousands) ...

Ordinary life issued, top life writers, United States--2005.(life insurance: leading writers)(Statistical table)(Company rankings)
September 1, 2006... Ordinary Life Issued, Top Life Writers, United States--2005 Ordinary life insurance may be kept in force for a person's whole life and pays a benefit upon the person's death. Premiums for the policy are paid continuously as long as...

Total life issued, top life writers, United States--2005.(life insurance: leading writers)(Statistical table)(Company rankings)
September 1, 2006... Total Life Issued, Top Life Writers, At United States--2005 Total life insurance includes ordinary life, group life, credit life and industrial life. ($ Thousands) ...

A secure package: life insurers are becoming more creative in designing securitization transactions to fund a variety of objectives.(Reinsurance/Capital Markets: Life Securitization)
September 1, 2006... Since 2001, more than $12 billion has been raised from capital market investors on transactions involving life insurance risks. These "life securitizations" can be grouped into three categories: redundant-reserve transactions, embedded-value or...

Keep up with the changes: a survey of IT executives reveals how technology is the competitive sweet spot in the global financial market.(Technology: Business Strategy)
September 1, 2006... In many ways, insurance executives must feel like kids in a candy shop. Aging populations in Western nations, deregulation of key markets, spectacular growth of the middle class in Asia and consumers embracing the use of new technologies are...

The question of collateral?(Regulatory/Law)
September 1, 2006... Reform of current U.S. collateral requirements should be one of many steps the industry takes to modernize reinsurance regulation to achieve open global markets on fair terms. by Sandra G. Blundetto, Kelly Cruz Brown and Beth Vecchioli ...

Aiming high: Hub International has grown by giving its employees the freedom to stretch their entrepreneurial spirit-and a safety net to help them if they stumble.(Agent/Broker: Commercial, Personal, Life and Health)
September 1, 2006... Hub International once hired marketing experts to come up with a new name for the insurance brokerage and consulting firm. Their suggestion? "Insurniverse." "'Hub' started to look pretty good after that," said Marty Hughes, chief...

Panacea or Boondoggle? U.S. officials are taking a new look at tax-deferred reserves for catastrophe claims, but questions remain about whether they strengthen or harm the private insurance market.(Property/Casualty: Catastrophe Reserves)
September 1, 2006... Tax-deferred catastrophe reserves for insurers in the United States is an idea that has been around for more than a decade. But with the perceived risks of more Katrina-like mega-disasters, many parties are giving the old idea another look. One...

On dropping the ball: much like baseball, insurance is a game best played with professionalism, a team mentality and a winning spirit.(Property/Casualty: Loss/Risk Management Insight)
September 1, 2006... A little boy played in his first baseball game and his father, unable to attend, couldn't wait to get home and see how it went. "So, how did you do, son?" he asked. "You'll never believe it!" the boy told his father. "I was responsible for...

Study: theft is no. 1 loss for Inland Marine.(Property/Casualty: Loss/Risk Management Notes)
September 1, 2006... Theft and disappearance continue to be the two largest causes of loss in inland marine insurance, according to the latest update of the Inland Marine Cause of Loss Report published by the American Association of Insurance Services. The...

Many coastal homeowners aren't prepared for a hurricane.(Loss/Risk Management Notes)
September 1, 2006... Even as the heart of the hurricane season approaches, coastal homeowners from Texas to Maine are only half prepared to recover from a major storm, according to a hurricane readiness index. The survey asks homeowners whether they have taken...

Singled out: the hard property market and improvements in technology have led to dramatic increases in the facultative reinsurance market for catastrophe-exposed commercial business.(Reinsurance/Capital Markets: Facultative Reinsurance)
September 1, 2006... Hurricane Katrina's destructive winds and rains may have faded away a year ago, but they continue to send ripples through the reinsurance market. One side effect is the blooming of the facultative reinsurance market for catastrophe-exposed...

E Fusion 2006: technology leveraging business value: October 23-24: Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel, Boston.(Technology: E-Fusion 2006)
September 1, 2006... Beyond E-Commerce--Online Selling in the Web 2.0 World Online insurers have moved well beyond click-and-buy. Where are they finding success in the land of multi-insurer offerings, and where are the newest venues opening? David...

