E&S/Specialty

Officials with AAMGA expressed confidence that few changes would be made in the surplus lines elements of financial services regulatory reform as the House and Senate work out differences in their respective bills.

Businesses often overlook the need to buy extra or excess liability insurance limits, but these prudent coverage purchases are an essential safeguard, protecting against asset depletion from unforeseen risks.

W.R. Berkley executives said they would not hesitate to write coverage again for the operator of the oil rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico last month, adding that increased prices and insurance requirements for operators could provide opportunities.

Expanding potential liability for employers and their employment practices insurers, the U.S. Supreme Court gave the green light to an employment case involving the use of tests that have a disparate impact on a protected employment class.

Non-U.S. firms vaulted up a premium ranking of E&S writers in the United States in 2009, although industry-wide U.S. E&S premiums shrank for the third straight year, an exclusive NU report found.

The commercial transportation insurance market is far from hard and in some segments, first-quarter 2010 prices were lower than they were last year, according to a just-published survey of market participants.