Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos opened the 2011 State Legislative Session late last week, beginning a new round in the reform fight for the insurance industry.

The district attorney in Travis County, Texas, is now involved in an investigation of the state’s last-resort insurer, the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA).

While the types of captives formed and the coverages may vary, one point regulators agree on is that business is up and more captives are in the pipeline for 2011.

Bermuda-based Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited is positioning its U.S. specialty insurance operation for an inevitable market turn by hiring experienced professionals, according to CEO John Cavoores. Mario Vitale, an alumnus of Zurich and Willis, joined the leader board as president last week, bearing the battle scars of prior soft markets.