Ben Berkowitz, Reuters

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  Uncertainty Surrounds Compensation for Boston Bomb Victims

  By Ben Berkowitz, Reuters  |  April 19, 2013

  Victims of the Boston Marathon bombings will eventually win some kind of compensation, but it is far too early to know how much money there will be, whether private donors or insurers will provide most of it, and how long it might take to distribute.

• Chinese Group Buys AIG Aircraft Firm for Up to $4.8B

  By Ben Berkowitz, Reuters, Denny Thomas, Reuters  |  December 10, 2012

  American International Group Inc will sell nearly all of aircraft leasing business ILFC to a Chinese consortium for up to $4.8 billion, in a deal that gives the fastest growing aviation market easier and cheaper access to planes.

• Industry Rep Calls N.Y. Governor's Sandy Claims Rules 'Heavy Handed'

  By Ben Berkowitz, Reuters, Hilary Russ, Reuters  |  November 30, 2012

  New York Governor Andrew Cuomo imposes emergency regulations on insurers to speed the processing of Sandy claims, but an industry representative calls the rules "heavy handed" and says no other states have seen fit to take similar actions.

• Nor'easter Complicates Insurance for Sandy-Struck Businesses

  By Ben Berkowitz, Reuters  |  November 9, 2012

  Businesses in New York and New Jersey that were preparing insurance claims for losses from Superstorm Sandy now have a second headache: how to deal with new losses from an early winter snow storm.

• Experts: Sandy Could Do Irene-Type Damage to Northeast, but Too Soon to Panic

  By Ben Berkowitz, Reuters  |  October 25, 2012

  As Hurricane Sandy makes its way toward the eastern seaboard of the United States, disaster experts and meteorologists warn that the mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states face dangerous winds and heavy rains that could trigger flooding in the coming days.

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  Travelers Posts Record Profit in Q3; Shares Set All-Time High

  By Ben Berkowitz, Reuters  |  October 18, 2012

  Travelers Cos Inc posted a record quarterly operating profit as prices rose and losses from natural disasters fell sharply, the property insurance company said on Thursday.

• Auto Insurers' Driver Tracking Hits Wall in California

  By Ben Berkowitz, Reuters  |  August 17, 2012

  California is turning into a battleground for technology that allows auto insurers to track their customers' driving behavior and offer them lower premiums, but that privacy advocates reject as an excessive intrusion with serious consequences.

• Insurance May Provide Little Relief for Knight Capital Losses

  By Ben Berkowitz, Reuters  |  August 3, 2012

  As Knight Capital Group Inc struggles for survival after massive trading losses it said were caused by bad software, there seems to be little chance it can rely on insurance to save the day.

• Greenlight Re Sees 'Irrational' Insurance Deals in Florida

  By Ben Berkowitz, Reuters  |  July 31, 2012

  Hedge fund heavyweight David Einhorn's reinsurance business, Greenlight Capital Re Ltd, on Tuesday warned that other insurers were making "irrational" deals in Florida in the face of heavy competition.

• Libor Scandal Makes It More Costly for Bankers to Get Insured

  By Ben Berkowitz, Reuters, Myles Neligan, Reuters  |  July 25, 2012

  Some of the world's largest insurers for corporate directors and officers could be on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars in claims over the next few years to cover legal costs for people caught up in the Libor scandal.

• As Crop Losses Mount, Farmers Seen Quicker to Claim

  By Ben Berkowitz, Reuters, Tom Polansek, Reuters  |  July 20, 2012

  The drought ravaging America's prime farmland is having an unexpected consequence that could shape the future of agricultural finance: in some cases, farmers who have amped up their insurance coverage may be giving up on their crops early rather than to trying to save them.

• Progressive Expands Tracking Program to Non-customers

  By Ben Berkowitz, Reuters  |  July 9, 2012

  Progressive Corp already has hundreds of thousands of auto insurance customers who willingly let the company track their driving behavior in exchange for the chance at substantial discounts, and on Monday the company opened the door to competitors' clients as well.

• U.S. High Court Turns Away Louisiana Citizens Appeal

  By Ben Berkowitz, Reuters  |  June 25, 2012

  The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said it would not hear an appeal from insurer Louisiana Citizens on a class-action lawsuit that followed Hurricane Katrina, handing another victory to plaintiffs who are already owed more than $105 million.

• AIG Demotes ILFC Head for Improper Relationship

  By Ben Berkowitz, Reuters  |  June 22, 2012

  Bailed-out insurer AIG on Thursday said the head of its airplane leasing unit admitted to having an inappropriate relationship with an employee, and the company demoted him and cut his salary as a result.

• The Long, Lethal Shadow of Asbestos

  By Ben Berkowitz, Reuters  |  May 11, 2012

  As anyone in the United States with a TV or Internet connection probably knows, lawyers want you if you've been exposed to asbestos, and they're paying to get you.

• Travelers Smashes Estimates, Insurance Rates Rising

  By Ben Berkowitz, Reuters  |  April 19, 2012

  Property insurer Travelers Cos Inc blew past Wall Street earnings estimates for the first quarter and raised its dividend 12 percent as natural disaster losses declined and insurance rates continued to rise after years of weakness.