What issues keep P&C claim executives lunging for the Lunesta? Though current economic conditions registered on the radar, several top insurance claim executives admitted during a roundtable discussion at Claims' ACE conference this week that other issues were responsible for some late-night tossing and turning.

The discussion included Mike Stapleton, senior vice president, claim administration for CNA Financial Corporation; Lisa St. Onge, assistant vice president, Amica Mutual Insurance Company; and Mark McGillivray, assistant vice president, Allstate Corporation. The session was moderated by James Mullarney, director of product strategy for Oracle Insurance's global business unit.

When asked about how economic conditions were influencing their jobs, St. Onge explained one reason why her company is seeing an increase in the number of claims being made. "The economic times have made it more difficult for people to self-insure losses," she said. "They have a situation in which they have a covered loss, but unfortunately they just do not have the financial capability to pay that claim. They prefer to have the money now for that particular covered loss and deal with the potential rate increase over a three-to-five year period, as opposed to paying it now on their own."