Editors' Featured
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The Best Practices of Today’s Agencies
Since 1993, the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (Big “I”) and Reagan Consulting have teamed up to investigate why some independent agencies do better than others even in challenging market conditions. The Best Practices Study has grown to become an industry standard for performance benchmarks in revenue and expense growth, profitability, employee productivity [...]
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Emerging Risks at Lloyd’s
As the leading surplus lines market, Lloyd’s does a lot to stay on top of emerging risks. Part of that effort includes a team of emerging risk researchers based in London. In this interview from MarketScout’s Entrepreneurial Insurance Symposium in Dallas, Hank Watkins, president of Lloyd’s North America, describes the emerging risk unit at Lloyd’s [...]
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The Lloyd’s Market
Lloyd’s has built a reputation over the years as being one of the most innovative insurance markets in existence today. But despite that reputation, the famous Lloyd’s underwriting room may never change, says Hank Watkins, president of Lloyd’s North America. In this interview from MarketScout’s recent Entrepreneurial Insurance Symposium in Dallas, Watkins describes the Lloyd’s [...]
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A View From the HUB
Being on the same page, with the same mind set and the same interests made all the difference for the group of entrepreneurs that founded what is now known as HUB International Ltd. Rick Gulliver, president of HUB, says there’s not one hero in the success of HUB; but rather a group of heroes that [...]
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Catlin’s Peter Dobbs Describes Coverage and Security for Ships at Risk from Somali Pirates
Catlin has launched a comprehensive policy to combat the piracy menace in Somalia. Headed by Peter Dobbs, Catlin’s Asset Protection service focuses on prevention as well as on extracting ship, cargo and crew. In this interview with the Insurance Journal, he describes the problem, some solutions and how it will change global shipping.
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Does Innovation Miss the Mark?
Michael Lee, founder, chairman and CEO of the Tower Group, doesn’t believe innovation runs deep in the insurance industry. The insurance industry is not known as being one of the most innovation industries in the financial services world, and that reputation is somewhat deserved, Lee says. But that trend is changing, and continues to change. [...]
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Best’s Managing Director-Europe: Solvency II is Coming to an Insurer near You
Stefan Holzberger, A.M. Best’s managing director-analytics, based in London, knows both sides of the Atlantic. In this interview he tells U.S. insurers what impact the European Union’s Solvency II regulations will have on their business – both directly and indirectly, and warns them to “join the dance” – the sooner the better.
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High Tech, High Hopes: Applied Systems CEO French
Reid French is the new CEO of insurance technology firm Applied Systems. While a newcomer to insurance, French is not new to technology. In this interview with Insurance Journal’s Andy Simpson, French begins with some of his background and then talks about what lies ahead for Applied Systems users and for agency technology in this [...]
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Expanded Perils
In the Middle East, in Egypt, in Tunisia, in Libya, during the Arab Spring of this year, a wave of revolutionary activity drew the eyes and ears of the world. In insurance, such activities beg an important question: What do clients with insurable assets in countries undergoing violent change need to know? For one, they [...]
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Intermediary Value
The prolonged soft market and tough competition in the property/casualty insurance industry have opened the door for at least two surplus lines carriers to go direct to retail agents in the last year, bypassing the wholesale broker on some pieces of business. But will that trend continue? Thomas J. Curtin, co-chairman, founder and CEO of [...]
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FERMA Growth Assured as Den Dekker Steps Down
Peter den Dekker’s tenure as president of the Federation of European Risk Management Associations (FERMA) could well be described as a tipping point in bringing risk managers into the main stream of European business, and establishing FERMA’s leading role in discussions with brokers, re/insurers and regulators. In this interview, you’ll see why.
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The Uncertainties of Global Exposures
A property and casualty insurance company with clients in 190 countries needs to be able to respond effectively to the ever-evolving nature of global risk. At the 2011 MarketScout Entrepreneurial Symposium in Dallas, Texas, David Bresnahan, president of Lexington Insurance Company spoke with Insurance Journal about some of the challenges that companies with global operations [...]
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Turning Ideas into Reality
What is an entrepreneur? The exact characteristics that comprise an individual with the ability to bring new ideas to the marketplace and foster their success may be difficult to define.
