Allied World Assurance Co. Holdings says David Bell, chief operating officer, is leaving the company to pursue other interests in Montana. The news comes a day after Alleghany Corp. and Transatlantic Holdings Inc. announced the closing of their merger deal.

The mutual insurance company paid a record $1.2 billion in catastrophe claims during 2011, mostly from Midwestern wind and hail storms in April and May.

Lawmakers in Florida gave up on a bill industry experts say would have at least given homeowners another insurance option.

This week we continue the discussion of caveats of applying the targeted tender doctrine while delving into conflicts presented by the horizontal exhaustion doctrine.