Latest Underwriting Headlines

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

Assessing Catastrophe Risk While Underwriting Doesn’t Require Big Changes

Jan 13 2008 // For companies writing homeowners insurance in catastrophe prone states, the future of catastrophe risk assessment is now. Today, insurers have the ability to analyze catastrophe risk for individual residential properties...

Regulators Address The Politics of Underwriting

Jan 11 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...

Lighthouse Underwriters Sells Retail Non-Profit Book to Cooley and Darling

Jan 10 2008 // Cooley and Darling Insurance Agency Inc. (www.cd-insure.com), a new retail agency based in Haymarket, Va., has acquired the retail book of non-profit business from Lighthouse Underwriters LLC, a member company of U.S. Risk...

HCC Acquires MultiNational Underwriters; Approved for Lloyd’s Syndicate

Jan 3 2008 // Houston-based HCC Insurance Holdings Inc. announced it acquired Indianapolis, Ind.-based MultiNational Underwriters LLC (MNU), which specializes in international life, accident and health insurance, offering coverage to...

Former Reinsurance Execs Launch Underwriting Mgmt Firm

Dec 28 2007 // The former top executive of RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. – who resigned during an SEC probe into his company’s accounting practices – has joined forces with another reinsurance executive to launch a new...

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

Dec 28 2007 // 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...

Lloyd’s Insurers Consider Coverage for Commercial Space Flights

Dec 28 2007 // A bulletin on the Lloyd’s web site (www.lloyds.com) notes that the State of New Mexico and Virgin Galactic recently announced plans to construct a “multi-million pound spaceport.” As a result...

P/C Insurers’ Net Income, Surplus Rose But Profitability Dropped

Dec 27 2007 // 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...

Dec 23 2007 // PeopleThe Louisiana Medical Mutual Insurance Co. named Thomas H. Grimstad, M.D., as its new president and chief executive officer. Grimstad will succeed John E. Lemoine, M.D., effective Jan.1, 2008. Since its founding in...

Survey of Analysts Projects Healthy Underwriting Profits

Dec 23 2007 // Next year may go down on record as one of the best insurance industry underwriting performances in the past 80 years, according to an industry survey of Wall Street stock analysts and industry professionals.Analysts expect...

Birmingham, Ala., Mayor Questioned on Bond Underwriting Fees

Dec 21 2007 // Birmingham, Ala., Mayor Larry Langford will not say why he refused to answer questions from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, but says he believes he is the target of a federal criminal...

Arch Acquires Wexford Underwriting Managers

Dec 20 2007 // Arch Insurance Group said it has completed its acquisition of Wexford Underwriting Managers and will rename the new division Arch Wexford.The deal has been in the works since January, when the two companies signed an...

Survey of Analysts Projects Healthy Underwriting Profits

Dec 17 2007 // Next year may just go down on record as one of the best insurance industry underwriting performances in the past 80 years, according to an industry survey of Wall Street stock analysts and industry professionals.Analysts...

Quirk & Co. Names Two Washington Underwriters

Dec 14 2007 // Quirk & Co. has added two Bainbridge Island, Wash., underwriters. Pam Hollinshead has more than 30 year of commercial underwriting experience. She will focus on servicing new and renewal accounts for...

Best Revises Zurich Outlook to ‘Positive,’ Affirms ‘A’ Ratings

Dec 12 2007 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating (ICR) of “a+” of Zurich Insurance Company (ZIC), the main operating company of...

OneBeacon Names Thompson Chief Underwriting Officer

Dec 10 2007 // OneBeacon Insurance Group has appointed Terry Thompson as senior vice president and chief underwriting officer of the company’s U.S. operations.Reporting to Chief Executive Officer Mike Miller, Thompson will be...

American International Underwriters to Present Podcasts

Dec 6 2007 // American International Underwriters (AIU), the international P/C division of American International Group (AIG), has announced it will offer a series of podcasts or audiocasts, entitled “‘AIUcasts,’...

Hardy Sets Sail for Bermuda; Redomiciliation Set for 2008

Dec 5 2007 // The Board of Hardy, a major specialist Lloyd’s insurer, announced that it proposes to move the Group’s corporate domicile to Bermuda “in order to improve the Group’s strategic positioning in the...

Chicago Specialty Underwriters Names New VP, Chief Underwriting Officer

Dec 4 2007 // Specialty Underwriters’ Alliance, Inc. (SUA) announced that Daniel Cacchione has been appointed as vice president and chief underwriting officer of Chicago-based SUA Insurance Co., the sole operating subsidiary of...

Catlin’s Interim Report Shows Gains, Despite Subprime Write Down

Nov 28 2007 // According to its recently released trading statement, the Bermuda-based Catlin Group Limited “continues to perform strongly, and this performance reflects continued broker support for Catlin’s enlarged...