But it’s not much of a stretch to recognize that Richard Kerr, chairman and CEO of the electronic insurance exchange MarketScout, CEO of Bermuda-based Monster Insurance [...] -
Program Management: An Alignment of Interests
QBE the Americas, a division of Australia’s QBE Group, conducts property and casualty insurance business in 10 countries. While QBE is well-established worldwide, its profile as a single unified brand is not as visible in the United States as the company would like says Rob Byler, who was appointed president of the New York-based unit’s [...]
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Entrepreneurial Technologists
This year the Entrepreneurial Insurance Alliance (EIA), sponsored by MarketScout, named Vertafore and Risk Metrics, as winners of it 2011 Entrepreneurial Award in technology. Vertafore’s WorkSmart and Risk Metrics’ Insurance 360 technology products received recognition from the EIA as being some of the industry’s most innovative concepts in technology. Each year, the EIA receives hundreds [...]
Featured
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Norwood on Workers’ Comp
John, principal of Norwood & Associates, has been an lobbyist for insurance and financial services sectors across several decades. Norwood offered a focused looking at the all-important workers’ compensation issue, and he gave his thoughts on health insurance exchanges. In fact, Norwood forecast that 2012 will rank as an important one when it comes to [...]
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Lobbyist Norwood Analyzes Consumer Watchdog Legislation
John Norwood is one of California’s best known legislative advocates for the insurance and financial services sectors. Norwood spoke to the Insurance Journal about legislation and regulation, including a proposal by a consumer advocacy group that would establish prior approval for healthcare insurance and would make major changes to auto insurance and homeowners insurance in [...]
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At-Home Insurance Careers for Disabled Veterans
For insurance agents Gary Trippe and Jim Pender, the idea for DVIC, or Disabled Veterans Insurance Careers, which aims to guide disabled veterans into careers in insurance, evolved in part from their own personal experiences with disabled family members. In this interview with Insurance Journal’s Andy Simpson, the two share their dream of an organization [...]
Popular
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Entrepreneurial Technologists
This year the Entrepreneurial Insurance Alliance (EIA), sponsored by MarketScout, named Vertafore and Risk Metrics, as winners of it 2011 Entrepreneurial Award in technology. Vertafore’s WorkSmart and Risk Metrics’ Insurance 360 technology products received recognition from the EIA as being some of the industry’s most innovative concepts in technology. Each year, the EIA receives hundreds [...]
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How Insurance Distribution Is Changing
Retail and wholesale brokers face the challenge —and opportunity— of redefining their relationships and value proposition in today’s changing insurance distribution world, according to Glenn Hargrove, president, MarketScout Wholesale, Dallas, Tex. In this interview from the recent Western Insurance Agents Association’s Insurance Industry Roundtable in California, Hargrove outlines the value proposition of agents and brokers [...]
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Interesting Times in Medical Liability
The medical liability market continues to perform well even as the nation struggles to implement health care reform. Robert Allen, senior vice presidents at Torus Insurance, says many health care institutions are implementing new strategies to be successful in today’s health care reform world. In this interview with Insurance Journal’s Andrea Ortega-Wells from the annual [...]
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Pat Ryan Asks, ‘Are You Happy?’
Patrick Ryan is an innovator who sees opportunity. And it was opportunity that drove him to launch Ryan Specialty Group in early 2010. Success lies in hiring “good people,” Ryan says. In this interview from the annual National Association of Surplus Lines Offices (NAPSLO) annual convention in San Diego, Ryan says his newest venture gave [...]
Random
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Get More for Less
A woman is flying in first class for the price of coach. (State Farm commercial)
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D&O’s Silver Lining
Financial institutions have been hard hit financially and pricing for directors’ and officers’ liability insurance is hardening, says Trevor Howard of Liberty International Underwriters, in this interview with Insurance Journal’s Andrea Wells. Howards says one silver lining that may come out of the credit crisis is the need for companies to reassess their D&O limits. [...]
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The Current Status of the D&O Market
Jim Nestheide, vice president of Financial and Professional Services (FPS) of St. Paul Travelers,
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Exposure Can Increase as Companies Fail
There are many special risks presented by failing businesses. In this exclusive interview from the recent PLUS Annual International Conference in San Francisco, Kenneth Coffin, vice president, professional liability claims for Liberty International Underwriters, talks about lawyers’ duties and obligations, particularly when companies fail.
- Copyright © 2012 Wells Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.