Latest Casualty Headlines
All the headlines from our Casualty Topic Page, ordered by recency.
California Delays Licensing Implementation Six Months
Nov 24 2010 // The California Department of Insurance is delaying for six months the implementation of a new licensing requirement for fire and casualty licensees that want to sell health insurance. AB 2782 would have required existing...
Starr & Co Appoints Breeck as Head of Casualty for Germany
Nov 19 2010 // C. V. Starr & Co., Inc. announced the appointment of Rainer Breeck in Germany as Head of Casualty for Starr Casualty, a division of Starr Underwriting Agents, Ltd., and a wholly owned subsidiary of C.V. Starr. The...
Best Upgrades Ratings of Zurich’s U.S. Subsidiaries to ‘A+’
Nov 19 2010 // A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating (FSR) to ‘A+’ (Superior) from ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) to “aa-” from “a+” of the U.S....
Property/Casualty Insurance Premiums Grew Modestly in Q3
Nov 18 2010 // The U.S. property and casualty industry continued to experience modest growth in premiums written while essentially breaking even on underwriting with a calendar year combined ratio of approximately 100 percent, according...
Insurance Mergers Complicated by Economy, Low Valuations, Hidden Risks
Nov 15 2010 // With organic growth difficult in the current economy and soft market, there could be an increase in insurance industry merger and acquisition activity over the next 12 to 18 months, according to mergers and acquisitions...
Illinois Disciplinary Actions Include License Denials, Suspensions, Fines
Nov 11 2010 // Illinois Department of Insurance Director of Insurance Michael T. McRaith has issued the following disciplinary orders for September and October 2010: Shango D. Johnson, Chicago – Insurance producer license suspended...
How Insurance Companies Can Live to Be 100 and Beyond
Nov 8 2010 // Companies that seek longevity in the insurance industry should not focus solely on increasing profits. That’s the assessment of Robert P. Hartwig, president and economist for the Insurance Information Institute. In...
Cooper Gay Targets U.S. Casualty Business with London Appointment
Nov 8 2010 // Cooper Gay is moving ahead with plans for U.S. expansion following its recent amalgamation with Swett & Crawford. The broker announced the appointment of Galen Brislane, a U.S. casualty specialist, to focus on...
People
Nov 1 2010 // Juan Andrade stepped down as Commercial Markets president at The Hartford to join Ace as president of the insurers’ Global Personal Lines and Small Commercial Insurance division. He will assume the new position with...
Cincinnati Financial Q3 2010 Income Drops Compared to 2009
Oct 29 2010 // Cincinnati Financial Corp. reported $156 million, or 95 cents per share, of net income for the third quarter of 2010 compared with a net income of $171 million, or $1.05 per share, in the third quarter of 2009. The...
Argo Group Promotes Vindivich
Oct 12 2010 // Virginia-based Argo Group has promoted Ron Vindivich to senior vice president for transportation underwriting for Colony Specialty. In his new role, Vindivich will develop the strategy of a soon-to-be combined garage,...
C.V. Starr Opens Paris Office; Sets Europe Expansion Plans
Oct 7 2010 // C.V. Starr & Co has opened its French branch of Starr Underwriting Agents, Ltd. in Paris. The Company also announced the appointment of both Nicolas Berg as Regional Manager Europe, Starr Casualty, and Olivier Decombes...
S&P Raises AFG’s Subsidiaries Ratings to ‘A+’; Outlook Stable
Oct 7 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has raised its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on American Financial Group’s (AFG) core insurance subsidiaries to ‘A+’ from...
Cotnoir Joins Safety National’s Large Casualty Unit
Oct 1 2010 // St. Louis, Mo.-based Safety National announced that Stephen H. Cotnoir has joined the company’s Large Casualty unit. His hiring coincides with the founding of Safety National’s regional underwriting office in...
P/C Insurers Post First Half Profit Despite Underwriting Losses
Sep 16 2010 // Private U.S. property/casualty insurers’ net income after taxes rose to $16.5 billion in first-half 2010 from $6 billion in first-half 2009, with insurers’ overall profitability as measured by their annualized...
Correction: Star Casualty Insurance Co.’s Ratings Affirmed
Sep 14 2010 // Correction: Insurance Journal regrets an error in the original headline of this story, posted on Sept. 13, 2010, that incorrectly stated Star Casualty’s ratings were downgraded. Star Casualty’s ratings were...
2010 Education & Training Directory
Aug 16 2010 // Insurance Journal is pleased to publish the 2010 Education and Training Directory. This exclusive resource directory has been designed to help independent agents and brokers find educational and training opportunities to...
E&S Wrap Up: Broker Mergers, Expansions and Start Ups
Aug 12 2010 // As goes the circle of life, so goes the wholesale insurance broker world. Not even the sixth year of a soft market cycle has deterred industry veterans from launching new wholesale businesses or creating larger ones. Many...
Berkshire Hathaway Profit Down on Derivatives But Insurance Way Up
Aug 9 2010 // Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. said Friday second-quarter profit fell 40 percent, as declining stock prices depressed the value of his derivative contracts. Operating profit nevertheless soared 73 percent,...
Cincinnati Financial Q2 2010 Income Up from Previous Year
Aug 5 2010 // Cincinnati Financial Corp. saw net income for the second quarter of 2010 rise to $27 million compared with a net loss of $19 million for the same period in 2009. Operating income for the quarter was $42 million compared...