With the top concern for risk managers being the impact of the economic slowdown on their organizations, corporate buyers should expect very tight scrutiny of any dollars budgeted for insurance, loss control and support services, one consultant warned.

Independent directors serving on the boards of publicly owned, privately held and not-for-profit organizations all face numerous liability exposures, any of which can threaten their personal assets, said a D&O expert.

Despite many factors that should be contributing to a hardening market overall, competition in some coverage lines and geographic regions has heated up, while activity in many other areas remains tepid, keeping price hikes more modest than anticipated.

While hopes were high for the 2009 reinsurance market after the troubles of 2008, many rate expectations were not met, although capacity has remained steady, reinsurance brokerages reported.

 There I was in beautiful Bermuda last week at the annual captive conference. Was I out in the sunshine? No, I was in my hotel ...

 There I was in beautiful Bermuda last week at the annual captive conference. Was I out in the sunshine? No, I was in my hotel ...

After days of dark, rainy weather at the Bermuda Captive Conference last week, organizers put their risk management skills to work for the closing night event, reports NU Assistant Managing Editor Caroline McDonald.

Despite the economic downturn, Bermuda remains a major player in the global captive marketplace. That was the message delivered by officials at the Bermuda Captive Conference.