Litigation

Directors and officers insurance experts found little to celebrate in a report declaring an end to securities lawsuits arising from the credit crisis, and Goldman Sach's recent troubles had them throwing more cold water on positive findings.

The firm owning the drilling rig that sank in the Gulf of Mexico could be liable for millions of dollars depending on its leasing agreement with BP, a lawyer familiar with oil and gas litigation said.

Although none of its clients were harmed financially, Acordia insurance brokerage should pay a penalty for failing to tell them it had a special compensation arrangement with certain carriers, a judge has ruled.

Securities lawsuit filings fell by 39 percent in the first quarter, according to a report by Advisen, which noted that several high-profile stockholder actions were dismissed as well.

Big auto insurers, who said in February they were reviewing Toyota auto accident claims for subrogation actions involving accelerator problems, have begun moving cases with the carmaker.

With credit scoring approaches to underwriting and pricing increasingly coming under attack across the nation, insurers need to supplement their techniques with new types of analysis, two actuaries said at a seminar.