Claims

What happens when an insured accepts settlement on an actual-cash-value basis but later opts to receive the replacement-cost amount?

Last April a swarm of tornadoes swept across Alabama, killing hundreds and causing billions in insured losses. Among the hardest-hit were Tuscaloosa and Hackleburg, Ala. See the progress they have made in the past year.

Agents, company reps and victims of tornadoes that swept through Alabama in April 2011 share stories of an industry stepping up in ways beyond just claims payments.

The Inland Marine market has long been alluring to carriers given its high profit potential, even when other insurance sectors are suffering.

A hardening market is a tough thing to pass up, so in February, Maritime Program Group of Manchester, N.H., launched an exclusive Motor Truck Cargo program with North American Specialty Insurance Co., a subsidiary of SwissRe, as an expansion of its nationwide business, says David C. Morrill, Inland Marine program...

Valuable Articles coverage, including Personal Article Floaters and Jewelry Insurance, has remained a stable sector of the Inland Marine market during the economic recession.

As the economy begins to turn, competition in Transportation and Construction coverage are heating up the Inland Marine Specialty Insurance segment.

Although there wont be a flood of new markets available to independent agents, increased interest by carriers in the independent channel can translate into opportunity.