Despite a strong second-quarter earnings report for Marsh & McLennan Companies, analysts raised concerns with how the economic woes in Europe are affecting business.

Commercial and personal lines rates continued to firm in July as all lines of business in both sectors increased by single digits compared to the same month a year ago, says MarketScout.

Arthur J. Gallaghers move to offer a private-insurance-exchange platform is a smart strategy for leveraging the health-care-reform law into new solutions for employee-benefit clientsbut smaller brokers may find it difficult to duplicate such an offering, says one industry watcher.

Liberty Mutuals CEO left no doubt as to where he believes the blame lies for inadequate Workers Compensation rate levels: the states, criticizing New York and Massachusetts in particular for not approving steeper increases.

Independent insurance agents have a lot to offer startup businesses besides just insurance-coverage opportunities, according to one Travelers executive.

The worst drought faced by the United States in decades is expected to cause as much as $68 million in third-quarter Crop Insurance losses for Ace Ltd., says the companys chief executive.

As the hurricane season enters its most active period, the fifth and sixth named storms of this season appear to be no threat to the U.S. coast, say forecasters.

Arthur J. Gallagher led all insurance brokers in July with five announced acquisitions.