Latest Commercial Lines Headlines

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

Commercial Agribusiness

Nov 8 2004 // Nuts & Bolts: The Seattle, Wash.-based Mattei Companies is offering a new market for commercial agribusiness. The program has now expanded into 30 states targeting operations after the product has left the fields,...

Nine Ways to Get Personal When Selling Business Insurance

Nov 8 2004 // Every business insurance prospect yearns to be treated as an individual. No serious executive, regardless of their firm’s size, wants their company’s insurance problems to be solved by some prewritten,...

Hub Quebec Sub to Sell Personal Lines Book; Will Concentrate on Commercial, Private Clients

Nov 5 2004 // Chicago-based Hub International Limited has announced some major changes in the operations of its Quebec-based hub, Martin Assurance & Gestion de Risques Inc. (Martin). The company has signed a letter of intent to...

Best Lowers Outlook for Employers Re Group, Westport, First Specialty to Negative

Nov 3 2004 // A.M. Best Co. announced that it has revised the rating outlook to negative from stable on the “A” (Excellent) financial strength ratings for Employers Reinsurance Corporation of Overland Park, Kan. and GE...

St. Paul Travelers Looks to Bring Top Line in Commercial Up as it Unveils Q3 Report

Oct 28 2004 // The St. Paul Travelers Cos. Inc. (NYSE:STA) has reported net income of $340 million for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, 2004, or $0.51 per basic share and $0.50 per diluted share, compared to $426 million, or $0.98 per...

B&W to Discontinue Small Business WC Product

Oct 26 2004 // Baldwin & Lyons, Inc. announced that its Indiana-based Sagamore Insurance Company subsidiary will no longer market and underwrite workers’ compensation coverage for small businesses. “This product line,...

Employers Re Affirmed

Oct 25 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services affirmed its “A+” counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Employers Reinsurance Corp. and affiliated insurance/reinsurance entities (collectively...

Small Businesses Struggle to Stay Afloat in Hawaii’s Tumultuous Workers’ Comp Market

Oct 25 2004 // The issues surrounding Hawaii’s workers’ compensation system have been a topic of debate for agents, brokers, politicians and small businesses over the past several months as reform attempts to fix the troubled...

Progressive Now Offering Commercial Auto in N.H.

Oct 22 2004 // As previously reported by Insurance Journal, The Progressive group of companies has begun offering commercial auto coverages in New Hampshire through more than 200 agents. The product is being marketing under its new Drive...

Illion to Lead CNA Small Business Unit

Oct 21 2004 // Chicago-based CNA Financial Corp. announced that Larry Illion has joined CNA insurance companies as senior vice president of CNA Small Business, a $650-million business operation. Prior to joining CNA, Illion worked for...

Minn. Gov. Asks for Commercial Insurance Review

Oct 21 2004 // Citing concerns that Minnesota businesses and their employees may have been affected by alleged “bid rigging,” Gov. Tim Pawlenty has asked Commerce Commissioner Glenn Wilson to review the relationship between...

Q3 Commercial P/C Premiums Continue Fall

Oct 20 2004 // Commercial property/casualty insurance premiums continued to decline significantly during the third quarter of this year, with two-thirds of all large and medium accounts experiencing drops of up to 20 percent and an...

W. Va. WCC Files Injunctions Against Employers

Oct 19 2004 // West Virginia’s Workers’ Compensation Commission recently filed injunctions against two state employers whose accounts with the Commission are reportedly in default.The injunctions were filed in Kanawha County...

Myron Steves Adds Zurich NA Small Business

Oct 13 2004 // Houston-based Myron F. Steves & Company announced an expansion of its Commercial Standard Lines department. Zurich North America Small Business has been added as a part of the group of companies currently...

Texas Employers, Medical Providers Join Forces to Fix Workers’ Comp System

Oct 13 2004 // Texas’ workers’ compensation system is one of the worst in the nation with skyrocketing costs, mediocre care and a poor record of getting workers back on the job, according to Texans for Workers’...

MASS. ADOPTS COMMERCIAL REFORMS:

Oct 11 2004 // Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner Julianne Bowler has approved plans to implement a limited servicing carrier program for the state’s commercial auto residual market as proposed by Commonwealth Auto Reinsurers...

HURRICANES PROVE COMMERCIAL INSURANCE’S VALUE:

Oct 11 2004 // Business owners who debate the need for insurance coverage have learned an invaluable lesson from hurricanes Charley and Frances, according to the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI). In the aftermath...

FLORIDA WORKPLACE FATALITIES FALL IN 2003:

Oct 11 2004 // According to a joint federal and state survey, Florida workplaces had seven fewer fatal accidents in 2003 than the previous year, including a decrease in the number of Hispanic workers killed. The Census of Fatal...

AIG Excess Casualty Introduces New Broker Initiative for Commercial Umbrella Producers

Oct 7 2004 // AIG Excess Casualty(R), a division of the property and casualty insurance subsidiaries of American International Group, Inc., announced the launch of AIG ExcessAdvantage, described as “a new program designed to...

Zurich Names Kaplan Chief Underwriting Officer – North America Commercial

Oct 6 2004 // Zurich North America announced that it has named Gary Kaplan Chief Underwriting Officer for Zurich North America Commercial and head of its Technical Center. “Gary’s knowledge of the Zurich organization, his...