Latest Casualty Headlines

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

XL Makes New Appointments to Construction Practice

Dec 14 2010 // Insurer XL has made eight new appointments to its North American Construction team.Gregory P. McKiernan will serve as senior vice president of Construction Primary Casualty, based in New York. He most recently served as...

Illinois Announces Disciplinary Actions for November 2010

Dec 13 2010 // The Illinois Department of Insurance announced it issued the following disciplinary orders for November 2010:Adele M. Cowell, Red Bud – Stipulation and Consent Order, effective Oct. 6, 2010. Cowell has been licensed...

Heffernan Insurance Adds Hight to Commercial Property/Casualty Team

Dec 10 2010 // Heffernan Insurance Brokers has added Melodie Hight in its Portland, Ore., office as a producer in Commercial Property and Casualty Insurance. Hight has more than 20 years in commercial property and casualty insurance. She...

People

Dec 5 2010 // Frost Insurance in Austin, Texas promoted Sheri Smyth to vice president of personal lines. Smyth, a 23-year insurance industry veteran, manages the personal lines department’s growth and retention efforts, and...

California Delays Licensing Implementation Six Months

Dec 5 2010 // The California Department of Insurance is delaying for six months the implementation of a new licensing requirement for fire and casualty licensees that want to sell health insurance.AB 2782 would have required existing...

Retailers Casualty Insurance to Offer Workers’ Compensation in Texas

Dec 2 2010 // Baton Rouge, La.-based workers’ compensation insurer Retailers Casualty Insurance Co. announced it will begin offering workers’ compensation coverage in Texas.Retailers Casualty, which is managed by Summit...

A.M. Best Upgrades Wisconsin’s 1st Auto & Casualty Insurance Co.

Dec 1 2010 // A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating (FSR) to B++ (Good) from B+ (Good) and issuer credit rating (ICR) to “bbb” from “bbb-” of 1st Auto & Casualty Insurance Company (1st...

California Delays Licensing Implementation Six Months

Nov 24 2010 // The California Department of Insurance is delaying for six months the implementation of a new licensing requirement for fire and casualty licensees that want to sell health insurance. AB 2782 would have required existing...

Starr & Co Appoints Breeck as Head of Casualty for Germany

Nov 19 2010 // C. V. Starr & Co., Inc. announced the appointment of Rainer Breeck in Germany as Head of Casualty for Starr Casualty, a division of Starr Underwriting Agents, Ltd., and a wholly owned subsidiary of C.V. Starr.The...

Best Upgrades Ratings of Zurich’s U.S. Subsidiaries to ‘A+’

Nov 19 2010 // A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating (FSR) to ‘A+’ (Superior) from ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) to “aa-” from “a+” of the U.S....

Property/Casualty Insurance Premiums Grew Modestly in Q3

Nov 18 2010 // The U.S. property and casualty industry continued to experience modest growth in premiums written while essentially breaking even on underwriting with a calendar year combined ratio of approximately 100 percent, according...

Insurance Mergers Complicated by Economy, Low Valuations, Hidden Risks

Nov 15 2010 // With organic growth difficult in the current economy and soft market, there could be an increase in insurance industry merger and acquisition activity over the next 12 to 18 months, according to mergers and acquisitions...

Illinois Disciplinary Actions Include License Denials, Suspensions, Fines

Nov 11 2010 // Illinois Department of Insurance Director of Insurance Michael T. McRaith has issued the following disciplinary orders for September and October 2010:Shango D. Johnson, Chicago – Insurance producer license suspended...

How Insurance Companies Can Live to Be 100 and Beyond

Nov 8 2010 // Companies that seek longevity in the insurance industry should not focus solely on increasing profits. That’s the assessment of Robert P. Hartwig, president and economist for the Insurance Information Institute. In...

Cooper Gay Targets U.S. Casualty Business with London Appointment

Nov 8 2010 // Cooper Gay is moving ahead with plans for U.S. expansion following its recent amalgamation with Swett & Crawford.The broker announced the appointment of Galen Brislane, a U.S. casualty specialist, to focus on...

People

Nov 1 2010 // Juan Andrade stepped down as Commercial Markets president at The Hartford to join Ace as president of the insurers’ Global Personal Lines and Small Commercial Insurance division. He will assume the new position with...

Cincinnati Financial Q3 2010 Income Drops Compared to 2009

Oct 29 2010 // Cincinnati Financial Corp. reported $156 million, or 95 cents per share, of net income for the third quarter of 2010 compared with a net income of $171 million, or $1.05 per share, in the third quarter of 2009.The...

Argo Group Promotes Vindivich

Oct 12 2010 // Virginia-based Argo Group has promoted Ron Vindivich to senior vice president for transportation underwriting for Colony Specialty.In his new role, Vindivich will develop the strategy of a soon-to-be combined garage,...

C.V. Starr Opens Paris Office; Sets Europe Expansion Plans

Oct 7 2010 // C.V. Starr & Co has opened its French branch of Starr Underwriting Agents, Ltd. in Paris. The Company also announced the appointment of both Nicolas Berg as Regional Manager Europe, Starr Casualty, and Olivier Decombes...

S&P Raises AFG’s Subsidiaries Ratings to ‘A+’; Outlook Stable

Oct 7 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has raised its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on American Financial Group’s (AFG) core insurance subsidiaries to ‘A+’ from...