Latest Property Casualty Headlines

A.M. Best: P/C Insurers Report Strong Gains for First Half of 2005

Oct 17 2005 // The U.S. property/casualty industry recorded an underwriting profit of $13.2 billion during the first six months of 2005, a substantial gain from the record results posted during the comparable period of 2004, according to...

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...

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...

Chubb’s Contractors Equipment Express

Oct 17 2005 // The Chubb Group of Insurance Companies created an online system designed to make it easier for agents and brokers to quickly obtain a rate, quote or binder for contractors’ equipment risks with schedules up to $5...

S&P Raises If P&C Ratings to ‘A’

Oct 12 2005 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has raised its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on Sweden-based If P&C Insurance Ltd. (publ) and Finland-based If...

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...

Wawanesa Insurance Garners Top Ranking in Financial Stability

Oct 4 2005 // The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company (Wawanesa), one of Canada’s largest property and casualty insurers, has been ranked first among property and casualty (P/C) insurance companies in Canada in terms of capital and...

People

Oct 3 2005 // Westfield Insurance has named Robert Testa executive, personal lines sales. In this capacity, he oversees employees in five states responsible for new personal lines business. Testa began his career at Westfield in 1991...

Fitch: Katrina Causes Unprecedented Challenges, Risks for P/C Insurers

Oct 3 2005 // The circumstances surrounding Hurricane Katrina are unprecedented in many ways, reports Fitch Ratings. So much so that the rating agency may need to reassess the core risk profile of the property/casualty insurance...

Stewart Title of California Venturing Into P/C Market with SIFS Launch

Sep 29 2005 // Stewart Title of California (STC) is looking to become a player in the property and casualty insurance industry with the launch of Stewart of California Insurance and Financial Services (SIFS). Recently approved by...

William Gallagher Promotes Bixby, Clifford and Martin in P/C Group

Sep 26 2005 // William Gallagher Associates in Boston has promoted three executives within its property and casualty group. Doug Bixby to has been elevated to senior vice president and Janice Clifford and Kristen Martin to assistant vice...

Flatt Named P/C Claims VP at Harleysville Insurance

Sep 22 2005 // Denise T. Flatt has been named vice president of property/casualty claims for Harleysville Insurance. In this position, she is responsible for directing home office technical claims functions, specialty units and...

Harleysville Names McNamee as VP of Business Planning

Sep 21 2005 // Michael P. McNamee has been named vice president of business planning and analysis for Harleysville Insurance. In this position, he is responsible for the development of the company’s annual business plan, financial...

Fitch: Katrina Causes Unprecedented Challenges/Risks for P/C Insurers

Sep 19 2005 // Circumstances surrounding Hurricane Katrina are unprecedented in many ways, said Fitch Ratings. So much so that the rating agency may need to reassess the core risk profile of the property/casualty insurance...

Midwest FEATURE: Market Spotlight on Illinois and Ohio

Sep 19 2005 // Although the insurance industry — and the rest of us — are waiting for the other shoe to drop in the wake of Hurricane Katrina’s estimated $20 billion to $35 billion in insured losses, business in the...

Midwest FEATURE: Market Spotlight on Illinois and Ohio

Sep 19 2005 // Although the insurance industry – and the rest of us – are waiting for the other shoe to drop in the wake of Hurricane Katrina’s estimated $20 billion to $35 billion in insured losses, business in the...

Midwest FEATURE: Market Spotlight on Illinois and Ohio

Sep 19 2005 // Although the insurance industry – and the rest of us – are waiting for the other shoe to drop in the wake of Hurricane Katrina’s estimated $20 billion to $35 billion in insured losses, business in the...

Sep 19 2005 // Saylor & Hill has announced that three senior associates of the firm have been promoted to principal. Tim Sweeney, Kevin Mirsky and Chris Williams, each of whom has worked for the firm for more than a decade, will...

S&P Sees Continued Profitability for NZ P/C Carriers

Sep 14 2005 // Profitability among New Zealand’s nonlife (P/C) insurers is expected to remain sound for the remainder of 2005 and into 2006, according to Standard & Poor’s latest report card on the sector. “These...

Fitch Moves 5 Insurers to Rating Watch Negative Following Katrina

Sep 13 2005 // Fitch Ratings has placed the ratings of five North American property/casualty insurance and reinsurance organizations on Rating Watch Negative Tuesday based on potential large loss exposures to Hurricane Katrina. The...