Latest Underwriting Headlines
All the headlines from our Underwriting Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Best Places Platinum’s Ratings Under Review, Downgrades Credit, Debt Ratings; Company Comments
Apr 1 2005 // A.M. Best Co. announced that it has placed the financial strength rating of “A” (Excellent) of the reinsurance subsidiaries of Bermuda-based Platinum Underwriters Holdings, Ltd. under review with negative...
Glencoe Acquires Savannah Re from Palmer & Cay
Mar 25 2005 // In a joint announcement private retail brokerage firm Palmer & Cay, Inc., and Glencoe U.S. Holdings Inc., the wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of Bermuda’s RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd., affirmed that Glencoe has...
AIA OPPOSES WASH. BILL LIMITING UNDERWRITING BASED ON DOG BREED:
Mar 21 2005 // If a Washington measure becomes law, responsible pet owners who take care of their animals will face higher insurance costs to subsidize rates for others with dogs more likely to bite, according to the American Insurance...
Serving the Friendly Skies
Mar 21 2005 // When the 1970s began, Bill Moloney was afraid of flying. When the 21st century dawned, he had his own aviation brokerage based in an airport and flew his plane as often as he could. Moloney, a self-described...
Pratka Joins Burns & Wilcox of Houston as Commercial Lines Underwriter
Mar 16 2005 // Burns & Wilcox of Houston announced that James Pratka has joined the managing general agency as a commercial lines underwriter. As a commercial lines underwriter, Pratka’s responsibilities include serving as a...
Burns & Wilcox of Dallas/Fort Worth Promotes Littlejohn to Associate Underwriter
Mar 16 2005 // Burns & Wilcox of Dallas/Fort Worth announced the promotion of Andrew Littlejohn to associate underwriter. As an associate underwriter, Littlejohn is responsible for producing new business and maintaining his renewal...
Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett on Insurance Economics and 2004 Results
Mar 8 2005 // By Chairman Warren Buffett’s own admission, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. did not have one of its best years in 2004. Last year, Berkshire’s book-value gain of 10.5% fell short of the S&P 500 Index’s 10.9%...
AIA Opposes Washington Bill Limiting Underwriting Based on Dog Breed
Mar 8 2005 // If a Washington measure becomes law, responsible pet owners who take care of their animals will face higher insurance costs to subsidize rates for others with dogs more likely to bite, according to the American Insurance...
Deals for $460M from Bank of America, $100M from 4 Underwriters Reached in Worldcom Case
Mar 7 2005 // Four investment banking firms that participated as underwriters in WorldCom’s May 2000 bond offering have agreed to pay a total of $100.3 million to settle the claims asserted against them in the WorldCom securities...
Heads Up! Employees at Large
Mar 7 2005 // Wal-Mart, Morgan Stanley, Boeing, Texaco, State Farm and Farmers have all been the targets of recent employment practices lawsuits. Wal-Mart was hit with sexual harassment charges. Farmers was sued for wrongful...
Insurers Must Underwrite Smarter, Not Succumb to D&O Market Pressures
Mar 7 2005 // Insurers must not be lulled into thinking that the Directors and Officers liability market has recovered because the quantity of cases remain high and the complexities of litigation are overwhelming. As a result, carriers...
Max Re Announces Executive Appointments
Mar 4 2005 // Max Re Ltd., has announced the following appointments in its insurance division. All appointments are still pending Bermuda Immigration approval. Angelo Guagliano has been appointed president and chief underwriting...
Beazley Opens Up Shop in U.S. for Specialty Lines
Mar 2 2005 // London-based Beazley has started underwriting specialty lines business locally in the U.S. on behalf of its syndicates at Lloyd’s. The opening of its office in Farmington, Conn. is part of Beazley’s plans to...
QBE Adds Greenhill Underwriting Group
Mar 1 2005 // QBE announced on Tuesday it had agreed to acquire Greenhill Underwriting Group, subject to regulatory approval, to enhance its strength and profile in the continental European market. Greenhill is a UK-based underwriting...
William Blair & Co. Begins Coverage for Specialty Underwriters’ Alliance with Outperform Rating
Mar 1 2005 // William Blair & Company has initiated research coverage of Specialty Underwriters’ Alliance Inc., a start-up commercial property/casualty underwriter based in Chicago, focused on the specialty program business...
Trident Insurance Names Murphy to Underwriting Post
Mar 1 2005 // Trident Insurance Services LLC, a member of San Antonio-based Argonaut Group Inc., announced that Thomas Murphy has been appointed senior vice president of Underwriting. As chief underwriting officer, Murphy is responsible...
Weiss: Insurers Earn $28B in First Three Quarters of 2004
Feb 28 2005 // Despite a hurricane-ravaged third quarter, property/casualty insurers reported profits of $28.1 billion in the first nine months of 2004, representing a 22.4 percent increase over the $22.9 billion earned during the same...
Max Re Announces New Appointments
Feb 24 2005 // Bermuda-based Max Re Capital Ltd. announced that its subsidiary, Max Re Ltd., has made the following appointments in its reinsurance division: — John Doucette has been appointed president and chief underwriting...
Pa.-based Harleysville Insurance In Transition to Restore Historic Results
Feb 22 2005 // Several events stand out in the history of Harleysville Insurance. There was its launch as an auto theft protection association in 1915 in the Pennsylvania community whose name it shares and there was its debut as a public...
Best Sees Underwriting Discipline in January European Reinsurance Renewals
Feb 21 2005 // European January reinsurance renewals confirm A.M. Best Co.’s expectations that underwriting discipline is being maintained, despite wide capacity availability. The rating agency noted that overall premium rates have...
