Commercial Lines

If Republicans were in search of a friendly venue for their message of spending cuts and regulation reduction, they found a warm embrace a few short blocks from Capitol Hill at the recent meeting of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America in Washington D.C.

It may have seemed like horrible timing when Susan Rivera was starting up a program business-focused MGA in late 2009, but there were several advantages to launching in the wake of a global financial crisis and about six years into a soft property and casualty insurance market, she says.

Why do most insurance agencies totally ignore the most important day of the year for workers’ compensation? And I'm not talking about the renewal date.

Why do most insurance agencies totally ignore the most important day of the year for workers’ compensation? And I'm not talking about the renewal date.

First quarter renewals are no indicator of the direction the airline insurance market will take in 2011 due to the limited number of airlines renewing their insurance programs, an insurance broker’s report says.

In a move that spans the Atlantic, Hanover Insurance Group has made an offer to buy London-based Chaucer Holdings for $510 million.

In recent years, the use of engineered nanomaterials in consumer products like sunscreen, cosmetics, clothing and baby products has soared. As a result, substantial concern has developed because these tiny materials are often made of toxic substances, and closely resemble asbestos fibers.

With chatter about the next market turn heating up, it’s a good time to explore the impact on program business to see if there could be a replay of the gut-wrenching turmoil that left some program administrators (PA) out in the cold during the last soft-to-hard transition.