Latest Underwriting Headlines

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

Swett & Crawford Names Peterson to Head New Auto Program

Mar 23 2009 // Swett & Crawford appointed Robert Peterson as program manager for a new product, the Swett & Crawford Program for Contractors Auto, to be marketed with its carrier partner, Travelers Companies Inc.Before joining...

Ironshore Names Kostro as Vice President of New Underwriting Unit

Mar 20 2009 // Bermuda-based Ironshore Inc. has appointed Susan Kostro as vice president in charge of running its newly created Program underwriting facility. Kostro, who will be based in Boston, will develop and manage Program business,...

Main Street America Reports $44 Million Underwriting Profit in 2008

Mar 16 2009 // Florida-based Main Street America Group reported it achieved a $43.6 million underwriting profit in 2008, the largest in its 85-year history and 38 percent higher than its 2007 underwriting profit of $31.7 million.The...

Beazley Group Adds U.S. Builders Risk, Engineered Risk Capabilities

Mar 13 2009 // Beazley Group plc, an insurer of construction and engineering risks in the Lloyd’s market, has established a builders risk and engineered risk capability in the United States.Builders risk, commonly known as...

Best Says 2009 Global Non-Life Reinsurance Outlook Remains Stable

Mar 4 2009 // A.M. Best Co. said it is “maintaining a stable outlook in 2009 for the global reinsurance sector for the third consecutive year. This current outlook implies that the majority of 2009 reinsurer rating actions are...

State Farm: $6.3B P/C Underwriting Loss, $2.1B Operating Loss in 2008

Feb 27 2009 // The net worth for the State Farm group decreased in 2008 by $10.4 billion to end the year at $53.3 billion, the company reported.The primary reason for the decrease was the $9.2 billion decline in the value of the...

SeaBright Revenue Up 5.2% in Q4; Up 5% for Year-End 2008

Feb 25 2009 // SeaBright Insurance Holdings Inc., based in Seattle, Wash., reported net income for the fourth quarter 2008 increased 2.3 percent year-over-year, to $10.2 million compared to net income of $10.0 million for the same period...

S&P Affirms XL and Subsidiaries Ratings; Outlook Remains Negative

Feb 12 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has affirmed its ‘BBB+’ counterparty credit rating on XL Capital Ltd. and its ‘A’ counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on XL’s core...

PGI Commercial Acquires Assets of Michigan’s Underwriters & Brokers

Feb 11 2009 // PGI Commercial has acquired the assets of Underwriters & Brokers, Inc. of Troy, Michigan. PGIC said it will merge the platform and staff of UBI with its existing Michigan office. Underwriters & Brokers, Inc....

AXIS Capital Q4 Net Down 57%; Full Year Declines by 66.7%

Feb 10 2009 // Bermuda-based AXIS Capital Holdings Limited reported net income for the fourth quarter of 2008 of $131 million, or $0.88 per diluted common share, compared with net income of $306 million, or $1.89 per diluted common...

Karen Clark & Co. Launches Mobile Inspection Technology

Feb 10 2009 // Catastrophe risk and cat modeling firm, Karen Clark & Co., launched a new software product that helps insurance companies collect and analyze data from property inspections.The application, RiskRover, is designed to...

California’s W. Brown to Underwrite Aviation Insurance For Catlin US

Feb 5 2009 // Catlin Group Ltd., an international specialty property/casualty insurer and reinsurer, reported that W. Brown & Associates Insurance Services will underwrite general aviation insurance for clients nationwide on behalf...

Morello To Lead Sequoia Insurance Co.’s Underwritng Staff

Feb 4 2009 // Carl Morello, assistant vice president for loss control at Sequoia Insurance Co., has taken over responsibility for Sequoia’s internal underwriting staff while continuing to lead the company’s loss control...

Marine Insurance Group Sees ‘Tough Times’ for Insurers

Feb 2 2009 // According to Deirdre Littlefield, president of the International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI), “While the insurance industry may be more insulated from failure than others in the financial sector, it will not...

Ratings Recap II: Chaucer, MSIG, Congregational, Top Layer, Asia Capital

Jan 30 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has issued a bulletin indicating that “its ‘3’ Lloyd’s Syndicate Assessment (LSA) on Chaucer – Syndicate 1084 is not affected by the announcement...

Marine Insurers Face ‘Shipping Slump’- International Union of Marine Insurance

Jan 28 2009 // “The marine insurance industry is facing one of the most crucial periods it has ever met, and underwriters, given the devastating fall in volumes and values in global trade, will have to ‘run hard to stay in...

Travelers Reports Solid Q4, Year-End Underwriting; ‘Well Positioned’ for 2009

Jan 27 2009 // The Travelers Companies, Inc. reported net income of $801 million for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2008, compared to $1.063 billion, for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2007. Operating income in the current quarter was $939...

London’s Reach Bolsters U.S. Specialty Lines

Jan 25 2009 // Find a need, then fill it,” is a hoary business principle, but making it work is often harder than it looks. However, a number of British insurers have taken it to heart and have built substantial profit centers...

Int’l. Underwriting Association Pledges Electronic Claims Payment Progress

Jan 21 2009 // An article on the Lloyd’s web site (www.lloyds.com) discusses plans by the International Underwriting Association for making claims payment a top priority for 2009. The IUA aims to double the number of new claims...

Munich Re Webinar Provides Insights on Nat Cats, Industry Strength

Jan 16 2009 // Munich Re’s Webinar on Thursday – 2008 Natural Catastrophes – presented a detailed analysis of the increasing number of weather related events that concern both primary carriers and reinsurers. It also...