ST. PAUL TRAVELERS RETURNS TO MISS.:

Travelers–the nation’s second-largest commercial insurance company–have told him they are returning to Mississippi. “Those who said tort reform would do no good were wrong,” Dale said. “I was one of the first who advocated that some form of civil justice reform be done in an effort to improve the marketplace.” St. Paul is the third major company to return to Mississippi after the state Legislature capped pain and suffering at $1 million for most lawsuits, following similar legislation in 2002 to cap those damages in medical malpractice lawsuits at $500,000. World Insurance Co. and Equitable Life Insurance Co. are the other insurance companies. Marty Wiseman, professor of political science at Mississippi State University, said factors besides tort reform may be playing roles in the return of insurance companies, such as an improving economy.