Non-public P&C insurance carriers are reporting continued rate increases, with direct-written premiums increasing 3.7 percent in 2011 compared to 0.3 percent in 2010, according to a report from SNL Financial.

Valuable Articles coverage, including Personal Article Floaters and Jewelry Insurance, has remained a stable sector of the Inland Marine market during the economic recession.

Insurance-industry officials say a two-year National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) extension, as proposed recently by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is better than the current pattern of short-term extensionsbut some associations say they would still rather see action on a five-year extension with program reforms.

The boom in mobile technology has spawned a new way for insurance marketers to reach consumers and business partners while they are on the go.