Latest Excess Surplus Headlines

Oct 17 2005 // Willis Group Holdings has appointed Vincent D. Liotta as executive vice president and production director of the Willis Re U.S. Specialty Practice. Earlier this year Willis Re merged its Global Marine, Aviation, Retro and...

IJ Publisher, Dickinson Receive NAPSLO’s Dana Roehrig Award

Oct 17 2005 // The National Association of Surplus Lines Offices awarded the Dana Roehrig Award, an annual honor given to association volunteers, to Insurance Journal’s Publisher Mark Wells and Marti Dickinson of All Risks...

Surplus Lines Industry Discusses Life After the Storm

Oct 17 2005 // NAPSLO 2005 ANNUAL CONVENTION: With more than 3,200 people in attendance, the National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices’ annual convention convened in San Francisco, Calif., last month to address the...

Skywire Software Rolls Out Policyware for MGAs, E&S Brokers

Oct 13 2005 // Frisco, Texas-based Skywire Software, a diversified software company with a concentration on the insurance industry, announced the launch of Policyware, a centralized, Web-based agency management system designed...

Specialty Underwriters’ Alliance: No Expected Losses from Hurricanes

Oct 13 2005 // Chicago-based Specialty Underwriters’ Alliance Inc. reported that it does not expect any losses related to the recent hurricane activity. SUA President and Chief Executive Officer Courtney Smith stated, “Our...

Specialty Underwriters’ Alliance Partners with Appalachian Underwriters

Oct 12 2005 // Specialty Underwriters’ Alliance Inc. announced a new partner agent contract with Appalachian Underwriters, Inc., which specializes in small artisan and general contractors business such as carpentry, electricians,...

Prime to Write N.M. Surplus Lines

Oct 12 2005 // The Prime Insurance Syndicate Inc. has received approval to write surplus lines insurance business in the state of New Mexico effective as of Oct. 6. Prime, which offers solutions for hard-to-place risks, will offer lines...

Hiscox: Rita Losses $70 Million; Ups Katrina Estimates, 2006 Premium Limit

Oct 10 2005 // The U.K.-based Lloyd’s and specialty insurer Hiscox Plc issued a statement indicating that its preliminary loss estimates from Hurricane Rita are around $70 million. Hiscox also said that, based on current industry...

AIG Excess Casualty to Offer Coverage for Risks Insured with Insolvent Carriers

Oct 10 2005 // AIG Excess Casualty, a division of American Home Assurance Company, a member company of American International Group Inc., introduced xsInResponse, a new product that provides excess liability coverage for risks previously...

Brownyard Ups Limits for Umbrella/Excess Liability Program

Oct 7 2005 // Brownyard Group recently expanded Brownguard – its flagship package program for security guard firms – to include limits up to $5 million. Brownguard provides broad coverage which includes: General Liability,...

Lloyd’s Reports First Half Profit

Oct 6 2005 // Lloyd’s announced an interim profit of 1.38 billion pounds Sterling ($2.47 billion) for the six month period ended June 30, 2005, a 21% increase compared to the same period in 2004. The severe hurricane season will...

Lloyd’s Report Says Global Businesses Fail to Identify, Manage Emerging Risks

Oct 5 2005 // Despite spending more time on risk management, board directors at global businesses are failing to identify and manage emerging risks effectively, according to a new research report published by...

Record First-Half, Surplus Boost P/C Insurers’ Ability to Pay Hurricane Losses

Oct 5 2005 // The U.S. property/casualty insurance industry’s net income after taxes rose 29.1 percent to a record $30.9 billion in first-half 2005 from $23.9 billion in first-half 2004. Reflecting the industry’s income, its...

Liotta Joins Willis Re U.S. Specialty Practice

Oct 3 2005 // Willis Group Holdings, the global insurance broker, strengthening its Willis Re management team, has appointed Vincent D. Liotta as executive vice president and production director of the Willis Re U.S. Specialty...

News Briefs

Oct 3 2005 // Roundup of Katrina Loss Estimates: As the scope of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina became increasingly evident, European and Bermuda-based insurers and reinsurers continued to calculate their potential...

Lloyd’s Syndicate to Offer Identity Theft Insurance Coverage

Sep 28 2005 // SVB Syndicate 1007, at Lloyd’s, announced the availability of identity insurance to help address the perils of identity theft. For the past five years in America, identity theft has reportedly been the number one...

Imagine to Acquire Lloyd’s Abacus

Sep 28 2005 // Imagine Insurance Company Limited, a member of The Imagine Group, announced that it has entered into an agreement in principle to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Abacus Syndicates Limited and Abacus Underwriting...

Argonaut Group’s Trident Insurance Expands Identity Recovery Coverage to College and University Customers

Sep 26 2005 // San Antonio – Trident Insurance Services, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Argonaut Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: AGII) announced at the annual National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices, Ltd. (NAPSLO)...

Best Report: Excess & Surplus 2005 – Premium Growth Decreases Amid Softening Market

Sep 26 2005 // In 2004, after growing significantly for three consecutive calendar years, direct premium volume for the surplus lines industry remained relatively flat, according to a special report released by A.M. Best Co. The...

Darwin, PGU Offer Specialty Coverages for Public Entities

Sep 22 2005 // Darwin Professional Underwriters Inc. (Darwin) and Professional Government Underwriters Inc. (PGU) have entered into a program arrangement whereby PGU will be the exclusive provider of professional liability coverages for...