Latest Underwriting Headlines

2006: a big year for P&C buyers and sellers of all shapes and sizes

Dec 25 2006 // JANUARY Hallmark Aquires Aerospace Holdings Fort Worth, Texas-based Hallmark Financial Services Inc. has completed its acquisition of Aerospace Holdings LLC, which markets general aviation insurance products. Hallmark...

2006: Soft market offers up many new insurance products

Dec 25 2006 // E&O, Professional/Management Liability New P/C Insurance Agents’ E&O Rockwood Programs partnered with certain underwriters at Lloyd’s of London to offer professional liability coverage specifically...

Dec 24 2006 // People Members of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners elected 2007 officers during the group’s winter meeting in San Antonio. Alabama Insurance Commissioner Walter Bell was named president, Kansas...

2006 New Markets Report

Dec 24 2006 // E&O, Professional/Management Liability New P/C Insurance Agents’ E&O Rockwood Programs partnered with certain underwriters at Lloyd’s of London to offer professional liability coverage specifically...

2006:a big year for P&C buyers and sellers of all shapes and sizes

Dec 24 2006 // JANUARY Hallmark Acquires Fort Worth, Texas-based Hallmark Financial Services Inc. has completed its acquisition of Aerospace Holdings LLC, which markets general aviation insurance products. Hallmark underwrites...

Best Upgrades EIO, Ansvar Ratings

Dec 22 2006 // In separate bulletins, A.M. Best Co. announced that it has upgraded the financial strength rating to “A” (Excellent) from “A-” (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating (ICR) to “a” from...

S&P Lowers United Fire & Casualty’s Rating to ‘A-‘ from ‘A’

Dec 21 2006 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on United Fire & Casualty Co. and its wholly owned subsidiaries to ‘A-‘ from...

Catlin Opens New Underwriting Floor

Dec 20 2006 // Catlin Group Limited announced the opening of its new Underwriting Floor in London.The new facility, located on the Upper Ground Floor of the London Underwriting Centre (also Catlin’s London headquarters), covers...

Catlin to Establish Offices in Paris, Barcelona, Zurich and Innsbruck

Dec 15 2006 // The Bermuda-based Catlin Group Limited announced plans to establish four new European offices in early 2007 in Paris, Barcelona, Zurich and Innsbruck. “The new locations will build on Catlin’s strategy to open...

Dissecting a claims made policy

Dec 11 2006 // Editor’s note: This is the first installment in a three-part series discussing the anatomy of a claims made policy. Parts II and III will be printed in future issues of Insurance Journal’s West region...

Dec 10 2006 // People The van Aartrijk Group LLC, a Washington, D.C.-area marketing and communications firm, is augmenting its branding and public affairs capabilities with the promotion of one executive and addition of another,...

Dec 10 2006 // People The Texas Surplus Lines Association Inc. announced the election of the following officers and directors: President Len Kaplan, executive vice president and CFO, Delta General Agency, Houston; Vice President Lana...

Innovations in information technology spur need for up-to-date underwriters

Dec 10 2006 // With rapid innovations in the field of information technology, types of underwriting that didn’t exist a few decades ago have become prominent today. For example, companies engaging in information technology business...

Dissecting a claims made policy

Dec 10 2006 // Editor’s note: This is the first installment in a three-part series discussing the anatomy of a claims made policy. Parts II and III will be printed in future issues of Insurance Journal’s West region...

It’s ‘haves’ vs. ‘have-nots’ in insurance technology race for survival

Dec 10 2006 // News Currents Spurred by intensifying competition, breakthroughs in analytics are transforming insurance markets, according to an industry leader. Sophisticated insurers able to harness large volumes of high-quality data...

Fitch Upgrades Arch Debt, IFS Ratings

Dec 6 2006 // Fitch Ratings has upgraded its issuer default rating (IDR) on Arch Capital Group, Ltd. to “A-” from “BBB+” and its rating on Arch’s $300 million of senior unsecured notes due 2034 to...

Campbell, Swing Join Britt/Paulk in Georgia

Dec 5 2006 // Britt/Paulk has hired two underwriters to join its Carrollton, Georgia office. David Campbell is now underwriting operations manager, while James Swing has been hired as equipment chief underwriting officer. Campbell has...

Investors Underwriting Renamed Markel Underwriting Managers

Dec 5 2006 // Markel Underwriting Managers, Inc. is the new name for Investors Underwriting Managers, Inc. Glen Curley, president and chief operating officer, said the new name went into effect Dec. 1. The switch to Markel Underwriting...

OneBeacon Purchases National Marine Underwriters

Dec 1 2006 // OneBeacon Insurance Group has acquired ownership of National Marine Underwriters, a yacht-specialty managing general agent with a 20-year history of writing recreational marine business. National Marine Underwriters will...

ICAT Establishes Syndicate at Lloyd’s of London

Dec 1 2006 // ICAT Holdings LLC announced the creation of a new underwriting syndicate at Lloyd’s of London, designated as ICM Syndicate 4242, to support the company’s underwriting of catastrophe-exposed properties...