A strategic approach: Dynamic Enterprise Performance Management is a tool to help drive profitability.(Technology: Technology Insight)
September 1, 2006... As insurers look to optimize business performance in light of competition, profitability and productivity pressures, the need for more timely, relevant and actionable analysis is increasing. Enterprise Performance Management, also called...

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners.(consumer education web site www.InsureUonline.org offering health insurance information)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has assembled useful information about health insurance--all organized by life-stage needs--on a new consumer education Web site called Insure U (www.InsureUonline.org). The site explains the...

RXHealthQuotes.com.(service enhancement)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... RXHealthQuotes.com, which provides online resources for health and life insurance, expanded its network to offer additional consumer options. Visitors to the site can research and purchase individual, family and small-group insurance from a...

The Society of Financial Service Professionals.(marketing strategies)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The Society of Financial Service Professionals is offering a free 60-day trial membership, during which qualified professionals can access a wealth of online resources and tools designed to build business and advance professional growth. During...

Total Travel Insurance.(service enhancement)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Total Travel Insurance introduced new health products to its Web site (www.totaltravelinsurance.com). It developed a new medical insurance quoting system that allows for easy navigation to help consumers find unique insurance products. New...

N.J. electronic medical records program gets federal funding.(Technology: Technology Notes, New Jersey)
September 1, 2006... New Jersey's pilot program to study the implementation of secure electronic medical records statewide has received a federal grant of $349,000. The study, which should be completed by March 2007, began last May. It is headed by the state's...

U.K.'s Benfield group moves to bring peer-to-peer links closer.(Technology: Technology Notes)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The announcement by U.K. reinsurance broker Benfield Group Ltd. of its readiness to deliver live risk messages to a group of Lloyd's underwriters raises the profile of "peer-to-peer" communications within the Lloyd's market. Benfield has...

Wooing baby boomers: insurers should try new products and approaches to reach baby boomers nearing retirement age.(Life: Selling Insight)
September 1, 2006... While life insurers have been fairly active in the retirement income marketplace, their activities have focused more on product solutions rather than addressing broad-based consumer needs. The traditional product offerings in the retirement...

Boomers and life: improved group life insurance benefits could entice boomers to keep contributing at work.(Life: Underwriting Insight)
September 1, 2006... The baby boomers have had a heavy influence on every area of society as they've moved through various stages of life. Now, as their oldest members approach age 65, they are poised to challenge the expectations of retirement as well .This may be...

Take 5 steps closer to your customers: to remain competitive, distributors must build more profitable client relationships.(Agent/Broker: Marketing)
September 1, 2006... Building and managing a successful and profitable distribution channel is never easy. Today, the many challenges to growing financial services firms include product complexity and commoditization as well as increased regulatory and compliance...

Compensation paying off: agents and brokers are revising compensation plans to encourage new sales and growth of business from both producers and customer service representatives.(Agent/Broker: Selling Insight)(Survey)
September 1, 2006... In March of 2006, Business Management Group conducted a nationwide survey to determine how compensation has changed among agency owners, executives and producers. We surveyed agents and brokers of all revenue sizes and in every region of the...

On the hill: congress faces significant health insurance and regulatory reform bills in September.(Regulatory/Law: Federal Legislation)
September 1, 2006... The outcome of several major bills of interest to insurers was uncertain when Congress headed into its August recess. Health insurance and regulatory reform measures are all close to passage--yet there are only 22 days left on Congress's...

Playing doctor: disability insurers should leave medical decisions up to the insureds and their physicians.(Regulatory/Law Legal Insight)
September 1, 2006... Own-occupation disability policies generally provide that insureds are totally disabled if they are unable to perform the substantial and material duties of their occupations and are receiving medical care for the disabling condition. Yet...

A new land: today's mutuals are blending their traditional business model into a changing world.(Property/Casualty: Mutual Companies)(Industry overview)
September 1, 2006... Mutual insurance companies date back to the 1700s, but as times have changed, so have mutuals. In many ways, they're still carrying on the theme of common need on which their foundation was built. However, changes including the urbanization of...

A different outlook: D&O underwriters are putting companies under more scrutiny than in the past.(Property/Casualty: Underwriting Insight)
September 1, 2006... Most commercial underwriters can probably recall a time when a broker or company official asked for special consideration when requesting coverage, claiming a client or corporation was "different" or even "better" than other companies and...