E&S/Specialty

In spite of competitive conditions in the specialty program business segment, an insurance industry analyst doesn’t see any flashing red alerts signaling major troubles ahead for program carriers so far in 2011.

As three more Bermuda companies report estimated losses for the March 11 Japan earthquake and tsunami, a couple of the company executives commented that a market turn is beginning to occur.

“Status-blind harassment” is becoming more of a concern to employers and their employment practices liability insurers, but while the consequences of workplace bullying are clear, appropriate steps to recognize and rein in the problem aren’t always obvious.

As agencies focus on survival, they often overlook critical aspects of their own businesses, potentially placing themselves in a vulnerable spot. Agencies need to evaluate their own professional liability insurance coverage to be sure they are properly protected, according to Burns & Wilcox’s Rochelle Elliott.

In the wake of New York’s decision not to join a nationwide compact on sharing of surplus-lines taxes, industry officials believe such compacts may be doomed.

For the agents and brokers writing commercial-lines insurance for Main Street clients, business remains tough—but some tepid signs of improvement have begun, tentatively, to appear.