3.1%

The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America’s (PCI) annual Insurance Compensation Survey shows that property/casualty insurance companies are projecting average salary budget increases of 3.1 percent in 2011, which is slightly higher than the 2.8 percent increase reported in 2010. The PCI Insurance Compensation Survey includes information for more than 60 benchmark jobs in the property/casualty insurance industry.

As of Sept. 21, only 356 people had applied for money from a $100 million fund BP PLC set up to help deepwater rig workers after a federal moratorium on drilling prompted by the massive Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Up to 9,000 people had been expected to seek grants of $3,000 to $30,000. A spokesman for the Gulf Coast Restoration and Protection Foundation, which is running the program, said grants were initially limited to those who worked on the 33 rigs affected by the moratorium. But with the leftover money, the charity plans to offer grants to workers who support the deepwater rigs, such as people on supply boats and pilots who provide helicopter transportation to rigs.