Susanne Sclafane, PropertyCasualty360.com

About the Author

Susanne Sclafane, PropertyCasualty360.com

Susanne Sclafane is Managing Editor of National Underwriter, P&C magazine. She also contributes to PropertyCasualty360.com. She can be reached at ssclafane@sbmedia.com.

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  Jan. 1 Cat Rates To Soar; Bermuda Execs At Odds On Fla., New Zealand Opportunities

  By Susanne Sclafane, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  August 12, 2011

  Even as Bermuda executives chatted up the Jan. 1, 2012 reinsurance pricing upside of catastrophe events and model changes recently, midyear 2011 renewal strategies varied widely along with opinions about where to bet reinsurance capital.

• New Risks Mean New Opportunities For Specialty Insurers, Execs Say

  By Susanne Sclafane, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  August 12, 2011

  There’s a silver lining in every cloud, and for specialty insurers there’s opportunity present in every emerging risk, two carrier executives say. Navigators’ Stanley Galanski and Aspen’s Mario Vitale see product opportunities in responding to emerging life sciences, environmental and supply-chain risks.

• Ryan, Berkley Talk Risk

  By Susanne Sclafane, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  August 12, 2011

  Highlighting the possibilities of unforeseen events, risk correlations and concentrations, and even reputational disasters potentially keystrokes away, the world is getting riskier, say two industry veterans—William R. Berkley and Patrick G. Ryan.

• Copper & Robbers: Vacant Buildings Desirable For Thieves—And Insurers

  By Susanne Sclafane, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  August 11, 2011

  Copper thieves have fueled a huge spike in claims for insurers of vacant and idle properties, but increased loss potential has not deterred competition in the residential and commercial property markets, experts say.

• Experts Offer Best-Practice Tips For Securing, Insuring Vacant Properties

  By Susanne Sclafane, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  August 11, 2011

  Underwriting and risk engineering experts give tips for insuring and securing vacant property, and also provide the insurance and risk definitions of “vacant” and “idle” properties.

• Vocabulary Lesson: Defining Vacancy

  By Susanne Sclafane, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  August 11, 2011

  Underwriting and risk engineering experts give tips for insuring and securing vacant property, and also provide the insurance and risk definitions of “vacant” and “idle” properties.

• Where Are PE Buyers?

  By Susanne Sclafane, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  August 5, 2011

  Private-equity firms are still interested in acquiring specialty wholesalers and managing general underwriters, but they are up against some aggressive competitors offering higher deal prices—like 6- to 8-times EBITDA, consultants say.

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  Execs Sound Off About Specialty Insurance M&A Trends—Slideshow

  By Susanne Sclafane, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  August 5, 2011

  The specialty lines insurance industry has been a hotbed of merger-and-acquisition activity over the past year, with deals for niche specialty brokers and managing general agents getting the most attention. PropertyCasualty360 takes a look back at some of the observations dealmakers and consultants have shared this year about the abundance...

• Bermuda Players See Big Potential Upside Of Massive Cat Losses

  By Susanne Sclafane, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  August 4, 2011

  Catastrophe-loss hits—and the added potential price-moving impetus of a catastrophe model change—were front and center as management teams for half of the players in the Bermuda market disclosed first-half losses and strategies for preserving capital to take advantage of a Jan. 1 pricing upturn.

• Transatlantic Contest Does Not Signal Casualty-Market Change: Validus CEO

  By Susanne Sclafane, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  August 4, 2011

  In spite of the fact that two Bermuda players are engaged in a heated battle over a global-casualty reinsurer, the intensity of the contest in no way suggests that the casualty market is hardening, according to one of the potential acquirers.

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  Prior-Year Reserve Releases Still At High Levels In 2010: Data Analysis

  By Susanne Sclafane, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  July 21, 2011

  The common assertion that the level of prior-year loss-reserve releases declined last year is not entirely correct, according to a recent compilation of reserve changes that excludes the impact of one large carrier’s reserve hike.

• Annual Rankings Reveal Increased Premiums, But Weaker Profit Picture

  By Susanne Sclafane, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  July 21, 2011

  Two-thirds of the top 100 insurance groups saw net premiums written increase in 2010, but combined ratios worsened for just about as many, according to the latest midsummer NU’S Top 100 P&C Ranking. NU looks past $17 billion in reserve takedowns for the industry, a $5 billion boost for Chartis,...

• PC360 Webinar Exclusive: Vacant Buildings Desirable For Copper Thieves—And Insurers

  By Susanne Sclafane, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  July 15, 2011

  Copper thieves have fueled a huge spike in claims for insurers of vacant and idle properties, but increased loss potential has not deterred competition in the residential and commercial property markets, experts say.

• PC360 Webinar Exclusive: Is It Vacant?

  By Susanne Sclafane, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  July 15, 2011

  Underwriting and risk-engineering experts give tips for insuring and securing vacant property, and also provide the insurance and risk definitions of “vacant” and “idle” properties.

• Commercial Prices Still Above Prior Soft Market, Advisen Index Reveals

  By Susanne Sclafane, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  July 14, 2011

  Commercial prices continued to fall in the first-quarter of 2011, according to a pricing index based on reports from risk managers, but overall pricing remains 15 percent higher than levels recorded at year-end 2000.

• Prop-Cat Re Pricing Momentum To Continue, Execs Say

  By Susanne Sclafane, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  July 1, 2011

  Although reinsurance executives report that U.S. midyear renewal prices rose by at most low double-digits for catastrophe business, momentum is building for a new—and lasting—elevation of U.S. prices next year, they say.