This “Risk Manager Choice Award” special section, produced inpartnership with National Underwriter, summarizeshighlights from the 255-page report of the “2009 Flasp?hlerCommercial Lines Survey,” initiated in 2007 and conductedbiennially.

Because the results of this study are used by many leadingcarriers in their marketing and customer service efforts, accuracyis paramount.

The commercial lines carriers whowere rated in this survey were chosen based on recommendations fromseveral leading commercial writers, risk managers and fromNational Underwriter.

The risk managers completing the survey were those identified bycommercial carriers as industry leaders, and by those identifyingthemselves as having significant authority in evaluation andselection of commercial lines insurers for their organization.

The survey questionnaire was developed based on input from riskmanagers, commercial lines carriers and NationalUnderwriter.

To further increase accuracy, adaptive interviewingmethodologies were used in fielding this survey. Adaptiveinterviewing recognizes that each respondent's experience isdifferent and so, too, should be each set of questions.

Rather than put every question to every risk manager, onlyquestions about issues known to be important to each risk managerwere asked. Also, each risk manager was only asked to evaluatecarriers with which they were familiar.

Importantly, adaptive interviewing removes much of the biastoward larger carriers common in such surveys.

A total of 411 interviews were completed out of a target groupof 2,004 risk managers. Overall results are accurate to withinplus/minus 4.7 percent, at a 95 percent level of confidence.

Flasp?hler Research Group was founded in 1983 and has completedsurveys in 95 countries and a dozen languages. The companyspecializes in B2B research and works primarily in theinsurance/reinsurance industry.