Latest Underwriting Headlines

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

Colo. Legislation to Ban Use of Credit Scoring in Underwriting Defeated

Feb 10 2008 // As the issue of credit scoring continues to be the subject of state legislative proposals, insurance agents in Colorado are celebrating the defeat of a bill that would have prohibited property/casualty insurers from using...

Burns & Wilcox Names Underwriting Manager at Fla. Office

Feb 7 2008 // Michigan-based Burns & Wilcox promoted Angela Bruce to underwriting manager at its Tampa, Fla., office. Bruce joined the company in 2006 as a commercial underwriter and has more than 25 years of underwriting...

U.S. Risk Names Hicks Senior Commercial Underwriter

Feb 6 2008 // Dallas-based managing general agency and surplus lines wholesaler U.S. Risk Insurance Group Inc. announced it has named Jeff Hicks a senior underwriter in its Commercial Underwriting department.In this position, Hicks will...

Rebueno Joins Burns & Wilcox’s Houston Office as Underwriter

Feb 5 2008 // Burns & Wilcox announced that Honesto Rebueno has joined the company’s Houston office as an underwriter.Rebueno has more than 30 years’ experience in writing property and casualty coverage, particularly...

Best Affirms Indian Insurer’s ‘A-‘ Ratings; Outlook Now Stable

Feb 4 2008 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating (ICR) of “a-” of The New India Assurance Company Limited, and has revised its outlook on the...

Meadowbrook Acquires Remaining Earnings from U.S. Speciality Underwriters

Feb 4 2008 // Southfield, Mich-based Meadowbrook Insurance Group, Inc. announced today its termination of the Management Agreement associated with its acquisition of the business of U.S. Specialty Underwriters, Inc. (USS).As previously...

Société Générale Crisis Highlights ‘Rogue Trader’ Risk Warns Lloyd’s

Jan 30 2008 // The ongoing crisis at the second largest French bank, Société Générale, has prompted Lloyd’s to remind the financial community of some unfortunate facts. The bank lost €4.9 billion, or $7.25 billion, after it...

Burns & Wilcox Adds Staff to Office in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Jan 29 2008 // Burns & Wilcox appointed Sandra Pigott and Maria Pugliese to underwriting positions at the company’s Daytona Beach, Fla., office.Pigott joined Burns & Wilcox as a senior underwriter. Previously, she was a...

Ascension to Acquire Calif.-based Pan American Underwriters

Jan 28 2008 // Ascension Insurance Inc. signed an agreement to acquire the assets of the California -based insurance agency, Pan American Underwriters Inc.Pan American is a wholly owned subsidiary of PAULA Financial (Pink Sheets:PFCO)....

Crump Promotes Figueroa to Underwriting Manager

Jan 28 2008 // Crump Insurance Services promoted Amanda Figueroa to underwriting manager of Crump’s Seattle and Portland managing general agency unit. Figueroa is a licensed broker who has been in the insurance industry for more...

Lloyd’s 2008 Underwriting Capacity at $31.66 Billion

Jan 28 2008 // In a brief announcement Lloyd’s confirmed that as of the 1st of January the underwriting capacity of its 75 operating syndicates totaled £15.95 billion ($31.66 billion). The syndicates are managed by 46 Managing...

An Insurer’s Success Relies on the Expertise of Its Underwriters

Jan 27 2008 // An insurer’s success rests largely in the expertise of its underwriters. As the U.S. Department of Labor noted in its Career Overview series, “Great trust is placed in underwriters as an insurance company may...

People

Jan 27 2008 // Zurich named Kevin Dunham senior vice president and global relationship leader for the western region of its Global Corporate in North America Business unit. Dunham is based in Glendale, Calif., and will manage accounts...

Regulators Address the Politics of Underwriting

Jan 27 2008 // There is an X-factor in setting insurance rates that even actuaries would have a hard time calculating: Politics.For those who serve as their state’s ultimate authority on what factors insurers can use to raise or...

Welch Joins Vermont Mutual as Commercial Lines Underwriter

Jan 25 2008 // Michael P. Welch recently joined Vermont Mutual Insurance Group in Montpelier as a commercial lines underwriter. Welch spent the past 11 years with Underwriters Agency of New England as assistant vice president of...

La.’s First Premium Insurance Adds Williams as Asst. Underwriter

Jan 25 2008 // Louisiana-based regional property and casualty insurance broker First Premium Insurance Group Inc. announced the addition of Kellie Williams to its Commercial Department as assistant underwriter. Williams has 16 years of...

Fla. Family and Aviation Underwriters Reach Settlement in Plane Crash

Jan 17 2008 // NASCAR’s insurance company has settled with the family of a Florida woman and infant killed last year when a plane owned by the racing organization slammed into their home, the family’s attorney said Monday.The...

New Tools Can Help Underwrite, Price Winter Storm and Fire Risk

Jan 13 2008 // While winter storms do not attract the attention of mega-catastrophes such as hurricanes and earthquakes, these smaller events can add up to impact insurers’ bottom lines. However, insurers can now avail themselves...

People

Jan 13 2008 // ACE USA, the U.S.-based retail operating division of the ACE Group of Companies, appointed John Nilson senior vice president, western region for ACE Risk Management. Nilson will be based in Los Angeles and oversee ARM...

P/C Insurers’ Net Income, Surplus Rose But Profitability Dropped in 3rd Quarter

Jan 13 2008 // The U.S. property/casualty insurance industry’s net income after taxes rose 7.1 percent to $49.4 billion through nine-months 2007 from $46.1 billion through nine-months 2006. Fueled by the industry’s net...