In addition to Zurich's integrated management liability policyfor North American boarding kennels, doggie daycares and petgroomers, insurers and services firms announced products targetingmanagement liability and other specialty risks.

Also targeting management liability risks, but this timeemployment practices rather than D&O claims, Newport ScientificResearch Inc. in Newport, Calif., announced that it has developed anew Web-based reporting system allowing workers to easily reportinstances of intimidation or harassment in the workplace.

The reporting system, called TheGlasshouseReport.com, makes itpossible for employers to take quick action to avert potentiallegal action, the company said, explaining that the online systemverifies that the report comes from an employee by having theworker touch a part of the screen with their thumbprint.

NSR said TheGlasshouseReport.com records workplace concerns,including those of possible discrimination or harassment, alertingthe employer and allowing it to immediately investigate and resolvesuch issues directly with the complainant, which in many caseswould skip several levels of managers. The resolution procedurescan be set in motion “before the problems escalate into a larger,costly problem,” NSR said.

The use of a thumbprint, the company said, is a Web-basedmanagement system that links to the biometric identity ofemployees.

The system, created by NSR President John Shanahan, who is alsothe creator of Hooked on Phonics, provides all employees withimmediate access to secure complaint and resolution procedures.

Once issues are reported, a physical record of subsequentactions and resolutions is recorded and biometrically verifiedshould the dispute escalate, protecting both the employer and theemployee, said NSR.

The company said the system can be tailored to organizationalneeds to solicit feedback from employees regarding additionalworkplace concerns beyond harassment or discrimination.

It can track and archive employee training and understanding ofcompany policies and industry regulations. If challenged in a courtof law or administrative proceeding, it can effectively demonstratethe employer's efforts to ensure legal compliance, the companysaid.

A demo is online athttp://www.theGlasshouseReport.com/rims/presentation_movie.html.

ACE USA in Philadelphia launched a new loss prevention resourceat the end of April–eRisk Hub, a Web-based resource to helppolicyholders manage cyber risks.

The eRisk Hub portal is provided to all ACE policyholders whopurchase privacy and network security coverage under the ACEPrivacy Protection, ACE DigiTech and ACE Digital DNA productlines.

The eRisk Hub provides triage support through its Incident HELPHotline staffed by security experts who understand the potentiallycatastrophic impact of privacy and network related exposures, ACEsaid. The experts help companies deal with post-breach regulatory,reporting and crisis management issues, the company said.

The eRisk Hub also helps policyholders keep abreast of bestpractices and regulatory guidelines and prepare detailed,comprehensive response plans.

Founded and managed by NetDiligence, a cyber-security and e-riskassessment services company, eRisk Hub features news andinformative content from cyber-risk experts including riskmanagement, computer forensics, crisis communications, legal andother specialists.

Integro also unveiled a new tool last month–an analytical modelallowing clients to evaluate their excess liability insuranceprograms. Integro said the model, XS PLUS, is based on hard dataand actuarial simulations.

XS PLUS delivers clarity and certainty to an area of risk thathas, traditionally, relied heavily on guesswork and inexactbenchmarking, Integro said in a statement.

The output of the quantitative model is easy-to-understandgraphical data, the New York-based broker said.

The tool gives clients the power to evaluate the adequacy oftheir current program structures and limits purchased, and itoffers them the chance to stress-test hypothetical structures andlimits. (PLUS stands for “Program Limit and UnderlyingStructure.”)

XS PLUS applies to any type of insurance coverage that requiresmultiple excess layers, including liability, property,D&O/E&O, aviation and marine.

Clients can purchase XS PLUS as a stand-alone product or as partof a broader program design, Integro said.

Both Zurich and AIG announced products targeting environmentalrisks in May.

At Zurich, the new offering from its North Americanenvironmental business unit is called “Z Choice,” allowingpolicyholders to customize coverages and limits (up to $50 million)to meet their business needs.

Zurich said customers can choose among core coverages such asfirst- and third-party bodily injury and property damage for on-and off-site cleanup for new and existing pollution events. Theycan also add optional coverages for natural resource damages,business interruption, mold, transportation of materials andfinancial assurance.

Zurich said Z Choice is available for a wide variety of industryclasses such as commercial real estate portfolios, manufacturing,chemical facilities, health care, water treatment facilities, foodprocessing, laboratories and public institutions.

At AIG, the focus is on U.S.- and Canada-based multinationalcompanies, with the introduction of AIG Passport for PollutionLegal Liability (PLL). AIG Passport facilitates purchasing locallyadmitted PLL insurance to cover international operations andsubsidiaries, the New York-based company said.

PLL policies provide liability coverage for cleanup costs, orthird-party claims for bodily injury and property damage arisingfrom losses due to on- or off-site pollution conditions from anowned or operated property. PLL coverage also addresses pollutionconditions resulting from transporting wastes or products to sitesnot owned by the insured.

AIG Passport for PLL is available to address environmental risksin one or more foreign jurisdictions. Foreign PLL policies writtenthrough AIG Passport are issued by the locally licensed AIGCompany, in compliance with local laws and regulations.

Claims are handled by local AIG claims examiners who aresupported by a home country claims management team. AIG Passportfor PLL is available for new and renewal business.

Several specialty insurers launched entirely new divisions thismonth, including W.R. Berkley Corp. with a new inland marine unit,and Argo Group International Holdings, which is entering the suretyline.

On May 5, Greenwich, Conn.-based W.R. Berkley announced theformation of Berkley Asset Protection Underwriters, LLC, based inNew York City, with product offerings designed to protect a broadspectrum of commercial and personal assets.

