Proposed changes to insurance contract accounting standards by the U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board and the International Accounting Standards Board are reasonable and would improve consistency, Moody’s said.

A number of deaths that occurred in Louisiana, Florida and Virginia were not likely due to the presence of Chinese drywall in homes, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention review.

As insurers deal with post-financial crisis challenges, such as dwindling reserve releases and a challenged investment environment, many companies are looking to enhance customers’ claims experiences to retain and attract business, a recent report said.

The Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) said its plan to rehabilitate Ambac Assurance Corp., a Wisconsin subsidiary of New York-based bond insurer Ambac Financial Group, has been upheld by a circuit court judge.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said it will be accepting comments on its proposal to revise rating criteria for bond insurers that could lead to downgrades unless the companies raise additional capital or reduce risk.

Specialty insurer RLI Corp. saw higher earned premiums as it reported 2010 fourth-quarter net income of $40.3 million, a nearly 32 percent increase over the prior year’s fourth quarter.

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods expects weakening returns on equity and continued soft pricing for the property and casualty industry, but a hard market could emerge sooner than many anticipate.

Federal securities fraud class action filings related to mergers and acquisitions transactions were up in 2010, while filings related to the credit crisis were down, according to an annual report by Stanford Law School and Cornerstone Research.