Commercial Lines

Agents and brokers have moved on from what was once a lightning rod topic—the contingent commission controversy.

The soft market remains firmly entrenched on the casualty side of the reinsurance business. But the property and catastrophe marketplace is a much different—and more unsettled—story.

2011 a great year in Wisconsin, Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Alabama

In mid-June Allied World Assurance Co. Holdings AG and Transatlantic Holdings Inc. announced a $3.2 billion merger deal, creating a global specialty insurer and reinsurer operating in 18 countries and on six continents.

California was the top state for cargo theft in 2010 with 247 incidences, followed by Texas, 91; and Florida, 66, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. The bureau identified 747 cargo thefts nationwide worth $171 million.

Chief executives from seven of the most active insurance brokerage acquisition firms say they see a bright future ahead for the insurance industry, as clients rely more and more on their expertise in risk transfer and employee benefits in an increasingly complex environment.