In this installment of NUs annual rankings, we look at how 2014's top companies stack up vs. the year prior, with intel on net premiums written, percentage growth and combined ratios.

Massive wildfires have raged this year in Alaska, California, Canada, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Many started from natural causes, such as lightning, but most are caused by humans, either accidentally from cigarettes, campfires, or outdoor burningor intentionally.

Hartford Financial Services Group Inc., the insurer that sold life units to focus on property-casualty coverage, increased its share buyback by $1.6 billion and raised the dividend 17 percent as second-quarter profit beat analysts estimates.