Businesses now more than ever need to think proactively about protecting customer information, and in turn their own corporate reputation, by treating cyber security as a process rather than a one-time product.

Anumber of recent reports conclude that commercial-insurance rates were up in 2011s fourth quarter and are likely to remain in positive territory through 2012. But factors such as macro-economic conditions and loss-cost trends will limit insurers ability to generate underwriting profits, and carriers will have to look elsewherefor example, mergers...

The universe of publicly held brokerage firms could expand within the next two years, with two firms that are now in the hands of private-equity interests re-entering the public sphere in the United States.