PropertyCasualty360: Property & Casualty Insurance News & Tips

Health-Care Reform Doesn’t Have Agents Running for the Exits—Yet

propertycasualty360

The health-care reform law is not scheduled to take effect in 2016, but questions and impact of the law is already hitting some employee-benefit agency programs.

Top 10 Stories of 2011

Staff Writers

In such an eventful year, with dozens of compelling stories as strong contenders, determining the Top 10 of 2011 was no easy task. But, after a lot of laborand internal debatewe feel the final list weve put together successfully captures the essential news of the past 12 months.
#4 AIG: Industry Giant Generates Host of Headlines in Roller-Coaster Year

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While dozens of insurance companies made big news in 2011, none could come close to matching the sheer quantity of headlines grabbed by AIGthe recipient of an $182 billion government bailout and an industry giant whose Chartis division is one of the key P&C players.

Lloyd’s: Talent Shortage a Top Risk for Businesses

Caroline McDonald

The need for talent and skill remains a top concern for American executives, despite high unemployment levels.
#9 Agents & Technology: 2011 Proves a Watershed Year for Adopting New Tools

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Mobile apps from indie agents. Real-time processingnot only of personal-lines business, but also of midsize commercial accounts. Social media as a marketing essential. Cloud computing. The past 12 months saw a number of game-changing tech trends that are rapidly altering how agents and brokers do business.
#3 RMS Cat Model Revision Ignites a Windstorm

propertycasualty360

One of the biggest gusts of change that blew through the industry in 2011: The revisions that catastrophe-modeler Risk Management Solutions made to its U.S. Hurricane Model.
#5 In D.C., a Busy 2011 Saw Number of Major Moves That Will Shape P&C Future

propertycasualty360

Politicians, bureaucrats and industry associations kept our D.C. bureau chief, Arthur D. Postal, plenty busy in 2011. Here are his encapsulated reports on the quartet of congressional stories that mattered most this past yearand which will continue to be newsmakers in 2012.
2012: What’s Next for E&S Players?

propertycasualty360

With 2012 about to arrive, NU spoke with some of the key figures in the E&S/Specialty Markets arena to hear their assessments of where the biggest opportunities will be found in the year aheadand to get their take on the greatest challenges that will have to be faced over the...
On-Field Celebration of Big Game Victories: It’s Called ‘Bedlam’ for a Reason

Kevin Quinley, CPCU

Many moons ago, while I was an undergraduate at Wake Forest University, notable sports victories were celebrated by students by rolling the Quad. Dorms would empty as undergrads sprinted toward the tree-lined Quadrangle, armed with rolls of toilet paper. Crowds would then proceed to TP the branches of the stately...
Agents, Brokers’ Visions of Sugarplums

Bobby Reagan

As we find ourselves in the midst of the holiday season, it may be an interesting exercise to consider how agents and brokers are positioned to respond to some of the traditions that are a part of Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Years. What do agents and brokers have to...
#2 The P&C Pricing Picture: Rates Edge Up in Year of Staggered, Unsteady Transition

propertycasualty360

Two steps forward, one step back: For every couple of events that augured a definitive swing to a hard market this yeara major catastrophe here, increasing combined ratios theresome other factor contributed to helping keep prices soft, whether it was fear over the eurozone debt crisis or underwriters willing to...
#10 Workers’ Comp Injury Claims on the Rise for First Time Since 1997

propertycasualty360

Times are tough for the American worker, whether at the office or on the assembly lineand conditions are at least equally challenged for those underwriters that offer workers compensation insurance to the countrys employers.
Fitch: Brokers’ Earnings Expected to Remain Stable

Mark E. Ruquet

Property-and-casualty insurance brokers were given a continued stable outlook from Fitch Ratings, as revenue and earnings growth in 2012 is forecast to match or exceed levels recorded during the first nine months of 2011.
#6 Cyber Liability Emerges as Key Coverage for Digital Age

propertycasualty360

While the words sexy and insurance seldom appear in the same sentence, cyber liability changed that in 2011.
Thailand Floods Could Cause up to $11B in Insured Losses

Mark E. Ruquet, Phil Gusman

Flooding in Thailand that began in July and peaked in October and November could result in insured losses of more than $10 billion, according to the latest estimates.
#1 A Disastrous 2011 Sees Epic Losses Across the Globe

propertycasualty360

If one could use only a single word to sum up 2011, catastrophes best captures what this year was all about.
Top Stories & Honorable Mentions

Bryant Rousseau

The end of 2011 is upon us, which can only mean one thing: Its time for NU to assemble its annual list of the Top 10 stories of the year. With such a high number of news events to consider as legitimate candidates, deciding on the final lineup was a...
#8 ERM, SRM Gaining Ground with Risk Managers; Reinsurers Leading the Way

propertycasualty360

Enterprise risk management continued to move more toward the mainstream in Corporate America this year, with its implementation being driven by anxious boards and by CEOs more acutely aware than ever of the need to understand and mitigate existential threats.
#7 Bold-Faced Buyers Battle to Acquire Transatlantic

propertycasualty360

Ending a five-month, multiparty bidding warwith Warren Buffett as one of the belligerentsinvestment holding company Alleghany Corp. recently reached a deal whereby reinsurer Transatlantic would become its independent subsidiary in a $3.4 billion deal.
Hardening Market, Flat or Neither? Execs, Analysts Offer Varying Perspectives

Phil Gusman, Chad Hemenway

Insurance-company executives, a global broker and analyst firms are weighing in on whether the market is hardeningand their responses include yes, maybe, and a debate over whether the traditional hard- and soft-market cycles are even relevant anymore in the marketplace.

National Underwriter Property & Casualty-December 19-26, 2011

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