The Chubb Group of Insurance Companies and FM Global were thebig winners in the first "Risk Manager Choice Awards," based on asurvey of 411 corporate insurance buyers run by the Flasp?hlerResearch Group, in partnership with NationalUnderwriter.

When asked which commercial insurance providers they believe are"best overall," 46.1 percent of the entire survey base namedChubb--the most among 50 choices offered. Chubb was cited by 49.0percent of those placing more than $5 million in commercialpremiums, as well as by 45.9 percent of those placing below $5million--topping both categories.

Zurich (41.3 percent) and The Travelers (41.1 percent) finishedsecond and third overall, respectively. However, Travelers (43.5percent) topped Zurich (40.1 percent) among buyers placing lessthan $5 million in premiums, although Travelers (39.2 percent)finished below both Zurich (44.4 percent) and ACE USA (43.1percent) among bigger buyers. (Respondents could cite more than onecarrier.)

On individual lines of business, Chubb topped the Risk ManagerChoice list among all buyers of directors and officers insuranceand employment practices liability coverage. (For more aboutChubb's to meeting buyer expectations, go to http://www.property-casualty.com/Issues/2009/October-19-2009/Pages/Chubb-Calls-Client-Focus-Key-To-Victory.aspx.)

FM Global--a specialty carrier offering fewer lines ofbusiness--finished sixth on the "best overall" ratings, cited by26.3 percent of respondents. However, what FM Global does, it doesvery well in the eyes of risk managers familiar with theinsurer.

Indeed, in rating carriers on individual lines of business, FMGlobal came out on top as the Risk Manager Choice for buyers of allsizes on commercial property and business interruptioncoverage--the company's two prime areas of business.

FM Global is well-known for its aggressive risk management andsafety programs, as well as its Research Campus, where a team ofengineers work with clients to help prevent losses from happeningin the first place.

In addition, in a separate section of the survey, FM Global wasmost highly rated in all seven "evaluation and selection factors"buyers consider important when placing coverage--underwritingcapabilities, financial value, financial security, clientorientation, expertise and market knowledge, timely service andclaims-handling. (For a further discussion of FM Global's approachto client service, go tohttp://www.property-casualty.com/Issues/2009/October-19-2009/Pages/Research-Lab-Helps-FM-Global-Lead-Pack.aspx.)

FM Global, based in Johnston, R.I., scored over "7," andfrequently was rated close to an "8" for all of the evaluationcategories--with 7 or higher "seen as truly excellent," accordingto Rick Flasp?hler, president of the Kansas City, Mo.-basedresearch firm.

Chubb finished second or third in all seven evaluation andselection criteria, while Travelers made the top-five in allcategories.

For each category, respondents were asked to rate--on a scale ofone-to-nine, with nine being the best--those carriers with whichthey were familiar on the factors they considered important.Therefore, "there is no 'noise' in this data that is present intypical surveys, where respondents rate every carrier on everyfactor," explained Mr. Flaspohler.

(To see the top-five in each of the evaluation and selectioncategories, go to http://www.property-casualty.com/Issues/2009/October-19-2009/Pages/Chubb-FM-Global-Come-Up-As-Biggest-Winners-In-Risk-Manager-Choice-Awards.aspx.)

In other results:

o Liberty Mutual was rated best among all buyers of workers'compensation insurance.

o Travelers was top-ranked among all risk managers buyingcommercial auto and surety bonds, and was tied with Chartis (thenew brand for the commercial insurance companies of AIG) on generalliability coverage.

o Chartis also came out on top among all buyers of errors andomissions as well as commercial umbrella liability coverage.

o Travelers ranked highest among buyers spending less than $5million in premiums annually on marine and terrorism insurance,with Lloyd's topping the list overall, as well as among the biggestbuyers, for both lines of business.

o Zurich rated number-one among risk managers on constructioninsurance overall, although Chartis topped that line among thebigger buyers.

o Lloyd's was cited as the top market among all buyers ofmedical malpractice coverage.

The Web-based survey, conducted by the Flasp?hler Research Groupbetween July 20 and Aug. 10, drew an experienced response base,with nearly half of the risk managers handling insurance purchasesfor a decade or more, and over three-quarters executing thatresponsibility for more than five years.