Insurance Journal TV » Mergers & Financial

Insurance M&A Landscape, Part 1: Today’s Opportunities

bpedroso — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 15:02:48 +0000

There are merger opportunities in today’s economy for some companies, although conditions are not ideal. In Part 1 of this podcast, two experts from the global professional services firm Towers Watson share their perspectives on today’s M&A landscape and what is happening in the P/C industry today. From Towers Watson in Philadelphia is Bruce Fell, property and casualty sales and practice leader for the Americas. Joining him is Mary Cianni from New York, where she’s global leader for mergers and acquisitions. In Part 2, they discuss some of the management issues and hidden risks in mergers.

How Some Florida Property Insurers Manage to Succeed

creese — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 20:21:21 +0000

About 50 Florida property insurers reported losses in 2009, even though there was no major storm. But that also means there were at least as many not losing money. What do they know, what are they doing, that the others aren’t? Insurance Journal’s Andy Simpson asked Kevin McCarty, insurance commissioner; James Graganella, president/CEO, Southern Fidelity and Capitol Preferred; and Jay Newman, chairman, one-year old Sawgrass Mutual for their thoughts on what makes some insurers more successful than others in the Sunshine State.

Insurers Can’t Count on Investments, Advises III’s Hartwig

bpedroso — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:40:49 +0000

Property/casualty insurers’ investment income has been down and it isn’t going up any time soon, according to Dr. Robert Hartwig, president and economist for the Insurance Information Institute in this interview with Insurance Journal’s Andrew Simpson. How will insurers perform and price products in this environment and will regulators take note? Hartwig also discusses the prospects of insurers raising capital in today’s economy.

CEO Motamed Says Changes Underway at CNA

bpedroso — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:48:24 +0000

Thomas Motamed joined CNA Financial as Chairman and CEO in January, 2009 after 30 years at Chubb Corp. In this interview, he talks about the changes he has in store at CNA.

P/C Insurance & the Economic Recovery

creese — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:08:38 +0000

This recession certainly has kept economists busy. None busier, perhaps, in the insurance industry, than Dr. Robert P. Hartwig, CPCU, president and economist at the Insurance Information Institute. He has spent the last year or two explaining economic indicators and their impact on the property / casualty insurance industry. Insurance Journal’s Andy Simpson caught up with Dr. Hartwig in Chicago at the recent Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) meeting to learn what he sees going on in the economy now, whether he sees signs of a recovery, and what it all means for the property / casualty insurance industry.

Playing the Cross-Over Game

bpedroso — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:42:17 +0000

The soft market’s effect on the economy has forced many standard market insurers to make adjustments in the way they compete for business. This currently includes writing risks that they usually would avoid. James Carey, CEO of Admiral Insurance Co., explains his firm’s reaction to this trend and gives advice on how to deal with it.

Buyouts in Hindsight

creese — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:41:15 +0000

Just a few years ago, amid strong profits and solid premiums, the private equity world was keen on getting into the insurance industry. But that was then. Now, given the soft market and the current difficulties of the down-cycle, those moves by private equity firms, banks and other non-traditional buyers in the early part of the decade seem, in hindsight, like botched thinking. So says Alan Kaufman, head of Burns & Wilcox, who recently spoke with Insurance Journal. In this interview, Kaufman analyzes private equity’s brief love affair with insurance and gives his expectations for future mergers and acquisitions in the insurance industry.

Smart Growth in the P/C World

bpedroso — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:01:03 +0000

Being too big to fail is not really an issue in most of the property/casualty business, says Bob Restrepo, CEO of State Auto Insurance, a super regional carrier that is looking to grow and balance its personal and commercial book. Restrepo discusses growth and the pricing, acquisition and competitive environment in these excerpts from a wide-ranging interview with Insurance Journal’s Andrew Simpson.

What AIG Means for the Future of State Regulation

bpedroso — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:56:42 +0000

Proponents of federal regulation say the recent $85 billion bailout loan for American International Group demonstrates the need for federal oversight of the insurance industry. But in these exclusive interviews with Insurance Journal’s Ken St. Onge, top regulators from Wisconsin, Maine, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida argue that the reason AIG remains is because its insurance companies were regulated by individual states.

The AIG Effect on States

creese — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:41:39 +0000

Cash flow problems have nearly crippled mega-insurer American International Group in recent weeks, forcing the company to take an $85 billion loan from the federal government. Now, attention remains focused on how AIG’s problems will affect insurers in individual states. Recently, the top insurance regulators from Kentucky, Mississippi, Oregon, Arizona and Connecticut sat down with Insurance Journal’s Ken St. Onge to discuss that impact. Their assessments? Insurers in their states are solvent, so the impact won’t be big.

Exclusive Video Interview with William R. Berkley, Take 3: Personal Lines, Politics and Florida

creese — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:24:18 +0000

William R. Berkley, founder of W.R. Berkley Corp., discusses his firm’s 1999 decision to get out of personal lines and how it is managing the property insurance situation in Florida in this excerpt from an exclusive video interview with Insurance Journal.

Watch the entire interview.

Exclusive Video Interview with William R. Berkley, Take 2: Diversity and decentralization

creese — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 01:13:13 +0000

William R. Berkley runs his giant insurance holding company of diverse specialty and regional insurers a lot like a family business where the parents trust their kids to behave. Diversity and decentralized management have worked well for W.R. Berkley Corp., the founder notes in this excerpt from an exclusive video interview with Insurance Journal.

Watch the entire interview.

W.R. Berkley Interview: Delivering Results through Diversity and Decentralization

creese — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 19:47:04 +0000

An Insurance Journal Exclusive Video Interview with William R. Berkley.

Exclusive Interview with William R. Berkley: Take 1- Why this cycle is different

creese — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 19:40:34 +0000

Every cycle is different, says William R. Berkley, and the current one has its own unique features. The founder of the giant insurance holding company that bears his name explains why this cycle is different, discusses the incursion into surplus lines by standard carriers, and offers his outlook for 2008, 2009 and 2010 in this excerpt from a longer exclusive video interview with Insurance Journal.

Watch the entire interview.

Mass. Commissioner Burnes: Effect of Managed Competition on Mass. Agents

creese — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 22:37:54 +0000

Massachusetts regulator Nonnie Burnes discusses how agents might benefit from the state’s historic deregulation of its auto insurance system in this excerpt from an exclusive interview, part of The Commissioner series.