As peak hurricane season approaches, both insurers and government officials are outlining their strategies and plans to protect against what is expected to be an increasing number of catastrophic storms.

The years 2001 up to the fourth quarter in 2007 marked exciting times in the excess and surplus lines industry. The market was in constant motion. The phone rang off the hook and the quote-to-bind

Besides the financial market crisis, the top business risks multinational insurers face this year are failures to recognize model shortcomings and possible impacts from sweeping regulatory reforms, a report found.

Editor's Note: This is the first of a planned series of monthly columns by Lynne McChristian, the Florida representative for the Insurance Information Institute. For more than 40 years, the mission