Products will include coverage for fine arts, jewelers block,fidelity/crime and related risks, the company said.

Berkley Asset Protection Underwriters will underwrite on behalfof two W.R. Berkley Corporation member companies, StarNet InsuranceCompany on an admitted basis and Gemini Insurance Company on asurplus lines basis.

Joseph Dowd has been named president of Berkley Asset ProtectionUnderwriters. Mr. Dowd has more than 20 years experience in theinsurance industry, all of which has been focused on assetprotection.

Gregory Smith, a claims expert in the fine art, jewelry andother inland marine product lines with over 22 years experience,was appointed executive vice president.

Rounding out the team are Sean Missal and Nicholas Reynolds,both named as vice presidents. Mr. Missal has over 12 years ofindustry experience specifically in the area of fidelity/crime andother high value inland marine products. Mr. Reynolds has more than20 years of experience in underwriting fine arts risks, bothinternationally and domestically.

Separately, but on the same day, Bermuda-based Argo GroupInternational Holdings Ltd. said it has created a bond insuranceunit with Robert F. Thomas as president.

The company said its new Argo Surety operation will be based inHouston and be part of Argo Group's existing Commercial Specialtysegment.

Argo Group, which underwrites specialty insurance andreinsurance products in niche areas of the property-casualtymarket, said it plans Argo Surety branches in California and on theEast Coast by 2009.

Argo Group said Mr. Thomas has 21 years of experience in boththe insurance and reinsurance markets, and that before taking hisnew post he held several executive level positions simultaneouslyat HCC Insurance Holdings.

At Houston-based HCC, Mr. Thomas served as president and CEO ofits Surety Group, CEO of its Credit Group, and president of HCCRisk Management, the organization's ceded reinsuranceadministration arm.

Prior to his work with HCC Insurance Holdings, Mr. Thomas heldthe position of president and CEO of American Contractors IndemnityCompany, a California monoline surety that was acquired by HCC in2004.

“We see real growth potential for Argo Group in the suretybusiness,” said Mark Watson, president and chief executive officerof Argo Group. “Despite a downturn in housing and commercialconstruction, our focus for contract surety will be opportunisticundertakings that are fairly robust yet considerably lessvulnerable than the general marketplace,” he said.

“Surety bonds are always going to be a necessity for completionof commercial projects, such as construction of schools, hospitals,community roads and other types of infrastructure,” he said.

Argo Group is the combined international holding companyresulting from the Aug. 7, 2007 merger of Argonaut Group Inc. andPXRE Group, Ltd.

In mid-May, The Hanover Insurance Group in Worcester, Mass.,announced Real Estate Advantage, a new program of specialtycoverages targeting commercial real estate owners and managers.

The Real Estate Advantage is delivered to The Hanover's agentpartners through local underwriters with a deep understanding ofthe real estate industry, the company said. Dedicated loss controlcomplements the program, and claims professionals are availablelocally to provide industry-specific guidance for independentagents and their real estate clients.

The Hanover said Real Estate Advantage is the latestintroduction in a growing list of industry-specific programs it isoffering. Coverages included in the real estate program arecommercial property, general liability, commercial crime,commercial auto, commercial umbrella and workers' compensation.

Program's endorsements–that normally would have to be purchasedseparately by a property owner–include coverage for alternative keysystems, anchor store business income, denial of access, leasecancellation, lost keys, movement of property, outdoor property,paved areas, realty taxes, tenant move-back expense, andunintentional property reporting errors.

Atlanta-based American Safety Insurance announced that it is nowoffering ART Solutions, a product for risk retention groups,captives and small insurance companies who can benefit from accessto ASI's A.M. Best “A”-rated paper.

Ideal candidates for ART Solutions have expertise inunderwriting a specific class of general liability, professionalliability, excess or property business and seek to grow throughincreased capacity or access to A.M. Best “A”-rated paper.

Brad Isaacson, director of program business at ASI, said ARTSolutions provides “A”-rated paper on a risk participation or purefronting basis.

Through approved reinsurance intermediaries, ART Solutionsclients can also access traditional and structured reinsuranceavailable from American Safety Reinsurance, Ltd., a Bermuda-basedreinsurance carrier, to provide capital relief.

To further develop relationships with key reinsuranceintermediaries and brokers, ASI announced that Richard Wigmore hasjoined the ASI team as National Business Development Manager forits U.S. Alternative Risk Transfer division.

Mr. Wigmore has more than 20 years of experience designing,developing and implementing a wide range of ART products, includingcaptives and rent-a-captives, for both individual and groupaccounts. Prior to joining ASI, he held marketing and salespositions with Commonwealth Risk Services, Liberty MutualAlternative Markets and AIG.

Lexington Insurance Company, an AIG company, increased limitsfor capacity for product liability and professional liabilityinsurance provided by its SAFETY Act Homeland Protector policy.

SAFETY Act Homeland Protector provides product and professionalliability coverage for companies developing and sellinganti-terrorism products and technologies in accordance with theSupport Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies (SAFETY)Act of 2002.

The SAFETY Act provides important legal liability protectionsfor providers of Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technologies–whether theyare products or services, AIG said, adding that the liabilityprotections of the SAFETY Act require product and technologyproviders to obtain insurance that meets certain standards andcharacteristics.

Lexington's SAFETY Act Homeland Protector meets the standards,AIG said.

The latest capacity hikes mean that for products liability, theavailable limit is now $50 million, compared to $25 millionpreviously; for professional, it is $25 million, compared to $15million before.