Declarations

Big Larceny

“This is theft on a grand scale, targeting an assortment of institutions throughout the region.”

—Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett, commenting on the arrest of Brian James Murray, CEO of the bankrupt Murray Insurance Agency, who authorities say stole $1.3 million in premiums from a client list that included the University of Scranton, St. Joseph’s University, Loyola College of Maryland and Moses Taylor Hospital.

Reform Needed

“In the short term, this increase will relieve the pressures on both doctors and insurers. But long term, the system is still in crisis and needs to be reformed.”

—New York State Insurance Superintendent James Wrynn, commenting on the 5 percent hike in medial malpractice premiums that went into effect this month. The hike follows two years of rate freezes. Doctors insured through the state’s Medical Malpractice Insurance Pool (MMIP) will see their rates rise by an average of 9.9 percent.

Industry Transitions

“Things tend to happen for a reason. I’m excited, I’m not nervous. I feel prepared.”

—Sean Haleem, of North Versailles, Pa., who was recently laid off from his job at a Pennsylvania insurance company but has now found work at Pittsburgh’s River Casino, which recently expanded by adding 450 new employees.

Victims of Circumstance

“The case was, from the outset, a circumstantial case.”

—New York State Supreme Court Justice James Yates, who this month overturned the earlier conviction of former Marsh execs William Gilman and Edward McNenney. The acquittal came after the discovery of new, contradictory evidence that was suppressed from their lawyers. Last October, Yates also acquitted three other Marsh executives, who like Gilman and McNenney were indicted in Sept. 2005 by then-Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.