Latest Underwriting Headlines

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

XL Names Chief Underwriting Officer for Primary Casualty Unit in N.Y.

Aug 8 2012 // XL Group plc has appointed Barbara Luck as chief underwriting officer in its North America primary casualty business. Based in New York, Luck will assume her new position on August 13. She will report to Ken Riegler,...

Howden Specialty Underwriters Appoints Head of New York Office

Aug 7 2012 // Howden Specialty Underwriters (HSU), part of Hyperion Insurance Group, has appointed Scott Misson to lead its recently opened New York office. He will become a member of the executive team and will report to Bobby Vernon,...

Conn.-Based Medical Liability Insurer CMIC Names Underwriting Director

Aug 6 2012 // CMIC, a Glastonbury, Conn.-based carrier offering medical professional liability insurance in New England, has appointed Edward Carroll as director of underwriting. Carroll brings 18 years of experience to his role, most...

Captives Feeling the Squeeze As Global Pressures Intrude: A.M. Best

Aug 6 2012 // Captive insurance firms in the United States are feeling the squeeze of an ongoing soft insurance market, low investment yields and a bleak global financial picture, a new report revealed. A composite of 209 U.S. captive...

WKFC Underwriting Managers Appoints Chief Casualty Officer in New York

Aug 6 2012 // Melville, N.Y.-based WKFC Underwriting Managers has appointed Adam Schnell as chief casualty officer. In his new role, Schnell will focus on developing new casualty product offerings with an emphasis on products liability...

Earnings Reports: Catlin Group, RSA

Aug 6 2012 // Selected earnings highlights in US dollars from the Bermuda-based Catlin Group for the first six months of 2012 are as follows: 1st Half 2012 1st Half 2011 Gross premiums written ———— $3.010 bn...

Swett & Crawford Subsidiary Launches New Marine Underwriting Division

Aug 3 2012 // Swett & Crawford subsidiary J. H. Blades & Co. has launched J. H. Blades Marine Underwriting Services (Blades Marine), a new marine insurance underwriting division. This full service MGU will underwrite brown water...

Best Affirms Lloyd’s UK, China ‘A’ Ratings; Outlook Stable

Jul 26 2012 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a+” of Lloyd’s and Lloyd’s Insurance...

CK Names Karber Southwest Regional Underwriting Manager

Jul 25 2012 // San Jose, Calif.-based CK Specialty Insurance Associates Inc., a surplus lines broker and managing general agent, named Roger Karber its Southwest regional underwriting manager. Karber has more than 22 years of insurance...

Dsouza Joins Argo Group in Dubai as Casualty, Professional Lines Underwriter

Jul 25 2012 // Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. announced that Jason Dsouza has joined Argo Re (DIFC) Ltd. in Dubai as a casualty and professional lines underwriter. He will report to Argo Re (DIFC’s) Chief Underwriting...

Catlin Appoints McMellin to Succeed Banas as U.S. CEO

Jul 24 2012 // The Bermuda-based Catlin Group Limited announced that Andrew McMellin, currently the group’s deputy chief underwriting officer, will become CEO of Catlin US effective September first. He will remain a member of the...

UK’s Pioneer Underwriting to Launch Professional Indemnity Team

Jul 24 2012 // Pioneer Underwriting, which conducts business in partnership with Liberty Syndicates, has launched a new specialty unit, Pioneer PI that will commence underwriting on August 1, 2012. The new platform will be a...

Republic Group Appoints Greenfield as Senior VP, Chief Underwriting Officer

Jul 20 2012 // Texas-based super regional property/casualty insurer, The Republic Group, named Thomas M. Greenfield to serve as senior vice president and chief underwriting officer of the group’s member companies. Greenfield, 51,...

Travelers Reports More Rate Gains, Seeks Higher Homeowners Deductibles

Jul 20 2012 // The Travelers Companies, which reported its second-quarter results yesterday, said renewal rates are continuing to trend up across its business segments. Company executives emphasized, however, that rate hikes are a...

Montpelier Re Names Dalton President of Montpelier Underwriting

Jul 20 2012 // Bermuda-based Montpelier Re Holdings Ltd., which specializes in short-tail reinsurance and other specialty lines, announced that John Dalton has been appointed President of Montpelier Underwriting Inc. (MUI), effective...

Insurers for Colleges May Tighten Underwriting After Penn St. Scandal

Jul 19 2012 // Liability insurance carriers and brokers that offer coverage to higher educational institutions have been watching the Penn State scandal unfold. And one broker says liability insurers are likely to tighten their...

RRGs Financially Stable Despite Q1 Underwriting Losses: Demotech

Jul 19 2012 // First quarter 2012 reported financial information indicates risk retention groups continue to exhibit financial stability. RRGs reported a $10 million net underwriting loss collectively, however, they also reported $49.8...

PartnerOne, Berkley Environmental to Offer Site Pollution Liability

Jul 12 2012 // PartnerOne Environmental , an underwriting division of Beacon Hill Associates’, is now working in partnership with Berkley Environmental, a dvision of Berkley Specialty Underwriting Managers, to offer site pollution...

Driving History Seen as Predictor of Individual’s Lifespan

Jul 11 2012 // It appears that bad drivers live shorter lives than good drivers and not just because they get in accidents. The same motor vehicle driving records already widely used to help determine how much a consumer pays for car...

Appalachian Underwriters, Glencar Underwriting to Offer WC, GL, Auto

Jul 11 2012 // Appalachian Underwriters, Inc. (AUI) has been appointed by Glencar Underwriting Managers to offer a workers’ compensation, general liability and auto coverage program. Appalachian Underwriters is a licensed national...