The need for independent agents to encrypt e-mail transmissions is not only important for compliance with privacy laws but can also be used as a marketing tool by agents, a technology expert said.

The Treasury Department said last night it had approved Allstate Corporation and five other insurers to get taxpayer rescue money under its multibillion-dollar Capital Purchase Program.

The Surety & Fidelity Association of America said Thomas Kunkel, Travelers Bond chief executive officer and president, has been elected SFAA board chairman for 2009-2010.

A modeling firm which has been projecting pandemic flu impact for the past three years says the current outbreak while growing is unlikely to cause big insurance losses.