E&S/Specialty

The head of MarketScout, the electronic insurance exchange, said the firm's composite rate index for property and casualty insurance was down 4 percent at the close of calendar-year 2009, but he predicted an upswing for this year.

Insurance actuaries have the nation's best jobs, according to the Careercast.com Web site that annually rates occupations based on hiring outlook, work environment and other factors.

The hardening market predicted to arrive by the end of 2009 failed to materialize for insurers writing services industry risks as competition remains fierce, forcing carriers to cut the prices on their coverage menus.

While battles over health care reform got most of the headlines here this month, Congress tackled a host of other issues of keen interest to property and casualty insurers and producers.

Specialty insurer Markel Corp. said that its president and chief operating officer, Paul W. Springman, will resign his position to pursue other interests.

Back in January, a top broker said we were entering our "first 'invisible' hard market," with price hikes hidden by shrinking insurable exposures. NU Editor Sam Friedman examines how that prediction played out in his blog at www.NUSamSoapBox.com.

Was the stubbornly soft market, reform efforts on health care and financial services regulation or developments at AIG the biggest p&c news story of 2009? Go to www.property-casualty.com to respond to NU's Reader Poll.

Reinsurance and excess and surplus lines purchases would be governed by the tax policies, licensing and other requirements of the buyer's home state...