Declarations – Midwest

Drought Concern

“There’s a great deal of concern how this drought is going to play out in 2013.”

—American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman said at the opening of the group’s convention in mid-January.

The Second Wave

“More often than not, a second wave of claims against insurance agents by their clients follows a natural disaster.”

—Sally Combs, technical director of professional liability claims at Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company.

Premium Growth

“All things considered, we expect a sustained muted economic recovery, but that’s not going to fill the hole of rate inadequacy in certain lines of business.”

—Alan Murray, senior vice president for Moody’s U.S. insurance team, said the rating agency expects pricing improvement to continue in 2013, though he suggested substantially more improvement may be needed for certain lines to get to breakeven.

A Safety Measure

“This bill means safer roads for Illinois, this is going to save lives. … It’s the bottom line, this is a safety issue.”

—Illinois state Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez, a Cicero Democrat who sponsored a bill passed by the legislature that would allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. The bill requires one-year proof of state residency, form of identification and a photograph.