Ohio

• With Rising Personal Lines Rates, Progressive to Benefit from Increased Shopping

  By Phil Gusman, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  May 17, 2012

  Progressive could be the biggest beneficiary if increasing personal-lines rates trigger more shopping behavior among consumers, as the Mayfield Village, Ohio-based insurer typically gains share when rates rise, according to a Stifel Nicolaus report.

• Hires and Promotions at WRM America, Torus, Zurich, NBIS, New Day and More - Around the Industry

  By Staff Writer  |  May 16, 2012

  Brown & Brown Acquires Richard W. Endlar Insurance Agency, Admiral Insurance Co. Introduces Professional Exposure Policy and Brownyard Group Wins Marketing Award

• Progressive April Net Income Halved

  By Mark E. Ruquet, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  May 16, 2012

  Mayfield Village, Ohio-based auto-insurer Progressive reports net income for the month of April dropped 48 percent as catastrophes and a bond repurchase affected earnings.

• Erie Insurance’s Mark Hammerstein: Improving the Agent Experience

  By Anya Khalamayzer, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  May 14, 2012

  All too often, agent experience is at the bottom of the list when it comes to IT investments by insurance companies. But not at Pa.-based Erie Insurance, which in March named Mark Hammerstein vice president of agent experience.

• Progressive Files Patent Suit Against Hartford, State Farm

  By Chad Hemenway, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  May 14, 2012

  Progressive Corp. has filed separate patent-infringement lawsuits against Hartford Financial Services and State Farm over usage-based auto insurance.

• Heartland Institute's Washington Unit Will Split from Parent on May 31

  By Arthur D. Postal, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  May 11, 2012

  The Heartland Institute has agreed to split off its insurance-research unit effective May 31.

• Nationwide Q1 Net Income Up; Operating Income Down 40%

  By Chad Hemenway, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  May 10, 2012

  First-quarter net income at Nationwide was $508 million, compared to $501 million for the same period a year ago, but operating income fell more than 40 percent.

• Heartland Institute's Washington Unit Mulls Split from Chicago-Based Parent

  By Arthur D. Postal, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  May 9, 2012

  The Heartland Institute and its insurance-centric Washington unit are negotiating a divorce, a process said to be accelerated by distress over the institute’s now-suspended ad campaign linking support for global warming with serial killers.

• New Quota-Share Treaty at State Auto Keeps Q1 Loss at $2M

  By Chad Hemenway, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  May 4, 2012

  State Auto Financial Corp. reports a $2 million net loss for the first quarter, but it could have been worse.

• State Auto Reports $2m Loss for Q1

  By Mark E. Ruquet, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  May 4, 2012

  State Auto Financial Corp. reports a net loss of $2 million for the first quarter of this year as the combination of underwriting loss and increased expense weighed on results.