Latest Underwriting Headlines

People

Jan 27 2008 // Zurich named Kevin Dunham senior vice president and global relationship leader for the western region of its Global Corporate in North America Business unit. Dunham is based in Glendale, Calif., and will manage accounts...

Regulators Address the Politics of Underwriting

Jan 27 2008 // There is an X-factor in setting insurance rates that even actuaries would have a hard time calculating: Politics. For those who serve as their state’s ultimate authority on what factors insurers can use to raise or...

Welch Joins Vermont Mutual as Commercial Lines Underwriter

Jan 25 2008 // Michael P. Welch recently joined Vermont Mutual Insurance Group in Montpelier as a commercial lines underwriter. Welch spent the past 11 years with Underwriters Agency of New England as assistant vice president of...

La.’s First Premium Insurance Adds Williams as Asst. Underwriter

Jan 25 2008 // Louisiana-based regional property and casualty insurance broker First Premium Insurance Group Inc. announced the addition of Kellie Williams to its Commercial Department as assistant underwriter. Williams has 16 years of...

Fla. Family and Aviation Underwriters Reach Settlement in Plane Crash

Jan 17 2008 // NASCAR’s insurance company has settled with the family of a Florida woman and infant killed last year when a plane owned by the racing organization slammed into their home, the family’s attorney said...

New Tools Can Help Underwrite, Price Winter Storm and Fire Risk

Jan 13 2008 // While winter storms do not attract the attention of mega-catastrophes such as hurricanes and earthquakes, these smaller events can add up to impact insurers’ bottom lines. However, insurers can now avail themselves...

People

Jan 13 2008 // ACE USA, the U.S.-based retail operating division of the ACE Group of Companies, appointed John Nilson senior vice president, western region for ACE Risk Management. Nilson will be based in Los Angeles and oversee ARM...

P/C Insurers’ Net Income, Surplus Rose But Profitability Dropped in 3rd Quarter

Jan 13 2008 // The U.S. property/casualty insurance industry’s net income after taxes rose 7.1 percent to $49.4 billion through nine-months 2007 from $46.1 billion through nine-months 2006. Fueled by the industry’s net...

Assessing Catastrophe Risk While Underwriting Doesn’t Require Big Changes

Jan 13 2008 // A little data can go a long way to improve risk selection in catastrophe prone areas For companies writing homeowners insurance in catastrophe prone states, the future of catastrophe risk assessment is now. Today, insurers...

Regulators Address The Politics of Underwriting

Jan 11 2008 // There is an X-factor in setting insurance rates that even actuaries would have a hard time calculating: Politics. For those who serve as their state’s ultimate authority on what factors insurers can use to raise or...

Lighthouse Underwriters Sells Retail Non-Profit Book to Cooley and Darling

Jan 10 2008 // Cooley and Darling Insurance Agency Inc. (www.cd-insure.com), a new retail agency based in Haymarket, Va., has acquired the retail book of non-profit business from Lighthouse Underwriters LLC, a member company of U.S. Risk...

HCC Acquires MultiNational Underwriters; Approved for Lloyd’s Syndicate

Jan 3 2008 // Houston-based HCC Insurance Holdings Inc. announced it acquired Indianapolis, Ind.-based MultiNational Underwriters LLC (MNU), which specializes in international life, accident and health insurance, offering coverage to...

Former Reinsurance Execs Launch Underwriting Mgmt Firm

Dec 28 2007 // The former top executive of RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. – who resigned during an SEC probe into his company’s accounting practices – has joined forces with another reinsurance executive to launch a new...

New Tools Can Help Underwrite, Price Winter Storm and Fire Risk

Dec 28 2007 // While winter storms do not attract the attention of mega-catastrophes such as hurricanes and earthquakes, these smaller events can add up to impact insurers’ bottom lines. However, insurers can now avail themselves...

Lloyd’s Insurers Consider Coverage for Commercial Space Flights

Dec 28 2007 // A bulletin on the Lloyd’s web site (www.lloyds.com) notes that the State of New Mexico and Virgin Galactic recently announced plans to construct a “multi-million pound spaceport.” As a result...

P/C Insurers’ Net Income, Surplus Rose But Profitability Dropped

Dec 27 2007 // The U.S. property/casualty insurance industry’s net income after taxes rose 7.1 percent to $49.4 billion through nine-months 2007 from $46.1 billion through nine-months 2006. Fueled by the industry’s net...

Dec 23 2007 // People The Louisiana Medical Mutual Insurance Co. named Thomas H. Grimstad, M.D., as its new president and chief executive officer. Grimstad will succeed John E. Lemoine, M.D., effective Jan.1, 2008. Since its founding in...

Survey of Analysts Projects Healthy Underwriting Profits

Dec 23 2007 // I.I.I.’s Earlybird Forecast predicts negative premium growth but continued profitability in 2008 Next year may go down on record as one of the best insurance industry underwriting performances in the past 80 years,...

Birmingham, Ala., Mayor Questioned on Bond Underwriting Fees

Dec 21 2007 // Birmingham, Ala., Mayor Larry Langford will not say why he refused to answer questions from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, but says he believes he is the target of a federal criminal...

Arch Acquires Wexford Underwriting Managers

Dec 20 2007 // Arch Insurance Group said it has completed its acquisition of Wexford Underwriting Managers and will rename the new division Arch Wexford. The deal has been in the works since January, when the two companies signed an...