Latest Property Casualty Headlines

All the headlines from our Property Casualty Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Here Comes Berkshire Hathaway

Jul 22 2013 // Interview with BHSI’s Peter Eastwood on Building a New E&S Giant When a veteran of CNA joined Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance to lead the new venture’s professional liability division a few weeks...

Hill to Lead ACE Group’s International Property Business

Jul 19 2013 // The ACE Group has appointed Jarrod Hill to Executive VP and Head of International Property for ACE’s Overseas General business, effective September 1, 2013. He will have responsibility for all of ACE’s retail...

Dwane Named President, CEO of AIG’s Latin American P/C Business

Jul 11 2013 // American International Group has appointed Jim Dwane as the new president and CEO for its property/casualty business in Latin America and the Caribbean, effective immediately. He will be responsible for AIG’s...

Assurant Finalizes 2013 P/C Reinsurance Program

Jul 2 2013 // Assurant, Inc., a provider of specialized insurance and insurance-related products and services, has finalized the structure of the company’s 2013 Property Catastrophe Reinsurance Program, including $185 million of...

Insurers Turned Underwriting Profit in Q1, Attained Record Surplus

Jul 1 2013 // First quarter results for U.S. property/casualty insurers show they made a profit on underwriting for the first time since late 2009. Private U.S. property/casualty insurers’ net income after taxes rose to $14.4...

P/C Direct Premium Up Nearly 4.5% for All-Time Industry High

Jul 1 2013 // Direct premium growth for property/casualty insurance companies continues to increase. At year-end 2012, more than $523 billion of direct premium written (DPW) was reported, an all-time high for the industry. For 2012,...

P/C Insurers Question Need for Insurance Accounting Overhaul

Jun 28 2013 // The biggest overhaul of insurance accounting in 30 years advanced a step on Thursday with the release of a proposal that some insurers fear could make their profits more volatile. In a move to align financial statements...

Ames & Gough Names Senior Broker in Virginia Office

Jun 27 2013 // Ames & Gough, an insurance broker and risk management consultant serving design professionals, law firms, associations/non-profits and other professional service firms, appointed Allison Barefoot as assistant vice...

Social Media Is Here to Stay, Texas P/C Professionals Say

Jun 26 2013 // The value of social media as a tool for marketing and selling property/casualty insurance may be a matter of debate but one thing is for certain: While the nature of social media may be evolving, it’s not going...

A.M. Best: P/C Insurer Impairments Down in 2012

Jun 25 2013 // Financial impairments in the property/casualty insurance industry fell more in line with recent trends and historical levels in 2012, following a sharp spike in 2011. There were 21 P/C impairments in 2012, a sizable...

P/C Insurers Turned Profit on Underwriting in Q1, Attained Record Surplus

Jun 24 2013 // First quarter results for U.S. property/casualty insurers show they made a profit on underwriting for the first time since late 2009. Private U.S. property/casualty insurers’ net income after taxes rose to $14.4...

Best Affirms Kemper Corp., Affiliates and Subs Ratings

Jun 20 2013 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength ratings (FSR) of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a-” of the property/casualty subsidiaries and affiliated insurance companies...

Market Forces, Technology Transforming P/C Agents’ Role: McKinsey

Jun 19 2013 // A report this month from consulting firm McKinsey & Company says market forces and technology are changing the role of the agent in the property/casualty insurance distribution. The report, titled “Agents of the...

Willis Taps Foley to Drive P/C Business in Northern California

Jun 19 2013 // Willis North America named Kristen Foley as client advocate and senior vice president of property/casualty for Willis of Northern California. Foley will be responsible for business development and expanding Willis’...

Analysts: Travelers/Dominion Deal Makes Sense, More U.S.-Canadian M&A May Follow

Jun 18 2013 // The Travelers Companies’ decision to acquire Dominion of Canada General Insurance, a unit of E-L Financial Corp., for $1.1 billion makes strategic sense, according to analysts. The acquisition now allows Travelers to...

Canada’s P&C Insurers to Expand with ‘Receivables Insurance Association’ Launch

Jun 18 2013 // The Canadian property and casualty insurance industry is expanding with the launch of the Receivables Insurance Association of Canada. “Less than 1 percent of Canadian companies currently utilize receivables...

Best Revises Outlook to Positive for ACE Ltd., Most Subs; Affirms Ratings

Jun 17 2013 // A.M. Best Co. has revised the outlook to positive from stable and affirmed the financial strength ratings (FSR) of ‘A+’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aa” of the North America...

‘Mayhem’ Outspending ‘Good Neighbor’ in P/C Insurance Advertising: SNL

Jun 13 2013 // Allstate’s “Mayhem” trumped State Farm Mutual’s the “Good Neighbor” in advertising dollars in 2012. According to an analysis by SNL Financial, Allstate’s ad spend increased 14.8...

Research Shows Customer Engagement Makes Major Impact on Insurance Consumers’ Buying Decisions

Jun 13 2013 // Richardson, TX, 6/13/13 – KBM Group, a marketing services company specializing in helping companies with customer engagement strategies, is releasing results of its independent research on the impact customer engagement...

Best Affirms Gen Re Group’s ‘A++’ Ratings; Outlook Stable

Jun 12 2013 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A++’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aa+” of General Reinsurance Corporation, headquartered in Stamford, Conn., and...