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.

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.

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.

State-based insurance regulation has an inherent weaknessthe ability to stray from or misinterpret national standards or model laws, says the Risk and Insurance Management Society Inc.