Independent agents can help make up for declining premium growth in a soft market and a recessionary economy by helping clients create captive insurance companies, where appropriate, one alternative market manager suggests.

With President Obama's emphasis on shovel-ready construction projects, the need for wrap-up insurance programs--also known as controlled insurance programs (CIPS)--is expected to increase.

Employment-related claims could be on the rise after a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision determined that a collective-bargaining agreement which requires union members to arbitrate age discrimination claims is enforceable as a matter of federal law.