Latest Underwriting Headlines

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

PIANJ Comments on N.J.’s Alternate Underwriting, Insurance Scenarios Proposals

Dec 12 2003 // In an open letter to New Jersey’s Assistant Insurance Commissioner Wheeler, the Professional Insurance Agents of New Jersey commented on two proposed rules he is considering: Private Passenger Automobile Insurance;...

Aberrations for Certain Coverages Create Problems for Insureds and Underwriters Alike

Dec 11 2003 // As the property and casualty industry begins to settle into more stable pricing, there continues to be aberrations in certain coverages. D&O, medical malpractice and workers’ compensation are among the coverages...

Berkley Medical Excess Underwriters Appoints Brown to Position of VP Underwriting

Dec 10 2003 // Berkley Medical Excess Underwriters, LLC, an underwriting management unit of W. R. Berkley Corporation, announced the appointment of Todd Brown to the position of vice president, underwriting. Berkley Medical Excess...

ACE USA Appoints Wise to Lead Terrorism Underwriting Unit

Dec 4 2003 // ACE USA announced the appointment of William Wise, vice president, to lead its stand-alone Terrorism Underwriting Unit.Based in Philadelphia, Wise will have overall responsibility for the marketing and underwriting...

Louisiana Underwriting Firm Bought by Brown & Brown

Dec 2 2003 // C. Roy Bridges, regional executive vice president of Brown & Brown Inc., and Geoffrey Hughes and Nancy D. Hughes, principals of Energy and Marine Underwriters Inc. of Kenner, La., announced the asset acquisition of...

9 Programs That May Just Fit the Bill

Dec 1 2003 // The December 2002 Insurance Journal “program directory” issue highlighted eight programs that the editorial staff considered to be unique, interesting or tough to find. This year we’ve added one more to...

Reinsurance in the Program Marketplace

Dec 1 2003 // For the past several years, the reinsurance market has recorded some of the worst results ever. A decline in capacity and exposures to costly losses industry-wide have produced less than desirable profitability results...

How to Develop Program Business Despite Tough Market Standards

Dec 1 2003 // Over the past several years, launching new insurance programs—both from the perspective of potential producers (MGAs, retail agent groups, and wholesalers) and the specialty insurance carriers—has been difficult. The...

Reinsurance in the Program Marketplace

Dec 1 2003 // For the past several years, the reinsurance market has recorded some of the worst results ever. A decline in capacity and exposures to costly losses industry-wide have produced less than desirable profitability results...

9 Programs That May Just Fit the Bill

Dec 1 2003 // The December 2002 Insurance Journal “program directory” issue highlighted eight programs that the editorial staff considered to be unique, interesting or tough to find. This year we’ve added one more to...

How to Develop Program Business Despite Tough Market Standards

Dec 1 2003 // Over the past several years, launching new insurance programs—both from the perspective of potential producers, such as MGAs, retail agent groups and wholesalers, and the specialty insurance carriers—has been...

New Approaches by Physicians, Underwriters and Actuaries Reportedly Needed to Address Med-Mal Crisis

Nov 28 2003 // With medical malpractice reform reportedly unlikely at the federal level and in many crisis states, insurers unable to make a profit and coverage for doctors unaffordable, new ways are needed to manage the risk, panelists...

SCOR Posts $400 Million Nine-month Loss; Rating Agencies React

Nov 7 2003 // France’s SCOR Group, the world’s seventh largest reinsurer, announced a nine-month loss of 349 million euros ($400 million), prompting both A.M. Best and Moody’s to place their ratings on the company and...

Savannah Reinsurance Underwriting Management to License CATEX System

Nov 5 2003 // CATEX announced that MGU Savannah Reinsurance Underwriting Management, LLC, a member of the Georgia-based Palmer & Cay group of companies, has agreed to license a CATEX web-based Reinsurance Transaction System based...

MarketScout Adds Underwriters

Nov 5 2003 // MarketScout, a Dallas-based online distributor of property and casualty insurance products, announced the recent addition of four new underwriters to its staff: Holly Sanford, Mary Thomas, Stacy Birk and Jacque...

ISO HomeValue Offers Insurers a New Method to Estimate Residential Replacement Values

Nov 4 2003 // Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO) and AIR Worldwide Corporation (AIR) announced the release of ISO HomeValue(TM), a new web-based property replacement valuation system based on the latest component-based...

U.S. Marine Insurers Respond to Post-9/11 World of Domestic Security Rules and Regulations

Nov 3 2003 // U.S. ocean marine insurers need to work in partnership with government and all components of the maritime trade in order to meet the challenges of operating in the post-9/11 environment, according to David French,...

Texas’ Underwriters MGA Wages Fight Against GE Re

Nov 3 2003 // Texas-based Underwriters MGA (UMGA), a Texas- based corporation with offices in Hidalgo County, announced it has filed a court petition to reclaim millions of dollars in revenues the company said it lost as a result of...

Professional Liability/E&O Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

Nov 3 2003 // Professional liability and errors & omissions (E&O) are two coverages that just aren’t yet seeing the impending softening of the hard market—and are unlikely to anytime soon.These days, the professional...

The Reinsurance World 2003 – Capacity, Profitability and ‘The Cycle’

Nov 3 2003 // A year ago the reinsurance world had an optimistic side most companies had survived their exposures to 9/11 and premiums were rising. A pessimistic side reflected a 25 percent decline in capacity, thus limiting new...